DVD case notepad holder

I love making quick, easy and cute gifts with my hoard of paper crafting supplies, and it's even better when the gifts are useful. So today I made a notepad holder using a DVD case.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!^®, unless otherwise noted):
Paper: Petal Patch Designer Series Paper (DSP); card stock: Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Whisper White
Accessories: Chocolate Chip satin ribbon, Bashful Blue taffeta ribbon, Bird Builder punch, Scallop Edge Border punch, 1/4" circle punch, Cherry Blossom Embosslits die, Scor-Tape (Scor-Pal), DVD case, RSVP pen, 4" x 6" scratch pad

I've made one of these notepad holders before, although I can't take credit for the original idea, and they are really fun to make. The hard case is nice, too, because it doesn't get tattered from being carried around in a purse, tote bag or back pack.

For this holder, I decided to use the Petal Patch  DSP -- I think my all-time favorite pack of DSP. To make the inserts for the front and back of the case, I layered two of the prints together with a piece of Chocolate Chip ribbon providing a little separation. Because these inserts are slipped under the plastic sleeve on the DVD case, they need to be fairly flat (i.e., no bulky embellishments), so I added a simple die-cut flower and punched leaves. (I love how well the flower and leaves coordinate with the papers; that was a happy discovery.) I did place a little bit of adhesive in the middle of the back of the inserts to keep them from falling out of the case (although they are pretty secure as is), but you could leave them loose, so the inserts could be changed.

The size of the front and back inserts is about 4-7/8" x 7". The insert for the back is the same as the front, but without the flower and leaves. For the spine I inserted a strip of Chocolate Chip card stock that is about 1/4" x 7".

 For the inside of the notepad holder I cut two 4-1/2" x 6-1/2" pieces of Chocolate Chip card stock. (I wanted them slightly smaller than the size of the case so you can still see a border of the print on the reverse side of the inserts.) In one of the pieces I cut a slit (about 4-1/8" long by 1/8" tall) about 1/4" from the top, then placed adhesive just around the edges and adhered the card stock to the right side of the notepad holder. The cardboard backing on the notepad is slipped through the slit, so the notepad can be replaced as needed.

For the left side of the holder I created a pocket to hold notes, coupons, etc. The pocket is 4-1/4" wide and approximately 4-1/2" high. I cut the paper for the pocket slightly larger (I added 1/2" on each side and 1" on the bottom) then scored fold lines and folded the flaps back. Then I used the Scallop Edge Border punch along the top of the pocket, added Chocolate Chip satin ribbon about 1" from the scalloped edge, placed adhesive on the flaps and glued the pocket to the Chocolate Chip card stock. I added another flower and leaves to the ribbon on the pocket.

The last part of the notepad holder is the pen. I rolled up a small strip of DSP and slipped it inside the barrel of an RSVP pen and tied a small piece of Bashful Blue taffeta ribbon to the cap. For the pen holder, I placed adhesive on one end of a small piece of Chocolate Chip satin ribbon. I rolled the ribbon into a loop, making sure it was large enough to slip the pen in and out easily, and secured the adhesive. Then I adhered the loop to the spine of the DVD case. (The case still closes even with the notepad and pen.) Done!

I have to make two more of these notepad holders for gifts in the next couple of months, and I'll be sure to share those designs when they're done. Thanks for stopping by!