Shop Review: Once More With Love

The Bean was picked to be on her school's Science Olympiad team!  Yay Nerd Child!

She recently started planning with me although she goes in spurts with it.  She asked me to find some stickers that she could use to keep track of the team's practices.

Off down the deep dark rabbit hole that is Etsy I went.

I stumbled upon these little mad scientists from Once More With Love.  Look at them.

I've been following Margaret and OMWL on Instagram and Facebook for awhile.  Her hand drawn characters are called Munchkins and a lot of other planners had raved about her stickers.  I can see why now.  They are super cute and you kinda want to collect them all.

We also picked out these cute octopus Chore stickers.  There have been some behavioral problems and grade issues lately so the Bean and I need to get on track and these will help her to remember what she is responsible for every week.

Habit trackers to get me on track too.

And talk about a dirty habit...laundry.  It never ends.  At least these make me smile.

And to reward myself for keeping up with laundry and habits...Etsy order stickers!!!

Once all the chores are done, we have Family Time stickers to remember that's all that really matters anyways, right?

You can customize these Munchkins for the number of Munchkins you have in your own family.

Everything came in an adorable envelope and wrapped in paper with even more cute doodles and my name written all fancy pants!

I'm going to do something with these doodles, just not sure what yet.

And to top it all off, this cute sampler was included.

I will definitely order again from Once More With Love.  I can't wait to get these down in my planner.

You can follow Margaret on Instagram for shop news and join her exclusive Facebook group for discount codes and sales notices.

Play Pretties Review: A Melancholy Moose

I don't think it is any secret that I am a Harry Potter fan.  If it was, it ain't now!

I listened to all the books on audio and fell in love with the characters just like everyone else.  My favorite character in the story is Luna Lovegood.  I just love Luna!

Recently, I read someone 's post on Facebook about an Etsy shop that sells Harry Potter sticker kits. I've seen some kits in the past but always hated the colors.   The pictures that were posted were enough to get me to click over to the shop site and I am soooo glad I did!

A Melancholy Moose is a sticker shop that specializes in hand drawn, whimsical drawings on her stickers.  The artwork is amazing and so very cute!

Look at this!

So cute!  It's all hand drawn!

She has several different Harry Potter-inspired kits as well as other fun kits and functional stickers.  The paper she uses is a matte, non-removable finish.  My crappy iPhone camera would never be able to do the colors of her stickers justice but you'll just have to take my word for it.

As soon as I saw her Luna Lovegood-inspired kit, I knew it had to be mine!  Just look at these illustrations!

The colors are so pretty!

I also ordered these really cute and slightly snarky cat stickers for those days when things on your to-do list just won't get done.

When I placed my order, she was offering a free Limited Edition Harry Potter Birthday sampler since July is Harry's birth month.  You knew that right???

Look at Hagrid!

The shipping was fast and the package was decorated with other cute little stickers.  I'd recommend this shop to any Harry Potter planner fan out there!

Check out A Melancholy Moose's Instagram for a discount code too!

***I added this link to the All Things Planner link up hosted at Planner Squad!***

Meet Pippa, a Plum Paper Planner

I have stalled on the blogging simply because I got soooo danged frustrated over the pictures I am able to take.  I don't have a fancy camera so I am stuck depending on my iPhone camera which no matter what their commercials tell you, the pictures are crap.  I want to show you all the beautiful colors of my layouts and stickers and it just isn't working for me.  All I can do is say sorry they are crap and keep trying though.  I hope you'll hang in here with me.

Now onto the planner.  I have a new one.

I'd like to introduce Pippa, my new Plum Paper planner.  Anyone that's known me for any length of time will probably be able to figure out where that name came from but if not, I am a fan of the British Royal Family and I named my Pippa after Duchess Kate's sister, Pippa Middleton.  I already have one planner named Kate Middleton so I might as well have one named after her sister, right?

I have gone through several planner set ups and never could find one I really fell in love with.  Pippa is probably the closest thing to "love" or planner peace I have found.

If you've never heard of Plum Paper before, I urge you to run (after you finish reading my post, of course) to their website and check out all of their beautiful designs.  You can change the colors of the covers, add names or monograms, or even add a picture.  I love whales so when I saw this cover, I knew I wanted it.  I did change the colors slightly on mine though.  I asked them to use one of my favorite color combinations - aqua blue and red.  It's not a bright, bright red or even a "Georgia" red, but it will do.

Aren't those little whales cute?  The covers are water proof and tear resistant and the pattern is on the front and the back of the planner.

Pippa starts in July and runs through June 2017.  You can choose to build your planner with a date range of 12 - 18 months and have it start in any month you'd like.  That's an awesome feature for those just getting into planning and you don't want to waste half a planner, or students/teachers needing a planner that starts in the middle of a year.

Each month has its own color divider and the tabs are laminated and heavier paper is used.

Each month has a goals and notes page at the beginning.  I've only decorated this section a little bit, nothing jaw dropping for sure.

Then there is a monthly view.  This is my very first time ever decorating a monthly view.  I used pieces from my latest Planner Society kit on both the goals/notes section and the monthly view.

You can choose a vertical or horizontal layout when you build your planner.  I am not a fan of vertical.  I feel that there is not enough room for my handwriting so I opted for a horizontal setup that gives you a notes page on the left side and the weekly view on the right.  You can also get a horizontal week on two pages, if you'd prefer.  I really LOVE having the notes page to go along with the week view.  Here is an example of how I decorated a notes page.

Again, fan of the Royal Family and no surprise who I think we should all vote for this election year.  This was also the week of the shooting of the two black men and the Dallas police officer shootings so when I saw this quote from Dr. King posted on Facebook, I printed it off and glued it in.  I wanted to remember what was going on and I plan to do more of that from now on.

Here is the layout I used last week.

First picture is the left side notes section and the second picture is the actual week layout on the right side in the planner.

I used stickers from CandLCrafts1 on Etsy and washi from my Planner Society kit.

I really recommend Plum Paper for those looking to have a more customized planner.  They also have sections like budgeting, fitness, home management, to name a few, that you can add in the planner for a small fee.  The only section I added for mine was a larger notes section at the back.  So far I have used it to keep track of Etsy shop business cards or discount codes I can use on future orders.

Very happy with the Plum Paper planner so far.  The only downside I've run into is there are not a lot of Etsy shops that sell weekly sticker kits for it.  Etsy is dominated with Erin Condren sticker shops but hopefully there will be more and more shops that offer a PPP or Plum Paper Planner version of their kits.

So now you've met Pippa!

May 2016 Challenges

This month I've decided to join in several challenges.  I'm going to use my new inserts for my Sunshine Dori and hopefully having everything in the same place, easy to get to, will keep me on track.

The first is the Listers Gotta List challenge by The Reset Girl.  I've mentioned this one before and even started one month but did not finish.  If you go to their page, you can print out the prompts for May along with the challenge instructions.

Day 1 - off to a great start so far!

I used that cute little girl image from Free Pretty Things for You.  Keren from FPTFY has so many cute images on her site.

Next is the Quoted challenge from Analog Stationers.  This is an Instagram-based challenge.  Each day you use the prompts to find a quote you like.  You can hand write it or create a graphic with the quote and share it on IG using the hashtag #QuotedMay2016.  Each month you just change your hashtag so you can be found.

Here are the May prompts and my first contribution.

And finally there is a scripture writing plan shared by Sweet Blessings.  Each day you copy the Bible verse given.  Each one should take less than 10 minutes to write.  This weekend, I broke out for the very first time my watercolor gel pencils I found at Target.  You color with the pencils and then go back over it with a small brush that is included.  I added the plan printable to my painted page.

You can follow my progress on IG this month.  If you see me slacking, give me a shout out to prod me along.  Feel free to share any challenges you are participating in this month in the comments.  I always love hearing about new ones.

SunshineNBliss Shop Review

I think maybe I have found THE ONE.

Meet my Sunshine Dori.

Isn't she the cutest???  I absolutely LOVE the vintagey-kitschy fabric print.

What is a Sunshine Dori though?

A dori or traveler's notebook is a completely customisable notebook that is made out of leather or fabric.  The idea is to be able to easily keep track of notes, calendars, and journaling while traveling. When you have one made out of fabric like this, it is also called a fauxdori.  Some shops that make and sell fabric doris come up with their own cute names too.  I bought this one from an Etsy shop called SunshineNBliss so it is called a Sunshine Dori.

I had never heard of traveler's notebooks or TNs, or doris until a few months ago.  I started seeing pictures of them in planner groups and at first I wasn't sold.  Why would anyone want something like this when you could have a pretty planner from Happy Planner or a set up in a Kikki?

Then I joined a few journaling challenges like Listers Gotta List from The Reset Girl and Quoted from Analog Stationers.  I never could decide where in my planner to add in my daily entries for these challenges.  I tried a couple of setups in photo albums, regular notebooks and journals and discarded planner pages but I didn't like any of those options.  In the planner groups I would see others making really beautiful layouts in TN inserts.  After looking into TNs and fauxdoris, I realized exactly how much I could make this set up my own.  My 109th birthday came around and I was given some elusive spendoolics and the search for the perfect dori started.

I knew I wanted something with a vintage feel to it but I also usually go for bright, cute patterns.  I stumbled across SunshineNBliss's listing for this Sunshine Dori and I fell in love.

I reached out to the shop owner late on a Friday night with questions about sizes.  I really did not expect to hear back from them until the next day or even Monday because honestly, who else is spending their Friday nights trolling Etsy?  Evidently Karee spends her Friday nights the same way!

Karee, the shop owner, replied back to me almost immediately and answered my questions.  She even sent pictures with her doris next to other planners so that I could figure out the sizing.  Once the order was placed I didn't even bother ordering inserts because I did not think the dori would arrive so quickly.  In the shop description, Karee says the turnaround time is 1-2 weeks which is what I expected for something that is totally handmade.  I placed my order on Saturday and had the dori in my hand the following Friday.  That was totally unexpected and amazing!

I squealed when I opened it because it is so bright and lovely.  Look how Karee packaged it all.

Ain't that sweet?  Wouldn't receiving a package like this make you feel special?  It did me.

I messaged Karee and told her how much I loved it and that I hadn't expected it so soon.  I hadn't even ordered the inserts yet.

I asked Karee to put in extra inside bands and pockets.  Those bands hold the inserts in place.  If y'all order a dori, get the pockets.  They are so nice to have.  Take a look at the inside of this dori.

Carrots!!!  Veggies!  The inside fabric goes so well with the cover fabric.  It is all so kitschy-cute!

This is what she looks like with inserts inside.

The inserts are from Boho Cottage and Happy Planning Shoppe and I will do another post to show you those more later on.  Right now I have inserts for my calendar, meal planning, memory keeping for Bean, bible study, Listers Gotta List and Quoted.  All of that in one dori and it is so easy to carry around.  It's actually lighter than any of the planners I've been using.  When an insert gets filled up, just replace it.  Super easy and so danged cute!

You can get your own Sunshine Dori from Karee and see exactly how great her sewing skills are. Here are all of her links.

SunshineNBliss on Etsy
Sunshine_N_Bliss on Instagram

Karee also has a shop with her sister that makes adorable dori inserts.  I plan on ordering my next batch of inserts from her.  That shop is called CraftyGirlsX2.

Pretty Cute Planner Shop Review

 Through a post on an online planner group, I learned about a shop called Pretty Cute Planner.  The shop owner is Julie and she sells sticker sets for the Happy Planner and Erin Condren planners.  Her sets are very affordable and they really are Pretty Cute!

I ordered two weekly sets.  This is the Bold French Country set.

My pictures may not do them justice but they are bright and bold.  This set came with two sheets including full and half boxes, washi, tear drops, and quite a few functional stickers.  I used this one set to decorate two planners, Pippa, my work Paper Source planner and Karrie, my yellow Kikki-K.

(Yes, I name my planners.  Soon I will write a post about all of them and how they each got their names.)

Back to the stickers...there were enough stickers in this set to decorate two planners!  All for $3.99! Very affordable.

Here is Pippa dressed up in Bold French Country.

And Karrie.

 I also ordered the Minted Wood set and this set is sooo pretty!  I can't wait to use it.

I also want to really boast on the shop owner, Julie, for a second.  She mailed out my package by USPS.  I use the AfterShip app to track everything and this package got hung up in one spot for almost a week.  I never had that happen before and didn't really know what I should do about it.  I contacted Julie to ask and she contacted the local hub and I got my package the next day!  She went above and beyond to get my order to me and I think that was so nice of her to do.

When I told her about this blog review, she graciously offered to give my readers 10% off their orders.  Just use the code THANKYOU when you check out.  Her shop link again is Pretty Cute Planner.  You can also find Julie on Instagram @ PrettyCutePlanner and Facebook at facebook.com/groups/PrettyCutePlanner

If you order from Pretty Cute Planner, please send me a picture of your layout or tag me on Instagram - @ PlayPretties  I'd love to see it!

Who? What? Why???

Who am I and why am I here?  What’s with the stickers?  Why do I have so many planners?

I thought I’d introduce myself or re-introduce myself to some of you.  By day I am a secretary in a law firm.  I am married and have one beautiful, wonderful, amazingly talented child.  I recently got hooked on planning and it seems to be my main obsession at the moment.

I have always been a “day late and a dollar short” type of person.  I am always late and have usually forgotten something.  I have never really been a planner, usually waiting until the very last minute to do anything.  Living a life of flying by the seat of your pants has really not done me any favors.  I am always forgetting tasks, bills, due dates, memories, etc.  Then with my thyroid issues, I became even worse at remembering even the slightest little thing.  All of that and now that the aforementioned child is getting older and has more of a social schedule than I do, the time came to get my ducks in a row and try to find a way to stay on top of everything.

I have always loved stationary and stickers and pens - all of it. I can’t quite remember what exactly it was that I stumbled upon and caught my eye about planning but I believe it was Pinterest.  I saw a pin one day of a free printable planner and had just forgotten a due date on something very important. I remember thinking “maybe it’s time to get it together”.  I started looking around at planning systems and found a whole community of planners and shop owners and have joined so many that my social media feeds seem to have forgotten all my friends and only shows pictures of planners now.  For some reason that has brought me some peace lately.

Finding the right system isn’t peaceful at all though. I have been through several planner types that, for whatever reason, never felt right.  I changed everything from the brand of planner to the type of binder to carry it all.  I am still trying to figure all of this out and that is why I have so many.  I’ve lucked up with deals and holidays fell at the right time, too.

Then you have the stickers.

STICKERS!!!!!

They are the greatest.  You can plan without them but making it all pretty is the best part for me.  Using stickers and kits is my way lately of being creative and crafty and that soothes me so much.

Oh!  Almost forgot.  Why is it called Play Pretties?  That is term my Granny used to use for my toys and people's whatnots that they enjoyed. It's always stuck with me as a pretty phrase so I borrowed from Granny and here we are.

So there you have the "why".  I work daily on the “how”.  I hope you stick around to watch the progress!

My Weekly View - April 4, 2016

I have experimented with several planners for work and never could settle on one I loved until a week ago.  This is a 2016 Paper Source planner and I love it! I'm starting to love it so much that I don't really look at my personal planner much anymore.  Right now, Paper Source has these planners marked down 75%!  Go!  Run! Get one!

I can't figure out exactly what it is about this planner that makes me feel planner peace.  I honestly think it is the lines.  Having actual lines to write work tasks on and then go in and mark through them once the task is completed is a gratifying feeling.

Okay, so maybe I don't get out much but it is a great feeling!

I always name my planners.  If you share so much of your life with something, it should have a name, right?  My Paper Source planner is named Pippa.  Some of you could probably guess where that came from.

I used the March kit from The Planner Society to decorate both my work and my personal planners.  If you are a paper crafting lover, I highly recommend The Planner Society kits.  I have never been disappointed with anything in them and every month is beautiful.

Here is the view in my personal planner.

I use inserts from Sew Much Crafting on Etsy and put them in my Kikki-K.

Again,I love this is.  Pink and yellow are so cheery together.   Reminds me of pink lemonade.  And I love all the cute kitschy stickers like the mixer.

Check out past layouts on my Instagram at @ playpretties

Welcome to Play Pretties!

Welcome to Play Pretties!

This is my new home on the web where I will share all things planner related and a few other things too.  I hope you all enjoy your time here with us.