Artline Monday - Christmas planning countdown

Eeeeek there's only five weeks left until Christmas!  Have you started getting ready for the holidays yet?  If not don't worry, I can to help you with my handy Christmas countdown.

My Christmas countdown created with Artline pens

This is my Christmas bullet journal, I set it up last year and I use it for planning, lists and memory keeping.  You can find my previous post about it here if you would like to see how I use it for recording our holiday memories.  

This year I have planned out my timetable for getting everything ready using my Artline Stix pens and fineliners.  It starts today and has a checklist of things I need to do each week in the run up to Christmas. 

My checklist for weeks four and five

You might have already completed some of these steps or you might find it easier to do them in a different order so if you make your own list think about how to make it work for you.  I like to do as much as I can early so it is out of the way and then I can get on with enjoying the season so I might complete some of these steps before they are due but I have added them to the week I want to get them done by at the latest giving me some wriggle room.

Week five

This week I want to think about gift ideas (for the people I haven't already brought for), making sure I have all the postal addresses I need for cards and presents, checking when I need to order my Christmas turkey by and the date I can prebook my online food shop delivery and finally buy Christmas cards so I can get ready to start writing them.

Week four

I'm going to put my tree up and look for the best prices for the presents I want to buy.  I will get everything I need to wrap the gifts including paper, ribbon, sticky tape, bows and tags and I'll also work out how many stamps I need for my cards and buy those too.

Three weeks and counting

Week three

By this week I want to finish buying the presents and get them all wrapped and posted for the people I won't be seeing before Christmas. I will also get my cards into the post so they arrive in plenty of time for the holidays.  The last couple of things I want to do is start buying (and hiding!) the Christmas snacks and treats and look around for the best deals on the drinks we like too.

Week two

This week is the perfect time to visit friends and family as it is close to the holidays but not when everyone is crazy busy getting ready for the big day.  It is also when I will finalise my Christmas Dinner menu and before I buy half of the supermarket I want to make some extra room in the fridge and freezer.  At some point this week I'll want to do the BIG Christmas food shop so I will have everything we need apart from the fresh items that I will buy the following week.  There's one more thing to do, sort out some entertainment for while we are all home like DVDs and board games we can play together.

Week one 

Okay, for the last week before Christmas I just have a few things left to do.  They are do any food prep I can get out of the way early, collect my turkey and buy any fresh ingredients that I couldn't get before.  The finale thing I have on my checklist is to relax and enjoy the holiday, which I have to say is my favourite step!

I hope this helps you with your Christmas planning!

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!

Artline Monday - Christmas planning

I am sorry if you aren't feeling ready to deal with Christmas just yet but it is September and I always find my mind wondering towards Christmas planning around now.  You might be thinking "Ahhh it's ages away!" but we're already nearly down to double digits when it comes to the number of shopping days left!  I find the more I plan ahead and get things out of the way early means I have more time to relax and enjoy the season when December rolls around.

My Christmas planner, notebook and festive Artline pens

I have a special Christmas planner that I have been using for years.  It contains everything I need, from Christmas card lists, gift ideas and recipes to shopping lists and a record of our traditions.  I usually take it down from the shelf in September and have a flick through it to get me in the mood for starting my Christmas prep.  If you have a notebook or a ring binder you can make your own planner to help you stay on track of festive things each year too.  I recommend the following to help you get ready for the season ....

Declutter

Now is the perfect time to have a clear out.  If your house feels cluttered you’ll want to simplify things.  You will need room for your tree, decorations and festive nic nacs soon enough!  Start small, a room at a time, consider if you need everything.  Sort things in piles – toss, donate or keep. Organise everything that you’ve decided to keep into drawers, cupboards and wardrobes, keeping them out of sight. 

If you have children get them to sort through their toys to find things that are broken or have missing pieces, these can be thrown away.  Any toys they have outgrown or no longer want can be donated to a charity shop if they are clean and in working order.  You want to make space for the new toys, gadgets and games they will be receiving.

If you have too many books in your house (I'm not sure that anyone can have too many books but that's just me!) you can donate some to your local library if they are in good condition.

Gift ideas

Work out your budget for gifts this year and who you need to buy for.  Do you have an idea of what they would like for a present?  If not you still have plenty of time to find out, either surreptitiously or just ask them directly.  

I usually keep a notebook in my bag, if I see a gift I think someone would like I can make a note of it.  I also write down the shop it is in and the price, this means I can either find it again later when I am ready to do some Christmas shopping or I can search online and see if I can find it for a better price elsewhere.

Making lists is a great way to get organised

Shopping

If you can start some of your present shopping now it will save you some stress later on.  Ordering things online in December is a bit of a nightmare, will it be in stock?  Will it arrive on time?  Will I be home when they try to deliver?  Will it get caught up in the Christmas post backlog and disappear? Shopping now means you will have lots of time if things go wrong and you will avoid the Christmas rush.

Shopping in actual stores is a lot nicer now too, yes there's no Christmas music blaring through the speakers yet but you will avoid the queues, the hustle and bustle and panic buying.  If you don't find something today you still have time and you won't be tempted into buying something you wouldn't usually just because Christmas Day is looming and you can't face hitting the shops again!

Lastly, don't forget to cross them off your shopping list once you have purchased their gift/s.  It's quite easy to buy someone a present earlier in the year and then forget about it so you end up shopping for them twice!

Christmas cards

No, I'm not suggesting you buy, write and post your Christmas cards right now but it is easier to write them in small batches over a period of time so your handwriting stays nice and neat and you won't get cramp in your hand.  If you can buy the cards earlier (after all they will probably be in the shops just after Halloween!) you can take your time getting them done.  

Sometimes the only contact I have with some people is a Christmas card once a year so I like to make them look special.  I use metallic pens and I add some decorative tape and festive stamps and stickers to the envelopes to spread a little extra festive cheer.  If you are going to use a gold or silver pen to address your envelopes make sure it is a waterproof one like the Artline900XF or Artline999XF so the ink doesn't run in bad weather as they make their way through the postal system.

Metallic pens, tape, stamps and stickers add a touch of fun

Friends and family who live abroad

If you know anyone who lives abroad it is worth checking the last postage dates for parcels and cards before December.  Some countries need the items shipped within the first week of December to arrive on time which is cutting it fine if you haven't planned ahead.


Do you have any hints or tips for Christmas planning?  I would love to hear them!