Race Bib Book

So my last post was all about the races I have completed. I included a picture of my bibs. I've saved them all. And even though I met my goal I'm going to continue to run. I ran a race this weekend in fact. I'm expecting this stack of bibs to grow and grow and grow.

 

And they are taking up a lot of space! I needed to do something with them so of course I googled for ideas. I found several ideas about making them into bags or Scanning them and printing on canvas to make them into a quilt and even making them into coasters. But all of those projects required the bibs to be sent away or made a product that I really don't have a need for. The best idea was something I saw in the back of Runners World magazine called a bibfolio, But this cool album to keep track of all my bibs was almost $40! I knew I could do better than that.

 

 

Unfortunately I didn't take many in process pictures. I think I was just too excited to create and just kept working without snapping some photos.

First I decided on the size of my cover I measured the largest bib I had. In this case it was the color run and the GOTR Spring 5K. And then I made my cover and back bigger than those by about about an inch in all directions. This meant that my book will be a 9 x 9 square. I cut chipboard into two nine by nine squares. You can buy chipboard at a craft store, but I typically use chipboard that comes as a stabilizer in packages of pattern scrapbook paper. You might find these on the back of a stack of coordinated paper or in a package of lettering. You want to make sure that you use chipboard and not corrugated cardboard.

Next you'll cover this with patterned paper. The best way to cover is to glue the chipboard in the center of your square of paper. Then cut triangles off of each of the corners. This gives a nice mitered finish on the inside corners of the board you're covering. I also cut a square just a shade bigger than 8 3/4 inches and glued this over the folded in edges to make everything look professional.

I use my Cropodile to punch holes in the front and back cover at the same width as the holes in my tops of my bibs. The cropodile really is the best hole puncher I've found because it lets you punch further away from the edge than a traditional hole punch and it easily punches through chipboard and multiple layers of paper.

 

I threaded the front and back cover and all of my bibs arranged chronologically from the first race in the back to the last race on the top onto 3 inch binder rings that you can purchase at craft stores or office Supply stores.

Last step is to embellish. I used letters and rub ons and stickers to decorate the front. I cut four rectangles of a coordinating color of patterned paper to make special places on the inside cover for my PRs or personal records. (I saw a great idea online to use white address labels to record your PRs. This way when you break a record, you can just place a new label over the top.)

 

And the best part of this bib folio? I used all crafting supplies that I already owned! I did not spend a single dime to buy something new to create this bib folio.

 

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