Be Positive Day 7 | DIY Inspiration Journal

I mentioned that I’ve been writing my Life Pulp inspirations down in my red Moleskin notebook. And while I do always have it with me, I decided I needed something more special, something dedicated only to these inspirations that I can carry with me and read when I need it. So today I made myself a simple Inspirational Notebook.

Here’s what you need to make your own.

Plain white paper
Thin cardboard (I used a cereal box)
Scrapbook paper
Scissors
Glue
Needle and Thread
Butter Knife
Something sharp to poke tiny holes (I used a needle file I found in Jason’s garage. An awl would be ideal.)

Start by cutting your cardboard to the size you want your journal to be. This will be your cover, so don’t cut it in half, instead fold it in half so that it will wrap around your pages. If you use a cereal box like I did, then make sure the printed side is on the inside. Make sure the fold is really straight and tight. This is what I used the butter knife for. Cut the plain white paper to fit inside the cardboard cover. I used scissors, but if you want to be precise with a cleaner edge, then a paper cutter or an X-ACTO knife might be a better tool. I like the rough and uneven edges.

Now for the scrapbook paper. I took several sheets and cut them to the same size of my inside pages to be included with the white paper. It makes for an unexpected surprise as you turn the page, and I like the added color. Cut another piece of scrapbook paper to the exact size of the cover and glue it down over the cereal box insides.

Now that your pages and cover are ready, you can sew it all together. You don’t have to, but I clipped the edges together with chip clips just to hold it, since I don’t have four hands. Along the inside seam, make 12 small marks that are evenly spaced (more or less) down the inside of the book, and poke holes with your awl at each of these marks, making sure not to poke your fingers. Once you have your holes, start sewing with your needle and thread. Don’t worry about what the outside seam looks like, because it will get covered up. Start on the outside, and go hole by hole. When you get to the end, double back. I need my journals not to fall apart, so I went back and forth several times.

Cut a piece of scrapbook paper to fold over the spine of your Inspirational Journal and glue it in place. And you’re finished. Your journal is ready for what makes you tick, what inspires you, what moves you.

In fact, this Inspiration is the first to be written in my new journal. It was posted on Life Pulp by Joy to the World.