Making a beautiful diary with your own hands: step-by-step instructions. DIY diary: how to make, ideas, planner, from a notebook, print, notebook on rings, design inside, how to decorate, photo, video How to make a diary from a notebook

Hi all!My name is Elsa, I want to show you how to make such a notebook from scratch with your own hands!

I made it for my son, he is 6 years old. He loves notebooks, all sorts of pieces of paper and secrets. I combined these interests of his in the diary!

What is the advantage of a handmade notebook - you can make it absolutely individual, in any size, with any pictures and content, and at the same time it will be one of a kind!

What materials do I use?
I’ll say right away that all materials are sold in creative stores in the city (Leonardo, “Miracle Tree”, “Azhur”, etc.)

• Cardboard is our basis. I used binding cardboard (2 mm thick).

• Scrap paper. This is colored paper that is glued to cardboard. You can use whichever one you like best. It can be regular colored paper, whatever suits your taste.

I used the Snow Stories collection of double-sided scrap paper from the Miracle Tree store.

• Rings for notepad. An analogue can be any dense threads, ribbons, twine.

• Tools: glue (transparent “Moment Crystal”), cutting mat, cutter (scissors), ruler, eyelet installer (it can be replaced with an awl (for cardboard) and a hole punch (for paper)

• Sheets of white paper. You can use an office one, or you can take sheets from a sketchbook, as I did. You can use paper from a drawing folder. This is sold in any office supply store.

• Wide elastic band for threading a ballpoint pen.

• Sewing machine (needed for sewing the “loop” - elastic bands for the handle).

DIY diary. Master Class

Let's prepare 2 sheets of cardboard (1.5-2 mm thick is suitable).

Dimensions: 13.5x19.5 cm and 15.5x19.5 cm

The front cardboard is narrower, the bottom one is wider so that there is room on the right for an elastic band for the handle.

We cut scrap paper (colored paper) into 4 sheets according to the size of the cardboard: to cover it on both sides.

I got it: two identical (beige), 1 blue with snow and a bright striped one (back of the notebook). Total 4 pcs.

View inside

View of the future front cover

Inside the notebook, we will have a pocket. You can use thick film, thick file or paper. We stitch it on a machine. You can also glue the pocket or use thin double-sided tape.

After we have made the pocket, the paper can be glued to the cardboard. We glue 3 papers, except the last one, the bottom one (brightly striped). We will glue it after we make the loop for the handle.

View inside

Let's move on to the front part.

Please note that I have three layers of paper glued to the front cardboard, each of which is 0.5-0.6 cm smaller than the bottom one.

It's time to sew on an elastic band for the handle. Then we glue the last, 4th sheet onto the cardboard.

Let's take a grommet installer and make holes in the cardboard. With its help we will secure the black eyelets. If you don’t have one, then use an awl and make two even holes in the cardboard.

View inside

Let’s put on the rings and boldly start decorating the “face” of our notebook.

Letters and numbers came with the paper. Decorative cardboard lanterns (chipboard) are sold separately.

Tadaam! The skeleton of the notepad is ready. Now you can start working on its contents!

The sheets can be left white, or you can draw squares like mine. Made in Word, 0.5 cm.

The dimensions of my sheets are slightly smaller than our narrow cardboard: 18.5x13 cm. We cut the paper and use a grommet installer (hole punch)

We put the sheets on the rings

Let's fill the pocket and add a card for the inscription.

And here is a tab with a secret pocket.

Even a simple envelope was used. Why not?

You can hide notes in an envelope and seal it.

“My Dreams” Tab

Another tab in the form of a dense file, cut to the size of the pages and stitched along the edge.

Here you can store small envelopes with little secrets.

And the last tab is a card for inscriptions.

That's it, the last flyleaf.

I advise mothers to write here some wish for the baby or just the inscription “from Mom with love”

I am sure that such a notebook will delight your child and will become “that very thing that is kept for a long time and carefully as a keepsake.”

If you have any questions about the master class, write, I will be happy to answer them!

A little on topic. In the Canva service, you can create diary pages with your own design and include only the blocks you need. For example, “my goals” or “my dreams,” and also insert patterns or pictures from the Canva library. You can print the finished pages and assemble them into your ideal diary. Or use it electronically on your phone or computer!" https://www.canva.com/ru_ru/sozdat/lichniy-ejednevnik/

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2015 is coming to an end and we need to start thinking about gifts for the New Year. New Year's holidays are always considered to be quite special in the year, so you need to pay special attention to these gifts. As a rule, they prepare congratulations not only for their family members, but also for friends, colleagues, teachers, doctors, professors. Even if it’s just some little thing, you should definitely give it as a gift, even if it’s something not at all expensive, but very necessary. Here are the ones that are relevant for the New Year 2016? These can be beautiful balls, monkeys, notebooks, diaries. For example, almost every person needs a diary for the next year. So, it will not only be a good gift for the New Year, but also, as they say, useful around the house. But, if you need to congratulate someone specifically, for example, your favorite doctor, then you can buy a regular ready-made diary for 2016 and make a cover for it with the inscription “Favorite Doctor’s Diary” using the technique. This cover will be soft, fabric with your favorite pictures and decorations.
For the master class on creating a cover we need to take:

• Diary in ready-made binding for 2016;
• Two blanks made of binding cardboard 15.5*21 cm;
• The cardboard is thick;
• Office paper;
• Cotton fabric, bright pink with flowers, cut 25*32 cm;
• 4 metal corners in silver;
• Two sheets of 30*30 cm scrap paper with bears and light pink;
• Cards made of scrap paper, two pieces, size 7.5*10 cm;
• Pictures with bears;
• Card with the inscription “Daybook of your favorite doctor”;
• Small acrylic orange and pink buttons;
• Glue stick;
• Glue with the effect of double-sided tape from Evgenia Kurdibanovskaya;
• PVA glue with a brush;
• Large office clips;
• Pencil;
• Ruler;
• Scissors;
• Double-sided tape;
• Pink ink pad;
• Calendar grid for 2016;
• Curb hole punch;
• Sheet synthetic winterizer;
• Bandage or gauze.

To begin, carefully remove the cover from the diary, do it carefully, if you have a stationery knife, you can make several cuts to easily remove the block.

We have disconnected it, now we need to make endpapers for our binding. Endpapers are thick sheets that connect the cover and binding. From each sheet of scrap paper we cut out two parts measuring 20.5 * 29 cm. Divide the side that is 29 cm in half 2 * 14.5 cm.

We draw bend lines and fold two blanks. Open one sheet of paper and glue the calendar grid onto the left side with double-sided tape (if you have an ink pad, it is better to tint the edges of the grid).

From the remaining sheets, we cut out two pockets 9*14.5 cm and 10*14.5 cm. We punch holes from the remaining strips and glue them at the top onto the pockets using PVA glue. On one pocket we glue a picture of a bear, and on the second the inscription 2016 with monkeys.

We sew on the pictures and the grid using a typewriter. Now we glue the prepared endpapers on top and bottom of the block, spreading glue literally 2-3 mm from the binding. We apply and press the endpapers for about 5 minutes so that the glue sticks. We cut out a rectangle of 9*20.5 cm from office paper and divide it into three parts on the smaller side, respectively 3.5*2*3.5 cm. Draw vertical bend lines.

Apply glue and glue it to the diary block.

We put some sheets or notebooks on the bottom and top and use clamps to clamp the block for about 30-40 minutes. In the meantime, we are making the cover. We lay sheets of binding cardboard and cut out a blank from the cardboard for gluing the covers together.

Glue the blank with a glue stick.

We cut the padding polyester to the size of the cover when unfolded, and glue it to the cover with tape. Iron the fabric well so that there are no wrinkles and lay it face down on the table. Place the cover with the padding polyester facing down.

We coat the edges with glue, wrap the fabric, fold the corners beautifully and glue it.

We sew the edge of the cover on a typewriter.

We lay out the pictures in this order and sew them on by machine one at a time.

We cut off the bandage, fold it in half and glue it to the edge of the diary block.

Making your planner is harder than it might seem.

The first question that arises is which program to use to prepare a template for the diary and what it will generally look like. There are few options here.

There are special programs for layout of magazines, newspapers, brochures, books and so on, such as Adobe InDesign, QuarkXPress and Scribus (Scribus). Scribus, unlike the other two programs, is free and you can create PDF documents and presentations.
You can also make diary sheets in the program CorelDRAW.

But in order to work in these programs, you must first master them, read the manual, that is, spend some time and delve into all the intricacies.

Another option is to create your own diary in Word, and, having suffered with constantly moving tables, print the document in the form of a book - if your printer supports this feature. And if not, you will have to manually do the pagination, keeping in mind the order of printing the pages, as most users do. Or convert the document to PDF and print using the same Adobe Reader or program ClickBook, which will break the text into pages (printing options include both a book and a diary).

There are a lot of videos on YouTube explaining how to do this, but here you will need, in addition to the appropriate tools and materials - special glue (so that the cover is glued together without wrinkles), paper, cardboard and the like, to devote time to this process, since it’s beautiful and It is unlikely that you will be able to do everything efficiently, and if not done very well, your diary will look unattractive and is unlikely to be suitable for showing to others.

Diary in Excel

For me, the easiest option seemed to be creating a diary in Excel: static tables are printed on A4 sheets, cut in half and filed in an A5 ring binder.

The advantages of this method are simplicity and functionality:

editability: Excel is easy to edit - you can try different options for filling the pages of the diary and choose the most convenient for you, the information block often needs adjustments and additions, and you can easily retype and paste it.

visualization: print each month on a different color of paper, or add a multi-colored border to the sheet, and you will always easily find the information you need. You can also use sheet separators. Cardboard sets for design (scrapbooking) are suitable for this, or purchase A5 laminating film and make dividers from any beautiful picture, or even from wrapping paper.

compactness: in a ring binder you can carry only the information you need, and file the used sheets in an “archive” - a record folder.

creativity: so that the reverse side of the diary sheet does not “disappear”, use it as a mental map. And by adding pictures, you will make it unique.

And to make the diary look presentable, you can cut the printed sheets in a printing house and make the binding there with a plastic or metal spring, and laminate the cover. Or order hardcover.
Choose the option that suits you and make your diary unique.

Meet with friends, cook lasagna, buy a gift for your niece, take pills, check your email... The list of things that await us every day can be continued indefinitely. Every task requires timely and precise execution. Not everyone can boast of an impeccable memory. To help managers of large companies, office workers, mothers of many children and housewives, an indispensable thing for today was created - a diary. In fact, there is quite a replacement for a diary - these are modern gadgets that offer many programs for recording tasks and plans, but despite this, few people have given up diaries.

Why keep a diary?

If you are a forgetful, disorganized and very busy person, then you need to start keeping a diary. In the future, he will teach you to complete all tasks on time, not to postpone plans, and also to follow discipline. For this alone, you should at least try to start keeping your own diary.

If over time you suddenly realize that keeping a diary does not give you pleasure and does not help in any way, then it is better to quit this business right away.

How to keep a diary correctly?

There are several ways to keep diaries, it all depends on what format you choose. In stores you can buy a ready-made notebook that you can keep all year long. In such a business diary, the first page begins on January 1. Each day is divided into hours, it also has a calendar, a page for recording phone numbers, important dates, and more. Such a diary-calendar is convenient for businessmen and office workers who expect many meetings, phone calls and negotiations per day.

Unusual diaries can also be bought in the store. This can be a thick notebook with a hard cover, lined or squared. Original diaries with printed pictures are also sold.

How to choose a diary?

While it’s quite easy to decide on a business notebook for office workers, it will be much more difficult for those who choose a diary more for themselves than for work, for recording their thoughts, secrets, plans, etc. After all, in any store that sells stationery, there are a lot of different diaries for every taste.

Quite unusual diaries are sold in bookstores. Their price is a little more expensive, but the pleasure from such an everyday notebook is much greater. Firstly, they are decorated inside with a large number of pictures, as well as separate lines decorated with flowers or a frame for recording the owner’s name. Very beautiful diaries are produced by the famous Moleskine brand. Diaries and sketchbooks from the Italian company Moleskine were adored by such legendary figures as Van Gogh, Hemingway and Picasso.

Some teenagers also keep diaries, especially girls. In their diaries they record thoughts, ideas, experiences, plans and even secrets. That is why it is important for teenagers that this book, to which they will trust a large number of their thoughts, is beautiful and unique. Cool diaries with colorful pictures or with unusual covers have been created for teenagers. By the way, the diary will be a wonderful gift.

from a regular notebook?

Creative individuals can try to design the notebook themselves, turning it into a beautiful notebook.

Buy a thick notebook with a beautiful cover and colorful stickers. Divide your notebook into several sections using sticky notes. Each section can be devoted to a separate topic. For example, in the first section you can write down a to-do list, in the second section a list of necessary purchases, in the third section culinary recipes, etc. Any person can get such completely different original diaries.

How to make it from scratch?

Many girls are interested in needlework and creating their own diaries. In order to create your own, you need to have thick cardboard, sheets of paper, glue, scissors and

Needlewomen often share with each other templates with which they create unusual diaries. Typically, these templates consist of lines decorated with flowers or pictures. You can print them out and make some pretty cute pages for your future diary. If you want to create a sketchbook, you can use regular white sheets of paper.

The inner pages need to be sewn. After this, you need to cut out a cover from cardboard and glue beautiful scrapbooking paper onto it. Next, you will need to glue the stitched pages onto the cardboard. Crystal glue is suitable for this; it holds cardboard well. Let the glue dry. By following these rules, you can create your own unusual diaries.

It is very easy to make a diary, because even small children make their own paper books in which they draw and write.

Whenever they ask me “when do I have time to do everything,” I answer - yes, I don’t have time to do anything at all. But when looking through the list of completed tasks, it turns out that I still have time to do something. Not all, but more than I sometimes think. When you work for yourself, and even at home, many people get the impression that you should have a lot of free time! Yes, you are not tied to a strict work schedule, but no one canceled your work. In fact, working from home requires even more self-organization and self-control than working in an office. And a daily planner helps me with this.

A joint project has started on the blog. We make a diary for the year.

For the 4th year now I have been drawing my own diary. I print the sheets at home on regular office paper. For several years in a row (five years to be exact), I made do with a simple A6 notebook. As the variety of tasks increased, I needed a more detailed notebook. I couldn’t find a suitable ready-made one, so I decided to create my own. In 2013, I printed sheets on A4 format and cut them a little on one side. Then I fastened it with a spring and a binder.

In 2014, I switched to A5 form and a purchased cover with 4 rings. This year the layout on the weekly spread remains the same. Having tested it for 2 years in a row, I am extremely pleased with it!

First, I write down all the tasks for the next month on the monthly calendar page - work for my design teams, birthdays, etc., one or two words for the task. I then rewrite these tasks in more detail into weekly spreads. I love weekly spreads - the whole week and its tasks are before my eyes, and I don’t have to flip the pages back and forth, as happens in ordinary diaries, where there are two days on the spread.

The weekly menu was only available in 2013. I didn’t really fill it out, so I removed it so it wouldn’t take up space on the sheet. Previously, I used to navigate the menu in the kindergarten so that it wouldn’t match. Every morning Lera and I looked at what they would feed them. And I was already figuring out what to cook for everyone in the evening, because... She had breakfast and lunch in the kindergarten. I cook something new every day. A multicooker helps a lot! Now that Lera has gone to school and doesn’t eat in the school cafeteria, I have to prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner and take Lera with me. Last year before the New Year we bought her a 300 ml thermos for food and a handbag. Now at school with Lera there is always warm home-cooked food.

So, I come to my planner for next year. For the first task of a joint project, you need to prepare the cover, decorative materials and the inner block of the notebook.

I have already glued the padding polyester to the outside of the cover. And printed out the sheets.

I also prepared a SURPRISE! In the next post I will share with you my diary, which you can download and print!

What can I advise from my own experience regarding time management and how to manage everything:
1. Calculate your strengths - don't just plan for the sake of planning.
2. Break down large tasks/projects into smaller ones.
3. Train your family members to help you: clear the dishes from the table after yourself, collect scattered things in the house, delegate small tasks.
4. Keep your work area tidy. Creative chaos is not for me. I love it when everything is in its place and can be quickly taken out and hidden back in its place. Now in a new apartment, when I have a huge 4-meter table, there is a great temptation to spread the same huge mess on it. It’s good that we have a cat)) who sticks her black nose everywhere and tries to push everything off the table, or get into the very middle of an unfinished project. We have to quickly put everything in its place.