Introduction: Transform Your Greeting Card in a Notebook

By Aiguilles magiques
About: In the real life I'm a trainer for adults and a writer. But I'm also a knitter, I sew and I like to reuse things and materials to transform or to make other things with them. And, English is not my mother lang…

I needed a new notebook, but, as I wanted it to enter in the case I made for the previous notebook, I decided to make the new one. It also has a built-in bookmark (the better way I found to finish the notebook).
Every year, I make greetings cards for my job, and I rarely send them all, in the other hand, I have a lot of paper printed on only one side. This notebook is the result of what I needed and what I've, it's also a perfectly green project.

Step 1: You Need:

- greeting cards (any printed cardboard as cereal boxes can do the job too)
- paper (reuse printed paper)
- cutting tools (at least scissors)
- thread (or yarn)
- rubber band (of ribbon)
- tapestry needle
- gimlet (or any other tool to drill the holes)
- optional: crochet hook, pliers, beads and charm to finish the bookmark

Step 2: Cut and Fold

First: cut the paper and the card (cut it a few larger than the paper)
For me, it doesn't matter if some pages have a printed side. But if you only want white pages, select the non-printed parts of the paper. The size depends also of your greeting card!
Fold the paper, if necessary cut to have a flat edge (yes on the photo it isn't perfect, but it is flat enough for me).

Step 3: The Holes

Make 2 holes with the gimlet (it isn't really necessary to measure).

Then add the cover and make the holes in the cover. This is the best and the most easy way to have the holes on the same place in the sheets and in the cover.

Step 4: The Seam

For a best and sturdy finishing, I finished the hands of the thread in a bookmark.
Begin the seam by the top of the notebook keeping a long tail. The thread must go over and under.
Don't forget to put the rubber band under the middle stitch of the cover. It will help the notebook to stay closed.
Tie the ends.
To make the bookmark: make a chain with the crochet hook, a cord with your fingers or just knots, as you want.
I use charms for the end of the bookmak.

Step 5: The Final Products

The orange one was the first, it is open on the first photo. I improved the process with the blue one by adding the rubber in the seam.

This tutorial is in French in aiguilles-magiques, le blog.