Friday: DIY Up-cycled Cereal Box --> Darling Daily Planner

I have needed a new daily planner for some time, but was a bit too, well, cheap to buy the kind I liked- so I decided to use an empty cereal box to make my own! Here's how to do your own, step by step.

Step 1

MATERIALS NEEDED
*Empty cereal box
*Printed planner pages (50-100)
*1 striped sheet and 1 polka dot sheet of paper
*Clear masking tape
*Letter stickers
*Needle and thread
*Scissors

Step 2

Step 1
Choose the size of your planner-to-be by printing off the inside pages- include whatever information you think is pertinent (date, times, goals, etc.) I chose to keep my simple, with just a few goals, then a general blank space to put whatever I needed for the day. Once you have them printed off (or, hand-write them if you prefer), cut them all to the same size of sheet

Step 2

Step 3A

Using your needle and thread, sew together 10 pages together at a time (I did 5 packs of 10 each)

Step 3B

Step 3

Carefully take your cereal box apart and then, using the section that has just a small lip of cardboard bent up, trace around one of your bundles of paper. Make this outline 1/2 inch or so larger than your sewed bundle of papers. Repeat this step so that you have two identical sized pieces of cardboard.

Step 4B

Step 4

Step 4A

Slide these two pieces of cardboard together to form the cover of your planner. Place a piece of clear masking tape on the top and bottom of the center piece, just enough to make it hold it together.

Step 5

Step 5A

Step 5B

Once the cover has been secured, secure the paper that you chose for the inside of your book (I chose this turquoise polka-dot) with a few small pieces of tape. Once it is secured, use the masking tape in strips to completely cover the paper
Step 6
Next, in the same way that you covered the inside of the cover with paper, cover the outside of the cover. Overlap slightly on the inside of the cover to make it look almost like a dust jacket.

Step 7 (almost done!)

Step 7A

Once your cover is finished, use a needle and thread to sew the pages into your book. Tie a knot at the end of the thread and thread it through the top of the cover, right in the middle. Next, thread the needle through each booklet of papers, one at a time, then back through the top of the cover. Repeat this by going around it twice to hold your book together strongly. Next, repeat this step for the bottom of the cover so that your book is secured strongly. (You may want to add an extra piece of masking tape to cover the exposed piece of thread on the outside). Lastly, use your stickers to name your planner. Mine was simply 'Emily's'.

Step 7B

YAY! You did it! And what's extra nice is that once you have used up all the papers on the inside, you simply need to cut the thread that holds the pages in and re-thread in some new ones. Way to up-cycle! I hope the extra-illustrated instructions helped!

Step 7C

Need to upcycle even more? How about upcycling some empy paper towel rolls into a Disposable Flower Vase, a DIY Wall Hanging or a 3D Dragonfly!