Hi There! It’s Lynda from Scrapbook with Lynda and I’m back to share another upcycling project with you. This time I’m sharing how I made note pads from junk mail and the Bo Bunny Garden Grove collection.
I love turning trash into useful items like these note pads made from junk mail! These are two different styles of note pads, so let’s look at how I made each of them.
Matchbook Note Pad
First we’ll look at the smaller note pad, which has a matchbook style cover.
It’s amazing how much junk mail has large gaps with no printing on both sides of the paper! Selected a few sheets from the Bo Bunny Collection, then cut them to 8 1/2” x 3 1/2”. Folded them in half, then inked the edges.
The cover is a piece of Bo Bunny Garden Grove paper cut to 11 3/4” x 4”, then scored at 2” and 7”. I used a decorative edge punch to shape the corners, but you can leave them square.
Stapled the recovered paper to the notepad cover, then pressed the ends of the staples to be sure they are flat.
On the reverse side I covered the staples with a strip of washi tape from the Bo Bunny Garden Grove collection.
Glued a 2” x 4” strip of paper on three sides to form a pocket, then decorated the cover with washi tape and stickers from the Bo Bunny Garden Grove Collection.
Cut a couple 2 1/2” x 3 1/2” tags from paper in the collection, then decorated them with washi and stickers.
The final step is to make a closure from this cute deer found in the Noteworthy pack. There is only glue on the bottom half, so the top flap can slide behind it.
I plan to use this notepad in my junk journal as a place to write, but it has so many other uses. It would be great to slip into a card as a little gift, or put in your purse so you’ll always have some note paper. And the bottom pocket is perfect for holding business cards. It’s such a great way to use bits of left over scrapbook supplies and junk mail!
Wallet Style Paper Pad Holder with Bo Bunny
The second note pad I made slips into a wallet style holder. It’s a great way to upcycle junk mail, because the paper pad can be replaced.
Let’s look at how I made the wallet holder first.
Cut a piece of the Bo Bunny paper to 7” x 9 1/2”, the scored at 2 1/2” and 6 1/2”. The 2 1/2” piece will be the front flap, the 4” section the back of the wallet, and the 3” section will form a pocket on the inside.
I decided to add a decorative edge to the pocket, but that is totally optional. I also used a decorative punch on the corners of the flap.
Ran a bead of glue along the edges of the pocket, then closed it.
The wallet closure is a small flower from the die cut pack. Like with the other pad, only part of the flower is glued in place, so the flap can tuck under it.
A bit of ink and a strip of washi tape complete the wallet. Now let’s make the note pad.
Looked through my stack of paper recovered from junk mail selecting pieces of various colors that I could cut to 3 1/2” x 6”. The inside papers are blank, but used this image as a cover. All I did was stack the papers up, punch two holes, then insert brads from the collection. With this style of pad is I can easily add and remove paper.
Slipped it inside the wallet along with a postcard from the Bo Bunny Noteworthy pack.
Both if these notepads and holders will be added to my junk journal, but they would also make a nice thank you gift. I love turning trash into treasures!
Please check out my Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook pages to see other projects I’ve created.
Happy Scrapping!
Lynda
Scrapbook With Lynda
