DIY 2014 Planner

I love planning. I love lists. I love crafting. I love Project Life. I love good deals. I have always used planners. Then I upgraded to a really fantastic Moleskin planner. Then I got an iPhone and fell in love with the calendar feature and out went my beloved planners. Since I always have my phone on me it became the best planner I had! Then....the upgrade happened. IOS 4 ruined my life. Ok, that's a little dramatic. But, it totally ruined my the very special relationship I had with my calendar app. So, with that out the window and the new year rolling around, I deciding I wanted to try something new. When I looked around my office/house/phone/life I realized I had about 8 different lists/calendars hanging around and realized that I had more than half of my plans/ideas/reminders on sticky notes because I wouldn't ever have the right list with me at the time that I needed the right list. So I began looking for solutions.....I found Caylee's printable, versatile planner. I thought about it for a while. I mulled over what I could do with these pages. How I could make them work and what I would put them in. I bought a 6x8 Sn@p album for $4 on clearance at Hobby Lobby a few weeks back and just had it sitting around. I realized that I had everything I needed to make an awesome, Project Life-esk planner. (Note: this was before PL came out with their planner version, but I still like mine better due to the versatility).So, I purchased Caylee's Simple Planner and gathered my favorite art supplies. Paint, stamps, watercolors, washi tape, thickers. Then I gathered up some Project Life cards and my favorite photos from the year. I painted the front cover white and stamped it with 2014, I was inspired by Elsie's December Daily album cover. In the back I attached an envelope for holding random receipts and things that I made from a traceable template and a piece of scrapbook paper.I created my title page with a photo, a PL card from The Midnight Edition, Sunshine Edition and some Thickers.Then, I created multiple sections. First is my normal monthly calendar. This I printed on scrapbook cardstock since I knew it would get used a ton and trimmed it down to size. I printed most of the pages on normal computer paper. Lightweight and affordable.Other sections include general notes for planning events, meal planning, finances, daily tasks and to do lists, blog content calendar, and my Project Life planner pages. There is a section in the back for random things like a birthday calendar (so I don't forget), passwords (so I don't forget), and so on. These are the pages that Ive included in my planner, but do not be fooled. The package has 100s of different planner pages, from goal setting to cleaning to workouts. Caylee has thought of everything. I have used so many different pages already for different events. We have a cleaning schedule on the fridge and the to do lists are scattered all throughout my house for different things.Like I do with most projects I started out with high hopes of painting and decorating EVERY. SINGLE. PAGE. There are a lot of pages...so most ended up blank or with some washi tape. But I really love it, the calmness  of the pages helps my anxiety when I look at my overwhelming to do list. And I love my friends faces on each page and the adorable cards give enough color and design that pages don't need much more. If you are looking for something more 'pre-made' or colorful, Caylee has some BEAUTIFUL ones all ready to go for you!So far, I'm really loving this system of having everything in one place and having the ability to take pages in and out without having to tear them or lose them forever. As new needs arise, I will add new pages. As in if I run out of meal planning pages, ill just print more. Or if there is something new I need that I don't have, Pinterest is such a fantastic resource for finding free printable planning sheets to supplement. This project has so much flexibility its amazing! The only downsize is the size. The book is pretty large, so I tend to leave it home more than I take it out since I don't carry a purse. That is something I'm working through and trying to get better about.How are you staying organized this 2014? Id love to hear your suggestions!