Hey, Sabrina here! Have any of you heard of a Squash book? Well if you haven’t keep reading this post and I’ll be showing and explaining how to make one. Like many of you I like to watch random craft videos on YouTube and I came across a Squash book. I thought to myself “Wow, that’s cool it kind of reminds me of a flip book” but more accordion you can squish together.

Let’s get into to how to make one of these …

First, gather all your supplies! I have already precut all my papers to size and gathered everything I plan on using which you can see in the photo below.

Materials needed:

Paper cutter or scissors

Pencil

Double sided tape, glue stick or adhesive tape [any of the three will work]

3- cardboard or thick paper 8 in x 8 in [Square shaped]

2- Design Paper 5 ½ in x 5 ½ in [Square shaped]

4- Design Paper 4 in x 4 in [Square shaped]

8-24 - Design Paper 3 ¾ x 3 ¾ in [Right Triangle shaped]

Stickers, die-cuts, lace, gift tag or whatever accessories you want to decorate with

I will be explaining to you how to create this book by the colors of the papers I used in the photos. That way there is no confusion.

1. Let’s start by getting your 3 cardboard or thick papers and cutting 3 perfect 8 in x 8 in squares of card. I'm using 3 black papers. It’s important to make the squares accurately so that the book folds properly. Take one of those papers and fold it in half vertically from right to left then flip it over and fold it again the same way. You want to have four squares when you’re done. Fold it corner-to-corner diagonally to form a triangle. Do the same thing to the other two papers.

2.  Lay the three pieces of paper with a diagonal folds going vertically and the middle of the card overlapping one corner-square of each of the other two.

4. Squeeze in the corners of the outer pieces of card. Just push the top and bottom corners along the diagonal fold lines and press down firmly. Keeping the folds tucked in, turn the whole thing over and now squeeze in on the remaining diagonal lines. Press down on the whole lot and you should have a square book- put something on top of it to stop it all from springing out again!

Next is to make the covers.

1.  Cut 2 squares of whatever paper you want to use for your book, I just used the two Design Paper that are cut 5 ½ in x 5 ½ in from the June PFP Fave Planner Kit you could use a mount board or thicker cardboard- or maybe stick two pieces of card together to get a sturdier cover. Make the sides 2 cm bigger all around, fold down the sides to make the mitered corners- it’s easier to form the shape before you apply the glue or tape.

2. Center the black folded part of the card inside all the edges of the cover- remember the actual book pages are slightly smaller than the cover. Carefully line up the cover and the back of your book and stick down firmly. Repeat the sticking process with the back cover- if you are using a paper with a “one-way” design you’ll need to match up the patterns nicely on the two covers.

1. I decorated my cover first by cutting some design paper and sticking it down on top of a plain gift tag then I added some lace, a die-cut piece, some heart puffy stickers and a bow to make my tag even cuter. I added two strips of lace to the bottom of the tag just because I love lace. Then I just added some decorated stickers that also came from the June PFP Fave Planner Kit- the motivational “Mega Babe” and “get it girl” stickers and some puffy heart stickers. Cover is done!

2. Inside of your card is completely up to you on how you want to design it whether it’s a themed card for a gift or just a memorable keepsake for yourself. Mine is a gift for my best friend who is graduating from college! I used four [4 in x 4 in] PFP Fave design papers that were double sided and glued them down on the four center squares. I grabbed my triangle pre-cut pieces and added those to the corners of the top and bottom folded squares.

3. I added some puffy heart stickers throughout and my toddler drew some art work that I added to the square pieces using the polka dot washi tape that came in the PFP Fave Planner Kit. But feel free to add photos, stickers, die-cuts, or whatever your heart desires. And, that’s it!

Here is what my complete book looks like with everything added ...

I hope you liked this book idea and will want to have a go at making one for yourself, they are fun to make and even more fun to share. I’d love to hear what you think and if you make one of these books I’d love to see yours so make sure you tag me on Instagram or Facebook in your photo.