The end of the school year is almost here! I know several children counting down the days to the final school bell of the year as they dream of summer camp, playing with friends and spending hours outside. If your child is too young for a yearbook, or the school doesn’t create one, you can make one either by yourself or together to help capture inside jokes and autographs. The journal also works great to give as a handmade gift for teacher; beyond school, use it also works incredibly well for keeping track of gifts at birthday parties and showers.
Materials
- 1 sheet colorful cardstock
- 2 pieces text-weight paper (you can add more if you’d like)
- Ruler
- Scissors
- Scoring board
- Bone folder
- Sewing machine and thread
- Embellishments for cover decorating
Instructions
| 1. Start out by cutting your cardstock to 7-by-8.5 inches. |
| 2. Cut your text-weight paper to 6-by-8 inches and set aside. |
| 3. Next, score the center of your cardstock at 4.25 inches with a bone folder. You don’t have to use too much pressure to make a crease that will help you fold your journal perfectly in half. |
| 4. Fold your cardstock on the creased center you just created. Use your bone folder to achieve a crisper fold. Repeat this same process for the pieces of text-weight paper, but score them at 4 inches. |
| 5. Position your journal pages on top of the journal cover. |
| 6. With your sewing machine, sew down the center of the text pages. Tie the loose ends of your thread with a simple knot and trim. |
| 7. Fold the journal and crease with your bone folder one last time. |
| 8. Add decorations of your choosing to the front of the journal. You could include the year, like I did, with a set of stickers from the scrapbook aisle at the craft store. Or add the child or recipient’s name, the school mascot – or leave the cover blank to let your child decorate it as he or she sees fit. |
