Tuesday's Tutorial #5

Ok, so it's not Tuesday anymore. Ugh! I still want to post this tutorial. This is continuing with the idea of using paper crafts around the home. This will work for office spaces too. In my quest to streamline my bill paying process, and make it prettier, I have come up with a bills organizer. I used a Tupperware container to hold it all. Each divider has a month of the year and there are paper clips with the days of the month. I will use the clips to remind me what dates upcoming bills are due. I figure as I pay the bill, mark the date paid and move it to the back . As they come around next year decide if I still need to keep them in a long term file or get rid of it. This could be used with index cards with birthdays/anniversaries written on them like a perpetual calendar. The container was too bright, but the perfect size for what I needed, so I colored it with alcohol inks from Ranger. So much fun!

Tutorial: Decorative Bills Organizer.

Ingredients:

• Container in a size that holds the papers you would like to sort/file.
• Cardstock-about six 12x12 pieces, your choice of color, I used 6 different colors from the extinct FFC Hostess Rewards Line.
• Scissors/paper trimmer.
• Pencil and eraser.
• Paper piercer and cork tile, corner rounder, bone folder (optional)
• Embellishments with numbers, scrap cardstock
• 31 large paper clips.
• CS glue
• Ruler
• Alcohol inks (optional)

Getting started: measure what size the inside of your container is to see what size to make your dividers. Consider if you want the dividers to stand up out of the container, or if you will need them to fit inside so you can put a lid on.

Mine are 10x6. I chose muter colors hoping it will help keep me calm while paying the bills, HA!





Trim your papers to the size you need and keep the scraps to use later for file tabs and paper clip tabs.








If you will be making your own tabs, here is a Mini Tutorial idea of how to make some. 1. Choose your size, I used 2x2 squares. 2. Score in the middle and fold in half. 3. Use a corner rounder on the corners of the crease.

Write, stamp , or adhere months of the year to the tabs. Apply to dividers with brads or glue.



I cheated and used my Cricut Fabulous Finds cartridge to cut my tabs out :) I ahdered them with brads, poking the holes first with my paper piercer. I did my writing with a Slick Writer in Denim.

I used my CS grid ruler to determine the placement of the tabs. Measure the width of the tab you are using and use a pencil to mark where you want them to go on the divider. Mine were 1 3/4" wide, so I marked 1 3/4" on the first card and then 1 3/4" from the first mark but on the next card. You can make them over lap by making the measurements smaller than the size of the tabs. If you dont want to mess with the numbers, just use the tab to measure the spacing ;)
Write months on the tabs before adhering them with glue or brads.



I wanted to use numbered paper clips to mark due dates of upcoming bills. I used number stickers from CS Jr. Kits and sandwiched the paper clip between the sticker and a scrap of cardstock. Make sure you attach them to the end of the clip that only has one loop. You could also use printed number cut out and glue to the cardstock.


This is the container after I applied the inks. I used the felt applicator, inks in Latte, Lettuce, and Caramel. They did not show up well so I went over that with Denim, Rasin and Butterscotch. I blotted them with the blending solution. Last I applied Wild Plum in a cicle in the middle of the pad and stamped it on top. In person it looks like impressionist flowers. I am very pleased with the toned down color.


As always I welcome your comments and links to posts of your edition of the tutorials. I would love to post you works here if you would like to share them.