Upcycled Journal Tutorial

This tutorial shows you how to make an upcycled journal. I use the same basic method of bookbinding I described in my bookbinding tutorial. I didn't make a new journal for this tutorial, but I'm using photos from my Upcycled Swan Flyaway Journal as an example. 

      

Supplies:
*Item you want to upcycle - book, magazine, VHS tape, etc.
*Paper for the inside of journal - you can use whatever paper you like, computer paper or sketch book paper works great
*Decorative or colored paper
*PVA Glue
*Binder's thread
*Needle
*Scissors
*Bone folder
*Binder's board (optional)

For more information on where to get supplies, click here.

1.) First, you'll need to find the item you want to upcycle. For example, you can use an old children's book, an old record cover or a VHS tape. In the example above, I used an old children's book I had called "Swan Flyaway". Save the inside pages of the book in case you want to use them for a different craft. I saved the inside pages to use in my art journal.

2.) This tutorial is for a closed spine journal so you want to make sure you have a spine on the side of the journal. If you're using an old book or VHS tape, you already have the cover of your journal so you don't have to do anything else with the cover.

If you have a flat material or something that doesn't have a spine already, you'll have a couple more steps. Cut binder's board in to three pieces for the front, back cover and spine of the book as described in Part 3 of my bookbinding tutorial. Then cover the binder's board with whatever material you're using. For example, if you're using a vintage magazine page as your cover, you'd want to cut the binder's board in three pieces the size of magazine page and then glue the magazine page over all three pieces to form a book cover.

3.) Now you'll want to make the text block or inside of the book. You'll need paper, thread, a needle, bone folder and glue for this step. Make sure to use paper that, when folded, is a little bit smaller as your cover. I explain in detail how to make the pages and sew the text block together here. 

4.) So now you have your text block and cover and you just need to put everything together. Put glue on the first and last pages of the text block so the outside of the text block is covered in glue. Open the cover and press the text block down inside the cover so it fits together as a journal. Use a piece of decorative or colored paper to cover the front and back inside pages of the journal. You'll want to choose a piece of paper that goes well with the cover of your journal. For my Swan Flyaway journal, I found decorative paper that I thought looked nice with the  colors of the cover. Use a bone folder to press the decorative paper down so it's nice and smooth.

5.) Put wax paper in between the inside covers and text block so they don't stick together. Press the book down together so it fits nicely. Now wrap the whole thing in wax paper and let it sit between two heavy books or presses. You might want to put a weight on top. Let this dry overnight. Once it's dry, you have a completed journal! 

Let me know if you like this tutorial. If you try it out, I'd love to see how it turns out!