My week #4

Hello!  I launched my big giveaway on Monday and so many people have entered already!  If you have commented on the post and I haven't replied yet I am working my way through them all so I will get to you soon.  If you haven't entered yet, do it now!  Actually the final time you can enter is before 12pm on the 9th February (GMT) but if you are already here reading this you might as well do it while you remember.

My week in my Filofax #4

In case you are wondering, I haven't gotten bored with my fluoro pink Original and moved back into my Malden already, I just thought this week's theme looked better against the ochre colour.  I popped the pages out and took these photos with the Malden but I am still very happy with my gloriously pink Original. 

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Have a great week!

Second Blogiversary big giveaway - Win a Filofax!

This giveaway is now closed

Do you want to win a lovely, compact size, lemon Patent Filofax?  Earlier in the month this blog turned two years old and to celebrate I have put together this prize!  It includes some pretty spring dashboards from Mrs Brimbles and a bunny paper clip made by my own fair hands!  You will win everything in this picture plus a few surprise bits.

Giveaway prize

How to enter:

• Leave a comment below, say hi or tell me your best planning/planner tip.
• Let me know if you follow this blog by email, Google +, Google Friend Connect or Bloglovin' for an extra entry.

The rules:

• The giveaway ends at 12pm GMT on the 9th February 2015, any entries after this time will not be counted.
• All entries will be numbered and then a winner picked using Random.org
• Open internationally.
• I will announce the winner on the 10th February 2015. 
• Once I have announced the winner they have 72 hours to contact me otherwise I will have to draw another name. 

Good luck!

Planner Friday - January

My latest design team post is now over on Twine it up with Trendy Twine!  This month I am talking about how I decorate my pages and the products I use.

Hello!  Welcome to the first Planner Friday of the year!  I am Amanda from She's Eclectic and once a month I share my ideas for prettying up your planner. 

The start of a new year is when a lot of people make a resolution to get more organised and using a diary or planner is the perfect way to start.  I get bored with plain pages in my Filofax so I like to decorate them and make them more fun.  I start with choosing a washi tape and adding a strip of it to the top and bottom of the page and then I use my Trendy Page Dots reinforcements for another pop of colour.  Annies Paper Boutique has a range of planner stamps which I love using as they look so neat and tidy, they also save me from having to write the same reminders over and over each week.  Lastly I add some stickers to complete the look but I make sure I leave enough space just in case I need to write a note or add to my to do lists.

Annie's Paper Boutique products used this week:

At Home Planner Stamp Set

School Days Planner Stamp Set

Feeling Happy Planner Stamp Set

Feeling Funny Stamp Set

Drinks & More Planner Stamp Set

Ink Pad

Trendy Page Dots circle reinforcements

Flora & Fauna stickers

Washi Tape

Another resolution people make at this time of year is to get more healthy and I am one of them.  I never drink the recommended eight glasses of water a day so I decided I was going to try and change that habit this year.

You can read the rest of my post here.

Thanks for stopping by!

My week #3

I decided on a spring theme for this week, I think if I concentrate on the arrival of spring it might get me through the rest of this cold, dull month!  I am not a fan of January, thankfully it's nearly over.  

My week in my Filofax #3

Friday was the highlight of my week, I got to spend the night in a very swish hotel while my daughter was performing with the Young Voices Choir.  My husband went to the performance (one of us had to babysit!) and he said it was fantastic.  My lovely parents in law have ordered a DVD of the concert so I will get to see it once the disk arrives, I can't wait!  

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The parcel I was waiting for to add to my giveaway has not arrived yet, I suspect it might be making it's way back to America as it has been so long now.  I will try and sort some other things to go with the lemon Patent Filofax and launch the giveaway next Monday.  Make sure you check back then to enter!

 

My week #2

I'm late, I'm late again!  I wanted to get this posted on Monday but it has been so dark and dreary here I couldn't get any decent photos before today.

My week in my Filofax #2

So this week is another Alice in Wonderland themed one.  I can't help it, I am always drawn towards these kind of stickers when I see them so Alice is a reoccurring theme in my planner pages.  Cups of tea, little cakes and a bunny rabbit, they are my kind of things!

Close up

Close up

I nearly forgot to say!  I am still waiting for some things to be delivered to go with the lemon Patent Filofax I told you about the other week.  They were posted just before Christmas from America but I guess they have been delayed because of the holidays.  As soon as they get here I will announce the giveaway to celebrate this blog's 2nd birthday.

Thanks for stopping by!

2015 - New year wobble!

Back in December I was browsing the Filofax website looking to spend my prize money when a little voice inside my head whispered "What about giving A5 another try?".  Now up to that point I had been using personal size Filofaxes for 18 months and hadn't given A5 a second thought but all of a sudden I was gripped by the idea of "up-sizing".  

My first Filofax was an A5 Apex which I started using in January 2013 but after six months I was tempted into moving down to a personal size binder.  I thought A5 was too big and bulky and I was smitten with my sleek and stylish yellow Original.  

The persuasive little voice was now telling me that A5 wasn't big and bulky it meant I would have more room for my notes, reminders and to do lists, plenty of space for my ideas and doodles and what's more I could use my Kokeshi girl dividers from Cute Organizing again!

A5 Apex and Cute Organizing dividers

I knew what I wanted, an A5 Original in fluoro pink.  I had enough prize money to buy one and they were in stock too!  There was nothing stopping me... except for one thing.  The voice of reason who said to me if I moved back up to A5 then all of my personal size filos would suddenly be redundant.  I wouldn't be able to chop and change between them when the mood took me and they would all be sat on the shelf being unused and unloved.

The voice of reason continued, why mess with my current planning system?  It was working wasn't it?  I was getting things done, just because we were about to start a new year didn't mean I had to change things up.  What if I ordered the A5 and then missed personal size?  What if it messed with my system and hindered me instead of helping me? 

In the end I ordered the fluoro pink Original in personal size and I am happy that I did.  I am going to continue using my current set up for as long as it works for me.  I also realised that if I got excited about using my Kokeshi dividers again I should probably just order a new set of them in personal size!

Fluoro pink Original in personal size

Did you have a new year wobble?  Did you change your planner or planning system for 2015 or have you stuck with what was working for you?  I would love to know!

My week #1

Hello!  To welcome in the new year I went with a pink, happy theme for my pages.  I was given these cute Paperchase stickers for Christmas and I used them straight away.  

My week in my Filofax #1

I didn't actually have much to do during the week, I spent a large portion of it watching films with my children and eating popcorn, chocolates, oranges and nuts... you know, just generally squeezing the last drops of Christmassy fun out of the holidays!  It was nice spending time together at home and not having to rush about getting things done for a change. 

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Close up

I hope you had great New Years holiday and started 2015 feeling happy and positive.  I don't usually make any resolutions at the start the year but I try to think of ways I can improve on the previous year and go on from there.  I want to do more of the things I enjoy and work out ways to tackle anything I am not happy with and the beginning of the year seems like the right time to start.   

Thanks for stopping by!