Create your own Cookbook...

I've been collecting recipes for years, most of which I've found online. Now with Pinterest and foodgawker, my collection has grown rather large. I would print them out and throw them in a folder and just pull them out when I needed them. But the more I used these recipes the more I spilled things on them or lost them all together. It was a disorganized mess. Anyone that knows me knows how much I hate being disorganized. I can be a bit OCD. ;) 

So like so many things, I got the idea off Pinterest. I'm a truly obsessed with that site. I decided to make my own cookbook. And you can too. 

Things you'll need

                                                               - 3 Ring binder

                                             - Sheet Protectors

                                             - Index Divders

                                             - Address Labels

 So I gathered all my recipes and created a template in Microsoft Word for the recipes. I wanted a uniformed look for my cookbook. The initial process of transferring all the recipes over to my template did take a while, however, now every time I find a new recipe I transfer it to my template and print it out. Not too big of a deal. If you don't care about uniformity you can skip this part entirely. It does add a nice touch though. :)  I'm having trouble uploading the template but when I figure it out I will update it so you can download it.

I bought a really cute 3 ring binder at target. I loved the drawing on it so I went for a whole "theme" for my cookbook. I googled the artists' name and found a bunch of images. Copied and pasted them on a word doc and created title pages for all the categories.

After organizing all the recipes in the appropriate categories, I placed them all in sheet protectors to prevent any spills, rips or tears and to keep all my hard work protected. I typed and printed the categories out on self adhesive address labels and stuck them on the tabs of the index dividers. Again, the uniformity thing. lol I put everything in the binder and noticed that the index dividers weren't wide enough to be seen past the recipes, and being the OCD that I am, that just wasn't going to work for me. The tabs HAD to stick out further right!?

I measured the length of the tab and made a tiny slit just big enough to slide the tab through the sheet protector. It worked perfectly. And now the title pages were protected as well.

I also included a weekly menu section where I keep all my weekly menus,  (I got this template from Simplify101 ) And a takeout section where I keep all the takeout menus for days I just don't feel like cooking. We all have those days!

It took me a few days to finish the book and I absolutely love it!! I hope this inspires you to create your own cookbook with your own touch of flare.