Coupon binder strap solution

Okay, this one isn't going to be about beading or scrapping or knitting or crocheting.  I had a problem, I fixed it by doing something I think is cool, and now I'm forcing you to read about it.  :)  Perhaps you have a similar problem that needs a similar solution.

Since I'm trying to be all extreme with my couponing (yes, I watch Extreme Couponing and read lots of stuff online), I bought a zip-up binder and trading card pages where I can keep all coupons organized, secure, and professional-looking.  Here's what it looked like before I attacked it this morning:

I know.  Very exciting.  Wow - you can't even see the background, at least as I'm writing this.  It almost looks like one of those high-falutin' professional shots!  Anyway.  There's a nice pocket on the front for... I haven't figured that out yet.  On the inside there are some pockets which are perfect for store flyers, a large area for the trading card pages and pricing sheets, another pocket for a calculator and a pair of scissors, places for pens...  It's a great binder.

Except.  There's no strap.  When you're carrying it into the store, you have to carry it in your arms.  While this is not a great hardship, it's a little unwieldly.  I want to just throw it over my shoulder and go.

So I grabbed my handy dandy Crop-A-Dile made by We R Memory Keepers (this link is the exact one I have, except I didn't pay near this much - watch for sales) to see if it would punch a hole in one of the ends.  The cover is a little larger than the zipper part, so there was space to punch a hole:

 
The uncertain part was if the Crop-A-Dile would do it.  It's supposed to be made for things like this - holes in chipboard, thick materials, and even CDs.  It's supposed to, but would it?  Yes!  It did!  I then set an eyelet, and that worked, too.

By this time I thought it'd make a good blog, so I grabbed my camera for the other side.  Here's a pic of the Crop-A-Dile getting ready to punch a hole.  I used the larger of the two hole puncher-outers and inserted the tool all the way into the binder, eyeing where the center would be.

I squeezed, and it worked!  I must admit I was a little surprised.  How often do things work when you're documenting them?

I then placed an eyelet in the hole and used the other part of the Crop-A-Dile to set it:

Here's the inside:

I then looked at my ribbon stash for something that would be sturdy but also cool so Steve wouldn't be embarrassed to carry it around.  I found the perfect ribbon and threaded it through the hole and tied a few knots in it:

Yes, you read that right.  It's a Guitar Hero ribbon that came with pajamas I bought for Steve a while back. I bought them on clearance, I hasten to add, although we do have two Guitar Hero guitars.  You can see what I did to mine in this blog post.  I saved the ribbon for scrapping purposes, of course.  It's perfect for this, though!  I then did an approximate measurement to where it'd be comfortable for over my shoulder and made sure the ribbon wasn't twisted as I threaded it into the other hole (that I punched and eyeleted off screen).  I added some more and cut.  Still have some leftover for scrapping - woo hoo!

I tied two knots in the other end, and here's how it looks "on":

(Yes, I took the picture in the bathroom mirror - I didn't want to wait until Steve got home!)

I then headed out to the grocery store, and it works like a charm!  I'm planning on checking the knots every once in a while and, of course, making sure that the binder is zipped before I sling it over my shoulder.

Now.... what else can I poke holes in?