Booking IT!

I was wasting time the other day looking around on the internet (yes, I know, its a horrible habit and you would never do such a thing) and saw an amazing deal on a book binding tool- I'm sure you probably know which one I am talking about- you buy their cover, their machine and voila! you have a book. Well, as I started reading reviews and Must HAVE product lists, I started thinking, "I can do this"- a phrase that send fear through the heart of my husband. So, here it is, you too can bind a book, make it personal, and I bet it won't even cost you anything. I am certain you already have all of these supplies.

Start off with some paper. Any paper you like will do. I have used plain printer paper that I have printed cute initials on, but for this book I used some paper that was left over from homeschooling last year. It has a vintage feel. Cut it in half-or to whatever size you would like your book. For these directions you paper will need to end up about 8 inches by 4 1/4.
Now you will need a sheet of 12X12 lightweight chipboard. Measure about 1/4 over the width of your paper and score. Measure and score again for the debth of your stack of paper- ie if your stack of paper to put inside is 1 cm- measure and score 1cm after the last score line. Now all you have to do is make 2 final cuts so the total width and height is about 1/4 inch longer than your paper. This allows for a good lip around the paper.
Now pick out the paper you would like for the outer cover. If you are using a pattern, make sure you take a good look before starting so that you have exactly the perfect placement for the front of your book.
Generously cover one side of your cover with glue- I love just a trusty glue stick. Make sure to ONLY do the front of back cover first. You need to do one side, then crease the paper (especially if you are using a thick paper) before appling glue to the other side.
Now, make a few cuts so that you can wrap the remainig paper around to finish the cover.
At this point (if I am not using flocked or glittered paper) I like to add a good layer of Mod Podge - well because everything is better with Mod Podge. I like to use the Matte finish for this type of project. It gives the book a little extra protection from 5 year olds also.

Then apply a generous amount of silicon glue to the edge of the paper you cut earlier- be careful for paper cuts-ouch! Place the paper inside the cover, close and wait for the glue to dry. After the glue has dried, flip through the book just to make sure every page is secure. You may need to apply a little more glue between a few pages.
The last step is just to embellish however your little heart desires, and then either enjoy or enjoying giving as a wonderful gift! I'm sure the book binding machine works really well, but anything that requires specific items is a bit of a problem where I live, so this is an anywhere, anytime option. let me know how it works for you!