A Handmade Receipt Book

Remember a few posts back, I mentioned that I don't make New Year Resolutions but rather make goals. Well, slowly but surely, I am whacking goals off my list as completed! One of my goals was to be more organized. That goal was the perfect opportunity to try out my new 7 Gypsies Binderie.

I have wanted something that helped me make my own "books" for a while now. When I saw the Binderie on sale, I knew I had to purchase it.

The Binderie is a battery operated punch that is strong enough to punch through chipboard and acrylic. So as soon as I found the 6 AA batteries needed, I set out to make my project. In keeping with the Goal theme, I decided to make a "Receipt" book.

I had 2 chipboard covers that measured 6 inches square. I wanted the inside sheets to be slightly smaller so I cut 12 pieces (one for each month of the year) of White Daisy card stock to measure 5 3/4 inches by 8 3/4 inches. I scored each piece at the 3 inch mark and folded upward to form a pocket.

Next I had to figure out how to securely fasten the pockets. I came up with the idea of sewing the seams after I added the adhesive. I decided to pierce holes and hand sew with embroidery floss rather than digging out my sewing machine, I thought it would go quickly....wrong...took me forever. Anyway, a quick tip...I you want to make sure that your holes for stitching or brads are evenly spaced, use a piece of plastic canvas as a guide. Make sure the paper is lined up and it will give you even holes every time!

After each piece was sewn, I sponged the edges for dimension.

Each page was then decorated.

The next step was to decorate the chipboard and punch the holes. The Binderie will punch several sheets of card stock at once. For my first time, I only punched one sheet at a time. The machine measures 6 inches with a guide so it is easy to determine the proper placement of your holes. There is even an arm with a little post that pulls out that allows you to evenly punch items larger than 6 inches.



And, now for the finished project...

The papers are called "You Rock" and are brand new in the Spring 2010 Close To My Heart Idea Book. The set is a fun and bold colored design good for children, teens, birthdays and the like. The coordinating colors include, Olive, Outdoor Denim, Twilight Blue and Goldrush. The "month" stamps are from a 2009 Stamp of the Month, the letters are from "Atomic Caps" and the stars are from "You're a Star."

I am happy with my Binderie....I will be able to use it for a number of great projects. I won't hesitate to make another book, although, I may rethink the sewing. :o) For Now, Happy Crafting!