Christmas Planner

A while back I saw a project someone had done and I just couldn't stop thinking about it. I'm a bit of a planner/listmaker/organizer type and my mind was just spinning with all of the possibilities. So here's what I came up with.

I basically followed the instructions from the site where I got the idea. I used some old Basic Grey paper that I've been hoarding saving for something special. I really liked the bird on the front cover, but then it ended up getting covered up by the circles. I sponged all of the edges of the paper with Basic Black classic ink and I tied a black grosgrain ribbon around the spine. The inspiration site recommended tying the book shut to protect it from curious little eyes. I didn't want the tie to smash the labels on the edge, so I used threats instead.  

I basically told the kids that if they looked in my planner, Santa wouldn't come. That was enough to keep prying eyes away. :O) The tabs I used are Lists, Calendar, Cards, Menu, To Do, and Gifts. I had two extra tabs. I may end up using those for lists because my Lists section almost filled up this year. It's a sickness. The tabs are just scraps of the same patterned paper that I punched out with a 1 1/4" square punch and then folded in half. I stapled them onto 3 sheets of paper so they'd be less likely to tear and I left 10 pages between each tab.

I also put manilla envelopes inside the front and back covers for receipts and coupons. I didn't put the year on the front of mine. That way I can use it for several years. I'm not sure where I'm going to keep this, but I do know that I'll probably use it to jot down gift ideas all year long. It got a LOT of use in the past couple of months!