Week of 6/29: Decorated Pages!

Hey guys!  4th of July is almost here, which means it's time to make some Patriotic Planner Pages! I'm not sure if I have mentioned this or not, but I am a student in art school, so lately I have been trying to add my artistic skills into my planner to help an interesting decoration element to it.  So this week, instead of using stickers, I actually doodled little pictures in!

For the header, I used plaid deco tape I received from my giveaway haul from Miss Puff.  For the bottom of the pages and also the labels in the header, I used red skinny washi tape.  For the paperclip page marker, I made a tassel out of embroidery thread on a paperclip.  The American flag, the fireworks, and the 4th of July banner are all doodles I did in ink and colored pencil.

Thanks for reading!  I hope you all liked this weeks set-up and make sure to comment and tell me what you think!  Also make sure to enter my giveaway here!  Only 5 days left!

My New Instagram!

Hey everybody!  I am so excited to say that I finally have an Instagram for my blog!  Yay!  So what's on this account?  My account is full of sneak peaks, inside looks in my planner, and so much more! Make sure to check it out, click here for my account or click on the Instagram icon on the side bar. Enjoy!

Dollar Tree Haul!

Hey everybody!  So the other day,  I was heading to pick up some groceries at BJ's (a Wholesale store), and I noticed a new Dollar Tree was built next to it!  I have seen a lot of interesting Dollar Tree planner supply hauls over the web and on social media, so I thought I'd give it a shot.  To my luck, I was able to find a ton of cute goodies!

So on my trip I was able to find:

• 1 pack of glitter border stickers (including 4 different borders in a pack)
• 1 pack of owl stickers (containing 120 stickers in a pack)
• 1 pack of fox stickers (containing 80 stickers in a pack)
• 1 pack of rainbow stickers (containing 84 stickers in a pack)
• A set of 3 patterned ballpoint pens
• A pack of 250 multicolored paperclips

All for a grand total of $6 (without tax)!  I really love the fact that all the sticker packs I bought (not including the border stickers) all had multiple sheets in the pack instead of just one sheet per pack so I can a lot of use out of it.  Also, all the stickers were pretty good quality and had a nice thickness to it.  Totally worth the dollar haha!

Now onto the pens.  The pattern on them are so cute and fit very well in the pen elastic in my planner. When I tested the writing on them, they write very smoothly, therefore they are pretty perfect for my planner.

Thanks for reading!  Make sure to comment below and tell me if you have had any good Dollar Tree hauls and what you think of this haul!  Make sure to enter my giveaway here!  Only a week left!

Planner of the Week: Erin Condren Life Planner!

Hi guys!  I thought I'd mix things up today for Planner of the Week with a spiral planner system rather than a 6-ring binder system.  The spiral planner that will be featured today is none other than the Erin Condren Life Planner!  So what is an Erin Condren Life Planner (AKA an ECLP)?

ECLP are spiral planners that are very versatile in uses, whether it is from a change in your covers to even a change in planner lay-out.  Erin Condren now offers two lay-outs, vertical and horizontal.

Personally, I prefer the horizontal lay-out because I don't like that the vertical lay out divides each day into morning, afternoon, and night sections for each day, and I like having just one section for each day, because most of the time I don't schedule things in my planner by time.

Another things I like about ECLP is that they offer a wide range of accessories for planner geeks who like to decorate their planners, such as planner bands, planning stickers, and colorful pen meant to work on ECLP without bleeding.

Like what you see?  Use the special referral code here to get $10 off your order or planner.  When you use your referral code, it also benefits me too by giving me store credit to help fund for a ECLP for myself to share on Live. Love. Planners. (and hopefully get one for a giveaway for you!)

Thanks for reading!  Make sure to comment below and tell me what you think of ECLP and also remember to enter my giveaway here!  Only 8 days left!

My New Color Coding System!

Hi guys!  If you read my last post, you'd know that I received color coding stickers in my giveaway haul package from Miss Puff, and I was extremely excited to receive them because lately I have feeling the need to put together a new system because I didn't feel like my old one was working for me.  So after sitting down and following my steps from My Thoughts & Tips on Color-Coding, I created a new color coding system for myself!

To help remember which color belongs to what, I took a index card and hole-punched it for easy reference in my weekly lay outs.  I also cut slits where the holes are for easy removal from week to week.

My code goes as followed:

• Pink- Blogging
• Reddish Orange- Kung Fu
• Orange- Family/Friends
• Yellow- Homework (for when I head back to school in the Fall)
• Green- Vacation/Holiday
• Blue- Shopping
• Indigo- Cleaning

All the topics I used for my color coding chart are the most general things that happen in my daily life, which is why I chose them as my general categories.  I like using the stickers because I can easily place them near the day of the week I am on without any hassle.  I also like the fact it provides an easy glance for me to use when I need to know the just of my day.

Thanks for reading!  Make sure to comment below and tell me what you think of my new color code and also if you have a color coding system as well.  Remember to enter my giveaway here!  Only a few days left!

Giveaway Haul (from Miss Puff!)

Hi everyone!  In my last post, I mentioned that I received my giveaway prizes from (the very generous) Miss Puff!  Because I used most of the items included in the giveaway I thought I would share the items I received.

Here's a picture of everything I received (so much happiness!).

Some of the items I was most excited to receive were stickers!  Lately I haven't been able to get a hold of any stickers (one of the many downsides to being a planner geek on a budget!), so I was so happy to get these cute lil' stickers.  I received two sheets of felt sheep stickers, one sheet of Rilakkuma stickers (so cute!), and quite a few sheets of color coding stickers.

Yay!  Washi tape!  I was really excited to receive all these rolls of washi.  In total, I received 8 rolls of washi, two of them being holographic tape, four being skinny tapes, and two being deco tape.

I also got a nice collection of page markers!  The blue one the farthest to the left is a Penny Press paper clip, which I love because it has great versatility due to the fact the tail can easily be moved back or let loose.  I also received a sheep wooden paperclip, which originally was made entirely out of wood, but when I tried to place it in my planner, the clip broke so I attached a metal paperclip to the back of the sheep instead.  To add to both of these clips, I also received a metal paperclip with an epoxy sticker backed with a banner-like print.  I also got a Santa wooden clip, which will definitely be used for all my Christmas planning.

Isn't this a cute stationery set?  I'm not familiar with brand Belle & Boo, but this whole set is so adorable!  It includes a ruler, a pencil, an eraser, and a sharpener.

I love this Things To Do List Pad!  It is a great size to punch holes in to stick in my Personal Filofax!  Although it required some trimming, it made a great page marker.

This little bunny card is so cute!  I am most likely going to cut out the bunnies and make them into page markers.

Aren't these Badtz Maru note cards cute?  I am most likely going to laminate them and punch holes in them to make some reusable note cards for my Weekly Decorations.

The next item I received was these cute little weather stamps which are perfect for recording weather in my planner.  These are actually my first set of stamps, so I was so excited to get them!

Yay!  Post-its!  They always come in handy for me,  I like to write down events with no solid date set to put in my weekly pages so that way I can move the event around without making it permanent in writing.

So that's everything!  A big thanks to Miss Puff for all these items, I'm really excited to use them all!  Make sure you check out the Miss Puff site here!  Thanks for reading!  Make sure to enter my giveaway here!  Only a few more days left!

Week of 6/22: Decorated Pages!

Hey guys!  Sorry i haven't blogged in a while, last week was I didn't get a chance to blog at all, but I am going to try to stay on top of it. Recently I received a giveaway package from Miss Puff so this week I utilized my giveaway to put together this week's pages.  This week's theme is "Counting Sheep".  Here's what it looks like:

For this week, I used Felt sheep stickers, a sheep paperclip, as well as thin yellow and green washi tape.  All of these items were included in my giveaway prize from Miss Puff.  I also used some color coding stickers (which will be included in a post later this week.)  I hope you all liked this week's set-up!  Thanks for reading and make sure to enter my giveaway here!  There's only a few more days left so make sure to enter soon!

My Planner Flip Through

Hi everyone!  As you know, I've officially reached planner peace in my Filofax (see How to Create a Divider System in Three Steps), so I thought I would do a planner flip through to show you what my planner looks like right now.  Just warning you now it's a very photo-heavy post.

So I am currently using my Duck Egg Blue Patent Filofax.  It's a compact size, so ring space is limited and I have to really think about what I actually want to include in the rings.

So when you first open up my planner, you'll see my Paris themed dashboard with a few binder clips and some Paris page flags.  In the top card slot, I have a few paper clips I made.  In the bottom card slot, I have a note pad where I write quick notes and lists.  In the flap in the front, I'm storing a small stack of large Project Life cards.

When you flip past my dashboard, you'll see a set of dividers I made.  The first divider holds my actual planner pages shown here:

This is just a random decorated page that I have in my planner section.

My second divider holds my To-Do Lists like the one here:

Look familiar?  It's my Bee To-Do List Freebie!

My next divider is my inspiration.  I do different collages and put anything that really inspires me for motivational tools.

An example of one of my collages.

My next divider is where I keep my general notes.  It's really only note and graph paper, so I'm not going to include a photo for it.

This divider is where I keep all my contacts and most of my personal info.  Here's what my contact sheets look like:

I used the standard contact sheets that come with Filofaxes, but I added a few stickers to add some pizazz.

Last but not least we have my budgeting divider.  This is where keep track of all my expenses and anything having to do with money.  Here's what some of the sheets in my budgeting section look like:

I primarily use my Expenses & Purchases Freebie for my budgeting section.  I also have an envelope I made stuck on the back of my divider as well which I use to hold cash.

At the back pocket of my planner I keep my smaller Project Life Cards.

Thanks for reading!  Make sure to leave a comment and tell me what you think and also remember to enter my giveaway here!

Planner of the Week- Webster's Pages Striped Color Crush Planner!

Hey everybody!  Sorry I haven't kept up with the Planner of the Week feature due to things like my giveaway, but today I have decided to make the Webster's Pages Striped Color Crush Planner this week's planner!  I love Webster's Pages Color Crush planners, they are always coming out with new designs, and one of their more recent designs is the teal and white striped planner.  One of my favorite colors is teal/mint, so of course I was in love with this planner.  Another great thing about these planners is that they are at a super great price that is great for an planner newbie looking for a planner to start on or anyone looking to add to their collection without paying a super outrageous price.

Webster's Pages offers a large range of different Color Crush planner, so make sure to check out their entire range here!

Thanks for reading!  Make sure to check out the rest of the Color Crush range and also remember to enter my giveaway here!

An Interview with Abby from Spread the Giggles!

Hi everyone!  Today I am very excited to have a fellow planner geek here today, Abby from Spread the Giggles!  I asked her a couple questions, and here's what she said:

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My name is Abby and I'm 20 years old living in England. I've been using planners for around 3 years now, although I've always had an interest in organisation and planning. I run a blog which is updated as often as I can but not as often as I'd like, but feel free to have a peek! Thank you Beth for getting in contact and being so kind, it's a pleasure to be a guest for your blog!

1. What planner/planners do you have? Are there any you want to get?
I currently have a pink A5 Finsbury filofax and a mint with gold spots A5 Kikki-K planner. I don't currently want any more at the moment :)

2. What planners are you using at the moment?
I stopped using any planners for a few months for personal reasons, but lately have started to use my mint Kikki K again. I missed being able to feel organised and use my washi tapes.

3. What are your favorite planner brands?
Probably Kikki-K. Their paper quality and design is much better than Filofax in my opinion, but the planners are pretty expensive especially with shipping and custom prices. Paperchase is pretty good although I've never tried their own planners out myself, only their inserts.

4. Where do you draw inspiration from for your planner?
Mainly from Instagram. You can find lots of inspiration on the filofax hashtag! Also watching setup videos on Youtube is a great source of inspiration.

5. Do you any favorite planner bloggers?
I have a list of my favourite planner related blogs here.

6. What are 5 things for your planner that you absolutely can't leave the house without?
I don't take my planner anywhere so it stays on my desk, and all my planner related stuff is in my desk drawers :) But if I had to go on a trip and took it with me, I would probably need to take a few pens and pre-decorate the weeks I was away.

7. What is the current theme for your planner pages?
I haven't actually done one for this week as I've been so busy, but usually I pick a washi tape that I like for the week and choose either some stickers/sticky notes that go with the tape.

8. What would you describe your planner decoration style as?
Minimalistic and fun. I hate making it too messy, I always find the more I add decoration the less I like the layout so I just keep it simple now.

9. How did you first discover your love of planners?
I can't remember exactly but I've always been into organization and cleanliness. I remember watching the movie New York Minute and one of the main characters has a 'day planner' which I tried to mimic before I found out about Filofaxes a few years later. I love the fact you can remove, add, and move around pages to suit your needs.

10. What is your favorite thing about Live. Love. Planners.?
I really enjoy reading the little tips and hints, and generally seeing how your planner is setup :)

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Thank you so much for coming and answering the questions Abby!  Make sure to check out Abby's blog here and also remember to enter my giveaway here!  If you are interested in being featured in an interview on Live. Love. Planners, send me an e-mail at beth.dewald@gmail.com!  Thanks for reading!

Finding the Practicality in Planner Decoration

It's one of the most controversial topics you'll see in the Wonderful World of Planner is Supplies:  To Decorate or Not to Decorate?  After reading the article Accessories and Planners: Do They Really go Together by The Fabulous Planner, I really thought to myself about whether I really should have accessories and decoration in my planners.  It took me a while to actually realize that one of my favorite parts about planning was being able to find practicality in decorating or finding uses for stationery that most people would find as a distraction or a waste of time in their planners.  For example, when most people would use page flags as decoration, I use them to write events that have pending date so I can move them around my planner.  Washi Tape?  I write on pieces of it as labels.  Project Life Cards?  I use them to write notes on.

My point is, certain aspects of planner decoration don't necessarily have to be just for eye candy.  Decoration in planners can be a motivator to make you actually want to take the time to plan as well for general uses in your planner.

Thanks for reading!  Make sure to comment and tell me what you think and also remember to enter my giveaway here!

Week of 6/8: Decorated Pages!

Hi everyone!  For this week's pages, I went with the theme "Pretty in Pink", and my mind set was anything and everything pink and sparkly!  Like my decorated pages post a couple weeks ago, I decided to recycle some old birthday cards I have been keeping to help decorate.  Here's my end result:

For the bookmark in this picture, I used a sparkly heart sticker I had on hand and the backing of an old card that was EXACTLY the perfect height for a personal sized bookmark, not trimming needed.  For the pink heading I used an old envelope in place of scrapbook paper.  The sparkly arrow is a sticker I hot glued onto a paper clip making a nifty little pointer for important events.  The sparkly deco at the bottom is sparkly washi tape that I was given to as a gift, so I'm actually not sure where that from.

That's it for today!  Thank you for reading and make sure to comment below for any requests for upcoming decorated pages.  Also make sure to enter my giveaway here!

How to Create a Divider System for Your Planner in 3 Easy Steps

In the Wonderful World of Planners, you'll constantly be seeing tutorials for decorating or making your own dividers to utilize as a design tool, but also as a big key to functionality in planners.  Dividers can add another dimension of organization in planners, making them a key part of your planner.  One of the reasons I said my planner was a mess (see An Update on My Planner...), was because I had outgrown my previous divider system, making it hard for me to reach Planner Peace.  Now I think it is safe to say that planner is officially out of shambles (Woo hoo!), and this is because I have recreated my divider system, which brings us to today's topic on how to create a divider system for your planner.  Here are the steps I used to recreate my divider system:

1.  Take a good look at what's in your planner.

• As simple as it sounds, it is one of the most crucial parts of recreating (or creating) your system.  Start by asking yourself this:  "What is really in my planner?".  Do you have pages of notes. To-Do Lists, agenda pages?  When I did I noticed that I had a lot of note pages, inspiration collages I had made, To-Do lists, agenda pages, contacts, personal info, and budgeting sheets.  Once you have done this, take everything out of your rings and put them into piles according to what they are (at this point you can see the categories for your dividers start to form!)

2. Think about your lucky divider number.

• A lucky divider number is how many dividers you feel comfortable with.  For some, this could mean as little as three dividers or even as many as twelve!  For me, I have always felt the most comfortable with six dividers, which is pretty standard.  Try not to make your lucky divider number exceed the number of piles you have too much, but also don't make it too little.  For example,  I have seven parts that I've made from my planner, but my lucky divider number is six.  With this number, I'll still be able to contain everything properly, but I won't be all over the place trying to make everything fit in three dividers, and I won't be trying to stretch everything into twelve

3.  Put everything together!

• Now that we've done all the dirty work, we can put everything together!  Since in this case I had had seven parts established but my lucky divider number is six,  I decided to combine my personal info and contacts together in one divider, since they are similar.  Everything else received its own divider, making the final categories for my dividers become agenda pages, contacts and personal info, notes, inspiration, budgeting, and to-do lists!

Reminder:  Don't be discouraged to make new divider systems even when you've already established one.  Remember that everyone's world is always changing, and you have to change your planner along with you and make your planner work for YOU!

Thanks for reading!  Comment below to let me know what your divider system is like! Remember to enter my giveaway here!

Gem and Ribbon Paper Clip Mini Giveaway!

Hey guys!  As you can see, I have officially reached 10 followers on bloglovin'!  Woo hoo!  To celebrate this and to lead up to my big giveaway at 100 followers, I have decided to host a giveaway with Ribbon and Gem paper clips made by me.  Here's what they look like:

Cool huh?  One of my lucky readers can win all the paper clips above by entering below, but here are some rules you need to know:

• This giveaway is open internationally
• I will announce the winner on July 6 as well as notify them by email
• The winner most respond to my email within a week or else I will disqualify them and choose a new one

Thanks for reading and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy National Donut Day! (Freebie Inside!)

Hi guys!  I'm going tostart of by saying Happy National Donut Day!  With an abundance of yummy donuts everywhere on social media, I was struck with a "lightning bolt" of inspiration.  After painting all morning and using Adobe Illustrator (and a little bit of Kung Fu in between),  I created a Donut Dashboard for everyone!  So here's what it looks like in my planner:

And here's what the download looks like (which can be used as a mobile wallpaper!  It's totally on my phone right now!:

So what are you waiting for?  Go ahead and download your very own Donut Dashboard!

Download A5 Here
Download Personal Here
Download Pocket Here

What Would You Like to See?

As a blogger, I am always looking for ideas for posts that I think my readers would find interesting and I would enjoy writing.  Even though I love trying to get inside my readers heads, today I would love to hear what YOU want!  It can be a DIY, an opinionated post, basically anything you want to see about the Wonderful World of Planners!

So go ahead!  Raid those comment boxes!  I can't wait to hear from you guys!

Week of 6/1: Decorated Pages!

Recently I entered a cute little flash giveaway for stickers on Instagram provided by the lovely Vanessa Glass of the new Etsy store Interroband Designs!  This site is absolutely PERFECT for any planner geek, and I absolutely LOVE the planner stickers she has!  After entering this great giveaway, I surprised to find I had won some of Vanessa's Citrus Planner Stickers, which are great considering that summer is almost here.  And what better to do with these stickers then to decorate this weeks planner pages with!

 Don't they look cute in my planner?  Plus, Vanessa was nice enough to include some adorable washi tape with the stickers that coordinates perfectly with the stickers.  To give you a better idea of what she included, here's a pic of all the goodies she sent over:

That's it for today!  Thank you so much Vanessa for sending this stuff over!  Thanks for reading!