How to Make DIY Custom 3 Ring Binders
This is a super quick and easy post today, but this is one of my favorite hacks! Read on to learn how to turn any binder into your own custom 3 ring binder for cheap!
If you’ve read any of my blog posts, you know that I’m cheap. I love any tip or trick to get the most bang for my buck, or to turn a basic item into something beautiful and high quality.
The process for making a DIY custom 3 ring binder basically boils down to cutting and inserting cute scrapbook paper into the sleeves on the outside of the binder. If you want more tips and tricks, or ideas for how to use your new cute binders, read on!
Why Do I Need DIY Custom 3 Ring Binders?
Even in our digital world, physical, on-paper organization still works best in so many instances. I definitely rely heavily on my phone for notes, spreadsheets, and reminders, but there are some things that are actually much quicker to track or record on paper.
One of the best examples is my gardening binder. I’m able to tape into it empty seed packets, those little plant info tabs that come with any live plant I buy, receipts listing what I’ve bought, etc. I can also keep a chronological journal of notes for each season. I can quickly sketch areas of the yard or vegetable garden and what is planted there.
What to Put in Your DIY Custom 3 Ring Binders
Some categories of information that I have found helpful to organize in binders:
- Gardening (see above)
- Homeschool records, calendars, etc.
- Bible study notes
- The binder is super helpful for in-depth Bible studies, because you can include printed pages as well as loose leaf paper for your own notes (sure beats stuffing all those random pages into a spiral notebook, only to have them fall out when you’re trying to write down notes…).
- Holidays and celebrations
- This is one that I think a lot of people probably haven’t thought of, but I have found it so helpful! A place to store notes on what did and didn’t work for a holiday. To keep those recipes you only use once a year – and the tips for how you tweaked it to make it just right! To write down ideas for activities or traditions that you want to try in the future. So many possibilities!
How to Make Your Beautiful DIY Binder
- Buy a plain binder (or several!); I recommend white to have a clean, crisp background. Just make sure it has the clear front, back, and side pockets.
- Buy some cute scrapbook paper. Bonus points if it fits the theme for your intended use for the 3 ring binder.
- Cut the scrapbook paper to fit the front, back, and side pockets of the binder.
- Optional but helpful – print off the title of the binder to label the side and front cover. Cut this out and glue onto the prepared scrapbook paper pieces. Let dry.
- Insert the paper into the outer pockets on the binder, and enjoy your beautiful creation while you get organized!
Why Shouldn’t I Just Buy an Already Pretty 3 Ring Binder?
By doing a DIY custom 3 ring binder, you can get the look you want at a fraction of the price. For example, the price for a basic 1″ binder is $2.88, compared with almost $14 for a fancier looking 1″ binder. If you pay $0.80 for scrapbook paper, you still save over $10. Multiply that by the four binders I have done so far, and that’s over $40 savings!
What are you going to put in your custom 3 ring binder?