How to Make a Homemade Personalized Sketch Book/Journal

Hey guys,

Wanted to share with you all about the sketch book I made.  It was rather easy but it did take a while to make so patience is definitely key along with the right materials.  I got this idea from Lauren Nash of TransientArt so please go take a look at her webpage and YouTube channel, she has a very intensive tutorial on how to make this book that is easy to follow. 

First, the material list:

- Drawing Paper (The paper I used was Canson drawing paper which you can find very cheap on Amazon in 100 sheet packs.  I like to order generic craft items in bulk and you can find some good deals online, including free shipping)
- Fabric (Any fabric will work, I was able to find some great fabric out of the bargain bin from my local fabric store)
- Chipboard (Don't even bother to look for this in a craft store because it is not there.  You can find it for cheap on Amazon as well and it has multiple uses including scrapbooking so you can use it for several projects.  If you don't want to use chipboard you can always go with a heavy duty cardboard or even a thin sheet of plywood)
- Ribbon (This is optional, depending on whether you want a bookmark or not)
- Glue (Fabric glue, craft glue, etc.  I used Krazy glue, cheap on Amazon)
- Thread (Several options here, you can use a bookbinder's thread but you will need to order it online, what I used was an embroidery thread and then I put some Gulf Wax on it to keep it from tearing the paper as I sewed.  Another alternative is using fishing line.
- Decorative Paper (You will want this for the inside cover of your book and it can be found in any scrapbooking section of any store)

As you can see the material list is not that intensive and you can also make several books with these materials if you wanted or the materials can easily be used for some of your other projects, so they're not completely specialized.  Take a look at my pictures below of the sketch book I made and take a look at the video from Lauren on how to complete your project. Enjoy!

 I used two different fabrics both of which I found in the bargain bin.

 This is the decorative paper I chose for my inside cover.

 You can see the thread from the handstiching here. 

Trust me, it sounds more complicated than it is.