I learned to make this quick and easy journal at Life Is a Verb Camp from Maya Stein and Amy Tingle.  So I’m playing it forward:

Three 6″ x 9″ clasp envelopes
a hole punch
some string that will fit through the holes
card board about 5 3/4 x 4 1/4″
ribbon
pretty paper
edging tape

1. Punch hole in each of the envelopes.  The easiest way to get them to line up is to push the punch as far up as it will go.

2.  Insert the cardboard into the closed end of the bottom envelope in the pile (this will be your journal’s cover)

3.  Insert a string through all of the envelopes and tie

4.  Cover the “front” and “back” of the journal with pretty paper – if you want ties, glued them under the paper on the “back” cover

5.  Decorate your journal pages however you with.  I used scraps of paper I liked and edge trims.  You could also just tear pictures out of magazines and use them for edging – they don’t have to be representative.

Ta-dah!  You have a small, quick and easy journal to stash items in (the clasp ends) and to paste poems and pictures you like.  These make really nice gifts for folks you love for the holidays!