I spent the other morning in my art studio crafting books with my Cinch Book Binding Tool, by We R Memory Keepers. I created a few different types of books in a short period of time and thought I’d share with you just how fun and easy book binding can be with the Cinch.
I received mine a few months ago and have used it a few times, but with the holidays fast approaching, I thought it would be a great opportunity to whip up a few gifts and make it a handcrafted holiday.
There are a couple of different versions of the Cinch available; one punches round holes, the other square. Mine was purchased from Amazon and I opted for the square holes. You can find more info about it HERE .

This first book was created with a mixed media background, using dictionary paper, alphas, paints, inks, stamps and pens.

For the inside of the book I used heavy drawing paper and incorporated a few extra bits like a mini file folders, a few journaling cards, a mini paper bag and although you can’t see it in the photo, I added in a few of my own gelli prints cut down to size.
You can add a variety of different elements to your books to really personalize them, like calendars, artwork and even photos.
If you are into mixed media and using a gelli plate, this is a fabulous way to use up some of the gelli prints that you likely have piling up. You can incorporate them into a junk journal.

The other type of book that I made, the one I’m most excited to share with my fellow scrappers, is one that I created using my stash of Project Life cards!
With my focus more on mixed media these days, I find that I’m doing fewer scrap layouts, yet I have more kits than I care to admit just collecting dust. This is a great way to use some of them up.

For the demo I’ll show you here, I chose the Sunshine core kit and selected both 3×4 and 4×6 cards.


Taking care to align the cards properly, I inserted them into the Cinch to punch the holes.
You only want to punch a few at a time.

Next, using wire cutters, I trimmed a Cinch binding wire to the appropriate size, placed it on the pegs along the side of the Cinch and threaded my cards onto it.
To close the binding wire, I inserted it, along with the threaded cards, into the slot in the back and cinched it closed.

To jazz it up a bit, I added some ribbon along the wire binding and there you have it, a Handcrafted Holiday gift that is sure to touch someone’s heart.
These little books make great gifts because of their versatility. They can be used as Smashbooks, photo albums, day books, recipe books, even small art journals; the possibilities are virtually endless.

A view of the inside of the book.
Thanks for looking!
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