making my planner pretty

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

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I got into the habit of using a planner in Junior High when we got one for free, and I've kept one every year since then. I usually buy them to correspond with the school year, but this time I decided to go for a new one in January.

While I was shopping around I stumbled upon Ninj and Ninj on Etsy, and fell head over heals for their cheeky planners (especially this one and this one), but I needed something a bit more work-friendly, and a bit less expensive. So I decided to try to make my own.


I started with my favorite kind of planner, a (plastic) spiral bound one with a plastic cover. I found mine at Dollar General this time, but I've also found them at Wal-Mart.

I used P80 sand paper to take off the writing on the front, and to prep the surface for painting. The planner already had a rough texture, so the scratches left by the sanding weren't that noticeable. 

Then I sat down and sketched out a bunch of ideas for the cover. When I got one I was happy with, I redrew it onto the cover (though I could have used carbon paper to transfer it). 

I used gold leaf paint to fill in the letters with gold, trying not to make mistakes, and failing, of course. But any mess ups could be erased with a sharp exacto blade.


I used acrylics next, repeating the same process as the gold leaf. 

After letting the planner sit for a few days, I used spray enamel to seal everything. I think I put on about 5 coats, because I was really worried about how the paint would hold up after I tossed it into my bag. It's been a month now, though, and the writing still hasn't scratched off, so I'd call this a win!


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So around here...

Monday, February 3, 2014

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This week my car died, my internet was nonexistent for 4 days, and  while all that was going down I lost my phone.

I was a little stressed.

But now I have a pretty new phone (but I lost all my pictures), and my internet runs muuuuuuch faster (turns out squirrels were using the wires as snacks). And pretty soon I'll be getting my real car back. So the word of the week is bittersweet.

And now my groove is all off. Actually, my groove has been off this whole year. Weird groovy year.
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