Happy Arty Days: Pebbles: Patio Party & Planner Inspiration!

Hi Creative Friends!

It's planning theme week over on the Pebbles Inc blog!

And for this theme post, I wanted to share a makeover of my less glamorous, everyday planner!

Not the over sized, over decorated planner that sits on my desk for flat lay photo shoots - but the honest, everyday, no frills, pocket size one that I carry around in my purse!

My 'real life mom' planner!

You know the one, it has scribblings of new phone numbers, a reminder to pick up the dry cleaning, a few coupons and a list of bills to pay!

Yes... the boring, unexciting planner.

BUT, that's all about to change with a quick planner make over!

I am using the gorgeous, bright & happy Patio Party collection for this cute planner inspiration today...

This line is so pretty, and the colors in Patio Party will brighten any dull organizer! And while I want to create a much happier, prettier planner I also want to keep it practical and easy to use -

Here's how....

My planner make over starts with creating my own custom dividers.

To make these 'fit' perfectly, use the original dividers that your organizer came with as a template. Trace the template onto your favourite Patio Party pattern paper and cut out. I also trace the holes so I know exactly where to hole punch my new dividers. As the first divider is the one I'll always see when I open my planner, I use the striking gold foil specialty paper from the 6 x 6 Paper Pad.

*Note: The 6 x 6 papers are single sided, so you'll need to repeat this process - reverse side up for the template, and adhere both sides together to create the one divider*

The striped, shiny gold pattern is just gorgeous but as this is the front cover divider, it still needs more....

I embellish with a few stickers from the 6 x 12 Accent Stickers sheet. Cute!

That sentiment sticker has just the right amount of inspiration too! Now that I'm happy with my first divider, I proceed to make one for every tabbed section in my organizer.

This time, I use the double sided 12" x 12" pattern papers so I only need to trace each template once.

Here's a look at them all, right side up.....

Aren't they the sweetest?! I'm already feeling uplifted!

Here's the reverse side....

Pretty florals, and oh my heart, flamingos!!!

What a difference a set of dividers can make to your organizer!

And when it comes to being organized, having a bookmark to instantly locate your fave section of your planner is essential!

How sweet is this book mark?!

Like the dividers, I use the original as a template to trace around, cut out and hole punch.

So simple, and yet such a practical and pretty adornment to your organizer.

Speaking of practical, how about something cute 'n' fun to store all those ugly coupons in?

Oh hello flamingos & hello happy! This planner pocket makes me smile!

There are a number of ways to create pockets, but the simplest one is to trace your divider template, but double the width. In my example my planner is 3 1/2" x 5", so I cut out a 3 1/2 " x 10" piece of paper. Score down the center, fold and tape the base and sides together. Be sure to leave the top unsealed so you can insert your bits 'n' pieces into the pocket.

Looking for something more sturdy?

Instead of tape, machine stitch the sides and base.

The next step in 'dressing up' my everyday planner was to convert the plain plastic pocket inserts into something a bit more special....

Eeep! Sequin shaker pockets are my favourite!!! So cool!

This pocket now doubles as a super pretty divider!

To create this fun (& practical) pocket, you'll need to insert a piece of pattern paper into the pocket. It needs to be a snug fit to help hold the sequins in place. Add sequins, and then fuse or glue the top of the pocket to the pattern paper. Embellish with another of those gorgeous 6 x 12 Accessory Stickers. You'll see in the image below that the back of the pocket still opens, and remains suitable for storing small items, receipts, tickets etc. ...