🌜UK - Altered Cover of Astro Moon Diary 2018 - Northern Hemisphere.🌛 MM/PP

First of all a quick note, I did purchase Llewellyns Witches' Datebook which is fantastic with the exception of one problem..  It's US time zone not UK.  So I went in search of a UK book that I like and finally decided upon the 'Astro Moon Diary'.  - I did do an "unboxing / review" type thing on my YouTube >> Click To Watch The Video <<

Where to buy?

🌝Their site £15.99 + £2.50 P&P (Also available in punched ring binder and other bindings) https://www.astrocal.co.uk/product/moon-diary/astro-moon-diary-2018/

🌝 Their Ebay £15.99 + £2.50 P&P http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/142512227388 (I GOT IT ON EBAY)

🌝Their Amazon £17.50 + Amazon Shipping https://www.amazon.co.uk/DIARY-Datebook-Calendar-Personal-Organiser/dp/B0716SDWVF/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1508596926&sr=8-1&keywords=astro+moon+diary+2018

However I didn't like the binding of the Moon Diary.. I did read on their website the reason for the binding change this year (from the regular spiral binding) is based upon lots of people complaining that the binding got damaged in their purses/bags (strange I carry spiral bound books a lot over the last 15 years with no issues ever!)  I did like the contents though and I felt I could possibly alter the binding myself to be how I wanted it...  That said I did mention, on my Instagram, my disliking for how their binding is and to my surprise since I had tagged them (their instagram is https://www.instagram.com/astrocalmooncalendars/) in the post they actually commented back and informing me that they will be changing the binding back to the regular spiral bound next year.  - While I'm here it might be worth mentioning they also sell this in a variety of bindings including pre punched for A5 Filofax!! Since then I've pondered about altering the binding and today I did it - Super Easy!!  But I thought I'd throw a blog together for anyone curious!

I took the original book and as you can see the binding inside is a regular spiral bound book..  So all we have to do is move all the pages to the left and once we gain access to the back of the book carefully pull the spiral binding apart. (Feel free to use pliers, my fingers hurt a bit after..) Then carefully remove the cover from the binding!

Follow the guideline of the inside back cover to cut the outside back cover down to size.  Flip this over and then cut the front cover down to size; please be sure to cut the spine off and not the front edge as cutting the front edge will destroy the pocket inside and also the writing on the front.  (we're just removing the spine of the cover.).  

I then decided to use a double sided tape mouse (glue runner) and stick the two parts of the back cover together where the holes are.  - This is optional but I think it looks better.

Using a hole punch (I have a single 7mm hole punch but you could use almost any kind of holepunch you have as long as it allows for the thickness of the cover.  Also please please please be careful to not punch holes where you don't want them!!) take the tray/catcher off and turn the punch upside down so you can see exactly where you're punching.  - I then punched over the top of the holes that were there so I punch through the back piece too.

Here's a picture from later, but I wanted to show you what I meant by
being able to see where the whole you're wanting to punch is.

I then lined up the back cover with our new front cover, making sure it's all lined up nicely.  Then holding the two covers together firmly (or clip them) I drew inside the circles as a guide for where I needed to punch my front cover..  If you have a hole punch that will allow you to insert the front and the back cover thickness and punch then you can do that.  Once I had drawn my guide I then punched over the top of those circles to create the holes in my front cover..

As you can see we now have holes all the way through the front and back covers.  So now it's time to reassemble our book.  Now this is the tricky part; it's not all that tricky but the number of times I've put them on backwards, the wrong way round, upside down...  I'm shocked I did it right the first time.  So you want to have both the outside faces of the cover placed together.  You then want to hook it onto the binding making sure the front cover is touching the first page.  Check to make sure you assembled it correctly.  Then you want to squeeze the spiral binding back together as tight as you can without damaging, distorting or breaking anything.  Then flip the back cover to the back and we're done.

Now as you can see the book acts like any other spiral bound notebook which can fold back on itself..  This is something I enjoy from these kinds of books.  - Optional to continue using that bit or elastic they provided as a book closure!

Finished.

Imogen xo
Magickal Makes / Pagan Planner