Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Inspiration Binders & a Free Printable!

As I flip through magazines - and I say flip, because I don't even remember the last time that I sat down and actually read everything inside of a magazine - I find myself ripping out pages, so I can reference later products I liked, crafty ideas, helpful tips, etc. 

The piles don't always look this neat.

What happens is I end up with piles of magazine pages floating around my house, never to be looked at again, just being moved from room to room, until I finally give in and toss them.


Today, I finally decided to organize all the papers. So, I gathered up a few binders, and got to sorting. Man, had I accumulated a lot of magazine pages. Every where I turned I found another pile. I definitely had to do some editing...and I still ended up with four binders!


Since I only used binders we had available in the house, I ended up with one that is black and doesn't have the pockets on the outside to holder the cover page. No worries though...I just used my handy dandy laminator to protect that paper, and taped it on the binder. 


The above picture is from my 'Home Inspiration' binder. It contains paint colors I like, room ideas, organization ideas, DIY decor inspiration, etc. 

After each binder was organized, I started messing around with Photoshop, and created a cover page for each of my binders. I'm such a beginner, so don't hate on my graphics. I downloaded the trial recently; although it has taken me awhile to figure it out, I am slowly starting to love it. 


Do you want a binder cover too? Well you're in luck, because I managed to figure out how to save it and get it onto the blog. And thanks to Classy Clutter {awesome blog, go check it out}, I have discovered a very easy way for you to customize the page using picnik


Right click on the above image (or control + click for macs) and select 'Save Image As.' Save it to an easily accessible location...like your desktop. 


After you have saved the image to your computer, mosey on over to picnik (sign up for free if you don't have an account), and upload the image to the site. 


Once the image is uploaded, click on the 'Edit' tab, then click on 'Text' (it is directly under the word 'Library').


Add your text to the box (which says "Type here and click ADD to place text"), choose a font, and hit ADD. You can change the font after the word is placed if you don't like it. Adjust the color and size of the word by using the 'Text Properties' box that pops up on the right side. 


When you are finished, click the 'Save & Share' tab, and save the image to your computer. 

I used white card stock (on sale right now at JoAnn Fabric & Craft Stores, 50 pk. for $1.99).

Happy Organizing!

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