Creating the Perfect Planner ......... Organise Your Life the Fun Way!

Planners are the the new craze coming over from America and it is pretty much a cross between scrapbooking and a filofax! Sounds perfect hey?!? Well I think so ... I have loved pretty stationery ever since I was a little girl always wanting funky pens, rubbers, notebooks etc and to be quite honest with you not much has changed! LOL

With my life now changing slightly I am going to have to juggle a part time job in marketing with my business 'Sarah's Simply Handmade' and that means being organised as we are about to go in to 'silly season' for us crafters leading up to Christmas so I have been looking at these planners for ages and I think I have found the perfect one for me! And here it is ......

Complete gorgeousness - right?? I found this amazing page on Facebook by 'Hearts by Emma' and pretty much landed in stationery heaven! So having spent an absurd amount of time on her Etsy page https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Heartsbyemma this beautiful little parcel of loveliness arrived in the post and today I have spent a wonderful couple of hours getting it ready to use!

If you are thinking about getting one here's what I have done to personalise mine and give it a little bit of Tilda magic too! Let's face it if I didn't add Tilda to my planner I don't think anyone would believe it was mine!

First up - gather all your goodies together, all the pretties and stickers you can think of, some Tilda papers, labels and embellishments, plus any extras - I needed contact sheets, to do lists and extra note paper in pretty pastel shades of course & some essential tools to help make it all happen! 

Start by organising your layout .... how you will use your diary/planner/organiser and don't forget to always add the 'smile' factor wherever you can! Most planners will come with a set of 'pretties' so it's up to you how you use them and embellish them. I wanted to smile every time I opened my planner so I cut to size the 'hello' velum that came with the planner and changed the original backing to one of my favourite Tilda designs ...

I then started putting in all the 'dashboards' (dividers) for all the categories I wanted in my planner beginning with the calender section. I want to feel inspired and motivated when I open my diary so I chose one of the velums that came with the planner, some Tilda paper cut to size, one of the pretty glitter crowns paper clips I also bought from 'Hearts by Emma'.

Next up the to do lists! There's bound to be plenty of those!! - the planner already has a main divider for this entitled 'Lists to Love' and some gorgeous papers for daily to do's etc but I needed an extra section to divide my two lives ...  Again I chose Tilda papers, one of the 'To Do' Stickers and a perfect quote card from my 'Hearts by Emma' bundle and because the Tilda papers are double sided I have 'fancied' up the back by adding a Winter Memories angel and some cute stickers I already had.

I'm sure I am going to need to write down lot of notes and ideas, the planner comes with a section called 'Write it Down', there's also another with beautiful papers for 'Memory Keeping'. Among these I have added an extra notes section. Using Tilda  papers, a delightful glittered pink crown paper clip (can paper clips be delghtful!??! ..... probably!) and another quote card saying 'Here's the Story' ..

Everyone needs good contacts in business and in life! Whether it be friends, family, business contacts, stockists, suppliers - you name it we need them all in our lives ..... but only good ones! which is why I have purposely added the perfect quote card at the beginning of my contacts dashboard that says 'Don't let anyone ever dull your sparkle' that way I won't let any dull people make it in to my contacts section! I also included a pretty rose paper clip, more Tilda papers and on the reverse one of the Tilda angel dolls with a 'truly happy' post it - all our contacts should make us truly happy - right? 

With all the main sections now having their own personalised features I was able to work my way through the planner adding some more fun bits. Most planners will come with a new month section for your diaries - the ones in my planner were already gold foiled with the month but then just a plain white sheet which obviously just isn't good enough for us crafty planner types so I have added a little bit of Tilda paper craft embellishment on to each one to liven them up and get me in the mood for the month ahead!

For emergencies I have a spare paper clip, a Tilda paper dashboard card, a birdcage post it note and notepaper all adding to the general prettiness! 

And the big question .... did it actually close when I had added all my bits ??? ............ of course it did! LOL with it's beautiful pale pink leather tassle winking out of the bottom and the wonderful little tag that says 'Be Yourself' and my pretty sparkly pen neatly placed in the pen holder! 

And that is it! All I need to do now is 'add my life' whether that will be quite as perfect as my beautiful planner is another thing ..... but you know what? ...... it's a new start & new beginning for me that starts on September 1st and I'm going to give it a good go! ............ if you want to create your own perfect planner here's a few links that you might find useful ...... Good luck, Happy Planning & Enjoy!

Sarah X

Hearts by Emma: https://www.facebook.com/Heartsbyemma?fref=ts

                                           https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Heartsbyemma

Tilda Paper Crafts: http://www.sarahssimplyhandmade.co.uk/ourshop/cat_907725-Tilda-Paper-Craft.html

The Happy Planner: http://www.thehomemakery.co.uk/stationery/mambi-happy-planner

                                                      http://www.meandmybigideas.com/create365-thehappyplanner/

Simple Stories: http://www.simplestories.com/

Get Creative with an Inspiring Quote or Two!

I've always been a fan of inspirational signs and have a few scattered around my home one of my fave's is this one merrily hanging from my lovely shabby chic sideboard ......'The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time' which is exactly how I can justify my little coffee break sat here sharing my favourite little quotes with you!

Of course this being a crafty blog & me being a big fan of sewing I have a few classics I love to use and share these on my social network pages from time to time. I think I do actually feel that 'My Soul is Fed with Needle & Thread' ~ sometimes I really do think I have a sewing addiction .......hey ho! 

and of course you can't actually be a sewing addict without having a bit of a fabric problem! For any of you that feel like it's your birthday or Christmas every time you 'have' to buy more fabric (or even look at it/ stroke it ..... feel free to add your own!!) or come across a print in just the perfect design, colour palette and texture this one's especially for you ... I am definitely guilty as charged !!

Also on my quest for the perfect crafty quotes I found these super cute vintage ones ..... I hope people know that when us crafters make something for someone we don't just put it together we do wish & wish that they are going to love it and know how much love has gone in to making it for them.

Clearly some of you out there don't just make for love but like me have turned your hobby into your own little business however big or small and so to us buying handmade is important otherwise we would be out of a job and just have a room full of stuff because we can't stop making things! I'm really tempted sometimes to print out this next little 'quote' and pop on my craft fair tables - I wonder if it would make customers stop and think why something costs what it does and how much of your time, effort, love & individual creativity has gone in to making each piece? Of course I don't display it for fear of driving people away but really we all should?!

Here's a few more that I use and are always are a quick fix for getting the message across:

I think that last one is particularly poignant - I wonder if people realise how much a metre of fabric actually costs? I blame the high street for buying in bulk and selling at crazy prices that stop customers realising how much these things we create actually cost! 

Since crafting I have met a lovely lady on Facebook called Annie who is the 'Queen of Quotes' and inspiration over at Birdcages and Butterflies (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Birdcages-Butterflies/296408816435?fref=ts) I love her style and she always seems to choose just the right words ...... if you're reading this and also use Facebook definitely pop over and say hello, like her page and enjoy seeing her inspirations and work come up in your newsfeed.

As crafters we all know how 'messy' the creative process can be sometimes with buttons, ribbon & goodness knows what else all strewn about in the craziness of creating just the perfect look and getting just the right 'addition' to make the perfect creation and so my next quote is always a fave and should be put out there at least once a week!

And when the family, the housework or some other lesser distraction is calling there's no other option but to shut the door and hide it all! ha ha! I'm sure we can all relate to this one! 

Ultimately though being inspired and creating things is a way of life, if the quotes have helped or made you smile that's good enough for me as after all 'Craftiness is Happiness' .............

Sarah X