Festive Planner - Instructions and giveaway

Back last weekend was the wonderful Frosty Festivities event at the lovely Jennifer's blog.  She had challenges and inspirations galore and there was a blog hop too where I shared my Festive Planner.  I promised to come back this weekend with instructions and a giveaway so here we are.

The giveaway is this Papermania Noel paper pack containing 20 12x12 sheets of 10 designs including 8 glittered.  The packaging also has 30 toppers on the back for an added extra.

I also promised to share the files for the inside pages of the planner and the silhouette files for the titles... and I certainly will but with a twist. (twist makes it seem planned and exciting rather than the arrgghh moment that I am in right now.

Last weekend seems an awfully long time ago because this has been a long week.  My 78 year old Dad had an accident on the farm where he works while using a bench saw.  Thankfully he hasn't severed anything but he came close.  He has to have plastic surgery on his hand this week to reattach the tendons in his right hand so he is having to learn to live one handed.  He has Parkinsons and diabetes and he is 50% deaf and a stubborn old goat so things have been a little.. ahem... stressful.  It meant that I didn't have the time I wanted to work out how to attach files within a blog post.  So, if you would like the word files for the inside pages or the Silhouette files for the titles, please leave a comment where I can get back to you and I will e-mail them to you.  Alternatively you can Google anything like "Festive Planner pages" and scroll through the images to find a range of things that might suit.

And breathe...

I started my planner by deciding on the size.  I wanted something that would fit in my large handbag but that would be easy to print things for.  In the end I went for inside pages that were half A4 so that I could get 2 from a standard A4 sheet.  Then I added an inch to 2 sides to get the dimensions for the cover.

I cut 3 pieces of sturdy A4 card in half to make the dividers (that's the green pieces) and then the slightly bigger versions in very strong card for the covers (the cream card).  The I chose coordinating papers for the front and back knowing I would have to use 2 pieces of A4.

I layered Mod Podge all over one side of the cream card and layed it on the paper.  I cut around leaving a half inch margin and cutting off the corners to give a neat finish.  The I used my ATG to run adhesive down the sides for the flaps.

I cut coordinating paper just inside the dimensions of the cover and inked the edges before adhering them with an ATG.  Any good strong double sided will do. Leaving the little border like this looks pretty but also means that the edges of the red paper are safeguarded a bit by not being right on the edge of the book.

For the inside of the front cover I attached a cut off rectangle on the bottom and edges to make a pocket for receipts.  I also added a little border at the top.  On the back cover I used a strip of sturdy card covered with green paper and attached with eyelets to make a hanging area for a small notebook.

The eyelets show through on the back (you can just about see them on the pattered paper because it has red berries on) so you could attach it to the red paper before you adhered it if you wanted to keep the back plain.  Then I went over the fronts with Mod Podge for strength.  Mod Podge does have a habit of showing up any areas that haven't been totally stuck down so its a good idea to use a brayer at each stage of the glueing.

I didn't like my eyelets showing so I did a bit of flat embellishment on the back cover.

My next job was to cover the divider cards.  This was strong card that I picked up from The Paper Mill when they had shops (sniff) and it was green on one side and white on the other.  I decided to only cover the blank side and leave the green side as the reverse because less layers means less corners to lift up and get caught in things.

I then cut a large parenthesis type label for the front of the divider in a more solid colour to take the title and decorated them with offcuts and washi tape and I kept to the same border punch throughout.  I still adore these papers from My Minds' Eye "I Believe" collection from 2011 - just the right amount of sparkle but not too much tweeness.  There is also a small amount of shine in the Mod Podge that I use but I mostly use it for reinforcement and strength so I went over each of the dividers too because they will be utilised every year.

I decided what I needed in my planner ahead of time and then I cut out the right amount of tabs for the sides of the dividers.  You just stick these together on the top leaving the bottom edge open to stick both flaps onto the document or embellishment or whatever.  Using my Silhouette Cameo I typed in the names for the dividers and then merged the letters together to create a continuous font.  I cut it once for the brown labels on the fronts and then cut it again but just half the size to go onto the dividers.

The last job was making the inserts and I wasn't too fussed about the papers for this because I knew most of it would be covered up.  Because these will be replaced each year I didn't want to use my favourite papers.  These are simply A4 pieces folded in half and adhered together to make a slightly stronger page.

I adhered the printed planners onto the inserts once I had decided what I needed on them.  I embellished the front and Mod Podged everything to within an inch of its life so that it would stand up to being handled and carried in my busy bag.

I then hole punched everything using the first page as a guide and decided on where I wanted things to go.  I went for the diary pages first because that tends to be the bit I refer to most!  Everyone will be different in their needs and the beauty of using book rings is that you can change it and add to it to suit you and how things change for you over the years.  You can see that I also added a little pocket at the front for stamps which is just a rectangle attached on 3 sides with a half circle punched out of the middle along the top edge.

 Here you can see my little notebook in place opposite one of the pages for planning food.  This page is for specific recipes and then the other side has 3 columns for "Fresh", "Frozen" and "Other".  It seems to be working so far... for now...

So that's how I made my book!  I hope you liked it and that it has given you some ideas for your own notebook. Any questions please feel free to ask. It doesn't use anything fancy because the Mod Podge can be replaced with PVA or just left out.  You can use recycled card from packaging and replace the book rings with a ribbon.  Really all you need is some pretty festive paper and a glue stick.  How about I provide the paper?

Just leave me a comment that will cheer me up after my stressful week, maybe something that you like about my blog, and I will pick a worldwide winner at 10pm next Saturday British time.

Time to make some more Christmas cards I think!

Bye for now
xx

WOYWW 232

I think I've just about recovered from Jennifer's Frosty Festivities blog hop at the weekend.  It was very busy!  The challenges are still open if you fancy joining in.  I haven't been able to do any crafting at all with NaNoWriMo (drastically under my word count :-(()  and the blog hop and normal life etc but I am going to a new (for me) crop at the weekend in Wilton so I am sorting out my bag a bit for that.  That's what you can see going on on the desk today.

I started packing a few bits to make my Christmas presents with - a couple of layouts for 8x8 frames, desk calendars etc, but then realised that I don't have the photos yet and I've left my owl punch for the calendars at the Artful Angels crop!  I went for plan B which is my Devon Featherdown Farm album to continue where I left off last week with the denim letters layout, but then remembered that I am due for a DT post about Christmas cards in a couple of weeks!  I've since abandoned plans for the Devon album and I'm taking my Christmas stuff instead!  Its always good to have a plan c!

I'm already feeling festive but I know that I am in the minority.  You can also see my festive planner on the side there that featured in the previous post for the blog hop.  I'm trying to do an instructional post for it for the weekend with a giveaway so do pop back if you can.

Time for a quick trip around a few other desks courtesy of Julia and What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday.

Bye for now
xx

Frosty Festivities 2 - Festive Planner

Welcome to my little part in Jennifer's Frosty Festivities weekend!  If you arrived as part of the blog hop then you should have reached me via Katherine.  You can find the next stop at the end of this post.

                                          

I always enjoy Jennifer's events and get lots of inspiration from the challenges she sets and from the other participants too.  I particularly love the Frosty Festivities event because it helps to get me in the mood for the season - which I love!!

Have you started planning for the festive season yet?  I started mine back in September because... well I'm a bit of a control freak if I'm honest, but also because I like to keep December as free as possible to really enjoy the fun stuff and not be worried about shopping and trying to fit things in.  Also this year as some of you know, Novrember is a busy month becaue I am taking part in NaNoWriMo which is where you write a novel / 50,000 words all in one month - yikes!  Just don't ask me how that is going...

So, back in September I made myself a little planner for the season.

I took lots of photos during the making process and I will be back in another post (with a prize) next weekend for anyone interested in making their own.

 I used some of my favourite Christmas papers and tried to make it quite sturdy so that I can just refill the inside next year.  It is all coated with Mod Podge which gives it a lovely sheen and helps to protect it a bit in my handbag...

 On the inside cover I have made 2 cute pockets - the larger one holds receipts for gifts and the smaller one is for stamps (note to self: buy stamps!!)  Then through the book there are dviders like this diary page.  The Silhouette files that I made for the wording will be available on the "How To" post.  I used one size for the main page and then made it slightly smaller to go on the tabs at the side of the page.

The inside pages then have normal printer paper pages mounted on sturdy pretty paper.  This diary page folds out for December and then on the reverse is November which is just as busy and we haven't really got going yet!  I love it!

The inside of the back cover has a strong strip attached for the little notebook to sit over.  No matter how well I might think I've planned my pages, I will always want more note paper!

I have printed sections for baking, meals, crafts, cards, presents and the diary pages.  I've included spaces for deadlines, notes on where to find instructions or recipes, a check box if crafts or baking items are gifts, 2 different sections in the cards for those that need to be posted as opposed to hand delivered, and a section in the presents to record when on-line purchases have been received etc.

I couldn't resist giving the back cover some prettiness too.

Don't forget to check back next week if you would like instructions, the files, or the chance of winning a Christmas pack of papers.  

Also, if you comment on all the blogs in the hop, finishing at www.jennifergracecreates.com to let Jennifer know you've been all the way around, then you'll be in with a chance to win a jolly seasonal prize of Simple Stories December Documented and Elle’s Studio Noel items, worth over £28! 
                                           
All entries must be received by Monday the 11th of November at 10.59pm GMT. Your next stop along the hop is... Meghann

Enjoy the rest of the weekend,

Bye for now
xx

WOYWW 231

Ssshhh!  Pretend you haven't seen me here for WOYWW 'kay?  I'm supposed to be doing my 'novel in a month' for NaNoWriMo but it isn't going terribly well so I decided to take a little bit of time out and join in with the Wednesday fun.  

Of course I missed the ideal window of opportunity with which to take my photo so you've got a nice shade of yellow to the picture today.  

You can see the scrapbook page I finished off in the middle there for the album towards the top of the pic.  You can also see the 2013 diary page which has fallen out of my Festive Planner which you will be able to see if you pop back on Friday for the Frosty Festivities blog hop.

Here's the finished page.  Although the lettering took a while I'm really pleased with it.  Upcycling + memory recorded + page I love = what its all about.  I actually experimented with using some Mod Podge and some ordinary PVA to stiffen the fabric prior to cutting.  I found that there wasn't THAT much of a difference so if you fancy giving it a go without forking out for Mod Podge then that's another option for you.

The hexagons are an idea that I Pinned from JimJams - thank you!  Another memory of Aller Farm scrapped and I am still really loving all of this album and the way it is flowing.  Crafting makes me happy :-)

What's on your desk this week?  Don't be afraid to link up, whatever the state of your desk or your mind ;-)

Bye for now
xx

Pretty... Frosty

No, its not frosty at all yet, just very very wet, but please indulge me while I think ahead a little.  My blog and DT pal Jennifer is having another wonderful weekend of Frosty Festivities in November and I will be revealing something a little festive myself on the blog hop.  Jennifer's events are always great fun with lots of wonderful projects and give-a-ways so make sure you put it in your diaries.

If you visit her blog now you can enter the first giveaway which is a wonderful Christmas collection from Glitz design.  I've been having a good sort out of my Christmas stash myself and I found no less than 4 completely unopened Christmas collections!  Perhaps I might have to do a giveaway myself in the next few weeks.  In the meantime, I don't have a festive layout to share but this one was the most chilly that I could find from my archives of un-blogged pages.  

It was originally designed for an 8x8 page but it was just lacking a certain something so I added it to a 12x12 piece of cardstock with a few other bits and I loved it!

We were having a family day out on the Watercress Line one Autumn and had stopped off for lunch but there was no-where left inside.  We ate our chips out in the cold on the station platform with Miss Bella looking super cute in her hat.  I can hardly believe that this sweet little thing started school a few weeks ago!

I still love this layout but there are of course things I would do differently if I did it again now.  I'm enjoying looking back at older layouts and reacquainting myself with techniques I haven't used for a while.  I think you might be seeing rolled edges and flowers on a layout again soon.

Bye for now

xx