Home made gift idea from PhotoJoJo

A SUPER homemade gift idea from one of my favorite photo gadget blogs called PHOTOJOJO. I would LOVE to make these as gifts for this coming holiday season.   My goal is to make it happen.  I just need to find the time.  Sooooooooo awesome.   IN LOVE.  Just *thinking* of all the different ways to personalize these and get creative with them is making me all happy-happy-joy-joy on the inside.  :)

 
 
 

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• Two 4″x6″ vertical photo prints
• Assorted types of paper (lined paper, graph paper, colored paper, etc.)
• Paper cutter or X-acto knife and ruler
• Two binder clips or clothespins
• White glue (like Elmer’s)
• Stack of heavy books (optional)

STEP 1: TRIM PAPER TO SIZE

Take your assortment of fine papers and cut each piece 4″x6″, the same size as your prints. An X-acto knife and ruler will work, but a paper cutter is a lot easier and quicker.

Keep cutting until you have a stack of paper about 1/4″ thick.

STEP 2: GLUE STACK OF PAPER

Tap the stack of paper sharply on the table to even up the stack. Tap one of the short edges until it’s perfectly flush.

Clamp the stack together with binder clips to keep it nicely lined up.

Apply glue to the evened-up short edge of the stack. Smear the glue evenly over the surface with your finger.

If any glue gets on the face of the pages, just wipe it away with your finger.

STEP 3: GLUE IT AGAIN

Let the glue dry for about 15 minutes, then shmear another layer of glue onto the same edge. Let it sit until the glue is completely dry.

The glue layer should be nice & thick. Unclamp the stack and ruffle it to see if any pages come loose. If they do, apply another good layer of glue and let it dry.

Place a print, face out, on the top and bottom of the stack and re-clamp with the binder clips.

STEP 4: MAKE A PAPER STRIP

And now… the spine!

Cut a strip of decorative paper 4″ long and about 3/4″ to 1″ wide.

Apply a thin layer layer of glue to the paper strip, smearing it over the whole surface with your fingertip.

STEP 5: GLUE STRIP ONTO STACK

Glue the strip onto the spine of the notepad (um, that’s the part with the glue layer on it.)

Line the paper strip up over the center of the spine, then bend one side down so it folds over the front cover of the notepad.

Smooth the strip onto the photo with your finger, then bend the other side of the paper strip onto the back cover and smooth that down.

If excess glue gets on the face of the photos, wipe it away with your finger or a damp paper towel.

STEP 6: LET IT DRY

Dump a big stack of books on top of the notepad (or put the clips back on so they hold the strip in place) and let the glue dry completely.

That’s it! See? Easy!

V2.0: INSTAX!

Want a wee little mini notepad? Use Instaxphotos instead!

Cut a stack of paper to the size of the instant photos (which conveniently happens to be the same exact size as a credit card),

Then follow all the steps the same way as above. Just make the paper strip a bit narrower (about 1/2″) so it doesn’t cover too much of the tiny photo on the cover.

MORE IDEAS

• Use horizontal photos instead of vertical ones to make a landscape-format notepad.
• Bind the long edge to make a vertical journal-type book.
• If you can get your hands on some Polaroids, turn them into notepad covers!
• Use square pictures and a thick stack of paper to make a desktop notecube.

Photo credits: geoftheref, Ferdinand Reus, Michael (mx5tx), Capitan Giona