Craftacular World: DIY Arc Binder goodness

I am so in love with the new ARC by Staples Customizable notebook system!!

I've been a loyal Franklin covey user, but it's just time for a change!

I've been swooning over the circa binders for awhile but I couldn't really justify spending that much money and making my own would be crazy expensive!

The punch was out of line and that

meant that making the mushroom shaped holes would be impossible!

But there I was at work when I saw the most beautiful thing EVA!!!!

it was the arc display so I picked up this beauty!

I'm not excited about the whole vinyl or leather cover, just because the designs were black and white and the leather ones were just solid colors. I need more selection!

( Really I just needed something with bigger discs!)

So I picked up the essentials for any amazing notebook!

I bought the punch, tabs and 1.5" discs.

Like I said I'm not a huge fan of the cover, while thinking it over in the isle with my husband on my day off he suggested just making a cover,

GENIUS!

But not only make a cover, but out of a place mat!

OMG MY HUBBY IS AMAZING!

When we went to target to pick up the essentials I picked up this perfect place mat!

I traced the covers on the placemat with a pencil...

You can see here my awesome lines......

Make sure that you position the holes on the right side for the front in back or you will cut one upside down..... Not saying I did but it was a close call!

I had some placemat design still left over and I can't very well just throw it away!!

So I made a page finder thingie, Yes I'm sure thats the technical name!

I was worried that the large punch would confuse me when trying to cut the junior size but heck it had a cute little sliding guide for junior and desk size (or whatever they want to call letter and half of letter)

Its really hard to get a picture of it but it just slides easily for each size which is a bonus because for F.C. you have to buy the separate punches for each size!

Which really gets me rilled up!

After you are done playing with the awesome handle of the punch,

its a lever so all you have to do is push down!

Goodbye wrist pain!

Theres also a cute lil drawer for the punch confetti that slides out and you can trash it that way!

no more fighting with those flimsy tray things and getting dots everywhere!

I'm pretty dang proud of my new notebook!

I will be buying about two more packages of tabs though, there just weren't enough!

I also might use my label maker to make the labels look better too!

This is my page finder thingie, it is so perfect!

And my planner pages work wonderfully in my new note book.

For next year I will be doing some new weekly planner pages, but making them!

I adore digital scrapbooking so I'm sure I will be using that route!

Thank goodness I work at the Staples copy and print center where I can design and print all of those great planner pages! The discount is really going to save me some pennies and it looks so much better than my little ink jet printer!