DIY Notebooks for Back to School

Let’s make two super cute DIY Notebooks for Back to School! I’ll show you how to customize both spiral and composition style notebooks with craft supplies you probably already have around the house. You can easily take a 50 cent notebook and turn it into a unique creation! Let’s get started!

Check out all of our back to school crafts while you are here!

DIY Notebooks for Back to School – Composition Book

Supplies for Composition Notebook:

• Composition notebook
• White printer paper
• Washi tape in your favorite designs
• Permanent adhesive roller
• Scissors
• Craft knife (not pictured, but helpful!)

We need to start by making a blank surface for our washi tape, as it’s transparent and we don’t want to see the notebook pattern through it. Start by rolling adhesive all around the edges of your notebook front, avoiding the black spine. Then place little lines of adhesive randomly around the center of the notebook. You don’t have to cover the entire front with adhesive, just all the edges and enough in the center for the paper to stick. Now take your white paper and line it up with the edge of the black spine, and smooth it down across the front of the notebook. Now flip open the front of the notebook and you can see the paper all around the edges.

Take your scissors and trim carefully around the edges of the cover, making sure to trim the white paper flush with the edge of the cover. And that ugly green notebook front is now blank and ready to decorate!! Next, take your washi tape and start laying strips across the front cover, letting it overlap on both ends like shown. Keep going all the way down your notebook.

I kept my tape all the same, but you can use different patterns and sizes to make it your own! When it’s all covered with washi tape, use your fingers or a library card to smooth out all the edges and make sure it’s all firmly secured.

Open up the cover, and trim the washi tape the same way we trimmed the white paper. Now for the edge next to the black spine, use your craft knife to carefully trim the washi tape right where it meets the spine.

And you’re all done with this notebook! Let’s make the next one!

DIY Notebooks for Back to School – Spiral Notebook

Supplies for Spiral Notebook

• Spiral notebook
• Patterned scrapbook paper
• Large letter stickers – I used poster stickers
• Permanent adhesive roller
• Scissors

Note: Try to find a notebook that has a cover that is a coordinating color at the spine area to your patterned paper. This is important since the spine area near the coils will show. This spine area is white, which coordinated with the pink, red, and white paper perfectly.

Start by attaching the scrapbook paper to the front of the notebook in the same way we did the composition book. You want to get the paper very close to the holes in the notebook for the spiral spine, but not over them. Flip it over and trim the excess. How cute! You can use all kinds of paper, from cool patterns to glitter! You can leave it like this, or go ahead and personalize it.

I flipped my notebook sideways, and checked that my stickers would fit before putting them down. Always start with the center letters, and work your way out! You can use smaller stickers and add your name or even a cute quote or saying!

You’re all done! Just add some cute pens and you’re all ready for school. I hope you enjoyed learning how to make these DIY Notebooks for Back to School!