DIY Teacher Notepad Gift
Learn how to make a cute teacher notepad gift. A fun gift idea for the start of the school year, Teacher Appreciation or anytime of the year! These notepads are perfect for the office, at home or on the go! Download my free SVG cut file and PDF pattern to create your own notepad!
Hello Crafty Friends! Today I’m excited to share a sweet gift idea perfect for teachers – a handmade teacher notepad! I love making cute handmade notepads. They make taking notes and staying organized so much fun!
We usually like to gift our new teachers a set of Flair pens at the beginning of the school year. This year, I thought I would add a cute handmade notepad to the gift! They are a great size for keeping at your desk or taking with you on the go. I have made similar mini notepads before, but this time I created an SVG cut file so I could cut them on my Cricut.
These notepads only take a few supplies – chipboard, two sheets of decorative scrapbook paper and adhesive. Using a cutting machine makes the project go quicker than cutting by hand. You can choose school-themed paper like I did, or any fun, pretty paper you’d like. You can also personalize the notepads with a teacher’s name on the front.
How to Make Handmade Notepads for Teachers
Supplies Needed
- Template and SVG Cut file – Grab the free files by filling out the purple form at the bottom of this post.
- Chip board – I used .024″- 24 point chipboard by Clear Path Paper.
- I recommend using a chipboard with a thickness of around .024 to .032. With this thickness you should be able to cut it with a scissors. If you use a thicker chipboard option, you may need to cut the pieces slightly smaller to work with the pattern and use a craft knife.
- 3″ x 5″ memo pads
- Decorative paper for cover and lining of book – thinner paper works well for the lining.
- Here are some fun paper options: School Supply Paper, Apple Paper, Classroom Supplies,
- Adhesive: double-sided tape, tape runner, glue stick
- Cutting machine and a deep cut blade for cutting chipboard
- Scoring board – if your machine does not score
- Optional: About 14″ of ribbon
Step by Step Tutorial
* If you’d like to make these notepads without a cutting machine, head to my original post DIY Mini Notepads, where I show how to make them using a scissors!
Setting up the File in Cricut Design Space
Start by downloading and saving the file to your computer. Open Cricut Design Space and start a new project. Upload the SVG cut file and insert it. “Select All” then “Ungroup”. The file will already divide the pieces up on mats. The dark gray pieces should be cut from chipboard and the colored pieces cut from decorative scrapbook paper.
Using the Score Lines
If you are not using the score lines, simply delete the six bright pink score line layers and you are ready to cut! If you want to use the score lines, select them and under Operation, change them from cut lines to score lines. The lines will go from solid pink lines to dashed gray lines.
Next, attach the score lines to the correct pieces. Highlight the score lines and the piece of paper they belong to using your Shift Key, then select “Attach”. The attached group will move to the top of the layers panel.
You are ready to cut the notepad pieces. I used a deep-cut blade to cut my chipboard pieces and used a scoring-tool to score my lines. Check that the dashed lines appear on each mat when you go to cut to confirm they are attached.
Step by Step Tutorial
Step One: Cut out the notepad pieces.
You will need to cut six pieces in all. Three from decorative paper including the cover, lining, and topper (the paper that covers the top of the 3″x5″ notepad) and three from chipboard for the cover, back and spine. I used a deep cut blade to cut the chipboard.
Step Two: Create the book cover for the notepad.
If your machine does not score, start by scoring the book cover to make a spot for the spine. Score at 3.75″ and 4.25″ from the left edge. Fold along these lines.
Next, adhere the pieces of chipboard using a tape runner or double-sided tape. Position the spine in the center of the scored lines. Position the two board covers so they are lined up with the scored lines and the tabs.
Wrap the cover edges around the tagboard and adhere in place. Start with the long tabs. Be sure to really hold these edges down until they are secure and do not flip back up. Close the book to make sure everything is adhering nicely.
Repeat for the last two side tabs. These should be done last because they have diagonal edges which will create a mitered corner.
Step Three: Adhere the lining.
Next, add the lining using an adhesive that is slightly reposition-able like a glue stick or a tape runner. If your machine has a scoring tool the lining will be scored. You can lightly fold on these lines. Depending on the thickness of your paper they may be slightly off. Alternatively, you can lay the lining over the book and lightly mark with a pencil line where the score lines should go. Then score by hand with a scoring board.
*Tip: If you want to add ribbons to close the notepad, add them to your book before the lining. I added ribbon to some of my teacher notepads so the notebook could be held closed. Use two pieces of ribbon that are about 7″ long and adhere the ends to the book.
Adhere the lining starting with the spine and move outwards. Make sure to close the book before the adhesive is set so the lining can shift. I used my scoring stylus to help press the lining into the scored lines and smooth it out.
Step Four: Wrap the top of the notepad with coordinating paper.
Start by scoring the topper, the piece that will wrap around the top of the 3″ x 5″ notepad. Score at 7/8″ and 1 1/8″ from one of the long edges. Adhere it around the top of the notepad. The front will have a slightly shorter piece than the back.
Step Five: Add the notepad to the back book cover.
Use strong adhesive to attach the notepad to the back cover of the book. I used 1/2″ double-sided Scor Tape.
The notepad is finished! If you did not use ribbon on your notepad, I recommend letting the notepad sit overnight with a few books stacked on top of it. This really works to flatten the cover so it lays nice and flat.
I love how cute these notepads are! I think they look really nice. Once you make one, the process is really easy to replicate. They would make a sweet gift for a teacher friend or for your child’s teacher at the beginning of the school year, Teacher Appreciation Day or anytime of the school year!
If you have fun making this notepad, be sure to check out my other DIY Handmade Notepad Tutorials including my animal-themed notepad patterns for a fox, sloth, owl and more!
These notepads use the same SVG cut file/pattern. You can really customize these notepads for any occasion, theme or holiday! Here are a few examples.
Harry Potter Notepads – Made the same way using a free printable!
Get the Free Teacher Notepad Files!
Fill out the purple form below with your first name and email address! The free file will be sent straight to your inbox! If you have already filled out the form below, don’t worry – you won’t be added to my list twice! This freebie is for personal use only. I hope you enjoy crafting something special. Please let me know if you have any questions :)
