DIY: Notepads and padding compound

This is a cheap, easy and fun way to make customized notepads with your favorite papers or personalized messages! I used a dog paw paper punch to make these as Christmas gifts for my mom and sister. I punched every sheet of paper in the same spot except for 20 of them. On those, I used the punch on colored paper and then glued the pieces onto the sheet that was going in the notepad. That way, every 6th sheet would allow a colored paw to show through and the rest would just be the outline.

Stack of paper with at least one flush edge

Binder clips

Cardboard (optional - for backing)

Padding compound OR make your own

I opted to make my own padding compound. I found a 2 oz. bottle on Amazon for $8 or I could buy all the supplies for roughly $10 and have enough to last me the rest of my life. 

DIY Padding Compound

Pour 1/4 oz. (1/2 Tbsp.) of unflavored gelatin into 3 Tbsp. boiling water. Use a whisk to stir mixture until it has dissolved and no grains of gelatin are visible.

Add 1 Tbsp. vinegar and 1tsp. glycerin. Whisk for 1 minute of until thoroughly mixed.

Pour mixture into storage jar and allow to cool to room temperature before use. The mixture will be a jelly-like consistency when ready to use. 

If mixture becomes too stiff to work with, I threw it in the microwave for just a little bit until it went back to the jelly consistency.

Combine all of your paper into a neat stack with one flush edge. Put a scrap piece of paper on top and on the back just in case the padding compound starts to drip. Put binder clips on the side of the stack to hold things in place.

Use a paintbrush to apply the padding compound onto the flush edge. I ended up doing 3 generous coats for a 100 sheet notepad and it was a perfect hold. In between each coat of padding compound, add more binder clips along the flush edge for added support. When the final coat is dry, remove the extra sheets from the front and back. Ta da!