DIY: Summer Diary/Planner

The front cover of my planner

The back

And so, it has begun.


I think that the very idea of having a summer holiday is very romantic. The thought of summer conjures up images of the free-spirit, youth, islands surrounded by clear blue water, sun-kissed skin and unforgettable memories. 


But sometimes the mind fails and it forgets things. I wish I could sing the song by ABBA while I reminisce about my last summer, but sadly, I can vaguely recall it. 


So, this year, I am trying something different. I spent the entire day making this scrapbook/summer planner/diary thing from the junk on my shelves. As a self-confessed hoarder, I often find myself having too many travel brochures, free postcards and magazines lying around. So once in a while, I make something like a scrap-notebook or card. It's my way of recycling. 


Materials:

Steps:
1. Cut the scraps of paper and cover the pages of the magazine with empty spaces for your writings/doodles/whatever.


2. Get some other unwanted magazine, cut some more pretty pictures up and paste them around the pages. You can be creative here and try to use different medias as well. I used some cartoon tapes on some of the pages. Here are some examples:

3. Make an eye-catching cover. Do a collage of pictures of random models if you are tired by the time you reach the last page, just like me. For a great finish, stick contact sheet on the cover page and the back page. FYI, I think contact sheet is the most amazing that I discovered in Sydney. It's this sticky clear plastic that you stick to the covers of paperback books to prevent those doggone dog ears from forming. Damn, you can even spill coffee all over the cover.


4. Start writing in your diary/planner using your coloured markers. It's a diary/planner because I will be writing about the things I plan to do and the things I managed to achieve in the same book. You can fill the book with whatever details you want.


The huge top picture of my cover is actually a photo of Hamilton island that I found in a magazine. The words "Summer '10" are something that I wrote in permanent marker. 


I think I will be posting the scanned pages of what I have written in the book. :)