Thrifty Filofaxing… A New Series- Themed Flyleaf

Being a Filofax addict aficionado can get reeeeeeeaaaalllly spendy.

There are so many interesting, fun, pretty and unique things to use. There are infinite amounts of stickers, paper, washi tapes, pens, pages, inserts, decor, and random printables you can buy. But for those of us who have had to rein in their spending a bit (ahem, me) there is a need for other options to change up the cuteness factor and make fun for ourselves in ways that don’t necessarily cost much… or anything at all!

So that’s what this new series of posts is: next week I’m planning a whole slew of posts under this topic with lots of fun ideas for things that shouldn’t cost you much- hopefully, they won’t cost you anything! So here we go… 🙂

Using what you have on hand is the key for creating new things. I have a special affection for all things seasonal. I love holidays: I love that they have a theme and that I can change my decor (home and office) around the current season or holiday. I enjoy something that reminds me to enjoy each “season” to the fullest.

So last month I enjoyed my “Fourth of July” themed clear fly-leaf page. I did a design earlier that I made to match my Yellow Finsbury Personal (Sunny!) so I used that for a template, since it’s working so well for my planning. Here is a photo:

I love this scrapbook paper (I have it in my post-it holder and around a pen cup in my office!). I have loads of paper sitting in it’s cozy spot in my office. And then I thought, “Hey, what’s to stop me from creating all kinds of these guys to change out and enjoy in my filofax?”

Nothing. 🙂

So I got to work… lots of pictures to follow! I chose paper and some stickers, just like I do for my to-do lists. Cardstock works best for this, since it holds a little firmer than regular paper:

First I traced the template onto the red paper, cut it out and sliced out the “middle” part, and came up with this shape:

Next, using the middle piece of paper left over, I flipped the solid piece over and using my Elmer’s Glue Dot Runner started to affix the leftover paper to the back side. I then used my penknife to trace exactly to the edge:

I continued placing the paper, and then cutting off the excess until the entire back side was covered:

*Note: You can also just flip over the piece of paper and affix another piece on the other side, and trim off the excess! I just did it the above way to save on waste. But it’s not so bad to have cute squares of paper left over… we’ll thing of something. 🙂

The next step is my “laminate” solution- I use clear packing tape! Most of us have this on hand, it doesn’t cost extra, and it’s almost as durable as actually laminating something. But it’s FREE!

I trimmed off the excess laminate, leaving a small edge so the paper stays within the sticky, protective part:

(you can see there are a few bubbles- this may happen, but unless you are really picky it’s not even noticeable when you have it in your planner.)

Then to punch holes:

Add your decoration (I do this on the outside of the plastic, in case I ever want to change the red into something else someday. That way you don’t have to make a whole new one. I also like that the sticker sort of “floats” on my page ’cause it’s over the clear part.):

And you are done!

Side by side:

I also made a new Dashboard page to match- I love this set and hope it inspires you to create your own! Make one to match your new Filofax/planner, make one for a holiday, a season, or just because you found some amazing paper and/or stickers that you love and want to be inspired by daily!

Hoping you all had a happy Fourth of July!

Happy Organzing.

OperaGirl