Using stamps in your planner

Hello fellow planner friends!

This year my goal is to use supplies that I already have to complete my planner pages. I love using stickers and washi tape but I also have an over-abundance of stamps and so my goal is to use all the things I own to create planner decorations that just make me smile!

This week I decided to go with stamps and so I dug out an old Brimbles Box with a great stamp set to create this fun, bright planner layout for the third week in January. (Keep in mind, here in Australia it's ridiculously hot at the moment while we begin our hottest part of the year!)

For this layout, I needed the following:

• Stamps 
• Acrylic block
• Black ink
• Watercolour paints 
• Water brush

Additionally, I also used a heat gun to help dry the stamped images and watercolours throughout the process.

Those of you who are familiar with my planner layouts will know I love to add images/stamps/stickers/etc down the centre of my planner pages. I find it really difficult to write so close to the rings so why not throw all my decorations there? It uses up the space and helps tie both sides of the insert together.

Now, I don't have a huge number of commitments each week, so I don't need copious amounts of writing space - plus, I write pretty small anyway, so it doesn't bother me.

However, the wonderful think about using watercolours is you can write over them pretty easy and still see everything you write, so if you're someone who wants to add colour to your inserts but still have plenty of space to write, this could be a great option for you!

Adding the paint splatter was really a spur of the moment decision for me, but I love the way it looks. It's subtle, yet whimsical and just ties everything together so beautifully.

Finally, one last tip - don't get hung-up on painting inside the stamped lines. I didn't, and normally I'm an everything-in-its-place kind of gal, but the wonderful thing about watercolours is how effective they look with imperfections. So don't be too hard on yourself. Just play and enjoy.

I hope you've been inspired to try some stamps and/or watercolours in your planners. It really is a lot of fun. If you like what you see here, don't forget to visit me over on Instagram or on Youtube for future ideas and inspiration.

Until next time, happy planning!

Stef xx