That crafty girl Doan Thuc has been making little plain-paper books for herself and her friends,for some time now. A while back, I nagged her to post some step-by-step pictures of the book-making process, so I could try it too… which she kindly did!

Now she’s found a terrific tutorial that explains how to make your own journal books, bound with photo print covers, and taken the skill a step further. A series of books that she has just created use pages from gorgeous catalogues for the covers — a wonderful way to keep those especially inspiring images close at hand, without saving a ragged stack of clippings!

Why not use a print of a treasured family photo to cover your handmade book? It’s a very special gift idea. I like the idea of giving a handmade journal to a grandparent, with the wish that they’ll write down their memories… or to a young child, to record their hopes and dreams, to look back over in years to come.

The tutorial that helped Doan Thuc to learn how to make her own photo-covered books, From Prints Into Journals, is created by Judy Lee formerly of five and a half, a Brooklyn, New York, bookmaking and design studio that closed its doors when a baby arrived and took over all the space and time previously devoted to the  making of tasty handmade journals.

This Post Has 3 Comments

  1. brittany

    hi there.

  2. Doan Thuc

    I also love your idea, print out photos makes journal book. My mom’s birth is near, I will make a special journal book for her with the family photo cover.

  3. Mary Emma Allen

    I love collecting journals (sometimes wonder what I’ll do with them all) and pens. I’m not into making journals and altered books….when I find time.

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