These mini matchbook notebooks are a great way to turn scraps of paper that you have into something new! They’re a sweet size and would be perfect for jotting down quick notes or for drawings. You can use embroidery thread or heavy weight waxed cotton thread for the binding and the beauty of these is that you can make them any size that you’d like. You can download a template that I made below under the material list. I sized mine to be similar to a vintage matchbook I had on hand. If you choose to decorate with pressed flowers, you can use mod podge, diluted school glue or make a simple biodegradable glue using equal parts flour or cornstarch and water.

Materials

– scrap paper (heavier weight paper for the cover and you can use paper for the pages)
– bone folder
– embroidery thread or waxed cotton thread
– needle
– awl, push pin or a large needle
– glue, such as mod podge matte or school glue (diluted with water)
– pressed flowers – we grow and press our own (instructions to make your own flower press)

Instructions to make mini matchbook notebooks

Step 1: How to cut your papers

Download the printable template above to use as a guide. Print at 100% scale when printing. Trace the template and cut out your cover. Score the cover along the dotted lines on the template using a bone folder. Fold along the scored lines. Cut pieces of scrap paper to your desired size to use as the notebook pages. The number of pages that you use depends on the thickness of your papers. I’m using about 30 sheets per notebook since my paper is lightweight.


Step 2: How to bind the notebook

Gather all of the inside pages and place them in a stack. Clip the paper together. Place the stack of pages inside of the cover and use an awl (or push pin or large needle) to create two holes that go through the entire stack. Thread a needle and begin by pushing the needle through one hole, starting from the underside up through the top. Make sure that you leave a tail of thread on the end. Thread the needle back down through the second hole, then tie the threads shut tightly on the back. Tie a double knot, making sure that you are pulling the thread tightly.

Step 3: Adding pressed flowers (optional)

Use a paint brush or glue brush to paint a thin layer of glue on the front of the cover. Place a pressed flower on top and gently press down to attach. After the first layer of glue is dry, paint a second layer of mod podge or glue over the flower. Let dry completely.

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