How to Make Your Own Diary

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Gather paper for the pages.

   Select the type and size of paper you’d like to use for the pages you’ll write on in your diary.
   
   Use simple printer paper, colored paper, scrapbook paper, or any other lined or unlined style of your choosing.
   
   For a thinner diary or one with threaded binding, fold larger pieces in half and stack them inside one another so you have a set of several folded pages.
   
   Note that this will work best with 10 folded pieces of paper (called folios) or less, though you could attach several of these together.You may want to trim the outer edges of the paper when doing the folio method, as the inside folios will stick out further than the outer ones.
   
   For a thicker diary or one with a glued binding, keep a stack of paper flat with the edges lined up evenly.
2. 2

   Step 2: Make a glued binding.

   Gather together a stack of paper that you want to use for the pages of your diary and make sure the edges are lined up evenly.
   
   Hold them together with binder clips and apply glue to the edge where you want the spine to be.
   
   Place scraps of paper under the binder clips to protect your paper from becoming indented or marked by them.
   
   Use a paintbrush or foam brush to apply a light layer of PVA or Elmer’s Glue to the edge of the stack you want to bind, where the spine of the diary will be.
   
   Let dry and apply more coats if necessary.Glue the bound edge of the paper to a cover made of heavy paper, cardstock, fabric, etc.
   
   Or, create a quick and easy spine with some colorful duct tape or similar heavy tape over the glued edge of the paper. , Fold 10 pieces of paper or less in half and place them inside one another.
   
   Open up this stack, called a folio, to the inner fold to mark and pierce holes for threading the pages together.
   
   Make three marks evenly spaced along the fold for the holes.
   
   Use an awl meant for bookbinding to make the holes if you have one, or simply use a needle thick enough to pierce through the pages that you have.
   
   Cut linen thread or waxed string to at least four times the height of the paper you’re using.
   
   Using a needle, thread it through the middle hole to the inside of the fold, then out through the top hole.
   
   Then push it through the bottom hole to the inside of the fold, and out once more through the middle hole.
   
   With the excess string, tie a double knot over the thread that spans the two outer holes, then trim the excess.If you’d like to thread several folios together, thread them individually and tie them together with the excess thread in the center.
   
   Or secure them more firmly with a few extra “stitches” to hold them together at the top and bottom holes. , Wrap a piece of thicker paper, cardstock, fabric, or leather around your paper to create a durable front and back cover to keep the pages safe.
   
   You can also glue several pieces of paper together to create a cover that is thicker.
   
   Measure to cut the cover to the same size as your inner pages, or slightly larger (about ¼-½ inch, for example) if you wish.
   
   If you use one piece of material to wrap over the front and back sides of your diary, remember to account for the width of both sides, plus the width of the spine after gluing or threading.
   
   You may also want to add a couple of centimeters to the total, to account for any length lost when folding the material over the spine.
   
   If you bound your pages with thread, adding a cover is optional or may be done before threading.
   
   If you bound your pages with glue, you should glue the bound edge into the center of your cover where the spine will be. , Make a “secret diary” by adding a lock to your homemade notebook to prevent others without the key or combo from opening it.
   
   Do this by adding loops to the front and back cover that you can put a small toy lock through.
   
   Purchase a small toy lock that has a key or requires a combination to open.
   
   Make two small loops out of string, fabric, or even use metal jewelry fasteners to glue to the inside outer edge of both the front and back cover of the diary.
   
   Make sure whatever loops you use allow your lock to go through both of them and close securely.You can hide where you glue the loops to the covers by placing a piece of paper, fabric, or colorful tape over the area.
3. 3

   Step 3: Make a threaded binding.

4. 4

   Step 4: Create a cover.

5. 5

   Step 5: Add a lock if you wish.

Detailed Guide

About the Author