Back to School Notebook Collage

My three older kids are in their teens and are in that “I don’t want to hang with mom” or “I don’t want to do stuff with mom” stage, which leaves me to do most craft projects with my youngest daughter. I guess it’s not so much that they don’t want to do craft projects, but rather they prefer to do their own craft projects. This “Back to School Notebook Collage” project is actually a project that my oldest daughter did on her own. I think it’s a fun project for kids and a way for them to personalize their school notebooks. Plus, you won’t have to pay the extra money for those fancy covered notebooks because the kids can do it themselves 🙂

Supplies:

• Notebook (make sure it’s the paper cover type)
• Computer or magazines
• Permanent Sharpie paint pens
• Stickers or anything to embellish the cover (copies of family photos are good too)
• Printer/paper
• Scissors
• Mod Podge
• Paint brush/sponge
• clear contact paper or clear packing tape

Before we get started, make sure that the notebook has a paper/cardboard cover. The first notebook my daughter used had a poly cover and the Mod Podge was repelled in some areas. If you decide to make this, I would recommend using a notebook with a paper/cardboard cover. Also, to help the collage last longer, you could put some clear tape or contact paper over the entire cover when completed.

First, collect images from the computer that you like and copy/paste them onto a word document. Once that is done, print it out and cut out the images.  You can also cut images from magazines or draw your own.

 If you want a random triangle pattern, flip the paper over and draw triangles all over the non-print side of the paper. Cut the triangles out. Depending on how you want your collage to look, you can cut out rectangular shapes or around each image too.

Arrange the cut out images into a pattern that you like and start to Mod Podge them into place. Once all the pieces are in place, let the Mod Podge dry before applying the final coat of Mod Podge over the entire cover.\

Tip:

• Don’t apply too much Mod Podge over the top of the images as it may cause ink bleed.
• Before applying Mod Podge, place a sheet of paper or thin cardboard between the cover and notebook pages. This will help prevent any excess glue from contacting the notebook pages and gluing them together.

When the entire cover is dry, embellish with Sharpie paint pens or stickers. When the Mod Podge is dry, the cover will look like it is covered in stickers.

*The black notebooks are the poly covered and you can see the bubbling where the Mod Podge didn’t adhere properly.*

Did you jazzy up your notebooks when you were in school? I know I did!