A Few of my Favorite Things

I'm back with a quick (or what I am hoping will be quick) blog post...this post will be (as the title suggests) all about my favorite things. I have picked 3 areas to talk about...

Planner Stamps

At first, I was just going to write about my new planner stamps...which I seem to have a lot of now. Most of them are from a wonderful online shop, Sweet Stamp Shop. Their planner stamps are very cute and very useful. I do say, planner stamps, because they also have a line of non-planner stamps. If you haven't checked them out I suggest you do, their website is www.sweetstampshop.com, they currently have a great sale going on so I suggest you take advantage but really the prices for their stamp sets are amazing regardless (but who doesn't like a sale, right). I have seen some super expensive sets out there and I just couldn't bring myself to pay that much for them. Thankfully I didn't and found this great company. I got each set for $7.95 and shipping was $3.00 (not bad at all)! They ship extremely fast, if they have the stamps in stock! I do have some photos of the sets I currently own, although I did just place an order this morning for 3 sets of stamps that were released today . 

The sets I currently own and are pictured are: 

Plan everyday, Plan Fitness, Plan to clean, Plan to eat, Plan to go, Plan Holidays

Another company that has a line of planner stamps is StudioL2E. I, actually, just bought my first Studio L2E stamp set, this company is raved about by many bloggers and after buying my first set, I can see why. The website is www.studiol2e.com and the stamp set that I bought was just too cute to be ignored and is called, Seasonal Plans Fall/Winter. I really hope there will be a spring and summer edition because I LOVE these! This set cost $11.95 and I don't exactly remember how much shipping was but I do want to say that it was about/around $3.00, these stamps do take a bit longer than the other shops to send out because she always has so many orders but I assure you that they are worth the wait!

Now for the final planner stamp set that I would like to talk about and this was the first stamp set that I bought when I got into planning. This stamp set, comes from an etsy shop, https://www.etsy.com/shop/bellacreationz4u these stamps have worked hard for me and are still my most used! I can not get through a week without these, because even if I do not have time to stamp in all the adorable pictures of my tasks or adorable check list icons, I do need lines to write on and a checklist to ensure that I can tick off the things that have been done. The price for this stamp set is $11.95 and I really don't remember how much shipping is. 

I will be very honest, I LOVE seeing how people go all out decorating their planners on the internet, but in total and complete honesty I don't always have the time to do so. I don't always get to use the cute planner stamps that aren't necessary to mark events or appointments in my planner. Of course, when I have some time, I go all out and stamp out the whole page! I will have an example of that later on in the post.

Stamp Ink

Depending on how long you have been reading this blog, you know that I, Rebecca, have been having a whole set of issues with ink on my stamps and planner pages. They bled through, coverage was bad, or they stained my clear stamps. Then I found Versa Magic Ink (Jo-Anns) and that issue has been solved. I still find that certain colors stain my stamps but not as badly as the other stamp pads I tried did. So if you're having issues with your ink and haven't given those a shot, I suggest you do. Go to JoAnn's and use a lovely coupon while you're at it. 

 

PenGems

Pengems...what can I say about Pengems! They are the best! If you follow us on instagram you know that I am constantly posting about these pens and always have one in my planner but that because I love them so much! I also thought I should mention that I have bought and paid for each and every one of my pengems and am not affiliated with them in any way. I have currently 6 colors of these amazing sparkling pens. They are ballpoint pens, but write so smoothly you almost wouldn't know it. They are available in 21 different colors so far (I do believe she has more colors releasing soon) yay.

Angel (Shop owner) is the sweetest person ever! You will never regret buying these gorgeous pens, I know that I am only at the beginning of my collection and I can not tell you how excited I get when those packages come in. So go ahead visit her shop, on top of getting amazing deals on pens she posts on her instagram, follow her @pengems, if you become a member of her newsletter you get a 10% off code to use whenever you place an order. Did I mention that she ships SUPER fast, like next day fast (most of the time) and its FREE shipping! It doesn't get any better than that and there really isn't anything that I could tell you to describe how much these pens glitter and sparkle and who doesn't like or need some sparkle in their life? 

Well that completes my post of my favorite things, hope you all enjoyed it and were inspired to try some of these vendors if you haven't already!

Thanks for stopping by!

-Rebecca

Decoration Post #1

Hello there! One last post for today! I just wanted to to post up a quick decoration post, Nov 2014. I will try to get these done more often.

This photo can be seen in the decorated pages gallery...

Page Information:

Inserts: These pages are from KiddyQualia (etsy) she is currently only opening on weekends due to her school schedule. 

Stickers: Leaf stickers (Sticko-Wal-mart), Gemstones (Studio G-Jo-ann's), Washi tape (No brand-Wal-mart).

Stamps: Bellacreationz (etsy)

Ink: Versa Magic (Gingerbread)

Extra notes:

I put glitter on the leaves, as they came without any. Although some had gold foiling on tips or leaf veins. 

I hope you enjoyed this decoration post! Thanks for stopping by 

-Rebecca

November 2014 Planner Challenge

Hi everyone! Just wanted to take a moment to write in the blog about our progress with the November 2014 Planner Challenge created by Instagram user @my_planner. 

As most of you are aware...there are 2 authors to this blog and honestly we have both tried many photo challenges and quite frankly tanked just as many times on these challenges. This month however, we have both been really good about it (maybe its our love of planners)! Linda has kept in time with ALL the challenges! YAY Linda! While I (Rebecca)...will admit that I fell behind 2 days BUT made them up and am currently up to date! Feel free to take a look at our challenge photos they should be updated on our Instagram gadget on this blog OR find us at @itsaplannerslife on instagram. Don't forget to add us! 

These challenges are a ton of up and everyone who participates are super nice. So if interested give it a shot! The dates and topics are up above! 

Thanks for stopping by!

-Rebecca

5 Month Update (Filofax)

I apologize, it has been quite a long time since I have come and written anything in this blog. It has now been (as the title suggests) 5 months with my A5 Filofax. Now, I have heard that a lot of Filofax users say that it is too big a size to be carted around on a daily basis. Maybe. it is because it is the perfect size I personally need but I find it to be perfect. Although, keep in mind that my purse currently weighs as much as my 5 year old (literally...it was weighed).

Now, to really start this off...it dawns on me that I never posted the photos of my Filofax or told the story of when I received it. So here goes...I ordered my A5 Raspberry Finsbury off  Amazon.com and I got a really good deal from Filofax themselves...the catch was that I had to wait up to 2 months to get my planner. I convinced myself that for half the regular price of a Finsbury, I could wait (I really couldn't) but thankfully a month and a few days later I got notice that my Filofax was shipping out. I was elated! I got the box about a week later and I made sure to clear out my schedule so I would have time with this beauty (down below). Unfortunately, as soon as I had opened the Amazon box, I could see that my Filofax box was damaged, I will not lie...my heart sank. My planner had not been damaged but as every Filofax user knows the next thing to check is the rings and there was definite ring damage. I was extremely upset, and while I had gotten a good deal, I had still paid a good amount of money and to have received a damaged Filofax. I decided to write a review on Amazon and got a few comments back about how other users had gotten damaged Filofaxes as well. Which is just unacceptable. So, if buying your planner online and lets be honest most of us have to, make sure that you have read the reviews. In my case, there were no reviews (which sucked for me) but I can say that my friend ordered her Filofax from Staples.com, received it in a very short time and there was absolutely NO ring damage.

My Amazon review is posted below...and I did end up keeping the Finsbury and turning to YouTube to find ways to try and fix the rings. It has worked a little bit as the gap is not so severe but I won't lie I do end up getting upset all over again when my pages stick. That is nothing to say about my actual planner though because I absolutely love the Finsbury...its been very good to me (more about that in another post).

Below is my review posted on Amazon:
I will start off by saying that this is a gorgeous planner and I did not take this purchase lightly. I did my research on all the Filofax collection to see which would suit me better and I was not mistaken. The color of this planner is absolutely gorgeous and the feel of the leather is amazing HOWEVER the condition that the box and planner came to me in is not as great, I'm afraid. The box was beat to hell and the flimsy plastic covering "protecting" the filofax looked chewed up. One of my rings is slightly damaged as all the papers seemed carelessly tossed in there and arrived stuck the damaged ring. The only reason I do not send this planner back is because I do not want to wait for another planner that may just be sent in the same condition. I won't be purchasing from this seller again.

These are the pictures of my Filofax, the day I received it...it was an excellent decision. I can't imagine my life without it.  Thanks for stopping by!

-R

Erin Condren Life Planner Update

Hey everybody, I’m back with a post about the things I’ve added to my Erin Condren life planner so far. I really like it and it has been very fun coming up with   things to add to it. Not only that but I love d.i.y. projects so I’m really enjoying it.  Now before I show you what I’ve done to my planner  I thought I should mention that I have been avidly watching tons of youtube videos and I have gotten a lot of my ideas from  creative people on there. That being said I did add my own style to these things and made them so they  would work better for me. I do recommend that you all watch youtube videos though because there are so many people with great ideas.

This first picture is of the planner band I made out of the pac man elastic I bought then I sewed a felt bow onto it.

This is one of the pockets I made out of cardstock and scrapbook paper and I clipped it in with a coil clip. I love the contrast of black and white with a bright color.

These are the first pages I started to decorate when I first got my planner.

The following picture shows my dashboard from front to back. I made it out of cardstock and cut out my name and the word today for the tab.  I made a tab on the top because I wanted to be able to see it when the planner is closed and easily flip to the current week. The square with the stars is my color key and I use it to color code tasks throughout the planner. I also use my dash to stick daily to-do lists and a bigger list for long term to-dos.

One of the most useful ideas I got from youtube was from a video where a lady showed an envelope that she could clip in and out of her planner. She used it to put coupons in and then clipped them into the week that they were valid. I thought that was genius because I am notorious for finding expired coupons  in the bottom of my purse. I made this small pocket to clip in and out of my planner just for coupons.

September is the month I go back to school and this is the decorating I have done so far.

This plastic sleeve is supposed to be for pictures but I liked it to put sticky notes in and I stuck them to some cardstock.

I use my back cover as a dash as well and put sticky flags and notes on it.

Thats all I've added so far stay tuned for more updates in the future. Thank you for checking out our blog.

-Linda

A5 Planner Page Decoration + Advice Needed, Please

First thing is first...how you do all like the new background and header? It was drawn by the fabulously talented, Linda! 

Okay, now on to my post... I have an A5 Aqua day-timer I have had it for about a  year now (maybe I should do a review on it, let me know below if that is something anyone is interested in). I've just started decorating the pages a few weeks ago and I wanted to show a couple of the designs I really liked and also ask for some advice from any of the readers (you will see why in a second).

This was actually my 2nd time decorating, my 1st weeks decoration turned out hideous, so I won't be posting that! As I am an avid scrapbook-er, I am finding it a little more difficult (than I thought) to transition from a 12"x12" page to a 5.5"x8.5" page, then add to the fact that I actually need usable writing space, it's been quite an experience. 

I accented the page with a red & white polka dot washi tape, it was bought at Micheal's Craft Store and it was only $1.00. Fun fact, it was the first washi tape I had ever bought. The star/Mickey stickers came from a Disney sticker pack that was also purchased at Michael's and I believe that one was $3.99, and the Pluto sticker however came from a 3-D puffy sticker pack I bought at Target (in the stationary dept) and that was $3.99 as well. Sorry, for the painted lines guys..I tried to keep them as straight as I could, can't share everything on the internet can we?

This my 4th week's decoration, it has a Sofia the First theme to it (she is also a Disney Princess). I found the Sofia washi tape at Jo Ann's Fabrics (it was on clearance $1.49). I also highlighted some of the lines with some glitter glue, just to add some glittery touches and the Sophia stickers came from Wal-mart at $1.97. 

Okay, now the part where I need some advice from you, the readers, if look right behind Tuesday you can see a huge and intrusive ink bleed from a stamp on the other side, I am not pleased by that at all but I would like to be able to use stamps in my designs. Can someone please suggest an ink pad that will not bleed through at all or as intrusively as that one I picked up? By the way, that ink pad was by Studio G, I had said in an earlier post that it did not bleed through as much and it didn't but as the days went by it kept getting darker and darker on the the other side of the page. It was wild, that being said, I will not be using that one again on this thin Day-timer paper. 

That finishes up this post, I did want to announce that we will be starting an Instagram page soon and will announce our username on this blog. Thanks for reading!!

-Rebecca <3

My First Erin Condren Life Planner

   Hey everybody, I mentioned in a previous post that I had ordered an Erin Condren life planner and was waiting for it to arrive. Well, I recently received it after some issues with shipping .  It came before the original estimated date of arrival but I’m one of those impatient people who wants their package the next day already. None of that matters though because it finally came and I like it a lot so far. Now, I’m not going to give a full review because I just got it so I haven’t really gotten any use out of it yet. I will, however, give my first impression and show you some pictures of what I ordered.

I have been watching un-boxing videos ever since before I even put in my order and I had an idea of what to expect. Still, I was anxious to see my cover because I designed one out of drawings I did and I was curious to see what it looked like.  

                            It came in a pretty box  and it was packaged very well.

 They included some cute gift labels  with my name on them.  I also ordered an extra cover because i just loved the bow ties. 

That is my custom cover and I am in love with it! I also ordered coil clips in order for me to add things to the planner. 

                                          This is the month on two pages.

                                          This is the week on two pages.

      The planner has lined notes and blank notes with pretty designs on the top.

            The following are the labels that were included at the back of the planner.

                This is he perpetual calendar and the folder in the back of the planner. 

   

                                 Some more gift labels and the clear pouch.

   Now for my thoughts on it: I love that its so bright and colorful and it just seems like it is going to be fun to use. I find the layout of the week on two pages interesting because the week starts on Monday and ends on Sunday (something I had never really seen before in a planner). I like that the weekend is together o the end because that’s how I think of the week anyway so it makes sense. The planner also has sections for morning day and night which I wasn’t sure if I would like since I don’t like planners with hourly timeslots on them. This is different though because it’s not as restrictive as an hourly layout. With the three sections that it has I can easily put my to-dos into one of those sections without having to set it at a specific time. This planner has plenty of space for notes and I liked that about it right away. I am always writing some type of note whether its for things to buy, things to do, people to call, or random things I need to remember to look into. Another thing I loved about this planner is that it has quotes sprinkled throughout and I really love quotes. Probably the biggest reason that I decided to get this planner was because of the customization. I was able to upload a picture of a drawing I made and write my name on it for my cover. I was the most excited about seeing how that turned out and I’m happy with the results.  The last thing I wanted to mention was that I made a mistake in the shipping info so I had to contact the customer service so it could get fixed. Customer service is very important to me and it determines whether I would continue to do business with a company or not. This company has amazing customer service and they seem to really want to help. I was impressed with that and will definitely be ordering from them again because besides the planner their site offers so many other  things that  you can customize.  Those are my thoughts on the life planner thanks for taking the time read this.

-Linda

1st Haul Post (because lets be honest ...there will be more)

Hey guys,  today I decided to post a haul that I’ve accumulated over a time span of about two weeks. Now I know I’m not the only one who has watched tons of youtube hauls for planner supplies, or am I? I’ll just tell myself there are others out there as obsessed as I am to make myself feel better.  After watching those hauls I have just been on the lookout for cute supplies and I found lots of things so I thought I’d show them in this post. I actually bought more but I have this thing about getting home and opening what I buy and putting it in its designated area so I will just show the things I kept nicely wrapped in their packaging. I also have no idea what some things cost but some have the price them. I will try to be better about that for next time now onto the haul.

The following things I purchased at Michaels on a couple different trips.

 I just had to buy these mini envelopes because they are so cute plus they were on sale from $4.99 to $1.12. Plus the smaller ones have different patterns and I know I will find some type of use for them.

The next items I bought at the target dollar spot. I love stationary on kraft paper I just think it looks cute and you can always add your own decorations to it.

I found these  self adhesive ribbons at joanns and thought they were really cute.

I made a trip to Daiso because they always seem to have really cute sticky flags.

These sticky notes are from sanrio I don't go there often because its not close by but I was in the area last week and got these.

I bought these at Barnes and noble I love comic type pop art so I was automatically drawn to these magnetic clips.

I was shopping at walgreens and I saw these paperclips and sticky notes. This back to school season is just feeding my shopping addiction.

I love pac man, it was always my favorite arcade game I also liked the racing games but I was so bad at them. I found this elastic on etsy and I bought it to make my own planner bands. I bought it from the PoshNPretty shop and  I received it  fairly quickly. I paid $2.85 for three yards of this 5/8 print fold over elastic plus shipping. 

I got these in the mail yesterday and I ordered them from the bellacreationz4u shop on etsy. They also arrived quickly and came nicely packaged with some bonus   notes and reinforcement stickers. I paid $11.95 plus shipping.

So that’s my haul thanks for checking it out.

-Linda