Organizer/Journal

Hi Everyone

I have been having a difficult time lately organizing my time. There just doesn't feel like there is ever enough time to get everything done. I am sure I am not the only one who feels this way. Obligations definitely seem to have a way of taking us over and running us down.

A very good friend of mine suggested I make a chart to organize my time to include all the things I want to do just for me. It is amazing how sometimes you just need someone to push you in the direction you know you should already be heading. I decided that this was a great idea and set out to make myself an organizer.

I have used this method to make journals that I like to give as gifts. I usually bind the journals I make with ribbon, but decided that if I used book rings instead, I would be able to remove and add more pages as I needed.

Ingredients for this project

Two 5.5x8.5 pieces of cardboard, bookboard, or mounting board
Two 12x8 pieces of decorative paper. (I like using handmade paper)
Two 4.5x7.5 pieces of cardstock
Crop-a-dile or hole punch
25-50 pieces of 8.5x11 sheets of text weight paper.
(I like Classic Crest Classic Natural White the best)
3 small book rings
Embellishments of your choice
Adhesive

Step 1

Cover your pieces of cardboard in the decorative paper as if you are wrapping a gift. Secure with adhesive.

Step 2

Cover the underside of the cardboard with the pieces of cardstock. Secure with adhesive. These are the front and back covers of your organizer

Hole punch the sides of each cover piece, paying attention that they are lined up identically.

Step 3

Embellish one cover as desired.

Step 4

Print out the pages of your organizerj. You can use this tempalte. Using a paper cutter, cut these to size and hole punch them. Pay attention to make sure they line up with the front and back cover of your organizer.

Step 5

Using book rings, bind the organizer together.

Happy Crafting

Sandra

Ciao Birdie!

Working at Paper Zone, I am surrounded by a cadre of seriously creative and talented people. It is truly amazing and inspiring to see the beautiful, detailed, and useful things the people here at our office and our nine stores come up with on a regular basis. To be sure, one just has to peruse the PZ blog to get an idea of the level of the artistic/crafty spirit that runs through the company!

So inspired are our staff that some of them have taken to creating their own blogs or starting their own product lines. One such person, that I'd very much like to introduce you all to is Barb Burwell. Barb is an associate at our Portland store (5 years and counting!) and has created the most lovely, whimsical line of cards, journals, and magnets called Ciao Birdie Designs. Barb has a Fine Arts degree and background in ceramics and jewelry making. When I asked Barb how she came to work in her current mediums of paper, paint, graphite, ink, fabric and ephemera in a collage format and create an entire line of products, she said that it all started with a Christmas card she created a couple of years ago over which she got a lot of applause. From this card, Barb expanded into other cards, journals, and magnets, opened an Etsy shop, and introduced her line to us here at the office, which we immediately picked up. Amazing how great things can come from small beginnings, no?!

Asked what inspires her, Barb responded that it's the little details in life, her garden, her collection of heart-shaped rocks, and, of course birds, with which she has had a fascination since childhood, that give her pause and inspire her make her pieces.

I just love the reflective, sweet, and nostalgic nature of Barb's pieces and I am excited that we are carrying her line in the stores. As we begin to move past the hustle and bustle of the holidays and into the quiet of the just-beginnings of a brand new year, I am eager to sit in a corner with one of Barb's journals to work out my dreams and ruminations or write a card to a faraway friend.

I am also envisioning posting my to do and wish lists on my fridge with a few of her pretty magnets.

Ciao Birdie Designs are sold at all nine Paper Zone stores, so come on into one of our stores and check them out. You can also hear more from Barb at her blog at ciaobirdie.wordpress.com. Best wishes for happy and inspired days ahead! Tiffany