Handmade Coil Notebooks (Free tutorial)

During our morning Art Club, we used my RubiCoil hole punch to make handmade books.  It is really fun and gratifying to make a book out of scraps. 

Jen had a pile of what I would call idea scraps, leftover paint chips from a forgotten color, color chips that were meant to be a bathroom color, exotic colors, and home decoration ideas she loves.

I just brought a pile of leftover, scrap, ugly paper. BUT, I had gotten the RubiCoil for my birthday recently and couldn't wait to try it. How long does it take to make a book? Only a few minutes, I told Jen.....4 hours later, we had made 4 books.  

To be fair, it technically takes a few minutes to cut the inside paper, punch the holes, insert the coil, and cut the ends. I have an industrial paper cutter at home, like the ones teachers use, and cutting the inside paper takes a second.  Also, we were chatting through the morning, so it took longer.

Here is all the tools and supplies we used. ( We were kind of messy! )
Tape measure, leftover notebook paper and graph paper, pencil, scissors, paper cutter, paint chips

Jen and her 3 year old are making him a book too.  It is easy to pull the lever and punch the holes in the paper. We pre-cut the inside paper for him.

This is the paper being hole punched, about 10 sheets at a time.  I was making a mistake here.  Do you see it?  The last hole on the right is half-way off the page.  I learned to center the paper on the hole diagram.  We are cutting custom sheets, so we have to be careful where we hole punch

This is the book with the coil spun completely in...

This is the needle-nosed plier and wire cutter I used to bend and cut the sharp ends.

This is two paint chips from Home Depot and some scrap graph paper ready to be punched.

Small notebook, ready to go

This was the 3 year olds book, all finished

Finished books, all from scrap paper inside and paint chips outside covers

 I got creative when Jen pulled out this photo from her idea scrap pile.  I wanted the door to open...

I bound the sides and cut down the center.  Both sides open, good for a lefty...

Here is a book from scraps, the inside of a tea box