DIY: 3 Hole Journal

I found some cute scrapbooking paper on sale that I thought could be used as a cover for a travel journal.

SUPPLIES

• Cover paper (e.g. thicker scrapbooking paper/cardstock)
• Paper (for interior pages)
• Paper cutter
• Scissors
• String
• Tapestry needle
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Clip
• Awl
• Hammer
• Self-healing cutting mat (to protect the surface you’re working on)

[Note: if you don’t want to use an awl (and hammer and self-healing mat) you can use a 1/16 inch hole punch for holes instead. Using a sheet with the holes you want as a template, and punching the holes through the other pages a couple at a time.]

DIRECTIONS

— 1 —

Cut all interior pages to size with paper cutter. (I cut my pages to 4.25 x 5.5 inch.)

— 2 —

Cut cover paper to size. (I made mine slightly larger than the actual interior paper size by 1/16 inch.)

— 3 —

On an interior page, measure where the holes will be. (I made a line at 0.25 inch from the edge to indicate how far the holes would be from the spine. Then I measured how far apart I wanted my holes to be. I did one in the middle at 2.75 inch. Then I did two, each 1 inch away from the top and bottom of the page.)

— 4 —

Clip your interior pages together, with the page with where the holes will be on top. Using the awl and hammer (and self-healing mat below, placed on a hard concrete surface), create holes.

— 5—

Using a page with holes as a template, align your cover page (one at a time) and punch through it with awl and hammer. If the paper has a pattern on it, make sure that it facing the correct orientation for the holes.

— 6 —

Cut a length of string. Thread it on a tapestry needle.

— 7 —

Align cover pages and interior pages all together.

— 8 —

Needle goes through middle hole through the bottom.

— 9 —

Needle goes through the hole again.

—10 —

Needle goes through top hole.

— 11 —

Needle goes through top hole again.

— 12 —

Needle goes through top hole, but this time string goes to the top of the journal.

— 13 —

Needle goes through middle hole.

— 14 —

Needle goes through bottom hole.

— 15 —

Needle goes through bottom hole again.

— 16 —

Needle goes through bottom hole, but this time string goes to the bottom of the journal.

— 17 —

Needle goes through middle hole.

—18 —

Tie string ends together. Cut excess string. Journal complete.