I’m finding it so hard to believe that it’s time to think back to school already. I usually start thinking about the next school year as the last is wrapping up but I am just shocked at how fast this summer is flying by. It’s already time to start preparing things for the upcoming school year….gathering supplies, school clothes, making fun back to school crafts for the kids and their teachers.
My kids are getting a little older and love school supplies that reflect their personality so this DIY Back to School Denim Notebook is perfect.
This DIY Back to School Denim Notebook is a fun way to style up a basic notebook, plus recycle an old pair of jeans that will be enjoyed for a long time to come.
I used a pair of my daughter’s old favorite jeans for this fun project and we just love how it turned out!
DIY Back to School Denim Notebook
Supplies:
- hard cover notebook – I used spiral bound but you could do any kind
- a favorite pair of old jeans – too small or with holes
- trim – ribbon, lace, or other
- scissors
- craft/fabric glue
Instructions:
Cut a piece of denim from the jeans large enough to cover the notebook. I only wanted to cover the front but you could cover the front and back (in one piece or two). I wanted the back pocket to be the front of my notebook so it would add fun storage. Front pockets can be cute too.
Spread a generous amount of fabric glue onto the notebook cover.
Press and smooth the piece of denim over the cover. You will have access denim around the edges to trim off after the glue is dry. Simply turn the cover and use a pair of scissors to trim along the edge of the notebook to remove any spare fabric.
The spiral bound side of the notebook is a little bit trickier. You’ll need to use scissors to cut along the wire. Trim the denim back to leave the wires open and cut the denim at the edge of the cover in between.
Continue until you’ve cut along the entire bound side of the notebook. Once cut use a small amount of fabric glue to glue the denim into place between the wires.
I wanted to add a little more decorative details to the notebook so I cut the butterfly out of the patch that was on the waistband of the jeans and added that to the spiral bound side.
I also used some trim I had in my craft drawer to add a lace look to the top of the notebook. You can do this with hot glue or fabric glue. Ribbon would be pretty too.
Lastly I cut short pieces of the trim and tied them around the first few wires of the binding.
The back pocket of this particular pair of jeans had so much detail that the notebook didn’t really need much more. If your jeans are more plain you could add paint or many other embellishments to make the notebook really fun.
This DIY denim notebook project is easy enough that kids can help and it’s fun to get them involved in personalizing their school supplies. My daughter now has a great notebook and her favorite jeans, which were too torn to wear, get new life!
What fun ideas do you have for personalized back to school supplies?
Scott says
That turned out great! It’s perfect since our girls are always outgrowing their jeans – this will put them to good use!
Kelsey Louise Apley says
That is such a neat idea, and I love adding the butterfly at the top! I am going to share this with my sister to do with my niece!
Kathy says
That is such a neat idea! I would have never thought of something like this. I love the way it looks. My daughters would love to have one of these. I’m going to keep this in mind for the next time we have some jeans that are going bad. I just love this idea!
candice says
what a great way to up-cycle some old jeans to create a one of a kind notebook. i bet this would cost a ton if you were to buy it at the store.
Lori Felix says
That is such a creative project and a great way to use old jeans. My daughter use to like to use nail polish to spruce up plain binders.
Brandy says
What a fun project to do with my daughter. I will have to see if she would do this or not, after all it may not be cool to her anymore but I am hoping it will be cool 🙂 I think it is cool!