The Creative Place

coming soon to the shop: lovely mini upcycled journals

noreply@blogger.com (The Creative Place) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:26:00 +0000

Happy Monday :) I've had some people asking me about this little journal I posted about here last year. I made the journal for myself personally, but had never sold any. I will be putting together a few to be available in my shop later this week.

The journals have tons of found papers in them, as well as new decorative papers. The cover is vintage sewing pattern paper and will have some sort of label on it. Be on the lookout :)

*additionally: I will also be listing some paper hearts punched from Valentine-themed and vintage papers. These are what I used to make these 3-D Valentine Heart Cards.

new in shop later today: i love you journal

noreply@blogger.com (The Creative Place) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

*Edited to add: Wow! :) The kits sold so quickly (thanks for the support!:)), I decided to make a few more and now have a preorder option available in the shop if you are still interested in purchasing a kit :) These will be ready to ship by next Thursday (February 2).

I put together a few "I Love You" journals kits that will be available for purchase in my shop this morning around 10:30am EST. The journals have 22 pages including decorative papers from My Mind's Eye "Love Me" line, vellum, decorative wax paper, envelopes, glassine and kraft paper bags, glitter embellished cardstock, vintage music and dictionary pages and much more. Also part of this journal is a valentine confetti window (made with heart confetti! yay!), a scrap of red polka dot fabric and a cover that says "I Love You" and is blank- ready for you to decorate!

Included for you to embellish your pages: a sample of 3 washi tapes, a paper doily, 7 assorted buttons, a shipping tag, white ric rac and red ribbon, and 11 paper punches (hearts and starburst). *Edited to add: International shipping is available and is an option in the listing :)

The perfect little book to jot down sentiments, stories and loves notes. A perfect place to paste in pictures and mementos. A perfect gift to give to a loved one this Valentine's Day :)

just an fyi

noreply@blogger.com (The Creative Place) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 01:52:00 +0000

I put together a couple "I Love You" journal kits that will be available in my shop tomorrow (Friday) morning at 10:30am EST. More details here in the morning :)

DIY :: Valentine Garland

noreply@blogger.com (The Creative Place) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

So I had no intention of this week becoming "DIY Valentine Goodies Week" - but it is kind of shaping up to be :) I love Valentine's Day. I know, I know, it's way commercialized and can be kind of cheesy, but I guess it's fun to have cheesy-ness every once in awhile ;) And of course what's more fun is that it's great to celebrate a significant other and the family and friends you love :)

It's good to plan ahead if you are going to make decorations and such, right? So you aren't making decorations and gift goodies at the very.last.minute. :) I promise it will not be Valentine-y around here for the next 2.5 weeks :)

Like this garland I made for Christmas, this Valentine garland is fun and simple to make. All you need are hearts and circles punched (or handcut!) from Valentine-y papers (I used light pink, dark pink, red, white, kraft, and vintage dictionary pages (To get the multiple hearts punched on the circle punches, I used this punch first and then punched the 1.5" circle).

I then fed them through my sewing machine in no particular order. I stacked three paper rounds on top of each other every now and then to create a 3-D effect (like in the Holiday Garland).

The garland is about 10' long and took about 20 minutes start to finish, including punching all of the shapes. A cute and quick Valentine's Day decoration :)

Want a Valentine's Day garland but would rather purchase one? Go here to see one like this in my shop :)

DIY :: Valentine Tags

noreply@blogger.com (The Creative Place) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:15:00 +0000

After being inspired by these super cute tags over at Creature Comforts, I decided to make up some tags for Valentine's Day. I used bits and pieces that I had on hand - some red fabric, paper, washi tape, ribbon and a button, baker's twine and some word stickers.

I recently purchased this punch (which I'm thinking would make fabulous confetti in this confetti window card, and used that to punch directly onto one of the tags and then placed pink paper behind it. I also used it to punch out confetti in a bunch of different papers and glued the confetti pieces to another tag. I made another tag with 3D hearts - similar to this card I made last year.

These tags are perfect to adorn a small gift, stick in a card (or glue 2 or 3 to the front of a blank card!), or as a quick "I love you" in a loved one's lunch box :)

DIY :: Confetti Valentine Card

noreply@blogger.com (The Creative Place) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

A few months ago, I made this card for my dad for his birthday. I loved how it turned out (so did my dad!), and decided to make one for Valentine's Day. They are not too difficult to make, and I will be showing you how to make my confetti windows (which are also available for purchase and customization in my shop).

Supplies:

+ a pre-made white 4.25"x 5.5" folded notecard (you could make your own from cardstock, I already had this on hand)

+ red, white, and pink papers, and/or vintage-y book pages

+ 2 sheets of transparency material, big enough to cover the heart you will cut out on the card (you could also use page protector material)

+ white sheet (text weight, not cardstock) of paper, cut to 5" x 8"

+ xacto blade

+ hole punch

+ rolling adhesive

+ sewing machine and thread (if you don't have a sewing machine, you could probably just use rolling adhesive... not sure, as I've never tried it ;))

Begin by tracing a heart onto the inside left of the card (so you won't see your pencil marks on the finished card). Cut out with your xacto blade- be careful! :)

The front of the card after you cut the heart out.

Punch out a bunch of confetti from the pink, red, white and vintagey book papers.

Cut down the transparency material (or page protector) to large enough to cover the heart window (and to not be able to see your sewing once it is glued on).

Sew a little pocket, leaving one side open. Pour in your confetti pieces.

Sew up the open side.

Run the rolling adhesive along the edges of the confetti window so you can adhere it on the inside of the card. Be careful that the adhesive does not come through the window (it'd be all sticky on the front).

Now take the 5" x 8" sheet of white paper and put adhesive around the edges. I also added a strip of adhesive to the fold of the inside of the card. Carefully place the sheet onto the card and smooth out any wrinkles.

Voila! A Confetti Valentine Card. I chose to leave the front blank, but you could easily write on "Happy Valentine's Day" or "I love you" or whatever :)

aaand i'm back.

noreply@blogger.com (The Creative Place) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Phew! After several days of not feeling good (at.all.), I am doing much better :) Thank you so much for the sweet words and comments! :)

Catching up around my home, as well as in my studio. Putting together some more paper packs, and shipping out some orders.

For today, some links I am loving:

+ These adorable DIY Fabric Scrap Gift Tags by Creature Comforts (found via pinterest)

+ This "It's a Good Day" print by wickedpaper

+ This fun giveaway for super cute letterpress cards by Hello!Lucky over at ModPodge Rocks

+ This DIY post on making an Infinity Scarf over at The Cottage Home. I've always wanted to make one of these! (found via pinterest)

+ This cute scrap pack from vidadesigns

+ This alphabet wall project over at A Time For Everything. I've always wanted an alphabet wall :) (found via pinterest)

+ Banana Pudding from Southern Living. I shared this recipe awhile ago. Am going to have to make this again. Soon.

Have a great day! :)

sick.

noreply@blogger.com (The Creative Place) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:59:00 +0000

Yes, very under the weather. Be back soon :)

Image purchased here.

gathering inspiration: valentine's day

noreply@blogger.com (The Creative Place) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:30:00 +0000

Finding all sorts of cute ideas for Valentine's Day on pinterest. Paper crafts, food, garlands, all sorts of goodies! Check out my Valentine's Day board here :)

Working On: Valentine Pillow

noreply@blogger.com (The Creative Place) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:45:00 +0000

I shared this pillow cover a looooonnng time ago. So long ago I couldn't even find it in my archives after a quick search ;) Unfortunately, I never finished it and just found it recently at the bottom of my fabric stash. Whoops ;) So I began working on it the other day and am determined to finish it.

After sewing a red or pink border and white backing fabric, this will be a simple envelope-type enclosure pillow case. No zippers, no buttons (mostly because I still don't know how to sew in a zipper ;)). Just tuck it in and call it done.

Basically, all I did was use a water soluble marker and hand write "love" (which I then stitched with red embroidery floss), and then drew two hearts. One is filled with sewn-on buttons, the other has a patchwork of pink and lovely fabrics sewn on. I will share the finished product in the next couple weeks before Valentine's Day :)

Food: Calzone Rolls

noreply@blogger.com (The Creative Place) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

I made these super yummy calzone rolls this weekend. They were fabulous and fairly easy to make. I found this recipe via pinterest and adapted it a little, including making my own pizza dough and marinara sauce to dip them in.

Calzone Rolls

1 recipe Basic Pizza Dough found here at Lauren's Latest - the BEST pizza dough recipe I've found. Ever (and her cheesesticks recipe is amazing too!). Or you can use a frozen bread loaf (thawed, of course ;)).

5 slices deli ham

5 slices deli salami

10 slices deli pepperoni

1-1/2 cups shredded Italian blend cheese (or plain mozzarella)

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 egg white, lightly beaten

1 Tbsp. parmesan cheese

1 recipe marinara sauce found at Skinny Taste (or use store-bought marinara)

Roll pizza dough out to 8 inches by 12 inches. Top with ham, salami, and pepperoni. Sprinkle cheese evenly over meat. Sprinkle Italian seasoning over cheese.

Fold short edges in about 1/2 inch. Starting with long side, roll the pizza dough up jelly-roll style, and pinch to seal edges. Place on a pizza stone or lightly greased cookie sheet, seam side down. Brush top of roll with egg white and sprinkle parmesan on top.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with marinara sauce.

Mini Book: Hilton Head 2011

noreply@blogger.com (The Creative Place) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:30:00 +0000

I finished my Hilton Head Mini Book the other day, and was super happy with how it turned out. It was nice to make a book bound with this wire binding instead of my traditional binder rings. It made it a lot less flexible as far as switching pages around, but I was ok with that.

The book is 5.5"x5" and the photos are 4"x4". I had them printed here, which sadly, is no longer in business. On the lookout for a new place to print square photographs. (*Sidenote: I usually print my own photos, but if I am not in a hurry for them, I send them off.)

I used a lot of different papers for the inside pages, including security envelopes I opened up and cut to 5.5"x5", ledger pages, scrapbooking pages, and other scraps leftover from other projects. I used kraft cardstock and white cardstock for the pages opposite the photos.

I wanted the book to be simple, and didn't want to put a whole ton of journaling in. So I just kind of labeled what each picture was, using stamp borders, washi tape, written lines, or glued down baker's twine.

Not all pages are shown, as I used the same techniques throughout the book, but you get the idea with the pictures below.

Food: No-Knead Loaf Bread

noreply@blogger.com (The Creative Place) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

A couple months ago, I shared this recipe for Rosemary Bread. I make it a ton. I decided to try making it without the rosemary one day (because the rosemary wasn't really going to "go" with the dinner I was making), and also making it into two loaves (instead of two rounds). It turned out great and I am happy to have a relatively quick 2-loaf recipe! I have also been using half white bread flour and half whole wheat white flour - it turns out a little more dense, but still good. You could also make one loaf with the melted rosemary and butter mixture and one with just melted butter and have two different loaves, for two different meals :)

No-Knead Loaf Bread

1 packet yeast

2 cups warm water

1 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. salt

4 cups bread flour (I sometimes use 2 cups bread flour, 2 cups whole wheat white flour)

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

Combine yeast, sugar and water in a measuring cup. Let stand for 5 minutes. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Add yeast and sugar mixture and stir to combine. I also used my hands at this point to make sure it was fully combined - do NOT knead.

Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place (I put mine on the back burner of the stove, turn the oven on to warm for 5 minutes, then turn it off) for about an hour.

Divide dough into two equal rounds, shape into rectangular-ish loaves (I sprinkled a little bit of flour to make the dough easier to handle-- it's super sticky) and place each in a greased 9"x5" loaf pan. Brush melted butter on each loaf. Cover with kitchen towel and let rise again in a warm place for an hour.

Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes and then adjust oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake for 10-15 more minutes.

paper goodness: etsy sources

noreply@blogger.com (The Creative Place) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

I am always on the lookout on etsy for paper packs or other mini album paper related goodness. If you search through my favorites, you can find several that I have found and am currently swooning over ;)

Most of my paper that I acquire is from antique stores, craft stores, consignment shops and even the occasional yard sale. However, I have also purchased a few packs on etsy here and there and today I am sharing a few of my faves.

1. saturdayAMvintage - Scrap Pack New and Vintage Papers. I LOVE her paper packs. Each 5.5" x 7.25" pack is a great combo of new and vintage papers and each piece is in perfect condition. Lovely little snippets of old ads, office type papers, maps, vintage sheet music and more. I love these packs so much that I ordered 2 within a couple weeks of eachother ;)

2. jamaicamakes - duly noted. uncut. Amazing pack of pages from her fabulous collection of journals, notebooks and notepads. Some new pages, some vintage. All with tons of character and perfect to use in making a mini album. I used a lot of papers from this pack in this little journal I made for my hubby awhile back. These packs aren't always in stock, so I check her shop every now and then in hopes of grabbing one :) (Image below is from her etsy shop, jamaicamakes)

3. iloveitall: Pocket Mini Book: DIY Album Kit. I was wanting this super cute kit for Christmas, and my hubby got it for me :) It is a sweet kit with a ton of gorgeous papers - from solid cardstocks to patterned scrapbooking paper to some found office-y type papers. Also included are some cute embellishments and a binder ring to put it all together. I'm still trying to decide what I want to use it for :)

4. janicewallace - paper pack - A cute and very inexpensive grab bag of mostly found and vintage papers. Also got this pack for Christmas :)

So there you have it. A few sources of where I find some of my goodies that I use in my journals, mini albums, paper-related projects, etc.

I also sell unique (and fabulous ;)) large packs of new and vintage papers in my shop. These packs contain over 50 pieces of paper goodness and are packaged in a 9" x 11" clear resealable cello bag. They are chocked full of new papers like scrapbooking papers, calendar and notes pages, graph paper, as well as vintage papers including maps, advertisements, sheet music, flash cards, playing cards, papers from ledgers, school books, books and children's books. And if you're looking for a smaller pack, I have some 6.5" x 9.5" packs available here.

paper goodness.

noreply@blogger.com (The Creative Place) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 12:30:00 +0000

Happy Monday! Putting together a list of links of some of my fave places to buy paper goodness online. Will be sharing soon :)

garden planning

noreply@blogger.com (The Creative Place) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 15:00:00 +0000

In the (very) beginning stages of planning our garden for this year. We learned a lot (and grew a lot!) last growing season, but of course still have a lot to learn. We are wanting to expand how many types of plants we are growing (I'm trying not to get over ambitious, as we are still very much novice gardeners), as well as trying to change over to growing from organic and Heirloom seeds, and using all organic soil, etc. The two catalogs we are looking through are Harris Seeds and Baker Creek.

We will use the same bed along the back of our house again this year, but will also be adding a lot of containers to the back deck. Been reading and studying through The Vegetable Gardener's Container Bible, as well as my other gardening books I purchased last year. We are liking the Container Garden concept, as they are less permanent and can be moved, don't really have to worry about weeds, etc. Although if we ever have more room (and more sunlight, tons of trees in our backyard), this Square Foot Gardening method looks fabulous.

2012 Goals

noreply@blogger.com (The Creative Place) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:00:00 +0000

I was so excited to read all of you great "One Little Word" comments (and emails!) yesterday. It's so inspiring and encouraging to hear so many people focusing on a word for this year! Thank you all for sharing :)

I have completed my 2012 Goals for myself. I have 4 goals this year, and I feel like they are all do-able. A challenge, but not unrealistic. These goals are for myself personally, my blog, and my shop.

1. Develop, create, and release 10 new products in my shop. Last year my goal was 15. I released nine. Given my family priorities (as well as just having had a new baby at the beginning of last year), 15 was a big number (probably too big a number). Ten will still be a challenge, but I am glad to have something to work towards.

2. Create and update a monthly album. I love having my different seasonal journals, but I would like to have a more basic album of my family, and my blog and shop work. My boys are growing (fast), and I like the idea of documenting my family/personal life along with my blog and shop. It's the season of life I am in right now and want to capture glimpses into it. I know I will enjoy looking back through it later on. This will also be a great project to share on my blog along the way, so really this goal is two-fold - a personal documentation and a fun project to share here.

3. Launch sponsorship spots on my blog. Yep. I am putting together sponsorship info to begin taking sponsors. I shared this late last year when I redesigned my blog, and am finishing up the details. This blog has grown tremendously (thanks to you, awesome readers!) over the past year, and I am excited to offer spots to other small business and blog owners to share their talents and goods.

4. Work on and complete 3-5 sewing projects. Including a quilt. I have been itching to make another quilt. I have made 4 in my lifetime, but am wanting to make another. I have several other projects I am wanting to work on as well, including a fabric-pieced decorative pillow cover, and a skirt.

So there you have it :) I am excited to dive in to 2012 and start making progress on these.

one little word 2012

noreply@blogger.com (The Creative Place) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

My word for this year is intentional.

Intentional | time. loving. caring. creating. prioritizing.

My goal as I remember my one little word this year is to be more intentional with my days. A few of my close friends already know that this is something I am working on. I am a wife, a mama, a friend, a sister, a daughter, a crafter, a blogger, a small business owner, and most importantly a Christ-follower.

Being intentional with each day. Each hour. Each minute. Each second. Making them all count. Loving my sweet family well. Taking care of my home. Exercising. Eating well. Having daily quiet times. Loving my friends well. Loving others well. Working diligently on my business and blog, planning and executing ideas. All as a result of my love for Christ.

Not sure how I will go about reminding myself or documenting the journey through this year as I focus on this word. Maybe in the form of a mini book with notes and thoughts here and there... observations recorded, progress noted. We shall see :)

What about you? Do you have a word you are focusing on this year? Need some ideas or inspiration? Go here to see a huge list Ali Edwards has compiled.

a mini album in process

noreply@blogger.com (The Creative Place) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Working on this mini from our trip to Hilton Head back in November. With the Christmas season busyness, this project got put on hold. I'm glad to now be getting to it and finishing it up. Will be sharing the finished album sometime next week :)

Winner: 2012 Planner Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (The Creative Place) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 16:24:00 +0000

Thank you all SO much for playing along and for your sweet, sweet comments. It was such an encouragement to me :) Thank you!

If you are interested in purchasing a planner, I am custom making a few for $20.00 each. These will be sure to have all kinks worked out and will be my etsy shop quality. Please email me if you are interested or have questions: thecreativeplace (at) gmail (dot) com - I can set up a custom etsy listing or send a paypal invoice. Planners will take 3 business days to complete and will ship within 4 business days of purchase. Thank you! :)

Welcome, 2012.

noreply@blogger.com (The Creative Place) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Happy New Year! After making my planner last week, I started brainstorming a few goals for 2012. But first, I wanted to look back through and reflect on the my 2011 Goals.

I went through the 5 goals for my blog and shop from last year to do a final look at how that went and what I can adjust for this year. You can see a poster I created of last year's goals here.

1. Develop and Create 15 New Products for the Shop. I created 9 new products for the shop and am happy to have made that many. I didn't include a few products in this list simply because they were just paper packs (Christmas), a new version of paper rounds (Christmas), or all different sets of flashcards (School, Winter, Christmas, etc.).

2. Redesign the Blog. Done. I absolutely love my new blog layout. I love the 3-column format and my new header.

3. Keep Inventory Up to Date. I did better with this the second half of the year, but there is always room for improvement.

4. Organize Studio/Workspace (Supplies, Records, Shipping). My supplies and shipping materials are fairly well organized. My records are all on my computer in my etsy account and email, but this area still has room for improvement. Maybe a spreadsheet? If you are a shop owner, what do you do to keep your records all nice and organized?

5. Get More Involved in the Blogging Community. I feel like this is the goal I worked on the least :( With the amount of time I have to keep up my business and blog - the time it takes to be an active blogger, as well as shop upkeep, I really had limited time to pursue working on this goal.

Ready to dive in to 2012. I will be sharing my 2012 Goals later this week after I have solidified them. Have you made goals for 2012?

* Don't forget to enter the giveaway for a planner I created and put together last week. I will be announcing a winner later today.

Giveaway :: 2012 Planner | handmade by The Creative Place

noreply@blogger.com (The Creative Place) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 15:46:00 +0000

Per my post earlier this morning, I decided to go for it and put together a quick and simple planner for 2012. After seeing a lot of inspiration (thanks so much for the comments and links!), I came up with this planner, and made 2.

Each month includes a calendar of the entire month, and then a space for each day throughout the month. Several notes pages are sprinkled in as well. All printed pages are printed on 30% post-consumer recycled paper. Also sprinkled in are various extra pages, including ledger pages, graph paper, and other office-y type papers, because nothing is complete without some extra fun pages :)

A lot of my motivation to make the planner came after having this idea for the cover -- 1" paper squares punched from various papers -- new and vintage, adhered to kraft cardstock :) I knew what I wanted the cover to be, just needed to have a book for it to be a cover to ;)

Please note that as I stated in my earlier post, this planner is not perfect (the o-wire binding is a little kinked, some of the pages are punched really close to the edge - but none are falling out of the planner ;), little things like that). This was my first one I have ever put together and the first time I've ever bound something with my new Bind-It-All. It is still fully functional and I am comfortable giving it away. I wouldn't sell them in my shop until all of the kinks are worked out, but since it's a giveaway, it's free, so I think it's ok :).

To enter:
+ Simply leave a comment. Please include your email address!
+ For additional entries (leave a separate comment for each that you do):
- Become a follower of The Creative Place (here on the Blog, on FB or Twitter) and leave a comment for each (leave a comment if you are already a follower or subscribe through RSS).
- Blog, tweet or FB about the giveaway. Be sure to include a link to this post.
+ International entries welcome.
+ Comments will close sometime on Monday (January 2) and I will announce a winner. Planner will be mailed that day so you can start planning out your year! :)

stay tuned for a 2012 planner giveaway.

noreply@blogger.com (The Creative Place) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 10:00:00 +0000

Thank you all so much for the links to all the beautiful planners the other day. I was so inspired by them and some others from etsy that I decided to go for it and try making one. I did it! I made a planner. In fact, I made 2. And, seeing as how I only need one, I'm giving the other one away :) Both of them are far from perfect. It was my first time using my new Bind-It-All machine, so... yeah :) But, they are fully functional and I'm still comfortable giving one away (I wouldn't sell them in my shop until all of the kinks are worked out, but since it's a giveaway, it's free, so I think it's ok :)).

I finished it late last night and was not able to get good pictures, so I will be posting the giveaway later this morning once I have some better pictures to share. For now, here is a sneak peek of the cover. Kraft paper and a mix of new and vintage paper. Stay tuned for the giveaway :)

Holiday Journal 2011 :: Finished.

noreply@blogger.com (The Creative Place) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 10:00:00 +0000

Yay! My holiday journal is complete. I am in love with how this journal turned out. Love it. Some of the pictures didn't print that well (printed at home, which usually works well, but my printer was acting up ;)), but I'm still happy with it. I blurred out a few photos for privacy reasons, but I feel like you still get the idea of the layout of the page. I plan on adding a few more photos to the back of when my sweet in-laws were here the day after Christmas, but am calling it finished for now :)

For the patterned paper on the left, I printed out a sheet of this free printable wrapping paper.

For Day 18, I printed this gorgeous free printable by Emily of Jones Design Company, found (via pinterest) here.

Go here to see the first half. So glad to have another one of these finished. I loved looking back through this one from last year (2010). And this one from the year before (2009). It's neat to see how my style and approach have changed each year. I'm loving it :)

thinking about: a 2012 planner

noreply@blogger.com (The Creative Place) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 10:00:00 +0000

Thinking about the New Year that is quickly approaching. thinking about what kind of planner I am going to use. Not sure if I'll just keep one like this, as I have in the past (which has always worked well), or if I want another one that is smaller. Trying to decide if I should just buy one or if I should take on designing a simple one and bind it myself.

I spent a long time last night looking around at different planners on etsy and amazon and found a bunch of gorgeous and very well-made ones, but none are exactly what I have in mind.

I like the idea of making one myself. I like the idea of being able to add in special pages here and there such as graph paper, specialty paper, or envelopes, for extra jots and notes. I like the idea of binding it myself (I got a Bind-It-All for my birthday- woo hoo!). But I also want to be realistic with my time and how busy I already am. Taking on designing a planner (even a simple one) sounds like a.lot.of.work. I may go for it and try designing the first couple weeks and see how fast it goes. Will be thinking on this further and will share what I end up doing.

What about you? Any planner ideas/links that have really worked for you?