inspiration binders.

i’m a big believer in the binder. the binder doesn’t have to be frilly or expensive or time consuming to become your new best friend. i simply stock up on the 2″ black, 3 ring binders found at my local office supply store. i fill them up with ordinary plastic page protectors and insert my favorite articles, recipes, party ideas and household tips. this not only keeps my favorite magazine ideas separated and organized, but these binders become my one of a kind, inspirational go to books when i find myself in a slump and in serious need of a good idea. but wait, there’s more…

when life gets a li’l more complicated and hands you a big event (a wedding, a move across town, a first pregnancy, etc.) you’ll need to be prepared and organized to help it all go over smoothly. you need a binder to keep the collection of paperwork that inevitably piles up. and believe me, it piles and piles. therefore create yourself a pocketed go to binder. it’s super easy to create and will save you tons of time. get yourself a handy dandy 3-ring binder and toss in a cute piece of scrapbook paper coordinating to the big event for the cover. you can go all out with buttons and bows, if you want to impress your friends. since mine are usually for my eyes only, i streamline and stick with the basics. just be sure to include the pockets dividers, available at any office supply store.


now you’ll have a perfect pocketed place for all the paperwork from your doctor and baby class information. i tuck in articles i’ve found online, a list of power pregnancy foods, book reviews, ultra sound photos, along with extra thank you notes too. another thing that has worked wonders for me is this, hopefully it’ll help you too. whenever a shower is kindly thrown in your honor, print off the guest list of addresses, 3-hole punch it and stick in your binder. once you come home from the perfect party, you’ll be toting your gifts and the official gift-giver list (usually documented by the hostess while you unwrap your presents). once at home, you can immediately place the official gift-giver list inside your binder. voila! now you have both the list of gifts and addresses for your thank you notes. stick some stamps in there and your binder is a one stop shop. plus, once your babe is born, you’ll have the lists all in one place for addressing your darling baby announcements! thanks so much for this guest blogging op, petit elefant! i love hanging ’round here and feeling the happy goodness.

xo.
marta

Allison

Hello there! I'm Allison Czarnecki, founder + editor of Petit Elefant, a blog all about style on a budget for every part of your life: style / home / travel / family. I do a lot of how-to beauty + style tutorials, travel posts, easy recipes, home remodel projects, and cool DIY crafts you totally want to try. I'm super happily married (to a hot Polish immigrant) and am the mother of two kids, a daughter and son, all of whom are featured here on the regular. We live in the country but we're a little bit rock + roll. Welcome!