Paper Crafts Paper Craft Projects

How to Make a Mini Booklet

Making a mini book
Kate Pullen

This simple mini book, while quick and easy to make, is also highly versatile and makes a great backdrop for a variety of drawing or stamping projects. The little book is made from a single sheet of paper; you will get great results whether you use letter or A4 sized paper. Mini books are a fun project for children. They love making these little books and it's fun to see how they decorate the book. Encourage stickers, coloring, rubber stamps, or anything else to help them tell their story.

Simple Mini Book Design

The book is made from simply folding the paper and making a strategic cut along the center to form the pages. The finished book has eight sides. You could consider the book to have a cover and seven pages or a cover and back with six pages. This lends itself to all sorts of possibilities. Decorate the book and use it as a mini scrapbook or use it to tell a short story. The little book could make a great week planner or a small diary.

Mini Book Instructions

These little books are simple to make. Note that these instructions assume that you have the paper in front of your portrait style (longer edge up). Follow along:

  • Take a sheet of paper or cardstock and fold it in half vertically and horizontally.
  • With the paper folded in half horizontally, fold it in half again. If you open the paper at this point you should have eight equal rectangles marked.
  • Open the paper back up so it is folded once, horizontally and then cut using scissors or a craft knife, from the center fold to the first fold line (Image 1).
  • Unfold the paper.
  • If you are doing this project with children then this is the part of the project that they love as the paper turns from being a sheet of paper into a little book. Fold the paper in half vertically. Take hold of the rectangle at either end and then push the paper together. The slit you cut will open up to form a diamond shape (Image 2). Keep pushing the ends together until they meet as shown in the photo (Image 3).
  • Carefully neaten the folds as necessary.
  • Now you are ready to decorate the book with rubber stamps or other images.

Tips

  • Consider using any sized piece of paper to create your mini book. Experiment with scraps of paper and see what effects you achieve.
  • Try joining some of the loose edges to make little pockets to contain special messages or keepsakes.
  • Only one side of the paper will show, so use decorative paper if you are after a quick and colorful finish.
  • To make the book more substantial, try cutting a cover from a thicker paper or thin card stock. Attach it on the first page as an outside cover. This will also help to stop the pages from coming undone.
  • Use a paper scorer to achieve good crisp lines. This will produce a neater finished result.