People of all ages who love whimsy and enjoy writing or drawing will delight in this craft that turns an old board game into a notebook. Those who are looking for a new way to express themselves creatively, to connect with their inner child, or even to simply pass an afternoon with a fun activity will love this craft.
Your board game notebook looks handmade and will excite you every time you write in it. This is because it will remind you of the time and effort you put into making it. It's also colorful and playful, which means it's a delight to display somewhere others can see it. The notebook would make a creative addition to your office or your child's playroom.
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Materials
- An old board game board, preferably one that folds into two or four pieces
- Scissors
- A ruler
- A pencil
- An awl
- Multiple sheets of unlined white paper, such as typing paper
- Handheld one-hole punch
- A small embroidery thread
- A large needle
- An old board game board, preferably one that folds into two or four pieces
- Scissors
- A ruler
- A pencil
- An awl
- Multiple sheets of unlined white paper, such as typing paper
- Handheld one-hole punch
- A small embroidery thread
- A large needle
DIY Everywhere
Instructions
1. Take your old board game board and lay it out flat. Use the scissors to cut it into two or four pieces, depending on how many folds it has. Cut off the borders as well. At the end, you should have two squares that match in size.
1. Take your old board game board and lay it out flat. Use the scissors to cut it into two or four pieces, depending on how many folds it has. Cut off the borders as well. At the end, you should have two squares that match in size.
2. Use a ruler to measure down the left-hand side of one piece. Start at the 1-inch mark, and use your pencil to mark each half-inch at 1 inch, 1 1/2 inches, 2 inches, and so on.
3. Use an awl to pierce holes where you marked on the board. Be careful with this tool — it's sharp! If you're doing the craft with a child, help them with this part.
4. Place the other piece of the board behind the piece with the holes. Place them so the backs of the boards are facing inward, and the design is facing outward on both sides. Use the pencil to mark through the holes in the top board onto the bottom board.
5. Use the awl to poke holes through the pencil marks on the other board. When both are facing up, the two boards should have holes on opposite sides, but when the boards are placed together with the design side facing outward, the holes should match up.
6. Place one of the sheets of typing paper underneath the top board. Use the pencil to trace the board's shape onto the paper, and cut the paper so it's the same size as the board.
7. Place the board on top of the paper again, and use the pencil to mark through the holes of the board onto the paper. Use a handheld hole puncher to make holes in the paper that align with those of the board.
8. Use the first piece of paper as a guide when you're cutting the rest of the paper to match its size. Then, as you did with the game board, use the paper as a guide to mark holes in the other pieces of paper. Use your hole punch to make holes in these pages as well.
9. Now you should have multiple pages that are the same size as your game boards and have holes that align with them. Place the bottom game board facedown, place the paper on top, and finally, place the other board faceup on top.
10. Use some hard, thick yarn or embroidery thread to tie the notebook together. Thread it through a large needle, and thread the needle through the first hole in the notebook. Wind the needle around the top, and thread it through the hole again, making sure it is taut at the top.
11. Thread the needle back through the first hole so that there's a piece of thread binding the notebook on the outside. Now thread it through the next hole underneath toward the back of the notebook, then through the next hole toward the front. Thread the needle back through the hole above and then one more time through that same hole. This will create a spiral effect on the side of the notebook as well as a thick stitch down both sides.
12. Do this all the way down to the last hole.
13. Turn the notebook over and tie a thick knot at the top, keeping it as close to the board as possible. You might need to tie more than one knot to make sure it stays tight. Then cut the excess yarn.
14. Repeat this step at the bottom of the notebook.
15. Now you should have a beautiful, whimsical notebook where you can store all your most exciting thoughts!
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