Artline Monday - Getting organised!

Did you set yourself a goal this year to be more organised?  Do you feel like some people have everything together and are perfectly prepared for any situation while you struggle to keep on top of things?  I thought for today's post I would share with you some ideas to help you achieve your organisational aspirations.

The first thing you need to know is that most "organised" people aren't naturally prepared with no effort.  They have developed a system which works for them and you can too.  Some people use a planner, a computer or mobile phone, a diary, a simple notebook or bullet journal to organise their lives, they could even use a combination of these things!  You might have to try a few different ways until you find what works for you but it is worth persevering.  I put everything into my planner but I also use the calendar on my iPad and phone too.  This is because they sync between the each other automatically and I can set reoccurring events and reminders without having to input them separately each week, month or year. 

Planning tools - my Filofax, Artline pen & iPad

I used to feel like I didn't have enough time to do everything I wanted to but once I started planning my days I found that I just needed to use my time more efficiently.  Time management is a skill you can learn.  If you think about your day from when you wake up through to when you go to bed you can see how much time you have to work with.  Make a list of what you need to do each day and estimate how long each activity takes you to complete.  Include things like eating, getting ready, travel time, hours at school or work, errands, studying and house work etc, how much time do you have left afterwards and what can you fit into these moments?  You might find you have a lot more time available than you previously thought. 

 

Planning ahead

Planning ahead is also really helpful for keeping on top of things.  I like to have an overview of the next month or two at least so I'm not surprised by anything later on.  As you can see I have notes and reminders in my planner for right up to the end of June at the moment and it is only the middle of January.  Looking this far into the future means I am prepared for these events as they crop up instead of feeling like I am trying to keep too many plates spinning at once or playing wack-a-mole with lots of things popping up and needing to be dealt with straight away.  I know what is coming and what I need to do in plenty of time which is a lot less stressful!

All this planning and organisation might feel a bit overwhelming to begin with but with some practice you will find it easier to do.  Once you have gotten into the habit it becomes second nature to make plans, follow them through and to manage your time effectively.  

If you find that paper planning is the thing that works for you then Artline has a whole range of pens, highlighters and stamps to help you stay organised throughout the year!  If you would like to read some more of my organisation hints and tips check out this previous Artline Monday post for some planning basics.

Chameleon Color Tone and Color Tops review

The lovely people from Tiger Pens contacted me recently to ask if I would like to try out some Chameleon Color Tone pens for them and, of course, I said yes!  I had seen a few videos of people using these pens before and their main feature is that you can gets lots of shades from each colour pen and you can also use them to blend two different colours together which is fantastic for colouring books and all kinds of arts and crafts!

Tiger Pens sent me a pack of Pastel Color Tone Pens, two sets of Color Tops in Cool and Floral tones and a blender pen to test.

Chameleon products and my notebook

The Color Tone pens have two ends, one is a bullet nib and the other a soft Japanese brush.  They also have a mixing chamber to dilute the ink which creates the gradations of colour.  The longer you leave the nib in the mixing chamber the lighter the shade will be when you start to use the pen.  This gives you just a hint of colour and then all the shades in between until you are back to using the full strength ink.  

When I first received the pens and tops I was worried they were going to be complicated to use, mixing chambers made me think of Harry Potter and magic spells but after reading the instructions I realised it is a pretty simple process.  You choose which nib you want to use and then remove the mixing chamber from the end of the pen and take out the barrier.  Then you hold the pen upright with the nib you want to use pointing upwards and place the mixing chamber on top of it like a pen lid.  You keep holding the pen vertically for between 5 and 35 seconds (while the magic happens) and then you remove the chamber, put the barrier back in and then use the pen as normal.

Lots of different shades and blends

The first row in my notebook is the five Color Tone Pens used on their own in the mixing chamber so you can see all the different shades you can get out of them.  The next two rows are the pens used with the Color Tops to create a blend of two colours together.  Instead of placing your pen in it's mixing chamber you put it into the Color Top you want to use.  This transfers the colour onto your nib so you can start out colouring in one shade like Violet and then it will blend back into the original colour of the pen you are using like Cool Grey.

There is one small drawback which I feel I should mention, the ink in these pens bleeds through to the other side of the page.  It happened in my notebook, which has very thick pages, and the colouring books I tried them out in.  That's not a big problem for me, I love how they blend and create so many colours so I can live with it ruining the other side of my paper but it's up to you to decide if that would be a problem?  

As I said, I absolutely loved how these pens worked, in fact I was so impressed with them I hopped onto the Tiger Pens website and brought myself four more Color Tone pens to use in Grass Green, Crimson Red, Seville Orange and Hot Cocoa!  The last two rows in my notebook are the four new colours tested with the mixing chamber and then blended with the Color Tops. 

Trying out the Japanese brush nibs

I also tried the Japanese brush nibs with the Color Tops on another page, they are quite firm to begin with but as you use them they become softer and more flexible.  I think the colour blending looks really striking when it is used to do lettering like this!

Everything on the Color Tone Pens is replaceable. The bullet nibs, the Japanese brush nibs, the mixing chamber nib and the ink so once you have brought these pens you can keep using and enjoying them without having to buy yourself another set, so although they might seem pricey to begin with they are actually worth the investment.  A pack of five will cost you £18.95 from Tiger Pens. The Color Tops are £11.95 for a set of five and the nibs and ink for these are also replaceable.  The colorless blender pen is £3.75 and is perfect for an extra bit of blending, adding texture or patterns over the Color Tones and Tops or to erase small mistakes when you are colouring in.  Like the Color Tone pens the blender has both the bullet and brush nibs.  Individual Color Tone pens are available for £3.95 each so you can slowly top up your collection or buy a colour you need without having to purchase a full pack of pens.

Perfect for colouring in

This reindeer is the first picture I coloured in with the Chameleon pens.  In the past I have used pencil crayons in my colouring books because I liked to be able to blend the colours together which you can't do with regular pens but I also liked how bright and colourful ink looked on the pages so I alternated between pencils and fineliners.  Now I can have the best of both worlds, bright, beautiful, blended colours that really stand out!

Floral tea party using Chameleon Color Tones & Tops

I spent some time over the holidays colouring in this floral tea party scene, the second page is still a work in progress but I am really enjoying doing it with the Chameleon products.  My only problem now is stopping my eldest daughter from trying to use them every time she spots me!  I think I'm raising a fellow stationery addict!  

For more information about Chameleon pens and products check out the Tiger Pens website or ask me and I will try to answer your questions.

Thanks for stopping by!

Artline Monday - January motivation

I love the first week of January, I feel so positive and motivated... this will be the best year ever, I'm going to complete my goals, nothing will stop me etc, etc... Then the second week comes along and life starts to go back to normal, school begins again, my husband goes back to work, the Christmas decorations have all been packed away and there's no more eating shortbread or pastries for breakfast.  This is when the January blues start to kick in, the weather is cold, grey and usually wet and there are no fairy lights to brighten my day.  So I thought for today's post I would share with you some ideas to help you through this first month of the year and keep you feeling motivated!

My January motivation spread created with Artline pens

Something to look forward to

What can you do on the 31st January to celebrate making it to the end of the month?  Having something nice or fun to look forward to helps pass the time and makes me feel happy.  Could you arrange to go out with friends or have a date night?  Is there a film you want to see or a restaurant you would like to go to?  Make a reservation or book tickets now and mark it on your calendar!

Focus on the positive 

Look for the good in each day and if you can't find any then try to spread a little happiness yourself.  Smile at people, hold doors open for them, buy the person behind you a coffee or pay someone a compliment.  Happiness and good deeds spread like a ripple in water and if everyone around you is feeling joyful it creates a nicer atmosphere for you to be in.

Burn off some Christmas calories 

I'd like to believe that Christmas calories don't count but they do.  Even if you didn't overindulge over the holidays doing some kind of exercise this month will make you feel brighter.  One of the things I want to do this year is increase my daily move goal on my fitness tracker so I am going to be taking my dog for extra or longer walks each day.  I am going to brave the cold and the rain, I am going to wear my lovely new scarf and gloves I got for my birthday in November and I am going to be more active!  Once I have dragged myself out of my warm house a few times it should become a habit that I get used to doing and I will hopefully feel the benefit! 

Things that make you happy 

I heard a good idea the other day about filling a basket or box full of things that make you happy.  You pop in a selection of things you enjoy using and doing and place them next to the chair, seat or sofa where you relax each evening or by the side of your bed.  I have put a blanket and a pair of fuzzy socks in mine to keep me warm and snug, my favourite Christmas candle to light when I sit down and for activities I have chosen a book to read, my new Alice in Wonderland colouring book, a selection of Artline colouring pens and my calligraphy practice notebook and calligraphy pens.  Now when my day is finally over and I have walked the dog, fed everyone and got everything ready for the following day I can sit down, put on my blanket and socks and dip into the basket for something fun to occupy me until it's time for bed.  Actually I think I might adopt this idea all year through and not just for January!

Things that make me happy

Do you do anything special to get you through January and keep your motivation going? I'd love to know!