Monday 2 January 2017

Planning my planner

Hello all, - hope your new year has started with a bang!! I am approaching 2017 full of hope and excitement for better days to come....

In the last days of 2016 I decided I was going to design my own planner, and today I will show you the first few pages and the cover. This is a project in process, and I will show more pages as the month (and year) progresses....
The base for the whole planner was a file folder that I trimmed to the size I wanted. I covered it with some of my favourite Blue Fern papers, strengthened the edges, and made the closure with a Grungeboard element and a Tim Holtz Hitch Fastener.
Here's the back, as you can see, I used some of Tim's industrial stickers as decorative elements. (One of my aims with this project is, not only to become more organised, but also to use up some long forgotten bits and pieces from my stash.... Grungeboard and stickers being the examples lol).
Here are the first inside pages, a pocket on the left for keeping important things to hang onto, and the January calendar page on the right.

I made tabs for each month and each of those pages will then be decorated with bits and pieces (these are from the Graphics 45 Place in Time collection).
Each monthly page is then followed by some other pages, below a quick run through some of them:
A weekly overview page, to write down  the main focus for each day page
Followed by  a page to detail other important things for that week. Here I am showing you the page of week 3, but each of the weeks has two pages like that.
 I am having great fun decorating them with die cuts, stamping stenciling etc. I hope this will keep me focussed in actually noting things down and getting them accomplished....
Each month also has a pocket with blogpost planners. I am keeping these loose, so I can use them as needed.

And finally my day planners, also kept loose in a second companion planner as the main one would get far too fat otherwise. I designed the backgrounds digitally and may well share these as freebies in the next few days, so stay tuned... They are kept under a belly band so they can be easily accessed. I'll use the back for additional notes etc, keeping them loose like that will make it possible to review things easier.
Here's the cover for the day planner, also made from a file folder in a very similar way.
And here the inside, belly band on the left and a side pocket on the right for additional notes etc.

There are also other pages still in the main planner , meal planners and grocery lists, health and fitness and expenses trackers etc, but by now this post is long enough, so I am keeping some for another day.

Well that's it, I am ready for the new year ahead, hope you are too. I love all the new ready made planners out there, but I really wanted to make my own, and so far I am having great fun with it!
xxxxx

32 comments:

ike said...

Oh that is super cool. You have inspired me to have a go at making one :-)
Happy New Year Astrid xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Valerie-Jael said...

Wonderful album, great and beautiful inside & outside, like how you did the clasp, too. Valerie

brenda said...

Not only very pretty Astrid but so useful as well and will be throughout the year, great inspiration.

B x

chrissie said...

Stunning Astrid. Your ideas for these folders know no bounds and save all the ones from Amazon now because of your inspiration.

This is a wonderful idea and I look forward to seeing more entries as you add them

Happy 2017 and to continued blog friendship

Love Chrissie xx

Silkku said...

This is so beautiful. You are so brilliant :)

Shortbread and Ginger said...

Wow - that is absolutely gorgeous! Good luck filling it in!

Jenny Marples said...

Fabulous Astrid!!! I'm getting some planner ideas together as we speak and love those insert sheets you've printed. LOVE that you've truly made this one your own by using your beautiful papers and unique style of design. Most impressed! xx

froebelsternchen said...

An AMAZING way to do a planner!
I love it!

Redanne said...

This is such a useful and clever idea Astrid, I particularly love your 'Blog Post Planner' sheet - definitely something I could use! The papers you used on the cover are beautiful too and I really like the closure! Beautiful. Hugs, Anne xx

Chrissy said...

I love your planner and all the details you added..gorgeous Astrid..

Luv CHRISSYxx

Paper Profusion said...

This looks brilliant Astrid and I bow to your organisational as well as your artistic skills!! Nicola x

Meggymay said...

Wow Astrid this looks amazing and will be a wonderful way to keep records of your year.
Yvonne xx

Helen Wallace said...

I've looked at many planners and they all lack something in my opinion. Yours, however, ticks all the boxes that a crafter needs. Beautiful and functional; especially the blog planner part. This is just the kind of thing which would sell like hot cakes in a craft store. I'd love to see it available commercially. Superb work Astrid. TFS

Jackie PN said...

Wow are you ever clever Astrid!!
These are beautiful as well as soooo practical! now, I think I need one!!
Happy new year,Astrid,my dear friend...I do hope it is full of peace, joy and good health for you and your family!
Sending lots of love,Jackie

Mona Pendleton said...

Oh my Astrid! What a beautiful planner! It's a real work of art! Thanks for the inspiration!

Unknown said...

Astrid, these planners are just beautiful and very functional. I love the style and the beautiful ideas of how you put them together.

Maryann Laursen said...

WAUW you really hit the head of the nail here again Astrid. This is such an awesome idea and I absolutely LOVE, how it´s turned out. What a great way to make it and it also looks fabulous too, and I agree with everyone else here, that it is exactly whjat any crafter could dream of. I´m like the rest really impressed with all these loose sheets, for all the different planning about almost everything. Did you make these sheets yourself too, or where have you found these?? They really looks fabulous and well organized. You truly are a clever bunny and everything you do is always such a wonderful project, and so is this one too. Can´t wait to see lots more of this in the future.

pearshapedcrafting said...

Wow! I have started a planner but as yet have only a few pages ready - you have inspired me to get a move on and decorate it but nothing, absolutely nothing, could be as beautiful as this! Happy New Year, Hugs, Chrisx

Marisa Job said...

Another beautiful creation!!! Happy New Year!!!

Paper Creations by Shirley said...

Wow your planner is gorgeous, so many elements, details and beautiful papers. Love it! Happy New Year, wishing you all the best in 2017. Shirleyxx

Craft Addicts - Tracy Evans said...

What a lovely way to get organised Astrid. Love your planner, very clever and useful, practical idea and I love it. Gorgeous vintage tones . Tracy x

Annie said...

Wow!!! A fabulous idea and totally stunning as well as practical Astrid x my name may even appear in it too as we arrange several crafty days together xx we must make one soon xx
Best wishes and keep cosy Annie x

sarascloset said...

Alright, Astrid, where do I sign up to get one of these??? I particularly love the Blog Post planner sheet from a practical standpoint, but every page is so beautifully decorated! Who wouldn't want to spend the day with their planner if it were as pretty and functional as this? Be sure to jot down to work on Sara Emily's planner...tee hee! Love this! Hugs and blessings for a fabulous (organized)2017!

Mrs.B said...

A wonderful planner, not just pretty but so useful and practical.
Love all the details and gorgeous vintage tones.
A slightly belated Happy New Year, and Best Wishes for 2017.
Avril xx

Margaret Mifsud said...

Wow!! This is so cool and so totally gorgeous!! Absolutely love every little detail!! This would be such a pleasure to use .. gorgeous vintage look, brilliantly functional and has everything a crafter (or anoyone else for that matter) needs to stay organised!! Love, love, love this Astrid!!! hugs xx

SewPaperPaint said...

Oh my gosh Astrid! This is the coolest thing I've seen! What a remarkable job you've done laying out these elemtents and keeping the artsy /grunge feel. Love this and will pin to my planner board. Hugs, Autumn

Dorthe said...

Oh Astrid, you are such a fabulous artist, this planner of yours, is the most beautiful, I have ever seen. Your pages all showing a little romance, and such wonderful decorations,-they are both practical, and taking me on tour in wonder-land. And love you used the taps - everything is gorgeous, and you will feel so much joy ,scribbling down , all and nothing, in this adorable planner.
Hugs, Dorthe

Jennie Atkinson said...

Astrid I am finally catching up with your wonderful planner. I wanted to wait until I had some time to take it all in. It is beautiful and so full of so many wonderful things. Thank you so much for sharing this. It makes me want to do one myself! Thank you so much for such wonderful inspiration. Have a lovely weekend. Jennie x

Words and Pictures said...

Now that's what I call a beautiful journal planner! What a wonderful inspiration to get organised. I guess you're taking a few points from the bullet journal craze, but it's lovely to see them given your own personal twist to create a planner which will really work for you. Gorgeous papers on the covers, and a great way to make the most of all those leftover bits and bobs and scraps on the inside. Looking forward to following this one through the year...
Alison x

XxJULESxX said...

Oh wow stunning!! great idea and thanks for the free downloads Astrid.

Barbara said...

I love both of your planners . I would love to know how you make the actual book with the folders, do you have a tutorial on how to? I'm very inspired by them both. I've been looking for one that actually resonated with me thank you. Does all your lists come from the same site? I hope you'll get back to me, when you have time I'm sure your busy all the time. Love your work thanks again.

A Pink said...

Such a fabulous, practical and so useful creation ! Astrid. Love the blog planner pages - genius idea . Inspirational project x

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