Recipe Binder Re-do with Photocopied Fabric

This is a little embarassing...

I've been keeping a secret buried deep within the depths of my kitchen pantry.

My former recipe binder. See for yourself.

{hanging head in shame.}

{wince.}

Complete with rings that didn't close all the way and pages that were shoved in haphazardly.

The best part: I left the binder a little too close to the hot stove while cooking one day and melted all the plastic sheet protectors, rendering them useless.

The best-er part: I don't even remember when this happened. It was THAT long ago, friends.

{nervous laugh}

But those days are all behind me now.

I have seen the error of my ways.

My dividers are organized alphabetically:

1. Appetizers and Snacks
2. Beverages
3. Breads
4. Cleaning Products (I sometimes like to make my own.)
5. Desserts--subdivided by: cakes, cookies and bars, misc. and pies
6. Main Courses--subdivided by: beef, chicken and turkey, fish and seafood, pork and vegetarian
7. Salads
8. Sides
9. Soups

And I was able to get a little creative. I need that.

For the cover, I photocopied a few of my favorite fabrics, then pieced the papers together and slid them right under the plastic on my binder.

Some people advocate typing up all of your recipes so you eliminate any small recipe cards.

That certainly is nice and tidy, and I really almost did that.

But I just couldn't part with the beautiful, handwritten recipes that my mother, grandmother or dear friends have given me through the years.  They're like memories.

So I kept them and used 4x6 photo protector pages to keep them nice and safe. Perfect!

*********

I would love to hear about your favorite recipe from a special person. 

Linked to: Fingerprints on the Fridge, Finding Fabulous, Tatertots and Jello, Under the Table and Dreaming, Craft-O-Maniac