Coming full circle - my 500th post & back in an A5 ringed planner

I can't believe this is my 500th blog post!  To mark the occasion I thought it would be a good time to reflect back a little and show you my brand new planner!

A5 Kikki K

Back in 2013 I brought a pink A5 Apex Filofax to help me get organised and as soon as I started using it I loved it.  I felt like I was finally on top of things again and it really helped me feel like I had some control over my life.  

My first ringed planner

I enjoyed using the Apex for quite a while before I decided to move onto a personal size planner which I liked because it was more portable and would fit easily in my bag without weighing it down too much. 

Over the last five and half years I have tried lots of different sizes and types of planners which I have written about and shared with you (you can check out my collection here if you like) but recently I have let my planning slip.  

Our new pup!

We have added a new puppy to our family and I have had less and less time to get my planner, supplies and stamps out so I have been relying on the calendar and notebook on my phone instead.  I know, it's shocking!  

Anyway, an email dropped into my inbox from Kikki K a few weeks ago showing off their newest planner collection called Sweet and I was smitten!  I couldn't justify spending money on another planner so I just lusted from a far and that was that..... until I got a second email some time later advertising a special offer, spend £60 and get 30% off.  It's my birthday next month and it was a really good deal so I thought I'd buy my present early (don't tell me off, I'm usually quite good!).  I added the A5 planner to my cart and some matching stickers, post its, magnetic page markers and a pen and got my discount and free shipping!  Here it is!

A5 Sweet Kikki K planner

Before I checked out I noticed that this design also came in personal size but I thought A5 would work better for me right now.  I'll be doing a lot of planning with this balanced on my knees or on my lap and I wanted the extra room to work with.  I don't take a bag out with me very often at the moment either so I wasn't bothered about the size and weight as I won't be carrying this one around.  Let me show you the inside....

Card slots, notepad, larger sections & zipped pocket

Every day is a little ray of sunshine- Monthly divider

I love all of the dividers, the illustrations are so cute!

Some pretty stickers to get you started

Undated monthly pages - 18 months

Collect moments - Weekly divider

Weekly pages

To Do divider

To do pages

The next four divider tabs were left blank so you can label them yourself, either with the stickers provided or using a pen.  I chose Journaling, Inspiration, To Action and Goals for mine.

Personalise your dividers again & again

Journaling

Plain paper to work with

Inspiration - I love this quote!

To Action - making plans!

Goals - write them down and make them real

There's a gorgeous notepad inside the back cover too

Everything looks so adorable!

Back cover

I can't wait to get started planning properly again!  I think to begin with I'll just be using my pen and a few stickers for my everyday plans and then break out my stamps and ink for Planner Friday posts until I either have more time or I just feel the need to use them every week.  

Oh and here's to the next 500 posts, thank you for being here with me!

Amanda

Planner Friday - December

How are we at the end of 2017 already?  My last Planner Friday post of the year is now up on the Trendy Twine blog, please stop by and say hi!

Oh my gosh!  I can't believe how quickly December has flown by!  I have been trying to squeeze every last drop of festive fun out of the month and I still feel like it has passed me by!  

Planning my week - before the ink

Products used:  Paper clips

Christmas tree paper pocket

Hello Christmas Trendy Page Dots

Washi Tape

For my last Planner Friday post of the year I want to show you how I have decorated this weeks spread.  I have a lot of things I still need to do before the big day so I thought making the pages pretty would help me keep calm and not panic too much!

I used washi tape at the top and bottom of my pages and then matched that with some lovely Christmas Trendy Page Dot reinforcements.  As well as looking nice and colourful the Trendy Page Dots protect my pages from tearing if I am leafing through them too quickly.  I think everyone who uses a ringed planner knows the pain of ripping a page so these are fantastic!

Products used: Check It Off planner stamps

At Home planner stamps

More At Home planner stamps

School Days planner stamps

This Is December Christmas stamps

Merry & Bright Christmas stamps

Let It Snow Christmas stamps

I love using APB's Christmas stamps in my planner, there are so many different quotes to choose from it is easy to find something that fits perfectly!  I have also been using them to embellish my Christmas card envelopes and gift tags this year so they are practical as well as fun. 

For my to do lists and reminders I used the Check It Off, At Home and More At Home sets and as it is the last week of school I have quite a few events to attend so the School Days set covered those for me.  Seeing so many notes and tasks in my planner usually makes me feel stressed but all the decoration just makes me smile and even more determined to get everything finished so I can enjoy the holiday!

You can read the rest of my post here.

Thanks for stopping by!

My favourites - 2015

A few days ago I read a post by Janet from This Bug's Life about some of her favourite products from 2015 and I felt inspired to create my own list to share with you.

Favourite pen

I have been using my Sheaffer VFM since 2014 but it is still my favourite ballpoint pen.  I tend to use lots of different coloured pens on my diary pages but the VFM is the one I keep in my pen loop and I use it all the time.  I love that it matches the interior of my planner perfectly but it also writes so smoothly and is very comfortable to hold.

My favourite pen for 2015 - Sheaffer VFM in ultra mint

Favourite planner/binder

At the start of 2015 my favourite planner was my fluoro pink Original Filofax, I stayed in it for about 5 or 6 months which is the longest I have used one binder since I started this blog.  However since I received my custom Van der Spek planner it has stolen my heart!  Getting to design my own binder and deciding on the colours and leathers meant I now own the perfect planner for me and I have not been interested in any others since I moved into it.  Plus having large 30mm rings is amazing, I can fit everything I need to in here!

My favourite planner for 2015 - Van der Spek 30mm custom
organiser

2nd place

2nd place - fluoro pink Original Filofax

My favourite planner stamps

Before I started using stamps in my planner I hated trying to draw the check boxes for my to do lists.  They were always a bit wonky and never matched each other which would drive me mad!  Thankfully I was given these Check It Off stamps which have a whole range of different check boxes and shapes to choose from and now I have lovely, uniform boxes for my lists! 

Favourite planner stamps - Annie's Paper Boutique Check
It Off stamp set

My favourite notebook

I have a weakness for notebooks but my favourite for 2015 was this pink Nu Notebook.  I love the colour and the matching elastic closure and page marker ribbon.  The paper inside is also great quality, it's nice and smooth and handles all my pens well.

My favourite notebook - Nu Era Pop

Do you have a stand out favourite product from 2015?  I'd love to know!

Thanks for stopping by!

Mrs Brimbles photo challenge - week one

It has been ages since I have taken part in a photo challenge so when I saw Mrs Brimbles was doing her October challenge again I decided to take the plunge and join in!

Day one - October

I decorated my pages to welcome in October last week.  I also picked the last rose of summer from my garden as I was so surprised to find it still in bloom at this time of the year and I wanted to document it.  

Day one - October

Day two - Brown

My two brown beauties!  I am still absolutely in love with my Van der Spek organiser but my ochre Malden will always have a place in my heart too.  Don't they look lovely together?

Day two - Brown

Day three - Autumnal

One of my favourite things about this time of year is seeing the leaves change colour.  I found a quote last year that said "Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower." and I still think it is very true.  I love seeing bright red leaves and every shade in between through to yellow and green ones, they remind me of the natural beauty that is all around if you take the time to look for it.

Day three - Autumnal

Day four - So me

My new watch is so me!  I hate taking my phone out of my pocket or bag to see what the time is, I would much rather wear a watch and check that instead.  I especially like this one as the strap is real leather, it is rose gold and sparkly, so yes it really is very me.  

Day four - So me

Day five - I made this

Last year I made a zombie bunny paper clip and used it for Halloween so this year I decided to make a new one.  I brought this washi tape from Cloudy Cow and made a creepy cat clip to match it.

Day five - I made this

Day six - Favourite & Day seven - Snugly

My Van der Spek organiser is my all time favourite planner, I mean it was custom made to my specifications so it is perfect to me!  The body warmer is super snugly and the print reminds me of a Cath Kidston design.  Unfortunately it is not mine, it is my daughter's!  I am very jealous!

Day six - Favourite & Day seven - Snugly

If you would like to join in with the challenge you can find all the prompts here on Mrs Brimbles blog.  

Thanks for stopping by!

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.

I don't need a unicorn, I need a workhorse!

Have you heard of a unicorn?  I am not talking about a mythical creature but the term sometimes used in the planner community meaning a binder so rare it may as well be the stuff of legend and you're probably never going to see one in real life.  

My unicorn is a pink Baroque Filofax but they are so sought after I know I will never find one for sale at a price I can afford.  The thing is, if I did somehow stumble across one I'm not sure I would be able to use it.  Can you imagine finding your dream planner and then being too scared to even put it in your bag?  Could you spend money on something and then only ever look at it longingly and never put it to use?  Now I have always been very careful my Filofaxes.  I try to keep them spotlessly clean and avoid getting marks on them and they are just regular, easily available filos.  I hate to think what I would be like if I tried to use a Baroque!  I have been in my fluoro pink Original for the last five months which is the longest I have stayed in one Filofax since I started my collection.  It still looks brand new but I am fed up of having to check every surface before I put my planner down on it just to keep it clean.  A lot of the time I write with the Original balanced on my knee but that makes for messy notes and it annoys me.  

My pink Original still looks brand new 

I want a change, I have decided that instead of a unicorn I need a workhorse.  I want a binder that I can just use, one that will improve with age and who will develop imperfections that I will see as part of it's character.  I want a binder that I can fill with everything I need, something to carry my life around in, to take everywhere and use it as a planner and my purse.  I want a binder I can use until it falls to pieces.  If I am going to do that then I will to need bigger rings!  My Original is already stuffed as full as I am comfortable with, I don't want to damage the rings by overfilling them and the strap doesn't allow for much more to go into it anyway.

Stuffed full

I have been looking at the 30mm ring Van der Spek organisers for a while now and I think one of these would be perfect for my workhorse so I have started saving up for one.  I love the idea of designing my dream planner and the option of such big rings is the icing on the cake!  I have spoken to Petra from Van der Spek (she is lovely by the way!) and ordered some leather samples so I can find my ideal combination.  Once they arrive I will take some pics and share them with you.  At the moment I am thinking dark and practical on the outside with a pop of colour on the inside.  

It might take me a while to save enough money so I am going to move into my white and gold Webster's Pages Colour Crush Planner until then as it has larger rings than my Filofaxes.  I can tweak my set up and see exactly what I want and need in my planner, it can be a dry run before I commit to the custom VDS.

What kind of planner do you prefer, a unicorn or a workhorse?  I would love to know!
    

My week #22

I brought some more cute charms from Kawaii Studios last month and decided to match my theme to this little pink cupcake one.  Isn't it adorable?  It also goes so well with my Foodies stamps, like they were made for each other!

My week in my Filofax #22

My week was pretty quiet as it was a school holiday but that gave me plenty of time to sort out everything for my youngest daughter's birthday party on Saturday.  I still have a house full of pink and purple balloons, it is like trying to walk through a ball pit.... so fun! 

Close up

Close up

How was your week?

Thanks for stopping by!

My week #21

I was feeling a little whimsical this week so broke out my much loved toadstool washi tape and stickers.  I don't know why I am drawn to them, I mean they are just fungi after all but they make me think of fairies and deep dark woods so they seem mystical and fun to me.

My week in my Filofax #21

On paper it doesn't look like I was very busy but it felt that way, it was like I blinked and the week rushed by!  It was my husband's birthday on Friday and he had the day off from work so we got to celebrate together with a Chinese meal followed by a slice of minion Dave birthday cake.... I know, I know, we are very rock and roll!  

Close up

Close up

How was your week?