My Happy "Bill" Planner

 I thought that I would share with you today my Happy Planner turned Bill Planner.  I bought last years Happy Planner on sale at my local craft store.  It has 18 months, and included 2016.  Perfect for what I wanted.  I just made a few adjustments...and here they are.

 On the back of the right side of the monthly calendar is the start of the weekly pages.  I don't need them for my bill planner, so I thought about what to do with this page.  I decided to make a notes page.

 I took a note page and adhered it to the back of the calendar.

 And taa daa, a note page and the weekly page covered up.  This gives me space to write any notes about the bills that I need to write.  I also might use them in the future to keep track of expenses, and maybe eventually write up an official budget.

 The first thing I do is circle our paydays in red on the calendar.  It helps me with keeping track of which bills get paid on which paydays.  When I get the bills in the mail, I write who I owe, and the amount owed on the date that it's due.  Then as I do my weekly bills, I know who to pay, and when.  Once I pay the bill, I cross it off, write the date paid, and how I paid it (bill pay, check written, etc.).  It's a super simple system, but it really works for me.

 I still keep track of my expenses, checks, debit card purchases, etc., on paper.  I quit using a check book register, and use a ledger book instead.  It gives me a quick visual of stuff, and also allows me to double check things to make sure I get all my finances right.  I know, I probably don't need to do this, with all of the online help with our banks these days, but I can't seem to break this habit.  Do any of you still keep paper logs of your finances?

 My ledger and my bill planner.

 I put a pocket in my bill planner.  I the first pocket I put the bills that I have received and written on the calendar, all clipped in my giant red paper clip.  I love it when I have NOTHING in the clip.  It's a good feeling to not have bills hanging out, waiting to be paid.  Unfortunately I don't have an empty clip too often...haha!

In the second pocket I put another things I need to save for the time being.  I keep some notes here, and a couple of the tabbed skinny pages in case I need to make special notes during the month.

That's about it for the bill planner.  Next week I'll show you yet another way I use Happy Planners for keeping my life straight.

Until then, stay crafty and organized, my friends!

A New Planner Layout for my Happy Planner

Hello, everyone!  

I know that I said I wasn't going to do any planner page decoration posts (otherwise known as the "my week" style posts), but I didn't say I wasn't going to show new additions or remodels of my planner!

Well, here it is.  I decided to try a new layout, again.  I don't know what inspired me to redo my layout that I usually use, but I decided to try another way to layout my week.

I am trying to get all of the information on one sheet.  I am trying to use a cleaning schedule and my task list is a must.  I came up with a two page layout.  I am also trying to use a version of the vertical layout.  I placed my days on top, one week on two pages.  I am adding a place to write the hours I work (the days I work don't change, but the hours can), and I also want to keep track/plan meals.  

On the next page I have a place for the weekly chores (my version of the Zone Cleaning schedule idea), and I made a spot for some quick blog planning.

If you want to see my old layout...please check out this post.

I started using my new layout this week.  So far I love that the work hours, meals, and appointments on specific days are in one spot.  Before, they were in different places...not very efficient.  I also found that most of the time in my old layout, I didn't use the huge spaces that I created for my days off, so the newer and smaller spaces seem to work.

I am not sure that I love the blog space, since I am working on a new blog/craft project notebook that you will be seeing soon.  I also need to revamp the chore space, as I don't have enough room.  For some reason I also decided to change the task layout, matching the vertical type layout, and it is confusing me.  HAHAHA!

I think that I will use it for another week, and maybe make some changes.  If I do, I will surely let you know.

I love the Happy Planner so much that I have made a bunch of books with them.  I am planning a series of posts about what I have done, and how I am trying to organize my life with them.

Until next time, stay crafty and organized my friends!!!

Cantilever Sewing Box, Part 2

 After I put the boxes together, shown in the previous post, I took it all apart, then I reinforced the levers with another piece of cardboard (making them double thick), and covered them with kraft paper.  I also changed the color of the brads that I used.  I think the gold matches the papers better.

 I also changed the knobs to ones I felt more suited the project.

 This is one side opened, you can see how big the drawers are!  I covered the inside of the box with some kraft paper to cover the brads, but that is all of the papering I did on the inside of the boxes.

 The handles were not to my liking, so I edged them with more papers.  Then I stuck the whole thing together and attached it to the foam core base.

 This is the finished project.  I added feet to it to make it more pretty.

 I love how it came out.

 It will be so fun to fill with fun stuff.  I just have to figure out what to put in it!

It's awesome, and a fun project to make.  Below is a list of things I used to make it.

Papers:  DCWV and Recollections Kraft Cardstock
Knobs:  Tim Holtz
Feet:  Graphic 45
Adhesive:  Score Tape (Yup, just loads of Score Tape...I love that stuff!)
Miscellaneous:  Brads, screws (for the feet), a drill to make the holes, paper piercer, rulers, etc.

Stay crafty, my friends!

My Attempt at a Cantilever Sewing Box

I have been wanting to make one of these for years.  I am finally going to try.  I have been saving boxes for a while, and I think they will be perfect for this project.  Below you see my sketch (not very detailed) and my paper attempt at figuring it out. 

 I've used these boxes in a variety of projects, now I'm going to use a bunch more!

 Here you see the two stacks of three boxes.  I put the whole thing together and put knobs on it to see if the whole contraption will actually work.

 It does!

 Fully opened, this is what it will look like.  I left the lid on the top box, now to figure out how I am going to close it.

 These pieces were the "guts" of the inside of the boxes, that held the device all nice and safe inside.  I think they will make perfect handles.  So...

 I covered them with craft paper...

...and this is what these turned out to be like.  OK...Now I have to figure out how to do a base and put it all together.

 I bought a thick piece of foam core board, and then I covered one side with kraft paper.  I will attach the boxes and handle to this.  This will put a nice base under the boxes and give stability without a lot of weight.

OK, that is part one...now to finish it and see how it works!

Stay crafty, my friends!!!