Cookbook Creation

I was inspired when I went to my local craft store some time back.  It was the same trip where I made the picture frames.  This project is supposed to be scrapbooked with pictures on each divider, but I thought it would make a great cookbook!  The three dividers would be for different food categories (the last one has to be blank, as it serves as the back “page.”)  It’s nice to have my favorite recipes all in one location, instead of this from cookbook, or from that cookbook, etc.  A little light bulb went off in my head too when I thought if I could love it so much, so could someone else.  So, I made two more as wedding gifts.  I had to wait to post it until both weddings were over, especially since one was my cousin’s and I didn’t want her to see her present before she had a chance to open it.

So if you’re interested in making your own cookbook, read on!  You will need something like this:

Nice, thick cardboard.

Choose your scrapbooking paper.  I went with a cooking theme, but part of that was because our craft store had some in stock and they were so cute!

See what I mean?  Here’s the front side.

I am working on a cutting board, for quilting, since I am using an Exacto knife.  I don’t want to cut through to the table.  Put crafters glue on the side you want the paper to adhere to, and press down on the BACK SIDE of the paper.  (I use a glue stick, so I won’t have glue bubbles or blobs.)

I am in love with this tool.  It’s a finger Exacto knife!  Use it to score around the cardboard.

One you’re done, it will look like this, all sharp around the edges.

Using a crafting file, file down the edges, so they are nice and soft.

I love Distress Ink and use black for everything.  So brush the edges of the paper with the ink.

So it looks like this:

You’ll want to do this for all four cardboard sections, front and back.  Now for embellishments!  I am using cut-out flowers and buttons.

And Glue Dots to keep the buttons in place.

Then I put ribbon around the rings and labeled the categories.  I originally had true tabs (white paper that I wrote the titles on and then glued to the paper), but it looked funny, so I wrote directly on the paper, going over it a couple of times. 

I then put little food quotes on the inside back page of each food category.  And distressed it.

I typed up each recipe, 64 in all.  Originally I printed each recipe out, cut, and then glued each one to scrapbook paper, but it took WAY too long and didn’t look that professional.  I ended up going to Office Depot to print it on cardstock and Kinko’s to hole punch them.

For a crazy idea, I think it turned out pretty good, and am actually impressed with myself.  My husband said, “If it didn’t take you so long to make them, you could sell them.”  True.  It took four times longer to make than I thought, but it’s a labor of love, and that’s what it’s all about.

I hope that this project inspires you to make your own cookbook.  They are truly one-of-a-kind.