diy planner

 So tomorrow is my first day of school, and not only that, but I am going to a new school (eek!). Summer has gone by so fast! The one thing that makes me excited about starting school is getting new school supplies! This year I was trying to search for the perfect planner, when I came across this post on Decor8 and saw this picture:

Isn't it pretty? As soon as I saw that picture I knew I wanted a planner just like that. Since the ones in stores look nothing like that, I decided to make my own.

So first you'll need a sketchbook. You could get a moleskine with blank pages, but a plain sketchbook is a lot cheaper and I like that it is spiral bound.

I used plain white acrylic craft paint to paint the cover. I figured it would be a lot easier to paint it then cover it with paper, because of the spirals.

This is after one coat. I had to apply 3 coats to cover up the black completely. I used a smaller brush to paint between the spirals.

Then paint a design on the cover! I used watercolors (except for that plus sign) and I really like the effect it gave. It's a lot different using watercolors on acrylic paint then on paper because they don't soak in, but they are still easily blendable.

On the inside use a pen and ruler to draw a calendar for each month. I use the calendar to write important dates like tests and projects.

I drew my calendar 3.5x7 inches. Each rectangle is 0.5x1 inch. I write small, so this is the perfect size for me but if you write large you might want to buy a bigger sketchbook for more room to draw a calendar.

Decorate the calendar however you want. I used washi tape and colorful pens like in the inspiration photo. You can also put envelopes on the blank sides to hold notes.

ps. That thing in the top right corner is my jar I use to hold washi tape, in case you were wondering what it was.

I use the rest of the pages to write down homework assignements, one page per week. Another great thing about this planner is that there is lots of doodle space for when you get bored in class (not that I ever do, of course).

Now I have to go get my things together for school tomorrow! I still need to figure out what I'm going to wear, and what I'm going to bring for lunch (I am not eating cafeteria food).