Hello! Yes, I’m still alive and I’m actually blogging! I had to pop in here to share a fun and easy DIY Traveler’s Notebook Cover with the amazing new Foil Quill pen and my Silhouette Cameo cutting machine. The Foil Quill is this year’s hottest new tool, and it’s my favorite toy to play with by far right now!
This summer our family is taking a long trip back east to visit some places where some of our ancestors lived to learn more about them. I’m so excited about this trip and I know it’s going to be so memorable, so I created this traveler’s notebook to record photos, stories and experiences along the way.
This summer our family is taking a long trip back east to visit some places where some of our ancestors lived to learn more about them. I’m so excited about this trip and I know it’s going to be so memorable, so I created this traveler’s notebook to record photos, stories and experiences along the way.
This is a personal blog, but I am an employee and do receive financial compensation and material product from American Crafts/We R Memory Keepers. This post contains affiliate links to help support my blog. You are not charged any extra cost for purchasing supplies using those affiliate links. All ideas and opinions are my own.
I love that the cover closure includes a pen so I’ll always be ready to write down thoughts or details during our trip. Take a look inside of the cover. The notebook insert is one of the Amy Tangerine Journal Studio inserts, which helped make this project come together quickly and easily. I used the Standard Foil Quill pen tip which worked best on the leather.
The beautiful foil details on the leather cover make this traverler’s notebook really special. It’s the perfect place to record our special family vacation!
This leather cover is easy to make. Let me show you how I did it with my Silhouette Cameo!
I started with an 8 1/2 x 11 inch piece of Turquoise real leather I bought at my local Joann Store. Since I didn’t have an SVG file to cut the closure in my leather, I created a template with an 8 1/2 x 11 inch sheet of cardstock and traced it onto the leather. Then I cut out the parts of the closure with my craft knife. If you’re an experienced Cameo user, you could create your own cutting file. The opening for the closure is 1 inch squared, and the top of the slits on the opposite side are 1 inch apart so they fit perfectly inside to 1 inch square.
Next I added foil accents to my leather cover with the Foil Quill. The back side of real leather will leave fibers and debris on your cutting mat, so I recommend covering the back of your leather piece with a sheet of double sided adhesive. (You can also cover it with masking tape and use a spray adhesive on your mat.) Once I covered the back of the leather, I pealed off the backing and carefully placed it on my mat.
I used my large bone folder as a brayer to smooth out any bubbles or lumps in the leather to ensure as smooth a foil transfer as possible.
The original Cameo is not made to handle thick materials like the newer models are, so you need to place your leather on the cutting mat so that the edges don’t go under the white rollers at each end of the roller bar. I placed my leather vertically in the center of my mat and that worked great.
For this project I used the gorgeous rose gold foil. It comes in a 12×96 inch roll and 4×6 sheets. I like to use foil that contrasts nicely with the material I’m using so the foil stands out. I used artwork from the Paige Evans and Heidi Swapp Design Drives.
**It’s important to mention that practicing on scrap paper ahead of time to insure proper placement of foil on your material and your material on your mat will save you some frustration.**
Here are the settings I used on my Sihouette Cameo for foiling with the Rose Gold foil on real leather:
I let my Foil Quill pen heat up for 10 mintues to ensure it was plenty hot. Then I loaded up my mat, hit “send” and watched the magic happen! It turned out amazing!
Clean up was easy after foiling. All I had to do is pull up my leather with the double sided adhesive sheet, and then pull that off the leather and toss it in the trash. No mess on my mat!
Next I created the binding for my notebook insert. I used the Book Binding Guide to punch holes in the cover spine. Remove the top of the guide by unscrewing the knobs. Line up the top edge of your leather cover against the top of the guide, placing the center of the spine in the groove on the bottom of the guide. Punch the top two circled holes along the center column with the punch tool.
Then punch the last two circled holes at the bottom of the spine.
Thread some elastic cording from the inside of the cover to the outside through the top hole, then thread the elastic back into the inside of the cover through the second hole at the top. Thread the cording through the bottom hole and then back into the inside of the cover through the hole just above the bottom hole. Tie both ends in a knot at the bottom of your cover and trim the excess. Here’s what your finished binding will look like. You’ll slip your notebook insert under the longer of the two elastics inside the cover so that it rests in the middle page of your notebook.
To close the cover, simply pull the left flap over the notebook first, then the right one overlaps the left. Then pull the loop through the opening on the front, and insert your favorite pen!
If you’d like more room for notebook inserts, just use a longer piece of leather for the cover and add more elastic binding.
Thanks for stopping by! If you’ve got Foil Quill projects please share them on Facebook or Instagram and be sure to tag us! Happy foiling friends!
