Test design Hive Blog.png

Hey guys, it's Blingit.

Today's crafting update isn't supposed to be a crafting update.

Funny story, I am actually supposed to be doing my tax, which is due tomorrow. But in typical somewhat ADHD artistic style, I have left the tax and got distracted by none other than a new craft project.

Who else does this? Is this something you do? Because this is definitely something that I do. I just don't have the drive to get those last ten items of tax done unless I have an hour to go. However i'm off task so no tax will be done today.

So instead of doing the tax today, which would have taken me about 20 minutes in hyperfocus, had I actually sat down and done it properly, I decided to clean my desk. Then I found that my sticky notes had run out. Then I went onto Amazon to order some more, then decided, WHY NOT MAKE SOME Then decided, ooh, let's make some new artwork to go along with that, and then decided, well, let's just use Canva's art and see how we go and see if we can make them, which I have now dutifully done.

So instead of bringing you an update on my tax (actually not that I would give you an update on my tax anyway), I will be bringing you an article on how to make your very own notepaper at home using Canva and a printer.

title (2).jpg

above you can see the design i quickly did, and what perhaps i should have done, a personalised one lol

Materials required

You need some sort of an art program that you can either draw in or use elements. I'm using Canva because that's just nice and easy.

Next, you will need some form of printer that is colour. (unless you want black and white)

Next, you will need some method to cut your paper. I use a paper trimmer.

You will also need some form of glue. I've been told to use bookbinder's glue. If not, use PVA.

You will also need some method to secure your pages together while you glue them together at the top, and YouTube suggests I use bulldog clips, which I have got.

Oh and a brush to put the glue on careful

Photo banners all blogs (16).png The above are just examples from canva and then a quick example using a little koala of mine

Method

First step, make your art

I decided to make my artwork square for ease, and also to save paper costs, I decided to make little sticky note-sized paper, so it was about so I can get six of these little notes on one A4 page.

So in Canva, I created a square canvas, and funnily enough, there was a perfect little cat notes design already done. So I changed it, put a name down the bottom, and decided let's give this a go and see how it will print before I create my own artwork for one of these.

I put it to the edges of the page, and then I exported it as a PNG,

THEN I created a new Canva document, which was an A4, and I imported the PNG that I had just downloaded as an element, and then I duplicated it six times on the page, and then I hit print.

This saves paper waste

DANCE YOUR DREAMS COLOURING BOOK (4).png

Printing settings

I use slightly more expensive paper, so I used a 100gsm paper rather than 80gsm paper. I also printed one on the 80gsm paper, and I completely agree with everyone's opinions online on this, that definitely use a slightly better paper. It printed so much better.

Obviously, if I was doing this for sale or something, I would make sure I'd use the top printing settings as well.

Cutting

So the next step once these had carefully dried was to take them out to the paper cutter and to cut them.

I don't have a fancy paper trimmer. It is just one that I got off Amazon, and I cut off the edges. Thankfully, because my colour went right to the edge of my PNG square, it was really obvious where those lines were.

However, in the centre, I had to do a little bit of measuring. I think in future I might separate the squares on the A4 page a little bit better, so there is that white trim. I didn't do that though because I thought that it would be more annoying having to do more cuts, but we'll see. Maybe adding some trim lines might have been a better plan in this case.

DANCE YOUR DREAMS COLOURING BOOK (5).png

Collating And Gluing

So once I had got all the pages cut on the paper trimmer, I stacked them together.

It's important that you get the top edge the most square and flush together. So banging them on the bench and filtering them together so that top edge is nice and secure is your best bet.

Now the next step is gluing the pages together. I USED to have a fantastic glue for this, a special glue. But its been years since i have done anything like this, so its all gone. And i forget the name of it.

so decided to google the next best thing and settled on PVA.

After **Clamping **the pages together as you DO NOT want glue dripping in between the pages... You apply a thin coat of glue with a brush. Wait for it to at least tack up and dry a bit and add a second coat.

Ill need to experiment with glue and layers to get this just perfect for my paper though. Too LITTLE and it will fall apart. too MUCH and the paper will not separate without tearing the other pieces.

Photo banners all blogs (17).png

anyway HERE ENDS my distracted craft project of the day while distracting myself from the tax.... which, i have just realised i actually need to ask questions about from my husband.... whom i told i had done the tax last Thursday.... sigh.....

So now it is 9pm i really better do the tax now instead!

HAPPY CRAFTING