Blank books are great for diary keeping and recording family events. Use one to record funny moments – then look back on it when you need a little emotional lift. Use one to record favorite recipes at your family reunion, or details of your summer vacation.

By the Discount Diva

You can find many blank notebooks at the Dollar Store. For $1 you have the perfect companion to record treasured moments, thoughts, and sentiments. Simply transform into bejeweled books with beads, tape, and thread, raising them to true keepsake level.

Blank books also make great gifts once they’re embellished with beads, tape and thread. The best part is that you’ve saved money, and your recipient gets a one-of-a-kind, trendy, beaded book for capturing thoughts, dreams, poems, prayers, recipes—whatever her heart desires.

Tips:

Look for blank books with designs that can easily be traced with thread, or ones that have lots of color to show through the clear beadlets.

When in doubt about what kind of design to do with the threads, do curly q’s. Mrs. K’s Dimensional Thread has a natural twist that makes it curve nicely, and it’s a fun look. Just curl here and there, pressing the thread as you go.

Materials used in this project:

• Blank book from the Dollar Store
• Kreinik Petite Facets in Red
• Kreinik Tapestry (#12) Braid in 091 Star Yellow, 007HL Pink Hi Lustre, 006 Blue
• 4” x 6” piece of Treasure Tape™ cut to fit over the center square design
• 1/8 and 1/4” Treasure Tape™ rolls
• Diamond Beadlets®

Instructions: 

1. Start with a clean and dry surface.
2. Peel off white liner from the Treasure Tape™, and affix to front of the blank book in the area that you’re going to embellish. In this design, I used the tape rolls for thin lines, and the larger tape sheet for the center heart.
3. Peel off the top red liner and decorate with the thread. I used red and yellow Braid for light swirls, yellow Braid again in heart shapes, and blue Braid to make curly q’s. I followed the colors of the blank book for the heart shape, using matching thread colors and creating swirls throughout. A Blue Braid line borders this center square, to really set it apart.
   
4. Make sure threads are pressed firmly down, adhered to the tape.
5. Put book in a shallow container and cover with Diamond Beadlets®. Swirl beadlets over the design area to make sure all remaining tape surfaces are covered. Then, tap the book to dislodge any loose beads.

 © Copyright 2005 Kreinik. This project may be reproduced but not sold.

For more embellishing ideas, check out Instant Paper Treasures