30 January 2011

Diary DIY

Hi All

Just back from a lovely leave out weekend at home. It was great to just chill after the last few manic weeks of revision and exam. The exam in case you are wondering went well. Cross fingers I get a good enough mark though!

It was so nice to be able to scrap the last few days without being interupted with work! I also had a lovely new box of scrapbook supplies waiting!

I have been wanting a diary for some time now. One, to keep me on track and two as a place to keep those important pieces of paper. However hard I searched though, there were never any nice ones. So, I bit the bullet and decided to create my own. It actually was very straightforward, with the added bonus that I could make my diary how I wanted it to be ! I started it with February (yes it would have been a better project for the new year!) all the way up to the end of the school year.

So.. How to make it.

1. Take your choice of notebook. I found this lovely square black one in my local craft store. It has nice thick pages and a hard cover. I  guess for added craftiness you could make your own!

I then covered the front with a mini patchwork. Very simple. Cut squares and rectangles out of material and sew them together so they fit the cover. Neaten the patchwork quilt with bias binding and then stick on with very strong glue. I also added letter stickers to mine.
Sorry, the colours have turned out a bit strange! I wanted the cover to be soft but also strong and wearable.

2. Decide what your page layout is going to be. I decided on the days monday to saturday with three per page. I also created a side column  so I could write a bible verse or note.
I wanted my diary to be nice and neat so drew in the lines for each day but printed out the days and then cut and stuck them in. Fiddly but worth it!

3.I wanted my diary to have a bit of scrappy loveliness so I left a blank page at the start of every month so I could have a nice header.
You can decorate this anyway you want. My only rule was not to use too many bulky embellishments as then it is difficult to write.

4. I wanted my diary to serve more than just the purpose of keeping track of the days. I created this note section at the back with blank pages so I can jot down things wherever I am.

5.Right at the back I added two small bull dog clips which hold lots of mini photos.

6.Finally, I decorated the inside covers with strips of my lomo contact sheet. I think it adds a little quirky touch!

All in all it was very simple to make and really good fun. Almost too nice to write in now! ha ha!

Hope you have all had a good weekend. Thanks for stopping by!

Loves xxxx

7 comments:

Lizzie said...

Well, to coin a phrase: "Ooh, how clever!" (Winnie the Pooh).
That is a lovely customised diary. I'm sure it will be so useful to you. Will you make another one for when you start at University?
It really is gorgeous (I'm just a tiny bit envious, but then I could make my own if I wanted!). I love how you made a tiny patchwork for the cover, then used scrap papers and embellishments, with your own photos. It is very "Abi"!

Sinead said...

LOVE this, it is really pretty! Well done and good luck on the exam result :)x

Miriam said...

This is just gorgeous Abi! A set of fingers are crossed over here for good results for you.

Anonymous said...

This is really lovely! Good luck with the exams.

scrappyjacky said...

Abi....what a lovely idea.....and you've made it so beautifully.

humel said...

Wow, Abi, it's gorgeous! :-) Glad to hear that you felt the exam went well, I hope the result reflects all your hard work xx

JO SOWERBY said...

such a beautiful piece of work, seems a shame to write in it. i love ur makes abi. hope to see u soon? before end of school at least.
Jo xxx