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Learn how to make a Holiday Faux Leather Notebook Cover with a Cricut

This project is Day 12 of The 12 Days of Christmas Crafts Event!

I’m Amy Romeu, and in this tutorial I’ll be showing you how to make a DIY holiday-themed notebook cover featuring pastel colored gingerbread houses. This cute faux leather cover is designed for A5 sized notebooks and makes a wonderful gift.

Follow along with this written tutorial including all the materials, SVG files, and tips you need.

Ready to get started with this beginner friendly holiday Cricut craft tutorial?

Let’s dive into the materials and steps!

Want to watch a video tutorial instead? Check it out below!

How to make a Holiday Faux Leather Notebook Cover with a Cricut Step by Step

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Materials you’ll need to make a Holiday Faux Leather Notebook Cover with a Cricut

🛒 To shop many of these supplies below in my Amazon storefront, click here. 🛒

Step by Step Instructions

After ALL of the mat are mirrored, click in each one again and drag each shape on the mat away from the mat edges a little. This helps with cutting.

Click the CONTINUE button.

When the material selection screen loads, click on the faux leather mat and then select the Faux Leather (Paper Thin) setting.

If you don’t have that setting bookmarked as a favorite like I do, you can click on Browse All Materials and search for it. (If you are using the Explore Air 2, you’ll need to turn your dial to Custom before you can find that setting in search.)

Then choose “More” from the dropdown Pressure menu.

Step 3: Time to cut the faux leather notebook shape.

Place a piece of faux leather that’s at least 12 inches wide and 9 inches high pretty side down on a STICKY purple strong grip mat.

Place blue painter’s tape around all sides of the faux leather. Load the mat into the Cricut and begin the cut.

When the cut is complete, before unloading the mat, lift a small edge of the cut to ensure the cut went through. Repeat the cut if needed by pressing the cut button again.

Once the notebook shapes has cut completely, remove the notebook cover from the mat.

Use a sharp weeding tool to poke out the center holes in the notebook cover. Use small curved scissors or embroidery scissors to trim out the holes or trim up any fuzzed edges as needed.

If you pressed heat transfer vinyl on the back of the faux leather before pressing, cover the heat transfer vinyl and press the cut edges again for 3-5 seconds to smooth out any ridges from the blade.

Here’s a look at how the notebook cover looks before we decorate it.

Step 4: Return to Design Space and cut each of the heat transfer vinyl mats.

Weed away the excess vinyl.

For the candy decoration layers for each house, don’t trim the shapes apart from each other. Leave the entire layer connected so it’s easy to pop all of the accents into place at once time.

Then layer/stack the vinyl layers on top of each other to see how they all line up:

1. Place the blue house layer (or whatever color you made the third house from the left) at the bottom of this layer stack. Then the pink house house layer (the second house).
2. The white icing layer goes next, on top of the four house layers.
3. The four candy accent layers go next (in any order).

This is what your stack will look like.

Once you are sure your layers all line up, remove the icing layer and the top four candy accent layers.

Look at the four house layers for a moment.

💡TIP: You’ll see at the bottom of each house layer, there is a small arrow that connects to the house next to it. You’ll want to line up these arrows as you press each layer.

Now peel the blue/third house layer off of this stack.

Place your faux leather notebook cover pretty side up on a heat pressing pad.

Place the blue/third house layer on the notebook cover. Line it up with the pre-cut holes AND the bottom of the notebook. This layer will set the foundation for every other layer in this project, so be sure to line it up well.

Press the HTV layer using your EasyPress Mini on low, or set a regular heat press to around 265°F). Use a Teflon sheet to protect the vinyl as you press for about 10 seconds ALL OVER.

Slowly peel away the carrier sheet to check for adhesion, and press again if any areas lift.

Now take the pink/second house layer and line up the arrow at the bottom with the blue/third house layer.

Repeat pressing with the other house layers, being sure to line up the arrows at the bottom each time.

Once the four houses are pressed, layer the white icing layer on top. Be sure to line up the bottom of this layer with the bottom of the notebook.

Take your time and press this layer well all over. Peel the clear carrier sheet slowly and carefully and place it back down and re-press as needed.

💡TIP: Be patient as you press this layer!

Once the four house layers and the icing layer is pressed, place your warm notebook cover under your heat pressing pad for a minute or two to let it cool flat.

Now it’s time to press each of the candy accent layers on top of each house. You can press these in any order. If necessary, you can trim any shapes apart to help them line up better.

When all 9 layers are pressed (whew!) place the warm notebook cover under your heat pressing pad again for a minute or two to let it cool flat.

Step 5: Assemble the materials for the notebook.

You’ll need 2mm elastic, an A5 sized notebook, and any optional charms or tassels and jump rings. I used a 10mm jump ring for the tassel and a 6mm jump ring for the charm.

To add the elastic, take a 3-foot piece of 2mm cord. Trim the ends on a diagonal.

Fold the elastic cord in half, push the loop through the center hole, and leave about 10 inches on the outside to wrap around the notebook as a closure.

Inside the cover, tie the two cord ends in a knot and trim the excess.

Now thread one end of the elastic up through the top hole and the other end down through the bottom hole.

Now open your A5 notebook to the center and lay it onto the notebook cover.

Fold the top and bottom elastics over and tie a knot in the middle.

Trim any excess elastic. Then test out your elastic loop to close the notebook cover.

If desired, add charms or tassels using flat nose pliers and jump rings.

That’s it! Your Mini Holiday Houses Notebook Cover is complete!

Answers to your questions about making a Holiday Faux Leather Notebook Cover with a Cricut

Q: Which Cricut machines will cut faux leather?
A: You can cut faux leather with any of the current Cricut machines because they all cut faux leather with the standard fine point blade included with each machine. For this project you need one of the larger machines that uses a 12 inch cutting mat – the Cricut Maker, Cricut Maker 3, Cricut Explore 3, or Cricut Explore Air 2. This project is too large for the Cricut Joy Xtra or the Cricut Joy.

Q: What do I need to press heat transfer vinyl onto faux leather?
A: To press heat transfer vinyl onto faux leather you’ll need a traditional heat press, Cricut EasyPress, or Cricut EasyPress Mini.

Q: How do I get the SVG template for this project?
A: Get the SVG file from my SVG Shop here. For even more holiday faux leather crafts project from my 12 Days of Christmas Crafts Event, click here.

Until next time… and happy creating!

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