DIY Penguin Notepads with Free SVG File

These sweet DIY penguin notepads make a great gift for Valentine’s Day but are also great all-year round. Free printable pattern and cut file!

Hello Crafty Friends! I’ve been busy whipping up some adorable Valentine’s Day crafts and I am so excited to share them with you – starting with these adorable DIY penguin notepads! You may remember by little fox notepads. These are based off of that same pattern but with a sweet Valentine’s Day twist.

These notepads were created using my Cricut Explore, but they can definitely be made by hand (it’s how I originally made my fox ones). I’m sharing both a PDF pattern and a cut file so you can make them either way. 

These penguin notepads fit a 3″ x 5″ notepad. They make the perfect little gift for Valentine’s Day – or any day of the year. Swap out the heart for a star, snowflake or flower and these penguins could work for any occasion. They are easy to make and they stay closed using a small Velcro dot. 

Update: I’ve continued making animal notepads and now have six different animals. Below are the different notepads I’ve created!

Animal Notepads

• Fox Notepad
• Penguin Notepad
• Sloth Notepad
• Owl Notepad and Hedwig Snowy Owl Notepad
• Panda Notepad
• Cat Notepad and Halloween Cat Notepad

DIY Penguin Notepads

Supplies Needed:

• Free printable pattern and SVG cut files: Grab the free files by filling out the purple form at the end of this post.
• Cardstock
  • Penguin color – pink, black and lavender
  • White for belly and face
  • Orange for beak
  • Glitter pink for heart
  • Black for eyes
• 3″ x 5″ Notepads (These are a second option – 3″ x 5″ Notepads). You can also find these at office supply stores.
• Adhesive
  • Double-Sided Tape or Glue Stick.
  • A Glue Pen is great for adding the small paper details.
• VELCRO Brand 3/8″ Thin Clear Fasteners
• Cutting Machine OR scissors
• Scoring Board – if scoring by hand

Step-by-Step Tutorial

Step One: Cut out all of the pieces. Use the SVG cut file and a cutting machine or the PDF pattern and cut them by hand. Use a hold punch for the penguin’s eyes. Check out this Guide for setting up the file in Cricut Design Space. If you are not using the score lines, be sure to delete them before cutting the file. 

Step Two: Score the pieces that wrap around the notepad. If you are using the cut file with a machine that scores, this step will be done for you. You can also score by hand using a scoring board and stylus. Follow the pattern to see where you should score. 

Step Three: Cover the notepad. Cover the top of the 3″ x 5″ notepad with the small rectangle piece. Fold it around the notepad and adhere it into place using a glue stick or double-sided tape. 

Next, attach the main body of the penguin to the notepad. Cover the back of the notepad in adhesive and attach it, making sure the top flap is also adhered to the top edge of the notepad.

Attach the penguin head to the notepad using the glue stick.

Step Four: Decorate the notepad to look like a penguin. Glue or tape the white head and belly of the penguin to the notepad. 

Next, add the beak, eyes, wings and heart.

Step Five: Add a fastener to keep it closed. The last step is to add a small Velcro fastener to keep the notepad closed.  Place the rough edge of the Velcro dot under the penguin’s beak. Stick the soft side to it and then close the notepad cover and your dots will be perfectly placed. I recommend using 3/8″ thin clear fasteners. 

I love how cute these penguins turned out! Grab some fun colored paper and get started. I’ll be back next week with another fun Valentine’s Day craft :)

Get the Free Penguin 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 :)