Monday, August 3, 2009

Rethinking the Binder

Sometimes crafts happen because you own something ugly but don't want to throw it away. Take this binder for example. It is horrid. It is huge, puffy, and godawful marbled brown. It may be an eyesore, but it is perfectly good. It would be a shame to send it to a landfill, and not even poor people would want to be given this. 

I have no redeeming qualities

Luckily for this binder, it does have one redeeming quality: it is utilitarian. There are lots of things I could put in a binder such as this. I happen to have a lot of cards and letters I can't bare to part with. This binder, with a little overhauling, would be a perfect home for these keepsakes. So using felt fabric, a hot glue gun, glue dots, felt stickers, ribbon, some more glue and paper I created this:

I swear it lit itself like this

Sexy side view

Peek inside


This project from start to finish took under an hour. First, I cut the fabric to fit around the binder. Using hot glue I secured the felt directly to the binder. It takes a few additional simple cuts to get the corners to overlap nicely and to get the fabric to fit around the metal inner-workings. I glued decorative paper over the exposed felt edges to cover up my handiwork. I added a ribbon border (totally optional.) I had a few felt flower kickin' around and added those to the front for decoration. It was almost too easy...

I keep cards and letters in this binder, but there are tons of options: Photos, scrapbooks, recipes, notebooks, speeding tickets, etc... The options are limitless!

9 comments:

Victoria said...

Wow, that looks SO much better than before...nicely done, Jess!

Anonymous said...

Wowesome!!! All I have is a handsome brown binder, but if I can make it MORE loveable, why not?!

Workshop Cooker said...

Good God that is one sexy binder. That lighting really brings out the way it is put together if you know what i mean.

Molly said...

Awesome! I want more crafts!!

J Cola said...

That's awesome!! custom designed binders are the sexiest for sure.

Hellen H. said...

Totally awesome, and totally died when you made the binder say "I have no redeeming qualities."

Sergio said...

Fantastic work!!!!!

Nico said...

You did a great thing here, Jess. So often do I feel sorry for school and office supplies that were created so mundane, boring and unattractive. To take this poor binder in from the cold and make its home your own, to make it beautiful, is a very noble deed. Indeed! You rock!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I just realized that you are the new Lisa Frank!