Recycled Notebook Project, Pt. 2

I have two separate notebooks in the works. The second is doing a new round of drying. Here is the first, completed this evening:

Successes:  The stitching I used for the binding worked really well. First, I criss-cross stitched the pages together, then did a straight-across stitch with the covers. The acetate Mod Podged to the paper looks pretty nice and fairly professional (with the exception of the imperfect snipping job I did...measuring and exacting are not my preferred methods). Loving the map of Iowa as a cover, because Iowa always gets RESPECT.  

Failures: The map is an actual road map, and the creases from being folded definitely compromise the cover's shape. The square of acetate was put on crooked (again, no measuring or exacting here), and the wonky map on the cover is annoying me a lot more than I'd anticipated. Major failure in forgetting to use something sturdy for the back of the book, rendering it flimsy and nearly impossible to write on without a table.  

This would make an excellent scrapbook/inspiration book/journal/photo album, and less of a notebook to carry about. It's not exactly what I'd planned, but the fact that it is functional at all is always a pleasant surprise. Luckily, I realized how flimsy this was before working on my second notebook and made the appropriate changes. Look, I'm learning!

The next little recycled guy should be ready for internet fame tomorrow!