DIY Garden Journal

I have long admired Japanese brand 'Traveler's Company' and their collection of beautiful notebooks and journaling accessories, from the covers to the thoughtful inserts. I have never been a committed journaler — but after seeing one of our wholesale customers in New Zealand applying our patches to the front cover of a Traveler's Company leather notebook, I had a lightbulb moment! I'm going to create my own DIY version and give journaling a go again. I decided I wanted to create a reference journal for my growing year at the allotment and home, and with a growing collection of vegetable-inspired patches, I set to work... Here's how.

You Will Need: 

Old Hardback Book | Single Adjustable Hole Punch | Kraft Knife | Scissors | Ruler | Paintbrush | Thick Card | Mod Podge Glue | Elastic cord | Vintage wallpaper or patterned papers.

Set of tools including scissors, thread, a ruler, and a leather tool on a wooden surface.

How to Make your DIY Journal

How to make a traveller style journal from an old hardback book using vintage wallpapers.

1 Carefully cut out the book pages and keep them intact- (I ended up reading this one!)  Nothing gets wasted I use the pages for making little seed pouches and pots.

2 Re-inforce the inside spine by gluing on a few strips of plain paper.

3 Measure and cut pattern papers for the inside spine and front and back cover and glue in place. Allow the glue to fully dry. I also glued a strip of wallpaper to the outer spine to cover the book title. You can then add a coat of mod podge as a form of protection.

4 I like to make use of the inside of the covers so made an envelope to store postcards. Simply find an envelope , open it out and use as a template for your new one. Glue it down as shown

How to make a journal from an old hardback book instructions

5 For the inserted elastics ( these will support the notebooks and other inserts) mark the holes as shown. The spine of this book is quite deep so I will be able to have 3 rows of elastics.

6 Punch the holes and then insert the elastic lengths as shown. Pull taut and tie knots at the end.

7 Find the centre of the spine and punch one hole (do this before inserting all elastics), this is for the elastic cord that will close the book. 

8 Open out a notebook and slide onto one of the elastics. 

Notebook with a decorative cover on a wooden surface

DIY Journal with black and white illustrations on a wooden surface

Diy Journal made from old book with vintage wallpaper on the inside cover with a Pen loop

I had a spare loop which are easy to come across and this one fit tow of our Japanese Marvy Uchida fine liner pens. 

 

Now for the cover! Go maximalist or.....

Embroidered patches of vegetables on a notebook and wooden surface

 keep it minimal....

Peapod embroidered patch on a jDIY Gardening journal coverI arranged the patches and ironed them in place covering them with a thin pice of cotton for protection----(this is only advisable if the cover is a natural material) you coud glue them down or use double sided tape or glue dots for a more semi permanent result.

 

Now to fill it! I bought a collection of simple kraft cover notebooks  ...and the new FREE DOWNLOAD fold out Gardeners Year Planner I designed -FREE DOWNLOAD HERE. I printed it on our studio bamboo printer paper.

 

Gardeners growing year planner FREE download two pages.

Notebook with a decorative cover on a wooden surface

Dark blue notebooks with embroidered vegetable and bird designs on a wooden surface.

The best part of making your own journal is that it will 100% unique to you.

Enjoy & have fun!

 

 

 

 


 

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