Here's what you will need for this project:
- Scrap book paper, 2 sheets (I used 2 different sheets but you can use just one sheet cut twice)
- Card Stock
- Computer to type up pages for Coupon Book
- Printer that will except 4.5X6.5 (or 4X6 will work too) card stock
- Mod Podge and brush/applicator
- Clothes Pins or Paper clips (those black ones)
- Scissors/Rotary Cutter
- Stick on letters from Hobby Lobby or any craft store
Now that you have your supplies ready, let's get started! First, you'll need to think of some ideas for your "coupons". Since I was giving this coupon book to my MeeMaw, I thought of things that she would need help getting done, or things that she wouldn't normally do by herself, i.e. going out to eat, making a meal for herself that will last her a few days, etc. etc. Here are some of the things that I put in her coupon book:
- Good For: "Lisha" Time - We love spending time together!
- Good For: Give Buster Brown (her foster dog) a bath
- Good For: Cook a meal for her
- Good For: Take her out to eat any where she wants
- Good For: Take her to Magnolia (Jenn's Parents House) to go fishing (she LOVES to fish)
- Good For: Mop/Clean her house
- Good For: Taking her to Joe V's (a new grocery store in town) to go grocery shopping
- Good For: Buying her a 6 pack of beer (she likes the cheap stuff :-))
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| Example of one a coupon |
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| All the pages of the coupon book |
After I thought of all the coupon ideas, I went to my computer and began typing them up. I set the page parameters to fit so that when I put the card stock in my printer it would print perfectly to the pages. These happened to be 4.5X6.5, so I set the parameters on my computer to 4X6 and it worked the same. Now that the hard part is over, YES that is the hard part, and all the pages are printed, I used 15 pages total, you will need to prepare your cover and back pages.
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| Pages cute and ready for letters |
I didn't show you how I cut the cover and back pages because I just simply used my rotary cutter and cut to size, it's that simple. Now that you have your front and back pages ready, you are ready to add the lettering to the front and if you want to the back pages. I went the cheaper way and got some stick on letters that are already ready to go, you just have to pull off from the page and spell out what you the book to say/what its for.
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| All the letters are attached and the pages are printed |
I decided to add the date of her birthday and on the back I put whom it was from, Jenn and myself, along with how old she was turning, just as a reminder as to when and what the coupon book is for, for in the future. I found these letters at the spur of the moment at hobby lobby and it was a VERY lucky find, they turned out to be VERY helpful! Back to the coupon book, you will now need your Mod Podge and your brush/applicator to put on the Mod Podge and your clothes pins/black paper clips. Make sure you line up the edges of the pages so they are all even on the side that you want to stick together. My choice was to Mod Podge the left side of the book, but you can make that call when you get to this stage once you get all your pages arranged how you want them. Here is where the clothes pins/black paper clips come in:
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| Front of the coupon book |
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| Back of the coupon book |
Now that they are aligned so that when you Mod Podge the pages, you get them all stuck together, get your Mod Podge brush/applicator and Mod Podge ready. (Sorry I get a little picture happy!). Take your brush/applicator and apply a small amount of Mod Podge to the side you want to adhere.
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| Applying Mod Podge |
Make sure when your using your Mod Podge that you use it sparingly so as not to cake it on and make a mess. I used the Mod Podge twice, so that I made sure that ALL the sheets of card stock and the front and back pages were secured well (I'm just a worry wart when it comes to things falling apart). Since it doesn't take long for Mod Podge to dry, when it is used lightly, it didn't take long for it to adhere and be sturdy, however, I left the clothes pins/black paper clips on an extra 5-10 minutes, just in case.
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| I used extra clips once I finished Mod Podging |
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| I put it on paper towels just in case it ran |
After about 5-10 minutes of dry time, I took off the clips and I realized that even though the Mod Podge dried clear, on black you can still see the dry Mod Podge. So, I had to come up with a clever way to hide the dried Mod Podge. Since I didn't have any fabric that would match my front and back pages, nor did I have any ribbon to add to the edges to cover up the small blimpish's, I came up with a pretty quick and simple way to hide it, I used ALL the dashes and dots on my pages of sticky letters. Here's the front:
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| Notice the dot dash dot along the left side |
Then I had to tackle the back too. Since I had used all the dashes, I decided to use just the dots that I had left and LUCKILY I had JUST enough. Here's the back:
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| Notice the dots along the right side |
Now that I had the pages done, the front and back pages done and all of it was Mod Podged together, I was FINISHED!! It seriously only took me about 30-45 minutes total, the longest parts were thinking of the ideas of things to do for her and printing them out. Once I had that done, it was easy as pie!
So, now that I have shown you basically how to make a coupon book and Valentine's Day is just around the corner...you can make your "sweetheart" their own "coupon book" full of things that the two of you can do together or apart if you maybe have children, i.e. you could take the kiddo's to the park or movies for a couple of hours so Mommy can have some "Me" time (just a thought).
I think this coupon book was a great idea because it comes from the heart and it's something homemade, so it is definitely a one of a kind!
Happy couponing...
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