Yes, it's a ...

... notebook. I think. After a fashion. Well, it had to satisfy lot of criteria, if it was going to be suitable for this September's Learn Something New Every Day class. Across the blogosphere, I see I am not the only one tussling with how to structure theirs. Mine needs to be something which ...

• is simple to do: template ready and waiting
• satisfies the eye design-wise
• accommodates micro-learning, compact journalling and one photo or illustration or drawing a day
• fits into my spiral-bound This Is 2011 album (everything is going into one place this year)
• does not take up thirty pages of space - I don't have room

"That's a tall order!" Himself remarked, looking over my shoulder. Actually, it's not so much tall, as, er-r-, wide. Here's what I've come up with:

• A4 landscape, divided horizontally into three shallow oblong tags per page, with room for a photo, journalling and the day/date far right on each one. This still allows for variation.
• Successive pages are each wider (longer?) by the depth of the day/date tab. This makes it interesting to touch and move through.
• The tags are two-sided, so day 4 is on the back of day 1, day 5 behind day 2, and so on: thirty days' worth on six pages. This keeps it slim.
• There'll be a cover front and back to mark it off as a notebook-inside-an-album. This means it has its own identity, yet is part of the whole.

I'll print onto Innova's double-sided digital fine art photo paper (archival quality, acid- and lignan-free), suitable for high quality photos and text - so no separate printing or sticking down of photos, which should make it both time-saving and bulk-reducing. Is Innova new to you? You might like a peek here at my fold-out brochure. At just under £1 per sheet (that's approximately 1.6 USD and 1.5 AUD), and printable on both sides,  it compares favourably with the cost of scrapbooking card plus photo-paper for me. It's also a whole lot simpler, which is a bonus in my (note)book!

And thank-you to all of you who left a comment on my last post - it was wonderfully nostalgic to read your memories and experiences of covering, decorating and doodling on exercise-books and jotters in our collective youth. If you are participating in LSNED, how are your preparations going?

Me? As the class is about to begin and Teacher calls for order, I'm just going to reach quietly for that piece of brown paper ...

Comments

[Amy]

I am always impressed by how you manage to think way beyond the convention when it comes to setting up these sorts of projects Alexa! I think this will be a fantastic project and I am really looking forward to seeing the finished product!

[Melissa]

Great template Alexa. I really like how you made the pages longer so it will be fun & easy to flip through. I'm simply going to use the LSNED prompts as inspiration this month along with the LOAD prompts - whatever inspires me the most that day will be used for my LOAD layout.

[Jennie Hart]

Great idea Alexa. As it is my first year I have made a stand-alone book, but I can see myself starting to keep a whole year in one place in future years.

[Alexa]

This sounds like a great cross-fertilization, Melissa! I am admiring of your ability to produce a layout a day ...

[Alexa]

I find there's nothing like constricted circumstances (time, space) to jump-start ideas - the simpler, the better. :)

[Alexa]

It's a bit of an experiment, Jen, and I'm keeping an eye on the advantages and disadvantages. Looking forward to seeing your stand-alone book and hope you enjoy your first year of LSNED!

[helena]

Love this idea - I can imagine it being useful for several projects

[Gez]

Great idea. It will look wonderful to look back on the following year.. last year I only managed to write one sentence a day in a journal then decorated around the pages..wasn't quite what I had planned but I treasure those pages now SO anything you manage is always worth while.. is that a lesson learned there! You will find they pop up all other the place!

Enjoy the class.. Have a great day. Gez.xx

[Paul B]

Looks good so far - proof is in the pudding I guess like i found with the New52 project - I set it up one way then realised it needed to be tweaked once I started filling sheets in - however i didn't give it any forethought as you have with this - so maybe there's a lesson for me right there already lol.

[Linda]

I love your notebook within an album idea! I am doing a 2011 album in a AC D ring album, now I am insoired to add more bits in! Good luck with LSNED!

[Amanda]

Well you can tell Himself that you've cracked it Alexa - just brilliant!

[Karen W]

Another brilliant design, Alexa, and useful for many projects, I imagine.

[Alison McInnes]

Love this idea Alexa..looking forward to seeing how it progresses!
Alison xx

[Sian]

Trust you to come up with such an elegant solution Alexa.

[Cheri]

you always come up with such creative solutions... and this will make the rest of the process so simple!

[Miriam]

Just beautiful & practical!
I am making and printing my pages onto 5x7 photo paper. ('cause I have a packet on my shelf!) I will decide at the end how to put it together. I found some notebook paper (thanks), made a template, photo(s) on one half of the page, text on the other, I should be able to do one every day! ha ha we shall see. I am pleased with day one though.

[Marcie]

Brilliant design and layout. Love all of the possibilities this offers!

[scrapchick]

Very cool how you are making it work for you! I can't wait to see it filled in.

[Juliann]

What a lovely design. I have had fun browsing around your blog here - lots of new ideas floating in my head now.

[Alexa]

Thank-you for visiting! and glad you've found things to spark off ideas and possible new projects. :)

[Jacky S]

Both practical and elegant....not to mention space saving.....good luck with it.

[Ginger]

Hi Alexa! I see you are up to your usual creative self :) This design looks fresh and simple. I am doing quite well so far with the prompts and did not want to plan too much as I don't like getting too bored by limiting paper choices etc and I am not worried about my book being all matchy :)