If you love books, journals, and journaling, this necklace is for you! This goes well with the 2023 Proverbs Reading Challenge as well!
Make a small journal necklace that will always remind you of the important truths of Proverbs 3:
Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;
bind them around your neck;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
So you will find favor and good success
in the sight of God and man.
1. Find an appropriate chain.
You likely already have one of these that you own! I already had one from Farm Charm (which is sadly no longer available). At the bottom of this page, I will post suggestions for other chains that would work well, in case you need to find one.
2. Choose your DIY level!
DIY Level A—Lettering only
If this is your style, all you need to do is find a chain that suits you, and then purchase this lovely, SUPER tiny journal. (Here is a link to where to get it on Amazon.)*
As you add the lettering to your tiny journal, think about the style of lettering that you like, as well as colors for different words. Here are some suggestions for ways to use color to highlight meaning:
Add as many embellishments and as many verses as you like. This journal has a small clasp that will work well to connect to your chain.
DIY Level B—Make the tiny book for yourself!
If you are a fan of making books, this level is for you!
How to make a tiny journal
Materials needed:
- 1 piece of sketch book paper (9″x 12″)
- scissors and/or paper cutter
- needle and thread
- white paper glue (like Elmer’s glue)
- Piece of book board (like the back of your sketch book, or the back of a notebook), approximately 3.25″ x 2.5″ (Card stock could also work for this.)
- Decorative paper that you want for the cover of the book
- A small metal jump ring (to attach the book to your necklace)
- Decorative end papers (optional)
1. Make the paper signatures. Cut a 9″ x 12″ piece of sketch book paper into 4 strips, and then cut the strips into smaller pieces. You should have 16 pieces that are around 2.25″ x 2.75″. (These can be much smaller if you want a SUPER tiny journal!)
Group these small rectangles into 4 sets of signatures (with 4 papers each).
After folding each signature, you may wish to trim the edges a bit more to make them more even. If you like a rougher, uneven look to the pages, you can leave them untrimmed. After I trimmed mine, the final folded signatures were 1.25″ x 2″.
2. Next, create the holes that you will use to sew the signatures together. Because this book is so small, you need to create only two holes in each signature spine. You can do this with a needle or an awl. To ensure that your holes all line up, stack the signatures together, drawn a line with pencil across the two locations for the holes. (See picture above.) Then, open them up, and using that line as a guide, make your holes.
3. The next step is to sew the signatures together. Normally, I would use a special thread that is stronger for bookbinding, but for this tiny book that will not get much wear and tear, normal sewing thread is fine. I sewed with this thread doubled.
Take you first signature and sew down from the outside of the spine to the inside. Leave a nice long tail where you began. The tread should wrap through the inside of the signature and then back out. Then, do the same thing with the next signature, binding the two signatures together. As you come up from the second signature, tie a knot between the two signatures using the tail. (If you need an image to guide you, click here for an illustrated guide.)
Then, attach the third signature. Again, go down from the spine, and as you bring your needle up from the third signature, put your needle back through the connection between the top of the first and second signatures. (See pictures above.) Loop between the second and third signatures, and then add the final signature. As you come back out toward the spine, loop between signatures on this end as you did on the first end. At the end, using the tail you left at the beginning, tie the ends of thread together into a tight knot. Trim the thread, but not too closely.
At this point, you can add glue to the spines of the signatures if you want them to hold very tightly together, but it is not necessary. However, be careful not use too much because you don’t want excess glue to seep down into the pages and make the pages stick together. Now you have your bound signatures!
4. Make the cover for the book. First measure and cut three pieces of book board. The two end pieces should be the same size, just slightly larger than your folded signature, allowing for a little overhang. The spine piece should be the same length as the others and approximately the width of your signatures’ spine. (See picture above.)
Lay them onto your decorative cover paper and cut as shown in the picture. Then, add glue to the back of the book board and lay carefully on the cover paper as you had planned. Carefully working from one side and then around the book cover, side by side, press firmly until glue attaches the cover paper to the book board. (Be careful not to get any residual glue on the outside of the cover.) See picture above.
Then, make a small hole with the awl or needle, large enough to put in your your jump ring. When glue has dried, add your jump ring into the hole. If you would like an embellishment, such as a bookmark, add it to the inside of the cover or to the spine of the signature with glue.
5. Attach the cover to the signatures. For the final step, you have two methods to choose from: you can glue the first and last pages of the signatures directly to the cover, or you can use two end papers (double the length of your first page) to attach them. Glue the first half of one end paper to the first page of your signature, making sure that the extra length is sticking out toward the spine. Then fold the paper and attach the other half to the front cover of the book. Repeat this process for the back page.
I hope you can enjoy this DIY project using items you already have, but if you want suggestions for things you might need, here is a list below. Each will give you a link to Amazon to find these items.
1. A suitable chain. I have two options: HERE is a link for one with a beautiful leaf pendant, and HERE is a set of pendant options.
2. Tiny Journal (This one is more highly rated than the one I linked to earlier in the page, but it comes with only one black tiny journal. If you prefer the cheaper option, which will give you two, click here to find it.
*As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you choose to purchase a product, please link to it from my site. I appreciate your support of my writing!
