M A K E :: leather journals

I've mentioned before that I love to carry a small journal in my bag, in case some brilliant idea comes to me at the grocery store or at starbucks. I have a terrible memory, so I love being able to write it down immediately! I have always sort of had an obsession with journals (I'm sure I've owned 50+), but I always fill them up. It was time to get some new ones, so I thought I'd go ahead and make some!  

S U P P L I E S :: scrap leather, scissors, sheets of paper, sewing machine, letter punches

1.) Cut out the covers of your journal, which should be your basic rectangle shape - as big or as small as you'd like. I chose one larger size and two medium. 

2.) Using your covers as a guide, cut out the pages for your journal. Again, these should be rectangles, as you'll fold them in half to make the pages. Once they are cut, trim the edges about half an inch so that the pages will lie inside of the cover and not stick out.

3.) Using your sewing machine, sew right down the middle of each journal. It helps if you make a fold, so you can see your straight line. If your sewing machine decides to go a little crazy (like mine) and make your thread look strange, just roll with it!

4.) Take your letter punches and decide what you're going to spell. Make sure you have the spacing right, there's no backspace button. I chose the words "take note", "ideas" and "plan". You can use all of the appropriate tools for using your letter punches, or you can grab a steel block and hammer (like I did). Use what you've got!

These would make great gifts! And I love that you can personalize them with just about anything! They're also totally not gender specific either - I am definitely making a few of these for the husband! So, what do you think? Are you going to make some new leather journals??


xo. melisa