Oh, they had some beautiful things. And for only the cost of, say, a NutriMill, I could have been set for the year. However, "something to keep me from forgetting my own name" doesn't rank as high as a NutriMill, even on the most decadent of days. Plus, if I were to spend that much, I'd rather just skimp on meals for a couple weeks longer and go with the Levenger products.
So. I figured I'd make my own. And that's what I've been doing All. Week. Long. Wee! It's not leather. It's not even terribly pretty. BUT, it makes me smile. It's infinitely flexible. And I didn't have to steal from the grocery budget to make it happen.
I went with the ring binder set up for a few reasons:2 - cost (a box of some 20 or so of these rings cost me $2 - I got three for my binder, and the boys have turned the rest into grappling hooks for Lego people - it's a win-win, as they've been too busy to even notice that we have spray adhesive) -
3 - I don't remember the third, but the flexibility of the ring system counts as two points, so we'll call it good.
I haven't quite mastered the printing of the calendar pages, yet. As you can see, next Month's page has no Thursdays. They turned up on April's pages, which have two Thursdays and no Tuesdays. February has no Wednesdays. I'm pretty sure that was operator error, but I've shuffled and shuffled and have yet to solve the mystery.
The DIY Planner has templates and pages set in PDF on a 2-Up format that requires no tweaking. But I also used pages from Donna Young's (the month-on-a-page calendar pages, the reading log, and the curriculum planner). For those, I used ClickBook to format everything to print in booklet form. Quick and easy.
(EDITED to add: this is a Classic size planner - if you turn an 8.5x11 piece of paper on it's side and fold it in half, that's the size. I picked it so it will fit in a bag, can be carried easily, isn't bulky, and I didn't have to buy special paper. Just set the printer to landscape layout and go.)
Hindsight perspectives:
* I'd have waited on the hole punching until I could get into town and have it done somewhere in one fell swoop. My three-hole punch is great for the individual pages, but I couldn't get the covers into it. So I borrowed a hand-held punch - jumped the gun, put the holes in the wrong places, and then had to go mangle all the other pages to make them line up.
* I'd still like to add a business card sleeve page, and a clear zippered pouch.
* It also needs a pen loop somewhere, but I'm giving it a few days of use to see where it would fit best.
* A waterproof cover would also be nice - although without any other protection, any serious water contact may hose the whole thing.
At any rate, it's fun. And, if this works well, and I can find a system that does what I need it to do, then one day I may treat myself to a truly luxurious planner. OR, maybe just a laminator and I can update the photos once in a while. The kids liked the photos on the cover. I do, too.
Kiss those babies!
~Dy
(EDITED to add: this is a Classic size planner - if you turn an 8.5x11 piece of paper on it's side and fold it in half, that's the size. I picked it so it will fit in a bag, can be carried easily, isn't bulky, and I didn't have to buy special paper. Just set the printer to landscape layout and go.)
Hindsight perspectives:* I'd have waited on the hole punching until I could get into town and have it done somewhere in one fell swoop. My three-hole punch is great for the individual pages, but I couldn't get the covers into it. So I borrowed a hand-held punch - jumped the gun, put the holes in the wrong places, and then had to go mangle all the other pages to make them line up.
* I'd still like to add a business card sleeve page, and a clear zippered pouch.
* It also needs a pen loop somewhere, but I'm giving it a few days of use to see where it would fit best.
* A waterproof cover would also be nice - although without any other protection, any serious water contact may hose the whole thing.
At any rate, it's fun. And, if this works well, and I can find a system that does what I need it to do, then one day I may treat myself to a truly luxurious planner. OR, maybe just a laminator and I can update the photos once in a while. The kids liked the photos on the cover. I do, too.
Kiss those babies!
~Dy
6 comments:
Ha! I've been working on mine, too, but I'm using a really big binder, the Catholic Mom Daily Planner pages and a teacher planner for the bulk of the pages. I plan to cover it with fabric whenever I get around to it.
As for the laminator, you must get one. They're not expensive and very, very versatile. We got a comb binding machine a while back, too. Fun, fun, fun!
Awesome!!
and I love the collage!
Kathy
Thanks, Kathy. :-) I hope this will help me keep from dropping important balls that other people need me to keep in the air!
Jennie, you household temptress, you! The comb binding looks so incredibly handy! Oh, and have you seen the book press? For making the full-on woven-bound books? ~swoon~ I love paper. And paper products. And paper-related accessories.
I've also got an old, really nice fountain pen that I'm trying to convince Zorak would be a very nice gift idea - send it to the Southern Scribe and have it refurbished and made useable again. Fingers crossed! xx
If you decide you want something that might hold together longer, you could try Target. I got a "leather" planner there (same size as yours) for less than $20. It had calendar pages in it, and because it is standard size you can add whatever you want to as well. Mine has space for credit cards or business cards or whatever in the front, and a couple of zipper pouches to carry miscellany. I take mine EVERYWHERE and call it my brain. :)
I'll check that out, Emily. How long have you had it? Is it holding up well? I've tried the vinyl, the pleather, the low-grade leather, and all of it - ugh - I'm just too hard on it. (A combination of uncoordination, general whirlwindishness, and dirt, I think.) Within six months, every one of them comes apart. The harder synthetics become particularly vicious with their sharp edges. :-P Ick.
ooooo.....look at YOU!!Beautiful! (Although it scares me a little that you have succomed to this) And you know, after making your own planner, you may as well forget about ever finding a pre-made one to do the job as well. You'll be ruined. Nice job!
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