This year I wanted a festive, creative way to stay organised on the run up to Christmas, usually I would use pages in my day to day notebook, but that leads to lost lists and flicking back & forth to find what you have already planned (ain’t nobody got time for that)
I could have made do with an ordinary, cheap, A5 notebook, but how would I distinguish it from the multitude of other notebooks in my house – so I decided to turn a plain notepad into a beautiful Christmas notebook!
It’s a simple, affordable DIY that I have personalised for gift lists, meal planning, decorating ideas and more… and you can do it too!
You really don’t need much for this short craft and you probably don’t even need a tutorial to figure it out, after all, everyone had to cover their text books in school…didn’t they?
But – I am gonna show you anyway!
Here’s what you will need
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A plain notebook
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Christmas ribbon or wrapping paper
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Double-sided tape or glue
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Scissors
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Optional: washi tape, stamps, stickers, or tags for decorating
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Pens or markers (I am using Gel Pens – because they were in easy reach)
Step 1 – Transform the Cover
I used some Christmas ribbon for this step, using the kind with wire in the edges made it very easy to fold the ends over to the inside of the cover.
I figured out that 3 lengths would cover the front of my pad, but that they would overlap. I decided I didn’t want to attempt a dead straight cut along the ribbon so I crossed my fingers that an overlap would look good – luckily I think it does!
Of course using a pad without ring binding might have made for a better finish and using wrapping paper will get you and exact fit, but that would have been simple wouldn’t it? And any way I really like the texture of the hessian ribbon that I used. You can learn a lesson from my experience either way!
I used double sided sticky tape to keep the ribbon in place you could use glue but then you will need to factor in drying time, a glue stick could work if you are using wrapping paper but I don’t think it will be much cop if you are using a heavier weight material to cover the book.
I found that where I hadn’t been very precise with my ribbon cutting, the inside front cover looked a little messy so I cut out a plain piece of paper to the correct size and stuck it over the inside making sure to cover the ribbon edges.
There that wasn’t hard was it!
Step 2. Create your Christmas planning sections
To make sure that your Christmas notebook is super useful you will need to spend a bit of time deciding what sections you need and how much space they might take up within the book. Of course you can always add more as you go along, but a bit of thinking time is definitely worth while. You might say that you are planning your planner!!
When you have decided on your sections fill in the headings. at the start of my Christmas notebook I have put a in calendar of dates from November to January, so that I can fill in events and key dates like Christmas markets, nativities and shopping days as and when they come up..
Suggestions for other sections:
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Gift Lists – who, what, price, bought/wrapped?
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Meal Planning – recipes, ingredients, shopping list
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Decor Ideas – colour schemes, DIY projects, room inspiration
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Itineraries – for days out
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Budgets – no one wants to be brassic come January
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Packing Lists – if you are spending time away
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Craft Projects – if you are making gifts
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Guest lists – for party invites
Step 3 – Add some personal touches
You can use stickers, stamps, drawings, washi tape and old gift tags to make your notepad more YOU.
I have used tags as page markers so that I can easily find each section in my planner.
The beauty of this DIY is that it can be as simple or detailed as you like — a festive way to blend creativity and organisation!
I found that spending time personalising a planner specifically for the holiday season has made me feel so Christmassy, calm and super ready for what is to come – because I know I will want to use it.
I hope that you enjoy taking a bit of time out to create your own Christmas notebook – why don’t you share your creations on instagram and don’t forget to tag me @coull_designs
