How to Make a Secret Gadget Holder from a Notebook

In the spirit of reduce, REUSE, and recycle, I wanted to share this great idea from my cousin Michael. He took an old classic Moleskine notebook and creatively turned it into a very handy, very personalized gadget organizer to hold his iPod, headphones, and numerous jump drives. Brilliant! Make secret storage from a book or notebook.

While not a new idea, it certainly wins creative points for what it’s stashing and for how it’s perfectly customized to fit each item.

Instructions – How to Make Secret Storage from a Book or Notebook:

1.  Find an old notebook or book. Consider the intended purpose before selecting. The old Moleskine notebook he used was great for the tech toys because it has the built in elastic band to hold it shut. This makes it great for portable storage versus a secret storage book that might sit on your bookshelf and not require something to hold it shut.

2.  Mix Elmer’s glue with a small amount of water until the glue becomes slightly runny. About 2/3 glue to 1/3 water. You don’t need much.

3.  Choose a page of the book or notebook where you want the storage to start.

4.  Hold all the pages together that you intend to cut, then start brushing the edges with the glue solution. You want the pages to absorb the glue, but you don’t want it to drip.

5.  Allow the solution to dry for about an hour or so. Close the book but keep a spacer in between the loose pages and glued sections or you can keep the book/notebook open to dry. The key is to just keep the loose and glued section separate.

6.  Once dry, open the book to the first glued page and layout the items you want to store and trace around them with a pencil.

7. Start cutting using a razor knife or box cutter along the lines. This can be a bit time consuming since it’s hard to cut more than a few pages at a time. Just be patient.

8. Once finished cutting to the bottom cover of the notebook or book, remove the extra paper bits to make it as clean as possible.

9. Next, it’s recommended to brush the insides of the storage space(s) with the glue solution. If it drips it will dry clear and not be noticeable inside.

10.  Once completely dry, it’s ready to fill with your secret stash of tech toys or other valuable treasures.

Have fun with this Living Frugal Tips project and make secret storage from a book or notebook — it’s a great way to REUSE something old and turn it into something new.