Leah O’Neil's Blog Posts

02.20.18

Hello again creatives! Leah here today showing you how to make your own pocket folder insert for your traveler's notebook. If you are anything like me, you can't have enough pockets in your planner. Not only can you decorate the pockets of your planners and traveler's notebooks to make them pretty, but they can be very functional by holding some of your favorite supplies. I've filled up the pockets of my Cream Blossom TN, so I decided to make a pocket insert that will allow me to carry more journaling cards and stickers for on-the-go planning and creating.

I created this pocket insert using the Romance collection. I love the beautiful, romantic elements of this collection and I always intended to use it long after Valentine's Day. The soft colors and florals provide  the perfect transition from winter to spring in your planner decor.

I used another notebook insert from my TN as a template to cut my pocket folder insert to the right size. No matter what size TN you use, you can always use one of your other inserts as a guide to cut to the appropriate size. I used a sheet of vellum to add pockets to the outside of the insert. I kept it simple with the décor, simply adding a little washi tape and a floral that I fussy cut from the 12x12 patterned paper titled “My Whole Heart.”

The back of the folder insert just has a little washi tape to dress it up. The washi tape also reinforces the top of the vellum pockets so that they are less likely to tear when you take supplies in and out of the pockets.

I love the idea of adding pockets to the front, back, and inside of the insert. I can fit so much in here!

I also added a little pom pom ribbon to the edges of the insert for a fun little detail to peek out of the sides of my traveler's notebook.

Check out the full tutorial below. The written instructions will be in the description box of the video over on my YouTube channel.

https://youtu.be/kSWCijkqq88

If you have any questions, please ask below or on any of my social media channels. For more creative inspiration for your planners and traveler's notebooks, head over to the Carpe Diem Planners Instagram account. Happy crafting friends!

Supplies
01.30.18

Hello again creatives! Leah here with you on the blog today. It's a new year, which means it's time for a new planner setup that better serves my goals for 2018. I am using this planner, along with a traveler's notebook, as my two main planning and memory-keeping systems. I began my new setup in my A5 cream blossom Carpe Diem planner by giving the front of my planner a fresh makeover using the new “I Am” collection. This collection is full of butterflies and blossoming florals, which symbolize new life, new beginnings, and growth. All of the motivational and confidence-boosting sentiments in this collection are great for reminding you to keep faith in yourself as you take on your goals for the new year.

This year, I have a goal to engage in more art therapy. I loved mixed media so much and I haven't been taking out my art supplies often enough. My creative soul has really been feeling the weight of not prioritizing that creative time. For this reason, I created a mixed media dashboard for the front of my planner that is full of color! Every time I see this dashboard, I am reminded of how much fun I had creating it, which motivates me to get my supplies out. I used lots of texture on this dashboard with watercolor, glitter, chipboard stickers, doilies and lots of layering. I love stapling on butterflies so that the wings lift off the page. This phrases I used here are some of my favorites from the collection that I find most inspiring.

In my pockets, I also added lots of texture with similar elements as listed above, but I even got my sewing machine out. I love how sewing on paper can add such a handmade, personalized touch to embellishments.

 

I always love incorporating photos into my planner pockets, so I printed these tiny photos out and made them into a simple banner. This is one of my favorite pocket pieces I made and it was so easy to create! I used my sewing machine to sew through the banner, but I used to hand stitch elements like this before I finally figured out how to thread my machine.

For more creative inspiration using this beautiful collection, stay tuned on the Simple Stories and Carpe Diem Planners Instagram accounts!

Supplies
12.18.17

Hello creatives! Welcome back to the Simple Stories blog. Leah here and I can't wait to show you how my December Daily traveler's notebook album is coming along! You can follow along with my progress over on my Instagram where I've been posting layouts regularly, and/or you can stay tuned to my YouTube channel where I plan to share a week of pages at a time when I reach those milestones. Today, I'd like to show you day five since it was such an eventful day. I ended up dedicating four pages to the stories.

I love using my paper scraps to add fun elements like pockets to my pages. I cut a tag out of a 6x8 paper (from the Very Merry paper pad) and journaled the story of “Queen Olivia” on the back. Tucking the tag into the pocket gave this page a fun interactive feature.

I got to spend the rest of the day with the Queen, a.k.a. my niece Olivia, which is why I have so many stories to tell for day five. These photos were from lunch – what a goofball she is. Four years old with a personality quadruple the size of her body. Never a dull moment with this silly elf around!

 

If you'd like to see a walk-through of the entire first week of my December Daily, check out the video below.

https://youtu.be/WseuweoAHEc

Completing a full week in my December Daily is a big accomplishment for me. This is the third year I've tried starting this project, but this is the first time I've gotten this far. Turns out the traveler's notebook format is a game changer for me. My TN insert is already bursting at the seams with holiday cheer!

As usual, this month is flying by, but I hope your December has been going well and that you've had some time for a little festive fun. Happy holidays friends!

Supplies

Pages