Our friends C and J bought their dream home in Colorado a few years ago. They have the most perfect guest room and are always the most gracious hosts when we visit. Over the years, C and J have hosted many people from around the world and they love to take their guests on adventures around Colorado.
On our last visit, I thought "wouldn't it be great if J and C had a book that all their guests could sign when they visit?" Enter the House Guest Book.
Using Cricut Design Space and Cardstock Warehouse paper, it is easy to create a beautiful House Guest Book for your home, your Airbnb, or your favorite hosts! House-shaped books also make great memory books when you move to a new home.
Supplies:
Blog Supplies:
- Cardstock Warehouse Cardstock Papers: Wine, Nubuck Brown, Dark Grey, Smoke, Real Grey, Pale Grey, Bright White, Brown, Sour Apple, Gumdrop, Jellybean, Black Licorice and Lemon Drop.
- Die cutting machine
- Computer with die cutting machine software
- Hole Punch
- Book Rings
- Adhesive Runner
- Pencil
- Picture of house
To start, you will need a picture of the house you are creating. If you do not have a picture of the house, try searching the address on Google Maps street view feature.
Upload the photo to your die cutting software, and use basic shapes to create the features of the home. You can make your house as simple or as detailed as you want. You can see an example of how it works in this video.
C loves sunflowers and her sunflowers are one of the essential features of their house, so I made sure to include them in the design.
CONSTRUCTING YOUR BOOK
Once you have your files ready, it's time to choose your papers and cut your pieces. The following colors were used on this book: Wine, Nubuck Brown, Dark Grey, Smoke, Real Grey, Pale Grey, Bright White, Brown, Sour Apple, Gumdrop, Jellybean, Black Licorice and Lemon Drop.
Time to assemble! I used a Zig 2-Way Glue Pen to assemble all the pieces. I used this glue because it creates a strong bond that will last many years. I DO NOT recommend double-sided tapes for this activity as they tend to dry out and lose their stickiness after a few years. If you do use tape, make sure it is archival quality.
Once you have the cover finished, it is time to cut your pages and put your book together. I have chosen to bind this one with book rings, but you could use any binding method you prefer including spiral springs, ribbon, glue or binding tape.
Measure the inside of your cover to choose a paper size to cut for the pages on the inside. For this book, I cut 7.5" x 9.5" pages.
Line up the insert page with the back of the front cover. Once you have the paper positioned where you want it, mark spots for a hole for each book ring. For this book, there will be 4 rings. Punch the holes in the insert page to use as a template.
Line the insert template up with the front cover, trace the holes, and punch holes in your cover. Then, line the front cover up with the back cover and trace the holes and punch the back cover to match.
To allow the book to open and close easily, trim the roof extensions off the left edge of the back cover. This will prevent them from getting caught on the roof extensions of the front cover.
Attach the book rings and add your pages. You can add as much or as little of any kind of paper you like.
Your book is now ready to fill with memories! Have the whole family sign it, write about a memory from your trip, insert some pictures from your travels... the possibilities are endless!
Making your own House Guest Book? We'd love to see! Be sure to show us on Facebook or Instagram.
Happy Crafting!