Jan 1, 2018

Happy New Year friends! I’ve set the goal to share a new fun and easy tutorial here with you each month and this first one today is perfect for jotting down those New Years resolutions (and just for everyday play).

These little DIY books made from things in your recycling bin make great journals and they’re also a fun and earth-friendly way to write your very own story books!

This tutorial is for two different sizes of books. The first is a mini book the same size as the felt books that come with the pocket pals in my shop so you and your kiddos can extend that imaginative play by making up your own stories and adventures for your mini friends to read! The second is a bigger size for kids to use as their own coloring books/journals/story books.

Ready to get started? Let’s jump in!

You’ll need:

• cereal boxes
• printer paper*
• stapler
• scissors

Optional:

• rotary cutter, ruler, & mat
• bone folder

*This is a great way to use up scratch paper or re-use the back of children’s drawings.

MINI BOOKS

Step 1: Cut 1″ x 2″ book cover from cereal box using scissors or rotary cutter.

Step 2: Fold book cover in half.

If you have a bone folder, you can use this to give the fold a nice, clean edge. If you don’t have one, just use your fingers.

Step 3: Cut a piece of paper 7/8″ wide.

I just cut the top edge of a piece of paper, so mine was 7/8″ wide x 8 1/2″ long. You could cut it longer or shorter depending on your preferences.

Step 4: Fold one end of your strip of paper over by 7/8″. Then continue folding the paper back and forth accordion style until the entire strip of paper is folded. If you have any extra left at the end, just use your scissors to snip it off. Your paper should now be a folded 7/8″ x 7/8″ square.

Step 5: Center your folded paper inside your book cover, making sure the folded edges are facing out.

Step 6: Staple through the book cover and papers at the spine of your book.

Optional: If you’d like twice as many pages, you can now use your scissors to slit the folded edges of your pages and then trim them as necessary. Or if you used scratch paper with something on the back, you may prefer to keep the pages folded.

Congrats! Your mini book is now finished and ready for lots of drawings and stories!

BIG BOOKS

Step 1: Cut a 4 1/2″ x 9″ book cover from cereal box using scissors or rotary cutter.

Step 2: Fold book cover in half.

If you have a bone folder, you can use this to give the fold a nice, clean edge. If you don’t have one, just use your fingers.

Step 3: Stack 10 sheets of paper on top of each other and use a rotary cutter or scissors to cut 2 stacks of pages that measure 4″ x 8″. This will give you a total of 20 pages.

Step 4: Fold pages in half so they now measure 4″ x 4″.

Step 5: Center your folded paper inside your book cover, making sure the folded edge is tucked into the folded edge of the book cover.

Step 6: Staple through the book cover and papers at the spine of your book.

Yay! Now your big book is finished too!

My kids stole all the books I made to write and color in as soon as I finished taking photos for the tutorial, so I’ll take that as a good sign. 😉

Happy book making!