2011 Christmas Planner

Every year around this time I think about participating in one of the many Christmas scrapbooking "events" that go on all over the internet.  But I find the idea of scrapping a page every day of December really overwhelming, to be honest.  I already have four million things to do and although scrapping is a great stress reliever it sort of stops being fun if it's just one more thing to add to your to-do list.

So this year I came up with an all-in-one mini album that combines a planner AND a place to put important memories and photos.  I like the idea that I can use the organizational section up until the big day and those lists will become a neat record of the past all on their own.  But I can also use the other sections after Christmas when I add highlight photos, reflections on the holidays, and even our family card.

I used the fabulous Echo Park Season's Greetings collection for this, with Cinch book boards and my Bind-It-All. 

The 6” x 8” outer Cinch boards are covered in cardstock and embellished in a way to avoid getting punched in the binding. 

All inner pages are cut to 5.75" x 7.75" and the organizational pages are all printed free from this site.

The planner is divided into three sections: planning, details, and memories.  The planning section includes a monthly calendar page, lists for card giving, to-do, and gifting, and a receipt pocket.  The details section has space for photos of some of the parts of the holidays that make it festive and your own like the baking you do, the crafts you make, and your family’s decorations.  The memories section rounds out the year with more photo mats, a spot for your family card, and places to journal about what happened this year. 

You can read my full tutorial at A Cherry On Top if you want to know dimensions, full details, and see the rest of the pages.

And while you’re at it you should totally link up your “Holiday Madness” creations at Paper Issues!  There is already a staggering amount of awesomeness over there!!

Happy planning!