Altered notepad and pen

In my last post, I shared a stationary kit I created as a gift. In the kit, I included an altered mini legal pad and pen that are so simple to re-create. It doesn't get ANY easier than this. The PERFECT item to try and alter if you are new to altering. I saw the idea for both of these items on a blog, Thinking Inking. She included both items in a little binder kit she created.

The notepad, was a mini legal pad I bought in a 3 pack at my local Wal-Mart for a few dollars last week. They had a few color choices, but I went with white so that it'd match more choices. I've also been told they sell them at many dollar stores and all office supply stores. The color of the binding doesn't matter at all. These notepads are 3"x5". You can do pretty much anything to alter these, but I chose to stick with simplicity. I covered the existing binding with a patterned piece of cardstock from the My Mind's Eye Just Dreamy 2 set, since that is what my stationary kit was made from.

Pick the paper and cut a 3" x 4" piece. I measured how wide the binding was (3" same as the notepad) and I measured all the way from where it started on the front to where it ended after wrapping around on the back (4"). Turn the paper over, so that the side you want to show is face down. Apply adhesive to the entire piece careful to cover the edges very well. I simply used double sided Scotch tape and it worked perfect. Then lay it, sticky side down, on the front of your notepad and wrap it around carefully creasing it at the top two places it folds over and sticking it down securely as you go. That's all there is to it....easy peasy right?

For the pen, you need to buy a Pentel brand pen. Look for the ones seen here. These were $0.97 for a 2pack at Wal-Mart. I purchased blue, but they also came in black and purple. The tube of the pen is clear, but the end caps and ink vary. I took a piece of coordinating cardstock and cut it to 1"x4". Roll it up tightly around a skinny object. For me it helped to start the curling by rolling it up with a skinny pencil and then re-rolling it with an even skinnier stylus. Then you simply unscrew the bottom of the pen. The ink will stay attached to the bottom when you pull it out. Unless you want a BIG mess, don't try to take the ink off of the bottom cap....mmmkay? If you rolled it up tight enough, the paper will fit right into the cavity. As it unrolls itself inside a bit, it will fill the entire inside and leave a center hole for you to stick the inkwell back inside. I chose to take matching ribbon and wrap it around the cap a few times and then tie a bow, but that's up to how fancy you want to be with the project.

I created these items to include in a stationary kit, but they would be great on their own or with an altered journal or desk set. I hope to have the tutorial up for the box I created to house all of the items from this post and the last post asap. I would love to see your projects if you give these a try. As always, anytime you try something I post you can leave a link to your blog or online photo gallery in my comments :)