{Holiday Planner}

Oh my!!! It's really been over a week since I posted? That's AWFUL!!! Between Hannah's birthday celebration(S) and getting my Christmas music together for my students at school, I've been swamped---oh and there's that part of my life like being a wife and mother and maid and cook and gardener and spelling word caller outer---you know what I mean? Ahhhhh....I know many "empty-nesters" who tell me that they only wish their house was bustling now, so I'm trying to embrace the insanity....I'm not sure if that makes me supermom or crazy, but it is what it is!!!! SOOOOO, there's my lame excuse for not posting!

Yesterday, while I should have been making Hannah's treats for her birthday party MUCH cuter than they are, I decided to make one of those wonderful Holiday Planners that Michelle Wooderson inspired me to make in the above post. After 3 attempts to get the measurements right, I finally got it "pretty close", so this first one will be mine! I'm going to make one for a few other people in my life---I already had the notepads from some other project that I wanted to do that never got done, so I decided to go for it.

I started out with a 5x8" mini legal pad. I used a piece of Kraft cardstock and cut it to 8x11. I'll let you check out Mish's post for the tutorial---there's no use in doing one when she has done a great one....but don't compare mine to hers---it's my FIRST ONE---it's a little rough, but I still like it! AND SHE'S AMAZING---ok, enough yelling.

I stamped the snowman from Made of Snow....LOVE this set---it's all in parts, so you can create the perfect snowman for your mood--with a scarf, without a scarf, with a hat, without a hat, with a scarf and no hat, with a scarf AND hat....you get the picture!!! Anyway, I paper pieced the scarf and hat with Pure Poppy and Spring Moss cardstock, then I used Stickles for the polka dots on the scarf. I colored the nose and outlined the snowman for some highlights with my Prismacolor 20% Warm Grey marker. I added black gems of "coal" for his buttons and cut him out with a square nestabilities die---then added a scalloped square in Spring Moss.

For the bottom of the planner, I used some Holiday Vintage Prints Patterned paper from Papertrey Ink and spelled out Holiday Planner using stamps. I didn't plan well and had already put the patterned paper down before I got a chance to measure my letters, so I had to put them on a little wonky to make it work. I used some Old Olive and some Real Red brads to continue the Colors in the paper. I used Michelle's idea of putting the vowels in one color and the consonants in another....except I messed up and made the Y in the "vowel" color----oh well, it's a "sometimes vowel"---right? Ah, yeah, that's it...anyway, like I said, this one is MINE and it just won't drive me crazy that I messed up---if I was giving it to someone else, I'd have to start over! I separated all of this with some 5/8" grosgrain ribbon in Old Olive---LOVE that color!

Anyway, after I figured out the measurements (and they aren't quite right, but I think I may have it for my next one....) this went so fast! I didn't do a lot of other fancy stuff on it because it will likely spend a lot of time in my purse and that is a scary place! I'd encourage you to do one of these if you are a list maker---it will help me stay organized this year and I LOVE organization---especially at Christmas. This wife/mama/music teacher/cook/maid/gardener/spelling word caller outer needs all the help she can get at Christmas time!!

Have a great weekend~
Kathleen

HOLIDAY PLANNER schtuff:
Stamps: Made of Snow, My Sentiments Exactly Upper Case Formal
Paper: Kraft, Spring Moss, Pure Poppy, Stamper's Select White, Holiday Vintage Prints (PTI), Old Olive (SU!)
Inks: Stazon Jet Black, Old Olive (SU!), Pure Poppy (PTI)
Accessories: Real Red Brads, Old Olive 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, Dimensional Glue Dots (ZOTS!), Cuttlebug (Provocraft), Nestabilities Dies (Spellbinders), Black Gemstones (Hero Arts), 20% Warm Grey Prismacolor Marker, Diamond Stickles (Ranger)