Everything for this project can be bought at craft supply stores and nothing is more than a few dollars. Clean off the kitchen table and grab the following:









Blank paper (30-100 sheets, depending on your book's thickness)
2 sheets of cardboard
2 sheets of pretty paper (2 types)
Ribbon - a few feet long, 6 mm (1/4") wide
Hole-punch
Glue stick
Scissors
Ruler
Bull clips

, Depending on what type of book this is, you'll want thinner or thicker paper; you'll also need to consider how many sheets. For a photo album, around 30. For a journal, 50 or more.
 Cut out two sheets of cardboard that match the measurements of your blank paper. No dimension is too small or too big. Though if it's so big it's hard to carry, you've probably gone too far.









Draw two vertical lines on one of the cardboard pieces. 1" (2.5 cm) from the left edge, draw the first line from top to bottom. The second line should be just under 1 ½" (3.5 cm) from the left edge and going parallel to the first one. Do this on the other piece of cardboard as well.

These lines are very close to each other. This is to separate the bind from the body of the book, creating a hinge.
 That is to say, remove the ½" (1.25 cm) between the two lines. Discard the excess cardboard. You now have two pieces of cardboard, one being 1" wide.









A craft knife may be easier than scissors. If you have one, use it.
 Get two pieces of fancy, decorated paper for your front and back covers and cut to size. Each piece should be 1 ½" (3.8 cm) longer and 1 ½" wider than the inside pages. If your blank paper is 8" by 10" (20 by 25 cm), cut your decorative paper to 9 ½" by 11 ½" (24 by 29 cm) size.









Place one of your fancy pieces of paper face-down. You should be staring at a blank canvas. With a pencil, draw a ¾" (2 cm) border in all the way around the sheet.
 Line it up with the border you drew in the previous step (that's why you just did that). Make sure that you cover the entire page with glue, not just the edges. A mess won't accumulate if you use a glue stick.









This will be the back cover. The ½" (1.25 cm) gap in the cardboard that you cut out previously will be the "hinge" that makes the book open and open easily.

Apply the glue to the paper if you're using wrapping paper (or other thin, pretty paper). This prevents wrinkling and swelling and gives the paper time to get used to the moisture in the glue before application on the cardboard.


Repeat for the front cover. Make sure the pattern is facing the right direction!

, With the cardboard centered on the paper, fold in the corners over as far as they'll go. Glue them in place, creating little triangles of decorative paper that are resting on the corners of your cardboard.









Once the corners are folded, start on the sides. Folding the corners first creates a geometrical, stream-lined fold. Sort of looks like gift-wrapping.
Do this for both sides and glue everything in place. There should still be a ½" gap between the two pieces of cardboard.
 Cut out two sheets of decorative paper that are ½" (1.25 cm) smaller than the blank paper. If your blank paper is 8" by 10" (20 by 24 cm), cut out the paper for the inside-covers to be 7 ½" by 9 ½" (19 by 23 cm).
 Depending on what and how many materials you use, this could be very easy or very difficult. They should be about 1 ½" (3.8 cm) from either edge.









If you don't have a hole punch (and preferably a single hole punch), you can use a drill. But before you drill a hole into the table, place it onto something you're comfortable drilling into, like a phone book. If you do use a drill, place the covers inside out so that the rough edges are on the inside.
Use bull clips to hold everything together.
 The ribbon should be six times longer than the book is tall. If your book is 6 inches (15 cm) tall, your ribbon should be 36 inches (90 cm) long. Once you've completed this, you're finished!









Place it down through the top hole. Leave a length on the right for a bow.
Place the same end down through the same hole again.
Thread the same end down through the bottom hole.
Thread the same end down through the bottom hole again.
Wrap it underneath and down through the bottom hole once more.
Pull the same end through the top hole. (A criss-cross pattern forms along the spine.)
Wrap it over the top of the book and tie with the other end in a knot. It should sit on top of the hole.
Tie in a bow.
Gather your materials.
Lay out your blank paper.
Grab the scissors.
Cut along the lines you just drew.
Make your outside covers.
Glue the cardboard onto the pretty paper.
Fold in the sides.
Start on the inside covers.
Hole punch two holes into the binding.
Thread a ribbon through the holes using the Japanese bookbinding method.
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