Create Your Own Ribbon Bound Journals: A Step-by-Step Guide
Updated: Aug 28
Introduction to My Ribbon Bound Journals
Creating your own journal is a fun and rewarding project. This type of journal can serve various purposes, from a scrapbook to an art book or a daily/weekly journal. For this particular project, I am designating my journal to become a Gratitude Journal. In this guide, we will break down the process into manageable steps. You will find helpful videos and tips along the way. Let's get started!
Equipment Needed
To get started, gather the following equipment:
Sharp scissors
A sharp Xacto knife and a self-healing cutting mat or a large firm surface that can get scratched/damaged during cutting.
Paper cutter or guillotine (optional)
Ruler, pencil, and glue (double-sided tape, glue gun, or glue stick)
Bone folder or a smooth, firm object for making neat folds (the side of a smooth pen will work)
One or two bulldog clips or strong elastic bands
Ribbons for binding (length will depend on the size of your journal)
A strong hole punch or a small drill with a hollow fluted paper drill head for making holes in the spine. If you do not have a drill or hole punch available, most print shops will have an industrial hole-making machine that can create the holes for you for a minimal charge.
Materials Required
You will need the following materials:
Heavy Cardstock: Two pieces cut to 5.5 x 8 inches. These pieces will become the covers for your journal. You can recycle firm card from the back of old notebooks, covers of old books, or heavy card from packaging (chocolate boxes are helpful here!). Any print on the cardstock will be covered, so feel free to use what you have. If your cardstock is too lightweight, you can stick several pieces together to achieve a heavier finished weight. You will also need two smaller pieces of cardstock for the spine, cut to 5.5 x 1.375 inches (if you are using a hole punch, you will need to make a light card template with the positioning of your holes punched out to use as a stencil for the spine and interior pages).
Patterned Paper or Plain Paper: In this case, two sheets cut to 6.5 x 9 inches to cover the outer covers and two sheets 2.5 x 6.5 inches for covering the spine. Recycled wrapping paper or magazine pages work well. High-quality magazines yield sturdier sheets. You can, of course, use your drawings or paintings, although I usually add these types of embellishments to covers that have been prepped with plain paper.
Ribbon: One piece approximately 24-30 inches long. The ribbon should be the same on both sides with a minimum width of 3/8 inch and a maximum width of 1/2 inch. The wider the ribbon, the more difficult it is to lace, so for your first few journals, make it easier for yourself! Carrier bag handles or gift wrap ribbons can be recycled here. Torn fabric can also be transformed into frayed ribbon lengths.
Plain Paper for Interior Pages: For this example, I have used 12 sheets of watercolor paper. Any firm paper or lightweight cardstock will work. These will be your interior pages and should be cut to 5.25 x 9.5 inches. These pages will need creasing so that your interior pages will act as if hinged, allowing the journal to open more or less flat. If using a hole punch, use your spine stencil to mark where to punch holes on the pages.
Stacking the Pages Together: After covering the cardstock and creasing the interior pages, stack your cover and interior pages together. Hold the journal together with bulldog clips or strong elastic bands to ensure that the stack of covers and pages cannot move. This is necessary if you do not have a hole punch, so you can drill through the stack accurately. It is also important to keep everything in place while threading through the ribbon.
Drilling Holes: Once your stack is firmly together, use your spine stencil with markings to indicate where you would like the holes in the spine to go. These holes will be threaded with ribbon.
The stencil for the spine must also be firmly clipped to your stack of covers and interior pages so that you can mark exactly where you are going to make the drill holes. This step requires precision.
The holes can be made by drilling through your stack. Make sure you have a hard surface that can be damaged underneath your stack so that you can drill through without concerns of damaging any table, etc. Alternatively, this is the stage where you would take your stack to a print shop where they have a machine to punch through heavy card for you!
Even once the holes are punched, keep your stack of covers and journal pages clipped in place while you are threading the ribbon through the spine. Please see the video for how the ribbon is threaded. While there are various ways to thread the ribbon, I find that the method shown in the video is the best combination of easy and attractive.
Your journal should now be complete, and you can decide how to decorate it yourself. I have offered a couple of template labels that can be used if you need them:
Process Explained in Videos
To better understand the process, refer to the videos provided. They will guide you through each step visually.
Video Tutorials
Part One: Gathering together and preparing materials
Part Two: Continuing the Process - covering your journal covers and spines and creasing your interior pages.
Part Three: Stacking your pages and binding your journal by lacing ribbon through holes. Decorating the exterior.
Video Part One
Video Part Two
Video Part Three
Let's Talk
If you try this project, please reach out with any questions. We would love to see photos of your finished journal! We are setting up a community page to share your ideas and creations. We are also going to introduce some journals as prizes in the prize draws! If you want to know where you can actually buy a journal like this, please contact us.
Creating a journal is not just a craft; it's a way to express your creativity. You can use your journal in any way you prefer. I have designated the journal made in the videos as a gratitude journal.
Side Note:
Gratitude Journals have been documented to improve your overall well-being! Listing even the smallest things you are grateful for each day becomes a true gift to yourself. On days when you struggle to find something to be grateful for, take a look back through your journal. You can at least be grateful for all the things you have listed to date. I suggest going out into the fresh air and just walking; I am always grateful once I have taken a stroll!
Whether you use your journal for journaling, art, or as a gift, this project is sure to bring joy. Enjoy the process and let your imagination run wild!
Suppliers:
Canada.Michaels.com - card stock, ribbon, glue, and tools
Buchanst.com Buchan's Kerrisdale Stationery - Cavallini & other Wrapping Papers
Cavallini.com Cavallini Paper & Company
Amazon.ca - Chicago Screws, Cavallini Papers
Comments