Build Your Own Little Coloring Book

These instructions will show you how to make your own little coloring book in any theme you please. Supplies: White or Colored Card stock 10 sheets of white paper 1.5 inch wide linen book binding tape or Colored masking tape White thread 20 coloring page designs/graphics Tools: Sewing machine Scissors Bone folder Computer Printer Paper cutter or Exacto knife Ruler 2 Binder clips Project URL: http://chezbeeperbebe .blogspot.com/2009/0 5/tutorial-how-tobuild-your-ownlittle.html
This coloring book project and its instructions were created by Holly Keller of Beeper Bb. It is intended for personal use and may not be reproduced, copied, or re-used without permission from Holly Keller/ Beeper Bb. That said, please do use the instructions to make your own little books for yourself or the kiddos in your life. Happy crafting!

Instructions:
1. Select 20coloring page designs and download them to your computer. There are many good websites out there with dozens of free coloring pages available for download. These are some of my favorite sites: http://www.kids-n-fun.com/coloringpages/Kleurplaten.aspx http://www.crayola.com/free-coloring-pages/ http://familyfun.go.com/printables/coloring-pages/ http://www.enchantedlearning.com/Home.html http://coloringpagesforkids.info/ http://www.coloring.ws/coloring.html http://coloringbookfun.com/ http://www.coloringcastle.com/index.html http://www.nationalgeographic.com/coloringbook/archive/ http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/more_coloring_pages.htm http://www.barbsgalaxy.us/ColoringPages/patterns/index.html 2. Optional: Using some sort of photo editing program, crop your images so you minimize the amount of white space around the imagethis will allow you to have larger images in your coloring book. (you can skip this step if you do not have photo editing software or if you just prefer to not bothersome of your images just may need to be a little smaller when you insert them into your document). 3. Now, using some sort of document creation program (I made mine using Word, for example), set up your document so it is oriented in a landscape layout. To design your cover, set your margins to: Top: 2.0 Bottom: .5 Left: .5 Right: .5

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4. Then, using the columns function, create 2 columns. The columns should be 4.5 inches in width, with 1 inch between them. Now select the graphic/coloring page image you want to use for the cover image, and insert it into the right-hand column on the page, sizing it so it fits the page, if necessary. Then, create a text box and type in the name/theme of your coloring book (A Little Alphabet Coloring Book, for instance), using a font that fits the theme of your coloring book, Make sure you center your text and graphic on the page so there is not too much (or too little) space at the top or bottom of the cover text and images. Save your cover as its own document. Your cover document should look something like this (dotted lines denote margins):

A Little Animal Coloring Book Animal image by sherriallen.com

5. To create the coloring pages themselves, create two new documents. Set both up to have a landscape orientation. Next, set the margins for document 1 at: Top: 2.25 Bottom: .5 Top: 2.25 Bottom: .5 Left: 1.0 Right: .5 Left: .5 Right: 1.0

Set the margins for document 2 at:

Use the columns function to create 2 columns in each document. The columns should be 4.25 inches wide, with 1 inch between them.

6. Insert half of your graphics/coloring page images (10) into document 1, and the other half (10), into document 2. Insert all of your coloring page graphics into the right hand column only in both documents (1 graphic per page)leaving the left hand column empty. Size all the graphics to fit the pages, centering them within their margins. Save your documents. Your documents you created should look something like this (dotted lines denote margins):

Coloring Pages Document 1

Animal images by sherriallen.com

Coloring Pages Document 2

7. Print your cover document on whatever color of card stock you have chosenI like to use something other than white for the cover so it can contrast with the white interior pages. 8. Print your coloring pages/document #1 on plain white paper. Flip the pages over you have just printed on, and place them in the printer so they will print on the backside of the document, and the half of the page they will print on will be the half that has nothing printed on it on the other side of the paper. When completed printing, each page should look like this:

Image on left on reverse of document. Image on the right on front of document.

Animal image by sherriallen.com

9. Using a paper cutter or exacto knife and ruler, trim 1.5 inches from the top of your cover. Then trim 1.75 inches from the top of all of your coloring pages, as well as .5 inches from the left edge of your coloring pages (document 1 coloring page images should be facing up at you with the document 2 images on the reverse, as you trim). 10. Mark the midpoint (5.5 inches) on your cover both at the top and bottom of the document, then using a bone folder and ruler, score it down the middle. Fold in half along the score line.

11.Order your coloring pages in the final order you want them to appear. With the images on the front, right-side of the document, facing up, measure and mark the midpoint (5.25 inches) of the top page in the stack. Score them 5 at a time in a stack, scoring firmly but taking care not to cut through the paper. Fold the stack of coloring pages along the score line. 12.Place the coloring pages inside the cover of the book, so you are looking at the middle of the inside of the book. Center the coloring pages inside the cover so the cover forms an edge on all sides of the pages. Press the book open flat along the center fold and binderclip the pages in place to the cover so they will not move when you sew them together..

Cover with coloring pages placed inside

Animal image by sherriallen.com

13.Using your sewing machine (threaded with white thread), sew down the crease/fold line of the coloring pages so they are bound to one another, as well as to the cover. Trim excess thread. Note: Sewing through paper will dull your machines needle, so plan to set aside

the needle you use on this project for paper projects only.

14. Measure out .75 of an inch from the fold of your book and make a mark this measurement at the top and bottom of the coverthis will indicate where to line up the edge of your book tape. Cut a 7 inch piece of linen book tape. Line it up to the markings you just made, press to adhere to the front cover, then fold around the back and adhere. Run the edge of your bone folder along the tape to press it firmly to the cover and smooth
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out any wrinkles. Then, run the bone folder down the spine of your little book, to further set the fold of the book. 15. Now, enjoy your coloring bookand remember, you can use this method to create any sort of little book you please. Here are a couple of other ideas of books you could create: A book of paper dolls A book of connect the dots A book of cut-out paper crafts A blank book for sketching Anything else you can manage to dream up