Tutorial for Paper Bag Scrapbook and Calendar

Disclaimer : This is my first online tutorial. It may be long, and boring, and consist of way too many pictures. Just wanted to get that out there. You've been warned. Ok, the picture above is the finished product. I used 4 xxl white lunch bags, but you can use any size or color you prefer. Using 4 bags gets you 14pages, not including the front cover.

When stacking your bags, place them flap side up. With your first bag lay the flap on the right side, then stack your second bag with flap on the left and keep alternating sides as you stack.

Make sure all sides of the stacked bags are even, and fold in half.

For the next step you will need to cut a piece of very heavy cardstock to wrap around the book as your binding. Here's where my directions are not too precise. As you can see in the picture above I just kinda eyeball where I want to punch the holes. Of course you want to make them as even as you can. And if you are a real perfectionist, not a lazy perfectionist like me, you can measure. Whatever floats your boat.

After you punch your holes, wrap the binding around the book. Use the cardstock as your template. Inside each hole make a pencil mark. This will help to make all the holes as even as possible.

Make your pencil marks for the holes on each individual bag.

Punch holes.

Restack your bags. Don't forget to alternate your flaps.

Wrap the binding around book again. Try to align the holes as best as you can. When I get to this step, my holes barely meet up. My guess would be the willy nilly hole punching from earlier is the culprit....thus the pencil pushing in the next picture.

You may not need this step...more power to ya. I ,on the other hand, absolutely need something sharp to help shove my ribbon through all the holes.

Once you've force fed your ribbon through, you're ready to tie.

I prefer to just double knot the ribbon. No bows. But you do what you like. Once again...what ever floats your boat.

Now you are ready to decorate your pages. Grab some of your favorite coordinating scrapbook papers and embellishments....and go to town!

Paper Bag Calendar

These are the supplies you'll need for this little project. Extra large lunch bags, coordinating papers, letter and number stickers, ribbon strips, binder clips. This project is a little less involved. Just be sure and NOT to add as much ribbon to your rings as I did, because then you won't be able to flip each page over. Not good. Don't do this.

Obviously, you will need 13 bags...1 for the front cover and 1 for each month of the year.

step 1 : Fold each bag about 2/3 of the way up. Make sure flap is on the inside of the fold.

step 2 : Punch holes in each bag. Use your first as a template for the rest.

step 3 : Use double stick tape to tack down the corners.

step 4 : This really should be the last step in the whole process. The rings shouldn't be added until you decorate each bag. DUH. Please excuse me...I'm tired.

And, this is where January should be. I ran out of calendar pages. If I were a professional tutorial giver, I would have the calendar pages for you to download. Sorry folks. I'm lame. You should be able to find clipart calendar pages online. If not, there is a stamp somewhere out there that I have seen that is solely for this purpose. Good luck to you. I am rethinking this whole tutorial thing. I suck at it. I was going to do one for the clipboard, but I'm doubting myself. If you still want it, let me know. I'll consider coming out of hiding.

Thank you and good night!