My week #30

I love the quote "Be a flamingo in a flock of pigeons" so when I saw these flamingo stamps in Lorabailora's summer 2015 collection along with the matching washi tape I was instantly drawn to them!  I ordered a few rolls of different washis from her including the selfie tape I used last week and a couple more you will be seeing soon.  They are really fun!   

My week #30

I hadn't really thought about colouring in my stamps before.  I joined a planner stamping group on Facebook a few weeks ago and saw other people doing it so I gave it a go this week and I like it.  It has given me a few ideas for my other stamps I haven't used in a while.  

Close up

Close up

I am such a big flamingo fan that this is one of my favourite necklaces from Jubly Umph, I like being able to match my jewellery to my planner pages and feeling coordinated.  It doesn't happen often!

Matching my jewellery to my pages

Products used this week:

Webster's Pages Colour Crush Planner in white

Webster's Pages week on two page inserts

Lorabailora washi tape - Flamingos

Lorabailora summer 2015 clear stamps

Annie's Paper Boutique Check It Off Planner Stamp Set

Annie's Paper Boutique At Home Planner Stamp Set

Annie's Paper Boutique School Days Planner Stamp Set

Annie's Paper Boutique Trendy Page Dots circle reinforcements

Memento Dew Drop Ink in rose bud

Kawaii Studios planner charm

Bic 2 Colours limited edition pen

Have a great week!

How I plan using monthly inserts - a washi and decoration free post

Today I thought I would give you a peek at what goes on behind the washi tape in my planner.  I love decorating my weekly pages and having fun with them but the real reason I use a planner is to keep me organised.  That means I have to write everything down, I used to be able to keep track of things in my head but now we are a family of five there is just too much for me to remember!     

Planning in pencil

At the moment I am using the month on two pages inserts that came with my Webster's Colour Crush Planner.   As you can see I have already started filling in August, I like to plan ahead!  

I always use a pencil on the monthly inserts, these pages are my first stage of planning so things can end up being moved around or cancelled.  Nothing moves onto my weekly pages before I have scheduled it on these ones.

How next month is shaping up

When I start a new month the first things I write down are:

• Birthdays
• Direct debits and bills due
• Work hours

These are the most important things I have to remember, I then make a note of any:

• Appointments
• Deadlines and reminders 
• School functions
• Rubbish and recycling collections

I also use some of the undated boxes for either little notes or so I can see some of the previous month while I am looking at the current one.  For my August pages I added the 29th to the 31st July because my husband will be working those days and I wanted to see what that week looked liked without having to flip through between the two months.

There is a section on the right hand side of the monthly inserts which is for your Quick Lists.  I use this space to note down things I need to do at some point during the month.  My list for August is mainly about the school uniforms and supplies I need to buy before September and I have also written down the sizes I need.  

So that is how I use my monthly pages, I plan, I scribble, I rub out and rearrange until it all fits together and then I transfer it over to my weekly pages and add a splash of colour.   

Do you use monthly inserts too or plan week to week?

My week #29

I decided to do something a little different to my usual style this week.  I spotted this selfie washi tape in a shop on Etsy called Lorabailora and thought it was really fun.  It also went well with a set of social media stamps I had brought a little while ago so I combined them for this theme.

My week #29

I love Instagram so I have been trying to get back into the habit of posting more often on there.  That was one of the reasons I brought the stamps with an Instagram style camera, I have been using it to remind me to share my photos and take more pictures.  I'm not back to a photo a day yet but I am on my way towards it.

Close up

Close up

My pages might look busy and a bit hard to read now they are completed but they were actually very clear and simple before I doodled in my blog stats.  I don't usually add the numbers until the evening or following morning so it was still easy for me to see my to dos and reminders for the rest of the week as I filled them in. 
 

Clear and easy to read

Products used this week:

Webster's Pages Colour Crush Planner in white

Filofax Week On Two Pages Diary

Lorabailora washi tape

Annie's Paper Boutique Check It Off Planner Stamp Set

Annie's Paper Boutique At Home Planner Stamp Set

Annie's Paper Boutique School Days Planner Stamp Set

Annie's Paper Boutique Trendy Page Dots circle reinforcements

Memento Dew Drop Ink in tuxedo black

Lawn Fawn #awesome Stamp Set

KawaiiStudios planner charm

Zebra Z Grip Smooth in black

Uni-Ball Pin pen

How was your week?

My week #28

I wanted a really fun and sunny theme for this week as it was so close to the summer holidays.  I used a bright yellow ink and made some bunting to match this sweet pink and yellow paper clip from my July Brimbles Box .   

My week #28

I love how happy all the yellow makes me but I found that when I went to check my diary before bed I couldn't read anything I had written or stamped in it!  In future I will have to save the yellow ink for decorative stamps and not my planner ones.  I really need to be able to see what I have to do and remember easily. The main reason I use a planner is to keep me organised and checking what I have listed for the next day is part of my routine that helps me stay on track.

Close up

Close up

Did you see my Nu Notebook post this week?  I had some fun personalising a Era Pop Journal they sent me and adding a little storage pocket to it.  

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

Nu Notebook hack - adding a pocket to your notebook

As I have mentioned before I love notebooks so when Nuco contacted me about their new website and blog I jumped at the chance to work with them.  They sent me this gorgeous pink Nu Era pop notebook so I could share with you my little hack for adding a pocket to a notebook to keep your bits and pieces safe.

Nu Notebook - Era pop journal

I usually use notebooks this size to plan projects but I like to add a pocket to hold receipts and scraps of paper so they won't fall out or get lost in my bag.

Here is how I do it:

Pretty polka dot envelope

Step one: Find a pretty envelope and seal it.

Make your mark

Step two: Decide how big you want your pocket to be.  Draw a line to mark where you need to cut off the excess.

Draw a semicircle

Step three: To make it easier to remove the things you put in the pocket, use something round to draw a semicircle in the open end of the envelope and cut the shape out.

The finished pocket

Step four: Glue the pocket into your notebook.  I also glued a project life card onto the front of mine to make it look cute.

The pocket in use

If you can't find a nice envelope then you could use a plain white one and decorate it with washi tape or stickers. You could even make your own with some scrapbook paper, there are lots of tutorials on Pinterest to help you out.

Nuco's new website will be launching near the end of the month so I will let you know when it is live if you want to pop over and take a look.

Do you have a favourite notebook hack or any hints and tips? I would love to know!

Planner Friday - July

My latest post for Planner Friday is now up over on Twine it up with Trendy Twine.

Hi!  I'm Amanda from She's Eclectic and I am here for another Planner Friday, where I share with you how I decorate my planner pages to help keep me organised.

I find the best way to keep on top of everything I need to do and remember is to check my planner throughout the day and having fun pages means I am more likely to open it up and take a peek.

Supplies used this week: Trendy Page Dots Circle Reinforcements

School Days Planner Stamp Set

At Home Planner Stamp Set

Check It Off Planner Stamp Set

Foodies Planner Stamp Set

Washi Tape

Dandelion Memento Ink

To Do Journalling Tag

I decided to do something different with my layout this week, I used the lined Check It Off stamp for a change.  I have seen a lot of people use this one in their Erin Condren planners and I liked how it looked.  It is very handy for people like me who end up writing on a slant if they use unlined paper!

You can read the rest of my post here.

Thanks for stopping by!

My week #27

I brought these stickers from Paperchase nearly two years ago and I have hoarded them ever since as I thought they were too cute to use.  I decided to break them out this week as it was my wedding anniversary (a special occasion) and my husband was born in London so it made sense to finally use some of them.

My week #27

Apart from my anniversary, the biggest thing to happen this week was a surprise email I received from a company I love asking me to get involved with their new project.  It's all a bit hush, hush at the moment but I am very excited!  I can't wait to tell you about it some time soon.  

Close up

Close up

What was the highlight of your week?

Brimbles Box - July '15

I received another parcel of fun and surprises today, yes it is the latest Brimbles Box!  The lovely Anna sent me the July box to review for you and I have to say I think I like it even more than the box I purchased back in April....  and I loved that one!  

The theme for the July box is summer and as soon as I opened it up I was greeted by this gorgeous ice cream cones postcard and sky blue tissue paper.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!

Underneath the postcard the tissue paper is held together with a little ice lolly sticker.  Of course I removed this carefully so I could reuse it later on.

Such a fun little touch

I was really excited when I saw all the goodies hidden inside.  It always feels like I am opening a present when I receive one of these boxes as I have no idea what is going to be in it.

Look, look!  It's all so pretty!

As usual there is a message on the back of the postcard which tells you a little about the theme of the box.  It arrived on the perfect day as we are in the middle of a heatwave, I have been fantasising about walking along the beach and feeling the sand between my toes just like Anna!    

Personal message from Anna

Ok, so onto the products I received!  I came across the beach hut notebook first and loved the design so I was really happy to find the matching shopping list pad inside the box too.  There was also a couple of rolls of skinny, silver washi tape which I can't wait to use.

Beach hut shopping list pad, matching notebook
& silver washi tapes

There was a little chocolate ice cream charm and these amazing rocket lolly sticky notes.  We still buy rocket lollies so it's fun to have a set of them in my stationery supplies!

Ice lolly charm & rocket lolly sticky notes

I got a roll of stickers with lots of different designs on it, these are going to be very handy.  There was also a set of paper clips which are super, super cute!  They are made by Hey Charlie who is a fellow planner and stationery blogger and this set is just perfect for the summer theme.

Sweet roll of stickers, the postcard & adorable paperclips

Anna is well know for her original artwork dashboards and I got this zesty lemon one for my Filofax.  It screams summer and makes me think of cool glasses of traditional lemonade in big pitchers full of ice.

When life gives you lemons.... put them
in your lemon coloured Filofax!

I kind of feel sad that I'm not off on my hols any time soon, this box has put me in the mood for some fun in the sun!

All of my fab Brimbles Box products

If you have spotted anything you NEED to have you can find some of these items in the Mrs Brimbles shop or there are still a few of the July boxes available if you want it all!

You can choose between personal or A5 size planner boxes or if you just want stationery and don't use a ringed planner you can select a stationery only box.  Individual boxes are £18 each plus postage or you can subscribe and pay £15 per box plus postage.  There is no minimum term for a subscription so you can cancel at any time if you choose to. 

Which is your favourite item from this box?

* Disclaimer - this item was given to me free of charge for the purpose of this review.  I was not paid to write this post and as always all opinions are honest and my own.