Get With The Plan

***Edited to add: The 2010 version of the planner is available here. The 2009 version of the planner is available here.

Don't you just love something that's free? I do, and I also love planners. There's something about all those orderly pages designed for specific purposes that makes me feel organized, whether I am or not. So I was thrilled when the January issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine contained an article titled "The Perfect Planner" and included free downloads for some pages created by Jessica Sprague. A two-fer...planners and free. You can find the free CK downloads here.

The colors and artwork just called my name, and I knew I wanted to do something with them. But the downloads were designed for a standard 5-1/2" x 8-1/2" planner and I don't have such a planner. I do, however, have a Bind-It-All that has become one of my favorite new toys. I can create my own planner! And since I had so much fun doing mine, I want to share it all with you.

I covered both sides of two pieces of chipboard for the front and back covers, using papers from KI Memories (blue), Collage Press (flowered) and Cloud9 Design (green). Then I printed out multiples of the CK downloaded pages and with a little creative play, I modified some of Jessica's designs to create an inside cover and some calendar pages to match.

I cut an opening in the front so most of the design on the inside cover would show through but you could skip this step if you like. And the second page is a calendar of the entire year, although the months are quite small in order to make them all fit. These two pages print out together. Click this link to get the inside cover and yearly calendar page:  Download cover2.zip

Each month has a short quote about happiness, everyday life or creative inspiration. These will also print out two months per page. Click on these links to get the sets of monthly calendar pages:

Download Jan-Feb.zip
Download Mar-Apr.zip
Download May-June.zip
Download July-Aug.zip
Download Sept-Oct.zip
Download Nov-Dec.zip

   

Since I'm being so organized about this, I also created a separate page for reminders, notes or just a place to jot down information so it would all be in one spot. Like the others, this prints two per page. Click on this clink to get the "Remember" page:     Download Remember.zip

Each monthly section in my book has the calendar sheet, the "Remember" sheet, and the "To Do" and "Must Make Pages" sheets from the CK download. The "Page Planner" and "Shopping List" sheets from the CK download have their own sections in my planner. I made page dividers from cardstock and created tabs like these:

These are all .pdf files in zipped format so you'll need to upzip the files after downloading them and have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer to view them. A free version of the Acrobat Reader is available here. When you print the pages, have the "Page Scaling" set to "None" and check the box next to "Auto-Rotate and Center." You should then be able to cut down the center of your printed sheets and bind them all together. If you don't have a Bind-It-All, this would be the perfect excuse for you to get one, or you can punch holes and use some ring binders.

I'm not the talented computer guru that Jessica is and I've never tried anything quite like this before, but the downloads and printing all worked as expected in our test runs. If you have any problems with them, please just e-mail me using the link under my photo or let me know in the comments. We'll see if we can figure out where the problem is. It's my hair-brained idea so I'll be the one coming up with a solution. Well, me and my own personal computer guru (a/k/a Wayne).

It seems like every issue of CK has some great downloads, and if the original idea doesn't do it for you, try thinking of how you can use the concept in a way that will, like I did with these planner pages. Have a little fun with this...make one for yourself or to give to a friend. Nothing feels better than getting ready for the clean start of a new year, especially when it's all free. Enjoy!

Comments

[Heather_C]

This has definitely inspired me. I asked Santa for the Bind It All for Christmas. Glad to see another way that it is used. The planner is just adorable. Thanks for the inspiration.

[Stephanie D.]

What a beautiful planner, thanks for the download! I also love your emphera idea with the BIA, I have now finally found a solution that will work for me.

[Leslie Miller]

How inspiring and beautiful. I'd love to makeone, but alas I know that my intentions and reality rarely meet. I'll just enjoy the beauty of yours and imagine how organized you'll be. Of coure, you're organization personified, so it won't be hard! Love ya!

[Kelli Caslow]

Thank you so much for taking this project one step further! I have a great planner that just needed 2008 refills but i didn't want to purchase any...lol. Thank you for posting these downloads!

[Lanita]

Thank you so much Brenda! I had downloaded the planner pages but never thought to make my own. I love what you have done. Thanks for the inspiration.

[MaryRuth Francks]

Hi Brenda!

Thanks so much for the fabulous downloads!! I'm so excited to put together a planner!!

And I have a Bind it All on its way from the North Pole just for me!!

I don't know if you remember me or not but I've traveled on CK's events team for the last four years and have gotten to work with you a couple of times at the conventions... most of the time I was running around making sure all the volunteers were in the right spot.

Anyway I just wanted to say it was fun to work with you and I appreciate your talent and kind spirit.

Have a wonderful Christmas!!

[MaryRuth Francks]

Hi Brenda!

Thanks so much for the fabulous downloads!! I'm so excited to put together a planner!!

And I have a Bind it all on its way from the North Pole just for me!!

I don't know if you remember me or not but I've traveled on CK's events team for the last four years and have gotten to work with you a couple of times at the conventions... most of the time I was running around making sure all the volunteers were in the right spot.

Anyway I just wanted to say it was fun to work with you and I appreciate your talent and kind spirit.

Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!!

[Betsy]

Thank you. I do have the Bind It All and this will be perfect.

[Kathy Montgomery]

THANK YOU for offering these downloads, Brenda! And a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you!

[Sylvia]

This is awesome!!! Thanks so much for sharing!!!

[Margaret C]

Thank you!

[nath51]

mille mercis pour le téléchargement ainsi que les explications

nathalie
FRANCE

[Chris M]

This is wonderful--love the colors!! Any help trying to print out the cover and title page would be great.

[Monica]

Wow! I think its great that you took it one step further and made it complete!!!! I will definitely be making one and maybe some for friends. I'm going to Kinko's tomorrow to get copies made since I dont own a color printer. Muchas Gracias!

[Monica]

Question: what size chipboard did you use? was it 5 1/2 by 8 1/2, just like the pages???

[Alisa]

Thanks for the inspiration, Brenda! I am making this planner for my friend's birthday next week. But I might just have to make one for myself, too. Thanks again and have a happy new year.

[Jan]

Hi,
I'm from Australia & I love the planner. I've downloaded your month pages with no problems, but when I've taken the link to the CK site, the 'must-make pages' etc download into Adobe in a different size and I can't seem to re-size them! Please help!
Thanks!

[Nancy]

This is great! Thanks for sharing! I'd like to take it one step further and make a page for each week of the year, but I can't seem to edit any of these. Any ideas how to do that?

[Denise]

Brenda: Thank you SO MUCH for the calendars! Now if I could just tweak the "Shopping List" to say "Stash List" since I'm on a stash diet in 2008, in order to save $ for my trip to Creative Escape in September :D I guess the old "cross it out and write what you want" will have to do ;)

[Tiffany R]

Brenda- Thank you so much for doing this. What a wonderful lady you are! Now I hope to get organized in the New Year. Thanks so much!

[Angie]

My daughter is going to be a maid in a carnival ball next year and I wanted to do a year leading up to that with the announcement, buying her dress etc and this is just perfect! Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful creation!

[leann]

this is fantastic - thanks for sharing your brilliance!!!

[melissa]

thank you so much for letting anyone come to your blog and print out a few things melissa

[Ramie]

Thanks so much! This is fantastic! I hope to get one "built" for my mom for her bday in Feb!

[Nerissa]

Thanks so much for the downloads. I got your blog info from the CK website. I'm such a planner person, but don't really plan for my art. I really should to take advantage of free time - I'm not sure I really know what that is sometimes :)

Take care
Nerissa