Organizing Christmas

After Christmas last year, I started thinking about creating a Christmas Organizer for 2010.  I knew I wanted pockets that would fit a half sheet 8 1/2 x 11 paper (5 1/2" x 8 1/2"), something with a bit of substance, and a place to store receipts & such as well.  So during the summer I sat down and came up with this organizer.  I used a file folder for the base of the cover, chipboard to reinforce the spine, and cardstock for the pockets.  When I put the pockets together I made openings both vertical & horizontal.  I printed PDF documents I created on half sheets of paper for the horizontal pockets, and for the vertical pockets I circle punched half-way in to create notches for the receipts.  I created 14 pockets:  Calendars, Time Management, Christmas Card Lists, Family Gift List & More, Menus/Parties, Events, Holiday Baking/Recipes, Shopping Lists/To Do Lists, Thank Yous, & Traditions/Memories/Photos.  Though you could add more/less depending on your needs.  The closure is made of grungeboard with Tim Holtz Hardware Findings Sizzix die, which I painted white & added a snowflake brad.  I secured it to the back of the book with eyelets, and to the front cover with velcro!  The flourish on the cover was also cut from grungeboard, Tim Holtz Elegant Flourishes die.  I used my Cricut Heritage cartride to cut "Organized Christmas" and the Ice Skater was cut from the Winter Woodland cart.  I bought a bunch of winter cardstock from Walmart a few years ago, so I thought I'd put it to good use on this book...gave it a very wintery look.  Added some CTMH stamping with Distress Ink, and bits of white paint, glitter, and more before finishing with some great ribbon out of my ribbon cashe which gave it that extra pop.

This isn't quite the purse size (approx. 9.5 x 6.5), but it's a great gift-giving size for those OCD organizers out there (and we all know who we are). ha ha... I LOVE that it holds half size paper--have I said that already?? I made my own insert pages for each pocket, but there are loads of free printables online. If you love organization stuff like I do, you'll love Organized Home's website (I have the link on my sidebar also)! And if you want some of those free printables I was talking about for Christmas...put 'Christmas' in their search site. You're gonna love it!

Thanks for stopping by and hanging out a bit.  Comments welcomed!

Lisa