When a Book is NOT a Book: Important Documents Folder

Previously all my important documents such as birth certificates have been stored in a cash lock box in the bedroom, a safe place. However, when I looked there to prepare for my youngest son’s enrolment for prep next year, the certificate was not where it should be. I am all for things to have a home and for them to be put back but obviously, I had not put it back from the last time I had used it and this system was not working for me, at all.

So I asked on my facebook page how everyone else stores their important documents, the majority suggested a small accordian style folder. I could have just gone out and bought one, I think I actually have one in my folder stash but I wanted it to be pretty as I would be storing it somewhere in my main living area, a location that I would be sure to return said documents after each use.

Enter Pinterest and I found my inspiration, below.  The link is in a different language and I could not find how she did it but it is what got the ball rolling with this idea.  Mine turned out quite different, in the end.

Inspiration source

I didn’t have any books that I could sacrifice for this project, so hunted the local op shop’s collection for one. They didn’t have anything pretty but I did find one with a nice, undamaged red hardcover that would suit this little project, with a little bit of pretty paper. Bonus, it cost all of $1.50 and all other materials, I already had in my craft/stationery/project stash!

It really was hard to cut up a perfectly good book, even though the topic did not interest me at all, it was even personally signed by the author! But, I did a pretty good hack job and removed the inner pages.

For the inner divide pages, I grabbed a stash of old manilla folders and cut them down to size, a little less than the width and length of the book, keeping the fold so that I could get two dividers from one folder.

For the sides of my accordion file, I chose a pretty paper, cut it down to a little shorter than the book’s width and scored lines along it in 1cm increments.  This would make the folding process a lot easier.  I used my cutter and creasing tool along the indent that the cutting bit would usually scroll along.  This took a LOT of concentration as instinct kept taking my hand to the cutting utensil to pull it down and cut instead!  I did this twice, one for each side of my Book Document Folder.

I then folded along the creases, accordion style and attached one end to each side of my book, pretty paper side facing out.  I just used a double sided tape, glue would work just as well.

Then, placed one side of the cut-down manilla folder and adhered to cover the whole of the book inside.  I then folded over the accordion page and adhered, alternating between manilla folder and accordion page.  This was the trickiest part of the whole execution, it takes a lot of concentration to ensure there is enough gap in between each divide to ensure it can hold a document.  I ended up with a few very small gaps on a few divides, I will call these ‘secret divisions’!

As my hardcover book was less than pretty, I grabbed more scrapbooking paper from my scraps box and using co-ordinating colours, adhered to cover the front, spine and back of the book, leaving an exposed edge.

Now to keep the book closed so all those documents don’t fly out when you pick it up.  Making a hole in the front cover, centre, I attached a brad for which a loop would come over from the back and grab around it to secure.  I had a cute little feet brad that I thought suit as this would be for birth certificates and such.  The loop is just some elastic I had in my mending kit and was also attached with a brad, a simple red dot at the back.  I recommend you do the brad attachments at the very beginning of the project, then you can cover the inner workings with your manilla folder insides, a lot prettier .. oh well, lessons learnt!

I labelled (with my labelmaker) the inside divides to ensure easy finding of each family member’s important documents (not shown for privacy reasons) and voila! A pretty Book Accordion File to keep all those important documents from getting lost in the other paperwork! I love the result and am thinking that these would make a great handmade gift.

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