Reduce, Reuse, Recycle DIY Notepads

If you read my first blog post nearly a year ago, you know that I have an obsession with notepads.  I also have a Pinterest-aided craze for DIY and crafting (within reason - I know my limits, however I do have quite a bit of experience with power tools, so my limits are typically a bit higher than most).  I've only tried three or four Pinterest things thus far because, well, there are a lot of other things to get done, but this is one I'm obsessed with.

Make your own notepads.
(You can find the pin here)

Now the original pin uses scrapbooking paper to make pretty notepads, but that's not what I'm talking about.  I use paper that has already been printed on one side - whether it's old assignment sheets, directions, junk mail, anything.  To get the sheet of paper down to size, I fold and tear it into six pieces.

If you really need your notepads to be perfect, you can use a paper cutter.

I find the eyeballing and tearing method works just fine.

After you get a good stack of the notepad-size papers torn, stack them up, making sure that the blank sides are all facing the same way.  I try to make sure that the factory edges of the shorter sides are all at the top, because it makes the gluing easier.

Next, grab two binder clips and separate out enough paper to pretty much fill the clips.  This will be one notepad, so the thicker you want your notepad, the bigger size binder clips you need.

Place the binder clips on either side of the papers close to the top.  It's important to use the binder clips or another kind of clasp to hold them together, or the glue will seep down and the papers won't attach to each other well.

This is my setup for applying the glue.  It's actually called "notepad padding compound," and it's available on Amazon and Etsy and Ebay.  The bottle here is the first one I've purchased and pretty small, but a little goes a long way.  I just use a cheap little paintbrush, but there are fancy bookbinding brushes you can by.

All you have to do is brush a thin layer of the padding compound across the side you want to hold the papers together.  I always do the short side because the binder clips hold better that way, but it's up to you!

I use a third binder clip to rest the notepad on while the padding compound dries, so that it doesn't stick to the paper towel.  I generally put on two coats of compound, and it dries within a couple minutes.  I like to wait until you have a lot of paper to work with and can make several notepads at once and keep them on hand.

Once the padding compound dries thoroughly (I always give it a good hour to dry after the final coat, just to make sure it sets up really well) you have an upcycled notepad with tear off pages!  This size is great for grocery lists, long or constantly growing to-do lists, or even leaving notes for roommates and family members.  There's also the added benefit of getting the most out of that piece of paper and not having to buy paper products just for lists!

What are your favorite green craft projects?  Leave me a comment and maybe I'll try them out!

Graduating and Packing and UNpacking, Oh My!

Well in the blog description, I wrote "I firmly believe something about life is always changing."  Or, in this case, a lot of somethings.  I graduated from college four days ago.  Six days ago, I was quite literally still taking tests, and now I have gone through Baccalaureate and Commencement, packed up ALL of my things, scrubbed my apartment (which is now no longer even mine because I signed the papers and handed in my keys), driven 250 miles back to my parents' house, and begun the ridiculous process that is moving an entire apartment's worth of crap into one bedroom.  Oh, and begun truly fretting about the whole finding a job thing.  Update: In between drafting this post and posting it, I actually DID get a part-time job and some other opportunities opened up as well.  More on that another blog.

The unpacking thing is miserable.  Because I have so much crap, I cannot merely unpack the boxes/bins/bags and put things away.  I  have to go through everything in my room and clean out, throw out, donate, and reorganize.  Typically, I would be okay with that as I love organizing things, but in this case, I've had to face some ugly truths about myself, including the following:

1. In the past several years (while earning my Bachelor's degree) I have spent, at most, four months at home.  My theory throughout that time was apparently "stick it in a pile and clean it up later."
2. I have an obsession with Post-Its/mini-notebooks/notepads that is bordering on dysfunctional (I already knew about the addiction, I just didn't realize how bad it was, as demonstrated by the picture below - and the picture barely does it justice.).
3. I get WAY too emotionally attached to things.  It's a bit insane how much crap from elementary, junior high, and high school I have saved.  At one point, I apparently thought saving every test and paper with an A on it was a good scheme.  Believe me, I do not have the space necessary for that.  Also on the list of things that are weirdly hard for me to throw away are socks, journals from sixth grade, jewelry I have never worn, and any movie stub.
4. I cannot get rid of anything that I, my nephew, or my future children might want OR that may have another useful purpose after a bit of refashioning.  I am certain this is one of the genetic quirks passed on by my mother, as she often joins me in my reusing pursuits. (I'll blog more about this later - make your own notepads; this combines basically everything I love).

It starts to feel a bit like I should have my own episode of Hoarders.  Four bags of garbage later, I swear the piles have not gotten any smaller.  As much as it annoys me to no end, I can't really be mad about #3 or 4.  Being thrifty and frugal in the economy can only be good, right?  And at least if I'm attached to something, it means I care.  Finding ways to mesh all these sides of myself and situations together is just part of the beautiful mess.

My stash from #2.  This doesn't even include the DIY ones.

I haven't finished unpacking yet either.  Who knows what I'll find?