• Start Here
    • Work With Me
  • Recipe Index
    • Slow Cooker Meals
    • Instant Pot Recipes
    • Air Fryer Recipes
    • Soups & Chilis
    • Desserts
    • Ingredients
      • Beef
      • Chicken
      • Pork
      • Seafood
      • Vegetables
    • Meals
      • Appetizers
      • Breakfast
      • Desserts
      • Dinner
      • Lunch
      • Side Dish
    • Popular
      • 30 Minute Meals
      • Casseroles
      • Instant Pot Recipes
      • Air Fryer Recipes
      • Simple Fit Forty
      • Slow Cooker Meals
      • Soups & Chili
  • 30 Minute Meals
  • Weekly Meal Plan
  • Crafts & DIY
    • How to Use Essential Oils
    • Essential Oil Uses
    • Silhouette Crafts
    • DIY Furniture
    • Knitting and Sewing Projects
    • DIY Gift Ideas
    • Free Printables
    • Holiday Crafts
    • No Sew Projects
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
Header logo for homepage

PinkWhen

Easy Recipes for Everyone

Altered Composition Book

Home » Crafts & DIY » Crafts » Altered Composition Book

Published May 13, 2015 by Jennifer. 13 Comments.
This post may contain affiliate links. Your cost is the same but it helps support this site and the fun freebies we share. See our full disclosures here.

Share
Pin
Share
Share

Hi everyone! Laura here from Pet Scribbles, with my altered composition book DIY. This is a cost effective transformation of a dollar store blank book into a meaningful gift for a graduate on their way to college, a friend who loves to journal, or as a handy – yet beautiful – notebook for you!

Altered Composition Book with paint and stencils

 

You’ve seen these composition books everywhere, like this example from Wikipedia:

Composition_book_image_wikipedia

And, truth be told, they do have a nice, retro look to them . . .

inside of composition book

But I decided to create an altered composition book. There’s so many wonderful examples on Pinterest, using all sorts of materials and embellishments. And some of them are really elaborate – I can only imagine how much time went into creating them.

I altered this particular composition book using chalky finish paint and stencils. That’s it! It doesn’t take very long to do, and the results are wonderful!

Altered Composition Book with paint and stencils

Step One: Paint one coat of your base color – I used green chalky finish paint – on each side of the composition book, making sure to paint some areas heavier with paint while leaving other areas with just a light coat. Let dry. (See image below.)

painting a composition book

The composition book cover is coated cardboard – which is perfect for painting on!

Step Two: Repeat Step One, this time altering where you paint the heavier and lighter coats from how you painted them the first time. Let dry.

Step Three: Apply one coat of your top color – I used turquoise chalky finish paint – to each side of the composition book. Work quickly, using a good amount of paint — no thin coats here — but leave a few areas here and there for the base color to show through. Let dry. (See image below.)

layering paint colors

Get a good amount of paint on your brush, and apply it with an up-and-down motion, spreading the paint as you go. As you paint, your brush will have less and less paint on it, and that’s what helps to easily let your base color show through.

Imagine if you dragged your paintbrush along in one continuous motion left to right. Eventually the paint will begin to thin out and become almost spotty in places. That’s exactly how I got this look.

Altered Composition book

Here’s a close-up view of the base color (green) showing through the top color (turquoise):

close up detail of layered paint colors

Step Four: Add a stencil design to each side of the composition book using a third color (dark grey) of chalky finish paint. Let dry.

stencil over layered paint

I chose the Brocade and Berry Borders stencil from DecoArt. The brocade motif reminds me of a wallpaper design.

altered composition book with paint and stencils

Once your composition book is dry, you’re finished!

altered composition book DIY

Optional step: You can further embellish these composition books depending on the recipient. Add a name, initial or monogram. Add words such as “Journal” or “My Dreams” or something similar.

Altered Composition Book

Remember: There’s no right or wrong way to create an altered composition book, and that’s part of the fun, as each book becomes a unique, treasured piece of art that’s also useful. Win-win!

Happy crafting!

~Laura

 

Share
Pin
Share
Share

May 13, 2015 · 13 Comments

MORE FROM PINKWHEN!

DIY Face Mask Tutorial
T Shirt Face Mask Tutorial
Homemade Disinfecting Wipes in a glass jar.
Homemade Disinfecting Wipes – Great for Cleaning
25 Shower Bombs That Make Perfect Gifts

ABOUT JENNIFER

about me

Do you feel like there is not enough time in the day? I'm with you. Hi! I'm Jen, a wife, mother, and tennis lover who likes to share all of my quick easy recipes, crafts, and more. You can find anything from delicious 30-minute dinners or scrumptious dessert recipes the whole family will love. Read more...

Previous Post: « Chorizo and Beef Quinoa Stuffed Pepper Recipe
Next Post: All Natural After Sun Relief »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Frankie Smith says

    May 13, 2015 at 15:13

    I am so glad I have subscribed to this site, I am really loving it. Thank you for being so inspirational.

    Reply
  2. Erin S. says

    May 14, 2015 at 22:52

    This looks awesome! I didn’t realize you could paint on coated cardboard, you’ve just opened up a whole new world for me! 🙂

    Reply
  3. Diena Cameron says

    May 15, 2015 at 16:38

    This is a wonderful idea. Especially for a graduate but i can also see it as a gift for a mother -to -be at a baby shower or Christmas gift as a Christmas card address book. So many possibilities. Thanks again.

    Reply
  4. Stella Lee@ Purfylle says

    May 16, 2015 at 20:57

    I love turquoise and pairing it up with that beautiful pattern looks awesome. What a great way to get a one of a kind, personalised cover.

    Reply
  5. Cathy says

    May 18, 2015 at 12:46

    I love to decorate with all sorts of books and have even painted a few myself. I love this turquoise color you used and the vintage looking stencil. Thank you for sharing at Share It One More Time. Cathy

    Reply
  6. Laurie says

    May 20, 2015 at 10:56

    What a great idea for a journal! Yours turned out so lovely! I agree, it would make a wonderful gift!
    Thank you for sharing with us on the Brag About It link party!
    ~Laurie

    Reply
  7. Marissa says

    May 21, 2015 at 08:02

    That is so cute! I wish I had more time to be creative like that. I was your link neighbor in Idea Box today, and am so glad I stopped by.

    Marissa

    Reply
  8. Nina Lewis says

    May 21, 2015 at 08:51

    I’m dropping by from the Happy Scraps link party. I absolutely LOVE this idea! You’ve made those ol’ composition books look far more attractive than their original covers. I’ve put this on my hurry-and-make-one-of-these-right-now list!

    All the best,
    Nina

    Reply
  9. Aliza B says

    May 21, 2015 at 10:49

    I had never thought of using paint to make an altered composition book. I just finished one that I used scrapbook paper and other embellishments, but I didn’t like how the cover turned out. Thanks for the idea for my next one!

    Reply
  10. Melinda says

    May 22, 2015 at 21:24

    Here from #HomeMattersPArty.
    Great idea. I always think personalized gifts are the best. THis looks easy enough to actually do!

    Reply
  11. Kristen from The Road to Domestication says

    May 25, 2015 at 23:13

    Wow! It doesn’t even look like a composition book! Thanks so much for taking the time to link up with us over at the #HomeMattersParty – we hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend, and that we see you again this Friday! Feel free to bring a friend 🙂

    Reply
  12. Erin @ the-organized-life says

    May 27, 2015 at 09:52

    This turned out so cute! I would never have thought the finished products started as a simple composition notebook. My daughter would love this. She’s a 10 year old journaler that loves crafts.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Welcome!

about holly

Do you feel like there is not enough time in the day? I'm with you. Hi! I'm Jen, a wife, mother, and tennis lover who likes to share all of my quick easy recipes. Wondering why my site is called PinkWhen? Click in the top left corner START HERE to read more about it!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Search

Popular Posts

  • Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak in the liner of a Crock pot.
    How to Make Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak
  • Corn dogs in a single layer in an Air Fryer basket.
    Air Fryer Corn Dogs
  • Avocado Egg Salad in a bowl.
    Avocado Egg Salad
  • Air Fryer Donut Holes on a white plate.
    Air Fryer Donut Holes
  • Start Here
  • Recipe Index
  • 30 Minute Meals
  • Weekly Meal Plan
  • Crafts & DIY

Footer

Popular

Homemade Lavender Lotion Bars

How to Make Homemade Lavender Lotion Bars

Tic Tac Toe Backyard Bean Bag Toss

Tic Tac Toe Backyard Bean Bag Toss

Glass Vase Makeover

Featured

Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak in the liner of a Crock pot.

How to Make Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak

Corn dogs in a single layer in an Air Fryer basket.

Air Fryer Corn Dogs

Taco casserole made with chicken covered with sour cream and green onion tops and ready to serve.

Chicken Taco Casserole

Latest

Avocado Egg Salad in a bowl.

Avocado Egg Salad

Valentine decorated hot chocolate bomb about to be dropped into a glass of hot milk.

Valentine Hot Chocolate Bombs

Hot chocolate bomb being placed into a clear glass of white milk

Easy Hot Chocolate Bombs

Copyright © 2021 pinkwhen.com. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy. Cookie Policy.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok