Valentine’s Craft: A Ready-To-Print and Bind Coupon Book Gift of Love
Valentine’s day is made for love âÂ?¦ but sometimes it’s hard to see your way around all of the manufactured goodies to the heart of the matter. That’s what this article is all about – helping you to create a coupon book of love that comes straight from the heart and your clever little fingers.
How to Make Your Book
Materials:
Color Printer
Card Stock
2 Clip-on Paper Clips
Quick-Drying White Glue
Cotton Swabs
Instructions:
1. Print: Print out the graphics attached to this article on card stock. These are original designs and are for personal use only. Make sure to set your print quality to “Best” so that you achieve the highest-quality colors possible. You should be able to fit about 3 coupons on each page. 5 of the coupons are filled out for you, and there is a “blank” coupon that you can write on – you will need about 15-20 coupons printed to fill the book.
2. Trim: Trim the pages very close to the edges. You don’t want a lot of “white space” around the sides.
3. Clip: Arrange your coupons in the order that you want them to be read. Tap one edge of the stack on a hard surface to make sure everything is perfectly aligned, and then clip the top and bottom edges of the stack close to the “spine” (the outside left edge of your coupons).
4. First Coat: Using a cotton swab, start applying a thick, even layer of glue to the outside edge of the spine of your coupons. Using a cotton swab for this allows you to grab any glue that goes over. Allow this coat to sit for about 15 minutes.
5. Second Coat: Grab a clean cotton swab and apply a second coat of glue along the spine of your coupons. Make even, measured strokes along the spine to make sure that you cover it well. Allow to dry completely – about 30 minutes.
6. Fold: The Cover of your book has a thin area that is slightly darker than the rest of the cover. Carefully fold along each side of this area – this will make the outside spine of your book. When you’re sure you have the fold perfectly straight and right along the right area, crease it sharply using your fingernail or a nickel.
7. Cover: One last time with a cotton swab, apply a layer of glue to the inside “fold” of your book cover. This layer doesn’t need to be too thick. Once you’re sure it’s evenly done, remove the paper clips from your coupons and slide them into the cover, pressing the spine of the coupons tightly against the cover’s spine. Clip on top and bottom, and allow to dry completely.
That’s all there is to it, and you have a beautiful, book-bound set of love coupons for Valentine’s Day giving.
