How to Make a Ribbon Journal

Last Updated: October 4, 2022 Tested

Instead of spending money buying a journal you can make one using paper and ribbon. This activity is a simple, fun activity to do with children or by yourself.

Steps

1
Take a good amount of paper (20-30 pages, or more, depends how thick you want your journal to be) and cut them in half. Hole punch the left side of the paper (where you want your journal to be bound.) There should be three to five holes, more if you want the binding to hold together better, though the more holes you have, the more ribbon you’ll need.
2
Find something to use as a cover. Some thick construction or scrapbooking paper should work.

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3
Decorate your cover. You could paint a picture, trace your hand, paste stickers or photos on it, make doodles, write a poem, or anything you feel like. Be creative! (Or you could use paper that already has a design.)
4
Cut a strip of ribbon that is long enough to hold all the paper together. If you’d like, you can use several different ribbons to make it more colorful.
5
Thread the strips of ribbon though the holes punched in the paper. This is the most important step because how well you secure the ribbon depends on if your journal will fall apart or not. Make sure the paper is secure in the ribbons.
6
Tie it off with a flourish, and now you have your own personal journal. You can write or doodle in it, do whatever you want!

Community Q&A

Question

What do I use to make holes in the paper?

Community Answer

Use a hole puncher. If it's too thick to punch, then use the extra strong ones.
Question

Can I use wrapping paper?

Kim G

Top Answerer

You can decorate your journal with anything you wish. Wrapping paper will save time and possibly some frustration.
Question

How can I make it without ribbon?

Kim G

Top Answerer

You can use twine, yarn or any other type of string to hold the paper together.

Warnings

Hole punching a large amount of paper may be difficult - you can use a paper drill or a crop-a-dile to make this easier.

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Be careful and aware of paper cuts.

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Things You'll Need

A sufficient amount of ribbon (judging on the size of the journal wanting to be made)
Paper
A hole punch (only if paper does not have pre-punched holes)
Magazines to cut up, stickers, glitter, stencils, pens, or whatever you need to decorate your journal.