Choosing Paper

• Use recycled paper to make your notepads. Using the blank side of previously printed on paper will make functional note paper and will help to conserve the environment. Use any paper you wish, but remember part of the point in making homemade items is to save money and conserve.
  Gather up a stack of paper that you want to use to make your note pads and cut the sheets into quarters or whatever size you would like the notepad sheets to be, according to ThriftyFun.com.
  
  

A Notepad Is Just A Stack Of Paper

• Imagine the appearance of a store-bought notepad. These products are basically stacks of paper to write on. The first step to making a homemade notepad is to make a stack of paper. Now that you have a neatly cut stack of paper, recycled or otherwise, you now need to line it up to give it a straight edge.
  Place all of the papers in one stack, even if you are planning to make more than one notepad. Tap the paper against the surface of the table you are working on to line up one edge of the papers. It is only necessary for one of the edges to be completely in line, so if your quartering turned out a little off from square it will be fine.
  Place a heavy object on top of the stack of paper, pressing it down tightly. Make the edge that you tapped straight accessible from the side. Use a paintbrush dipped in glue to paint the straight edge of the stack thoroughly. Allow it to dry several hours before removing the weight. This glue will become the binding for your notepad.
  
  

The Final Touches

• Your stack of paper is glued on one side, but you may feel like it is a little thick for a single notepad. This is an easy fix. All you have to do is use a knife to cut the binding so that the stack will separate into multiple notepads of the desired thickness.
  Remove the weight from the stack and separate the notepads and place binding clips on each individual pad to secure them. Brush more glue on the binding to make the notepads stay together and allow it to dry.
  Some notepads have a cardboard backing, and you can easily add one to your homemade ones.
  Cut a piece of thin cardboard the same shape and size of the paper on the bottom of the stack to make a backing for your pad, according to ChicaAndJo.com.
  Some craft stores sell a product called "padding compound" that is specifically made to replace the glue for these purposes. This compound may be harder to find, but it is specifically formulated to accomplish the task and can be found in more colors if you are wanting to make more professional looking notepads.