Faux leather sampler: https://tinyurl.com/yc6bh3eh

elastic cord: https://tinyurl.com/3z22tmn5

cahier size traveler size notebook inserts: https://tinyurl.com/4nvasj65

Beacon 3 in 1 glue: https://tinyurl.com/jk2cfzfx

Crop a dile big bite hole punch: https://tinyurl.com/msh4bdcp

To make your cover, you’ll need to measure your notepad inserts, and you’ll need to measure the back spine of how thick the spine will be when all three notepads. My notebooks are 5 1/4″ tall by 7 1/2″ wide with a 1/2″ wide spine for 3 of them….I added 1/2″ to the measurements so you will make your cover 8 1/2″ (I made mine 8″ wide but I recommend making it 8 1/2″ instead) wide as this takes the spine into consideration and 5 3/4″ tall . Use your paper trimmer to cut your faux leather.

Fold your leather in half on the 8 1/2″ length and make sure you can see the fold. Then about 1/4″ from the top center, punch a hole with your Crop a dile Big Bite or a similar long reaching hole punch, then drop down another 1/4″ and make another hole, then make a hole in the center and then make a hole 1/4″ from the bottom center and then another hole 1/4″ above that hole.

You’ll take your elastic (don’t cut it off the roll) and push it from the inside second hole from the top out and then in through the top hole then out through the very bottom and in through the second hole. You’ll want the elastic to be tight enough that the journal folds in on itself a little bit. Make a double knot then cut off the excess elastic making sure you leave enough when you cut it to fix it if you made it too short and it won’t stretch enough to allow for the journals. You might also want one of your elastics to act as a bookmark or a charm holder so leave your top length longer as well after it’s knotted. Put one of your notebooks in your cover by opening it in the center and sliding the center through the elastic.

You’ll want to make two free standing elastics to hold journals in your book…Cut about 12″ long and knot it at around 10″ and take a second notebook and lay it side by side with the one you already have in your cover and open both books to their center and slide the elastic over both to hold them in place in your book, then make another elastic and do the same with your third notebook. I slid my pocket page inside behind the other notebooks.

To make the pocket insert for the travelers notebook, I cut two pieces of scrapbook paper from my stash. I initially made the insert too tall so I’m changing the height here so yours will fit in your cover. Cut one piece of designed paper to 11″ wide by 5 1/4″ tall (not 6 1/4″ like I say in the video). Score on the 11″ length at 2″, 5 1/2″, and 9″. Cut a second matching paper (my designs on the 11″ length are in the opposite direction of the other paper), so if you want both papers to face the same direction make sure they lie on top of each other with the pattern facing the same direction. The second paper is 5 1/4″ tall by 7″ wide scored on the 7″ length at 3 1/2′ . Put a bead of glue the length of the 5 1/2″ score line of the 11″ long paper. Then lay the 7″ wide paper on top making sure the center 3 1/2″ score line lays directly on top of the center of the 11″ wide paper. The longer 11″ wide paper has scores on either end, fold them toward the middle so they create a pocket on either end, then put glue from the center folds on both the top and bottom until you’ve got a bead of glue from the center stopping at those score lines. Put clips on them to make sure the glue closes them. Once the glue is dry, remove the clips and your pocket insert is done.

Cut a 10″ elastic cord and string whatever beads you’d like on it and thread both ends in it through the outside center hole of your cover then knot it inside, making sure it’s long enough for you to wrap it around the cover with a little room to grow, but not short so you can’t flatten it out. Make a double knot and check it again to make sure it wraps around correctly, Mine kept coming through the hole, so if this happens you can either make another knot, or you can untie your knot, put a 2 hole button on the inside of the cover threading the two ends through the button and then knotting it in place.

To make the journal cover stronger, you can cut 2 more pieces of leather 5 3/4″ tall by 2″ wide and use Beacon 3 in 1 glue, open your cover and lay one one of these new pieces on the left edge of the front of the journal gluing it along the top, bottom and left edge, then clip it down so the pieces hold, then do the same to the back cover by gluing the top, bottom and right edge down with the new leather. This will make an insert for your notebook covers to hold them more securely, as well as act like a pocket on both the front and back covers.