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July 22, 2019 By Brooke 19 Comments

DIY LEATHER JOURNAL COVER

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This post may contain Amazon and other affiliate links. Using these links, I earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Get a luxury leather journal without breaking the bank – this DIY leather journal cover is made with faux leather and the cricut explore.  Not only is this leather composition book cover inexpensive to make yourself, it is reusable too!

You are either a paper and notebook person, or you are not.  No matter how many reminders I have set in my phone, I still have to write things down or I worry that I will forget.  

Journals and notebooks can be made into so many different styles and uses.  My most commonly used notebooks are a to-do list notebook, bullet journal, spiritual journal (more doodles and phrases that stand out to me) and travel journals.  A great journal idea I see often is a travel notebook where you can attach ticket stubs, pictures and notes as a keepsake.

What makes journals and notebooks even more special is when they feel nice.  The feel of the paper, the right pen and ink style, or a leather journal cover – what qualities do you treasure in a notebook? For me, it is a pretty journal cover and a pen that makes me like my writing.  

If you love a luxurious journal cover you will love the project I am sharing today – a reusable DIY leather journal cover. Starting with an inexpensive composition book from the dollar store, I’ll show you how to make a leather journal cover with your Cricut,

Tips For Cutting Leather With Your Cricut

  • You can use either genuine leather or faux leather for this DIY journal cover. Faux leather is thinner, which makes it easier to cut with the Cricut.
  • Place leather smooth side down on the mat and mirror image your design before cutting. This helps your cutting mat to last the longest.
  • Another option is to put transfer tape on the fuzzy side of the leather, and place on the cutting mat with the transfer tape down.
  • Make sure the leather is attached really well on the mat. You can use painters tape or masking tape to secure the leather to your mat.
  • A brayer works well to push down on the leather, also insuring it is really secure on the cutting mat.
  • With genuine leather move the white stars on the roller bar to the side – they will indent the leather if not moved.

Here is what you will need to make this DIY leather journal cover:

  • Cricut Maker or Explore (found on Amazon and the Cricut Store)
  • Standard grip cutting mat‘
  • Deep cut blade
  • Cricut faux leather
  • Halographic iron-on vinyl
  • Cricut easy press
  • Easy press mat
  • Design space file – #MAEFFD90

Other Cricut Leather Projects

If you love this DIY leather journal cover, you will love these other leather projects using the Cricut!

  • Leather monogram keychain
  • faux leather earrings
  • Leather Baby Booties

Leather monogram charms
Faux Leather earrings
Leather baby booties

DIY LEATHER JOURNAL COVER

DIY LEATHER JOURNAL COVER

Yield: 1
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Active Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Difficulty: Beginner

Get a fancy leather journal without breaking the bank - this DIY leather journal cover is made with faux leather and the cricut explore.  Not only is this leather composition book cover inexpensive to make yourself, it is reusable too!

Materials

  • Design Space File - #MAEFFD90
  • Cricut Cutting Mat - standard grip
  • Cricut Faux Leather
  • Iron-on vinyl

Tools

  • Cricut Maker or Explore
  • Cricut Brayer and tweezer set
  • Basic tool set
  • Sewing machine & accessories
  • Holographic iron-on vinyl
  • Brayer Tool Set

Instructions

  1. Gather supplies needed. supplies needed to make a diy leather journal cover
  2. Load design space file on your internet browser (remember to mirror all your images).
  3. Place leather pretty side down on the cutting mat. Load mat, cut design out.
  4. Add any designs to decorate your leather journal cover with into design space. Place iron-on vinyl on cutting mat - pretty side down. Load mat and cut the design out.
  5. Weed iron-on vinyl
  6. Use easypress and mat to adhere iron-on to leather. adding iron on vinyl to faux leather with cricut easypress
  7. Assembly - placing wrong sides together, align the smaller pieces on the ends of the larger cover. Sew the sides together using a 1/8" seam allowance.
  8. Insert composition journal into the leather cover. Enjoy!

Notes

To keep the stitching as invisible as possible I started sewing on the bottom of the spine of the journal cover and stitched all the way around. This is not necessary to the function of the journal cover, but it makes for a uniform appearance on the front and back. Use thread that blends with the color of faux leather used.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • Cricut Brayer and Remover Set
    Cricut Brayer and Remover Set
  • Cricut Faux Leather - Pebbled
    Cricut Faux Leather - Pebbled
  • Cricut Maker, Rose
    Cricut Maker, Rose
  • Cricut StandardGrip Cutting 12x12 3 Pack
    Cricut StandardGrip Cutting 12x12 3 Pack
  • Brother Computerized Sewing Machine
    Brother Computerized Sewing Machine
Project Type: Cricut / Category: Crafts
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Filed Under: Crafts, Cricut Projects Tagged With: cricut projects, Cricut Tutorial, iron-on vinyl, leather project

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jessica says

    July 22, 2019 at 9:58 am

    Oooh, I love this!! Great job!

    Reply
  2. Crystal says

    July 22, 2019 at 1:07 pm

    Brooke this is gorgeous! I love the color and the design is just the cutest! I think I need to make myself one of these!

    Reply
  3. Erin says

    July 29, 2019 at 6:15 pm

    Oh my goodness! Soooo pretty!!

    Reply
  4. Cori says

    July 31, 2019 at 8:51 am

    These turned out so pretty!!

    Reply
  5. Liz says

    July 31, 2019 at 4:15 pm

    This turned out so cute!

    Reply
  6. Melissa says

    May 11, 2020 at 1:24 pm

    Can you please send the link to the Cricut design file (leather journal)? When I click on it, it opens a blank canvas. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Brooke says

      May 15, 2020 at 10:01 am

      Search on cricut design space for #MAEFFD90 or just “So The Adventure Begins” and you will find it!

      Reply
      • Kellie Green says

        July 5, 2020 at 10:00 pm

        Hi! Neither of these options work.

        Reply
        • Brooke says

          July 6, 2020 at 12:03 pm

          Which options are you referring to?

          Reply
          • Kellie Green says

            July 6, 2020 at 12:26 pm

            Searching for the name nor the code work in design space.

      • Bel Wilds says

        August 3, 2020 at 3:45 am

        Hi Brooke
        I can’t seem to find the file on design space either…i’ve tried both options in the search bar.
        Do you have any suggestions as too where I can find it?
        Thanks

        Reply
  7. Sarah says

    May 19, 2020 at 10:45 am

    What size composition notebook did you use?

    Reply
    • Brooke says

      May 19, 2020 at 3:56 pm

      It is just the standard size book from the dollar store? All of them I bought a various stores were all the same size. You can always adjust it to fit a different style of notebook.

      Reply
  8. Gemma says

    October 18, 2020 at 7:57 pm

    Hi, I also can’t find this on design space. Can you help?

    Reply
    • Brooke says

      October 18, 2020 at 8:26 pm

      Try typing in adventure begins. The design is #MAEFFD90

      Reply
  9. Cheryl says

    October 26, 2020 at 11:57 am

    Hi, the notebook is beautiful. I’d like to try making it, but I cannot access any cut file for the leather pieces. Searching by text or file number only results in the “Adventure awaits” graphic, which isn’t really what I want. I’m mostly looking for the cut file for the notebook pieces. Can you send or repost them? If not, I’ll need to devise my own:)
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Brooke says

      October 26, 2020 at 3:20 pm

      I guess Cricut changed how they can share links to design files. I made the journal cover with basic shapes, but let me see if I can save it as a different file type and I can email it to you.

      Reply
      • Gemma says

        October 31, 2020 at 11:08 am

        Could I please get a copy also? Thanks

        Reply

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Brooke - Brooklyn Berry Designs

Hey, I’m Brooke!

I am a mom to 4 boys in Calgary, Alberta.  I love learning how things are made, singing to the radio loudly, and can’t stop talking. Fueled by diet coke and chaos, I can often be found working on a project.  You can hang out here for craft ideas and tips, games and activities to do with kids, plus FREE svg files and printables.

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