My Planner - A DIY

The new year started off rocky --- I didn't have a planner. Shame on me. I know, I know... I said last week I was a planner. And, I am, truly. I just didn't plan to get a planner. Lame. I spent a few hours searching and every place I went to didn't have THAT planner. The one that would inspire me. That would speak to me. After my last attempt, I decided to make one. The notebook above served as my go-to journal of sorts. If I had an idea or wanted to brainstorm, it was used. It was gifted to me a couple of years ago by my friend, Kelly O'Brien. It is functional, sturdy, and I loved the brown lined pages inside. I decided to morph it into my planner.

First, I gathered all my supplies and printed off mini calendars from Microsoft Word. They weren't fancy - just how I wanted them.

I gathered some ribbon, a few birdie stamps, glue, scissors, tape, mini calendars, and a stapler. I measured the calendars to fit the inside of the pages. They measured at about 5x7...

I decided to glue the calendars to one side of the page leaving the other side open to take notes, doodle, etc...

Using my birdie stamps, I went to embellishing the pages... this was the fun part! I love these stamps and only use my black ink pad on them. I'm like that...

Here's the resulting layout for February:

Then, I busted out the markers... and went to town!

I'm turning 30 this year... I love birthdays!

And, added a ribbon as my bookmark... this is a VERY special ribbon to me and seems so fitting for this year! So true, Confucius!

I taped it to the back and called it a day -

I then highlighted some "special" days on the calendar...

Yup! I'm going to WPPI this year in Las Vegas! WPPI stands for Wedding & Portrait Photographers International and they host a convention every year. It's an awesome time to hear professionals in the industry, grab some goodies at the trade show, meet up fellow photographers, view great pictures in the competition, and take a workshop here and there. The convention will be held at Las Vegas, NV from February 17-24. I'm so excited!!!

Know what I'm even more excited about? This planner! I feel so creatively fulfilled and haven't stopped using it since. It's my one-stop shop for everything! And, I love it more because I created it from things I already have at home... to me, it's perfect. Hope this inspires you to do-it-yourself, too!

Lub,
Lizzi