VB Tutorial: Washi Swatch Book

Hi VB Fam!

I don’t know about you, but the May Be Well VBKit has all of my creative juices flowing! I am so in love with all of the great pieces in this kit that I wanted to use every single piece of it. In this blog post, I’m going to show you how I used some of the cardstock that was included the Be Well Paper Pack to make this cute little on-the-go washi swatch book. It fits perfectly in the clear VB pouch. I’ll be using mine as a reference book to use when I am creating a spread and have to identify washi from a specific VBKit. You only need a few supplies that you probably already have on hand.

Supplies Needed:

Cardstock from May Be Well VBKit (included with the paper pack option or digitals printed out onto cardstock)
Ruler
Paper Trimmer or Scissors
Copy Paper
Planner Discs (any brand)
Washi/Stickers
Disc Paper Punch (other options discussed below)

Step 1
The first thing I did was cut two 3x3.75 inch boxes from the cardstock. Since the cardstock comes pre-folded, I kept it folded so that I did not have to cut each piece individually. It also helped to ensure that the two pieces were equal in size. After cutting this out, I made another cut along the score line to create a front and back cover.

Step 2
The next step in the project is to cut the copy paper that will form the inside pages of the book. I cut down the paper into 3 inch wide strips.

I used the cardstock cover to make sure my copy paper would be the correct size and cut each strip into 3.75 inch boxes. I used a total of 20 sheets of copy paper which resulted in a pretty thick booklet.

Step 3
The next step is to punch holes in the top edges of the paper and cardstock. I wanted to make a flip book, but you could also punch holes along the side to make it more traditional.

I used the Crop-a-Dile Disc Power Punch™ from We R Memory Keepers® to punch three holes across the top of the paper. If this is not a tool you have in your stash, don’t worry! You can also use a regular hole punch to achieve this same look. To do so, just punch your holes along the top of the pages and cut two slits in each hole. This would create the same shape as the disc punch. If you choose this method, be sure to draw a light pencil line to use as a guide for punching holes evenly.

Step 4
Now that you have all of the pieces prepared, it’s time to put the book together. In my stash, I had two types of discs. I had some TUL™ 1-inch discs as well as some mini discs from The Happy Planner®. I decided to use the mini discs because of the thickness of the book I created. If you use more than 20 sheets of copy paper, you may want to use larger discs. If you don’t have discs at all, you could use other methods to bind your book together such as stapling it, using binder clips, or using loose leaf rings. The possibilities are endless!

Step 5
Now that the book was completed, it was time to add some deco. I used one of the flag stickers from the Be Well sticker book to write out the word “WASHI” and layered it on top of a strip of washi tape from the kit as well.

Step 6
The last step is to add your washi swatches to your book!

That’s it! You can create an adorable washi book to hold samples of all of your gorgeous VB washi! As you can see, it fits perfectly inside the clear VB pouch and still has room for your other essentials.

I hope that you enjoyed this project, and I hope I’ve inspired you to try it for yourself. I’d love to see yours, so be sure to tag me @drinkcoffee.makestuff and @shopvillabeautifful on Instagram and make sure you post in the VillabeautiFFul Community Facebook group.

Until next time, happy planning!

If you have any questions about this VB Blog, please reach out via the VillabeauTIFFul Community Facebook Group or Keisha's Instagram!