Here's what I made:
I haven't used a planner since college (um...some 20 years ago). Instead, I have always used just a small pocket calender to jot down an appointment or two. (It's true; I have no social life!) But this year, I saw all the cute little planners coming out at CHA and I have seen the Erin Condren planners...I thought they were such fun. (And I've developed a need to keep more deadlines and work schedules organized.) But there were 2 problems: 1. They were costly. 2. They weren't EXACTLY what I needed.
Most planners seemed to be WAY MORE than my little life required. Yet I was hesitant to make my own because I liked the "schedule" look of the lined pages. Sort of a calender, sort of a schedule. And some times of the year would be more busy than others. I also wanted it to double as a sort of sketchbook for random ideas with blank pages or graph paper or some other place to just doodle.
That's when I stumbled across this video on YouTube: Sea Lemon Planner
I was totally excited about the template for the pages! That was exactly what I needed and she was sharing it. The size was perfect as well at 8.5 X 5.5, half a sheet of copy paper. So here's the planner I made this weekend. (Only a month into the year; not bad...better than waiting for something from CHA to hit the shelves!)
So the first thing I did was print out the sheets from the template, making sure they were double-sided. (If you're unsure of how to do that, or don't have a printer...with ink...just save the download on a flash drive and take it to a copy store. My local UPS Store can print it out while you wait and do it on a thicker paper, if you're particular about those things.) I just went with standard, cheap copy paper and amazingly I had just bought ink for my very old printer.
I cut those sheets in half as well as some blank copy paper and some graph paper. I stacked it all up as it would appear in the planner. I opted to put my blanks and my graph paper at the back of the book.
On to the covers! I just cut a piece of cardboard in half that had once been the backing of a scrapbook paper pack, I think. (I'm not certain because it came out of my HOARD of saved cardboard. I kept an ungodly amount in hopes of making journals. I'm still working on that...) You can use just some cereal boxes cut up!
I decided on a theme from a new stamp set I had and some paper I loved so much, I hardly used it.
Scrapbook paper: Hot off the Press, Steampunk. Stamp: Dandy Robot, Stamper's Anoynomous
I cut a 12 X 12 paper down to 12 X 9 and cut off the corners to wrap it around the cardboard. I used Scor-Tape to secure it. I cut another piece down to 8 X 5 to go on the inside of the covers. I cut the banners at the top from scraps from the paper pack, matted them on black cardstock, and added some old typewriter numbers from my stash.
I stamped the robot onto white cardstock and colored it with Distress Markers. I used Perfect Pearls, Copper to color in the face and hand so he has a little shimmer. I went around the edge of the cover with a ColorBox black pigment ink and added embossing powder. (Lindy's Stamp Gang, Byzantine Bronze) Once I had the cover done, I decided to add a little something to the inside front cover.
I added two coin envelopes decorated with the same paper pack and a few rubber stamps from an old 7gypsies set (that doesn't impress me much). The top one that's horizontal lifts on the right to reveal the pocket while the bottom one is pretty straight-forward.
I didn't embellish the back as I want this to be usable. It will be slid in and out of my desk and stacked under projects and stuff. I wanted it to be flat and secure.
When I had everything the way I wanted it, I just used my Cinch binding machine and added the binding. It's a 1/2 binding wire in old bronze. (The Cinch is like a Bind-it-All and uses the exact same wire.)
So there's my new planner! Ain't she a Dandy?
I'll be giving it some work soon. I may need new pens...
Have a great week!
--Wy
"Candy is dandy but liquor is quicker."
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