Artline Monday - Wedding planning ideas

Tomorrow is the start of May and you know what that means, wedding season will soon be on us!  With this in mind I thought I would share some ideas about wedding planning today and I have come up with a twelve month checklist of things you need to do before the big day.

Wedding planning with Artline

So you have found the perfect partner and decided on a date, what do you need to do now?  Plan, plan, plan! You can buy yourself a fancy wedding planner or organiser or you can grab a notebook and get to work.  As long as you make plenty of notes and lists so you don't forget anything important, everything should go swimmingly.   

Wedding checklist

I made this wedding checklist using an Artline Stix brush pen, a Supreme metallic marker and an Artline 200 fineliner so it would look a little special.  

Twelve months before

• Work out your budget
• Book venue and officiant 
• Plan your guest list
• Choose wedding party
• Dress shop

Nine months before

• Book vendors
• Honeymoon ideas
• Book wedding cars
• Gather your guests addresses
• Buy wedding outfits
• Make or buy invitataions

Six months before

• Finalise details with vendors
• Save the dates
• Wedding cake
• Buy rings

Four months before

• Hair and make up - find stylist
• Menu
• Finalise guest list
• Book honeymoon
• Vows
• Wedding favours

Two months and counting

Two months before

• Buy accessories 
• Send out invitations
• Photo ideas for photographer
• Give notice of your marriage
• Sort out ID and paperwork needed

One month before

• Call anyone who hasn't RSVP'd
• Seating plan
• Song list for reception
• Finale dress fitting
• Make final vendor payments
• Hen and stag party ideas

Two weeks before

• Hen and stag parties
• Collect wedding outfits
• Start honeymoon packing

One week before

• Finalise seating plan
• Beauty appointments
• Make arrangements for after the reception - who will collect wedding gifts etc

Two days before

• Finish honeymoon packing
• Get nails done
• Sort out everything you need for the big day

One day before

• Call all vendors to confirm everything
• Try to relax!

Now, not every wedding will take 12 months to plan so you can adjust this list to fit your own time scale, leave out any of the steps that don't apply to you and add in any extras that are specific to your event, this list is just a starting point for you to work with.  I hope you find it helpful!

Planner Friday - April

Hello!  Not only is it National Stationery Week it is also Planner Friday today so hop over to the Trendy Twine blog to read my latest post...

Wow, Planner Friday came around again so quickly!  I feel like the months are speeding by and it will be summer before we know it.  Though that's not a bad thing, I can't wait for some sunshine! 

For today's post I wanted to show you how I use my Annie's Paper Boutique stamps to help keep me organised and add a little fun to my planner pages too.  

Products used: Perfect Pairs planner stamps

Check It Off planner stamps

At Home planner stamps

School Days planner stamps

Need Coffee planner stamps

Coffee gold planner clip

Trendy Page Dots

I knew when I started planning my week that I was going to be busier than usual so I added plenty of check boxes for my daily to dos using a stamp from the Check It Off set and then added my reminders and lists with stamps from the At Home and School Days sets.  I reinforced the holes in my pages with colourful Trendy Page Dots, paired them with some bright and cheery washi tape and added one of my favourite coffee planner clips.

Talking of coffee I knew I was going to need a lot of caffeine see me through the week so I made it the theme for my pages!   There is a special set of  APB stamps for my fellow coffee addicts, aptly called Need Coffee and they are the perfect size for planner pages as they are quite small so you will still have have plenty of space left to make your notes around them.  I also used a larger coffee stamp from the Perfect Pairs set in my Sunday section as I have less to do that day and had more space for decoration.  The last thing I did was to colour in the stamps with fineliners and pencil crayons and then I was ready to face the week!

You can read the rest of my post here.

Thanks for stopping by!

World Stationery Day - #stationerytheworldover

It's World Stationery Day!  It is my favourite day of National Stationery Week because stationery fans all over the world can come together and share their love of all things pen, pencil and paper!  If you want to join in the fun today search for the tags #stationerytheworldover and #natstatweek on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and you will find lots of post and competitions and maybe even some new friends!

World Stationery Day

One of the main aims of National Stationery Week is to encourage people to pick up their pens and get writing, a note, a letter, a card or even just scribble a few reminders and reignite their passion for the written word.   

For me the ritual of selecting a pen and opening my planner or notebook seems to spark something inside me that helps me organise my thoughts quickly or feel creative.  Staring at a blank screen or electronic calendar has never had the same effect.

Find your perfect pen

If you want to rediscover your passion for pens why not treat yourself to a couple of new ones, after all National Stationery Week is the perfect excuse for splurging!  There are so many different kinds to choose from now, I love brush pens for calligraphy, fine liners for hand lettering and fountain pens for writing.  

How about you?  

National Stationery Week - #makeanote Notebook Love's Inky thinkings notebook review and giveaway *Now closed*

Hello!  Happy National Stationery Week!  Today's theme is make a note so it's the perfect time for me to review this gorgeous notebook from Notebook Love and offer you the chance to win one for yourself as well!

First of all let me tell you a little bit about Notebook Love, it is family run business by husband and wife team Kate and Consol and they are nuts about notebooks!  They have been designing and making their own fabulous notebooks, journals and jotters since 2016 and I am a big fan.

Inky thinkings

Kate sent me this super pretty pink and purple Inky thinkings notebook to try out and it is an updated version of their highly popular inky blue notebook.  The cover is made from thick textured card and has a contrasting pink elastic closure.  The inside of the cover is the same shade of pink as the closure instead of plain white or cream which is a nice touch and pulls the whole look together and hey, in my opinion, you can never have too much pink!

Cream pages with light grey rule

There are 192 pages inside made from Forest Stewardship Council approved paper and they are a nice creamy colour.  The rule is quite wide and a light shade of grey so if you felt like doodling or sketching in this book they wouldn't interfere too much.  I prefer lighter lines in my notebooks as it makes them much more versatile and I think it just looks nicer than a darker rule.  The paper itself is a little toothy, in a good way, and feels great to write on.

#makeanote

So do you like what you see?  Would you like to win one for yourself?  Of course you would!  And.... if pink is not your colour (gasp!) then the winner will have the option to choose the stunning blue Inky thinkings notebook instead!

How to enter:

Leave me a comment below telling me which Inky notebook you would like to win, pink or blue.  That's it, nice and easy!  I will number the comments and use random.org to select a winner.

The rules:

• One entry per person
• Open to UK residents only
• Giveaway ends 12pm on Monday 30th April 2018, comments after this time will not be entered
• The winner will be announced on this post on the 1st May 2018
• The winner will have to contact me within 72 hours or a new winner will be selected
• There is only one prize and no cash alternative
• People under 18 must have parental permission to enter this competition

Good luck!

Artline Monday - National Stationery Week rocks

Today marks the start of my favourite week of the year, yes it's National Stationery Week!  I wanted to do something special to commemorate it so I decided to create a set of #ArtlineRocks based around the themes for the week.

Let's celebrate stationery!

I have included the products I used in the photographs of each rock if you want to have a go at making your own and the pens and markers can all be found here.  The Artline 853 OHP markers work really well on rocks so they are the ones I use the most often.  If you are new to rock painting and haven't read my previous posts about it you can find them all here.  Okay, now let's get started!

Monday - #makeanote

Today is make a note day so I drew a notebook and pen on this rock with a couple of OHP markers and my metallic silver pen.  Will you join in and use your favourite notebook and pen today? 

Monday - #makeanote

Tuesday - #penandpencil

For pen and pencil day I made two separate rocks, the first is a black and yellow pencil (just like the ones we used in school!) and for the second I drew a pen.  Of course it just had to be an Artline pen, it's one of their fab fineliners to be exact!  I didn't have a yellow OHP marker for the pencil so I used one of my Stix drawing pens instead and it turned out quite well.

Tuesday - #penandpencil

Wednesday - #stationerytheworldover

Wednesday is my favourite day of the week, it is World Stationery Day!  The tag for it is #stationerytheworldover so I drew a small picture of the Earth and surrounded it with lots of stationery products.  Again I used the OHP markers, a Stix drawing pen and then a couple of metallic Supreme permanent markers for the paper clips and drawing pin.  

Wednesday - #stationerytheworldover

Thursday - #workhappy

Work happy day is all about creating a nice environment for you to work in.  If you have a desk you could add some colour or fun to it with some new stationery or a cheerful mug to use for your brew.  I drew a National Stationery Week mug on my rock and some paperwork because I can face anything if I have a cup of tea first!  How do you work happy?

Thursday - #workhappy

Friday - #aplaceforeverything

Friday is a place for everything day and it is about filing things away and getting organised.  I drew a tidy desk on this rock with folders, a pen holder, a notebook and a pad of post it notes.  Again I used the OHP and Supreme markers for this and a yellow Stix pen.  Will you be tidying and arranging your work space for Friday? 

Friday - #aplaceforeverything

Saturday - #getcrafty

Get crafty day is so much fun!  As you might be able to tell from this blog, I love doing a bit of arts and crafts so I drew some "crafty" supplies on this rock.

Saturday - #getcrafty

Sunday - #signaturesunday

Signature Sunday is all about your favourite pen so I used one of my calligraphy pens to to write the tag on this rock.  I also drew a pen using the OHP, Supreme and 900XF metallic markers and a trail of ink as if someone was testing how it writes.

Sunday - #signaturesunday

So here is my complete collection of National Stationery Week Artline rocks, aren't they fun?  I hope they are found and enjoyed by some fellow stationery addicts!

My #natstatweek rocks

If you want to join in with the fun this week head over to Twitter and search for the tag #natstatweek and keep an eye out for more posts and competitions here on the blog too!

Thanks for stopping by!

Artline Monday - Organising your finances with a bullet journal

Every April I always feel the need to get on top of my finances, it's probably because it is the start of a new tax year and usually when our wages and bills all go up.  This year I thought I would use my bullet journal to help me organise my money so I hit Pinterest for some ideas and created my own spread.

Bullet journal, calculator and Artline pens

One of the best things about a bullet journal is you only need a notebook and a few pens to get started!  If you haven't already set up one check out my Bullet journal basics posts for details on creating your own and then come back here for more information about managing your money in one! 

Income, outgoings, spent and saved

I have four sections in my spread, these are Income, Outgoings, Spent and Saved.  I used the dots on my pages to help me make the sections and drew them with a couple of Artline fineliners.

Money, money, money

I listed the money we have coming in under Income and used an Artline Supreme highlighter to colour in every other line so it was easier to read.  I then did the same with all the money we have going out under outgoings.  This includes things like rent, council tax, utilities, Netflix etc and I added another couple of rows to this section so I could record if these bills are paid automatically or if I have to make the payments myself.

I haven't filled in every amount in these two sections for privacy reasons but now I have photographed the pages I can add those details in.

There is one box under the Income and Outgoings sections for the totals.  You just need to add all of your incoming money together and pop the total in the first box and then add all of your outgoings together and write that number in the second box.  If you take away your total outgoings from your total income this will leave you with your surplus or spare money for the month. 

Spent and saved

On the second page I am recording what we have spent and what we have saved.  I drew boxes for Bills, Fuel, Food, Entertainment, Clothes, Stationery and the last box is for the money my husband spends during the month. I added numbers under each box and then used a highlighter to colour in how much we have spent.  As the month goes on I can continue to colour in further along the boxes as we spend more money.  This is a great way to see exactly where your money is going!

For the Saved section I drew some smaller boxes an labelled them with amounts like £1, £2, £5 and £10.  When I put some money into our savings I colour in the corresponding box with my highlighter so I can see how much I've managed to squirrel away!

I am going to repeat this spread each month in my journal with the hope that it will help me keep on top of our finances and maybe evaluate where our money is going and what we can cut down on.  

Do you think this system would work for you?

Artline Monday - World Art Day

The 15th of this month is World Art Day and I thought it would be fun to recreate some of my favourite artworks on rocks and hide them for people to find this week!

Rock painting supplies

I started out with six stones and painted a base coat on the grey ones so I had a lighter surface to work on.  Once they were dry I sorted out my Artline pens and started designing my rocks.

Kandinsky Several Circles

My first rock is based on Kandinsky's Several Circles, I have loved this piece since I first learned about it during my A level art course (many years ago!).  I drew and painted the circle shapes using paint, poster, chalk and OHP markers first and then coloured in the background with my Artline 70 pen.  I am pleased with how it turned out and I hope the person who finds it loves it!

Piet Mondrian

The next two rocks are based on the works of Piet Mondrian, I love how simple these were to do but they are still recognisable as pieces of art.  As the stones were already white I just used four pens to draw the squares and rectangles and then coloured some of them in with red, yellow and blue markers.

Van Gogh Starry Night

I tried to copy a section of Van Gogh's Starry Night on this rock but I'm not sure I did a good enough job.  I guess I'm more of an abstract girl than a post-impressionist!  I coloured the rock in with my blue Artline 853 OHP marker and then drew on top of it with a black Artline 70 pen.  The last stage was to add the stars with a yellow paint marker and the swirls in the sky.

Lichtenstein Pop art

After my Van Gogh failure I wanted to do something a little easier on the next stone so I went with a bit of Pop Art.  I drew the word Pop with the Artline 853 OHP markers and a paint marker, I coloured in the red background with a red permanent marker and then added the dots that represent this style.  It is supposed to look like it belongs in a comic so I think this one is more successful than the one before!

World Art Day rock

The last rock I made was to commemorate World Art Day.  I used a lovely bronze Supreme metallic marker to decorate the edges and my favourite gold Artline 900XF pen in the centre.

On the back of each rock I have written the artist and/or piece of artwork the rocks are based on, the date of World Art Day and a message telling the person they can either keep or rehide the stones and asking them to share a photo online with the tag #ArtlineRocks so we can see where they end up.  It is so exciting when I get to hear that my rocks have been found! 

The finished #ArtlineRocks

The stones have all been varnished now to protect them from the rain and I am going to be hiding them with my girls this afternoon.  I hope they spread a little happiness and a bit of art appreciation this week!

Will you be doing anything to celebrate World Art Day?

Artline Monday - Easter holiday activity

Happy Easter!  Have your children finished off all their Easter eggs or uttered the dreaded words "I'm bored" yet?  If you want to keep them entertained over the holiday why not try this fun craft!

Bunnies!

You will need some empty toilet roll tubes, glue, pretty card or paper and a selection of pens.

Supplies

The first step is to paint the toilet roll tubes, I used my Artline poster and paint markers for this step as they dry quickly and are a lot less messy than traditional paints.

Paint the toilet roll tube

The next step is to cut out some bunny ears from your paper or card.  I cut one ear freehand and then used it as a template for all the others.

Bunny ears

Then cut out some smaller ear pieces to glue onto the larger ears.  Again I cut one out first and when I was happy with the size and shape I used it as a template for the other pieces.

Gluing the pieces together

Once you have made the ears put some glue on the bottom of each piece and stick them to the inside of your painted toilet roll tube like this.

Glue the ears into place

Now you have a bunny shape you need to add some details.  I used a white Artline 444XF paint marker to draw some eyes and teeth on each.

Adding eyes and teeth

Then I waited for the paint to dry.

Waiting for the paint to dry

For the noses so I used my pink poster marker on the yellow, blue and purple bunnies....

Painting the noses

.... and my pink Artline 200 fineliner on the pink bunny.

Adding a nose

The last step is to draw the bunnies pupils, whiskers, mouths and teeth, I used my black fineliner for this.

The finished bunnies

These bunnies are perfect to use as some Easter or spring decorations around your home or your children can use them as toys or puppets to play with.  You can also make some larger bunnies using empty kitchen roll tubes and make a whole family of rabbits!  

Enjoy the rest of your holiday and thanks for stopping by!