Tracking Washi tape - Planner tricks & tips

Every year the wonderful Mrs Brimbles releases a Washi Advent Box for December (not available currently - it's January after all, but stay tuned for later in the year!) and I love getting it because who doesn't love opening a present a day for an entire month? While December is long since gone, I was left with a neat little pile of wonderful washi tapes that will inevitably end up in my two big crates washi tapes and it's entirely likely that I'll forget the wonderful patterns that I have. This year, instead of being entirely forgetful (like I normally am), I decided to go back to doing something I haven't done in ages and that's keeping a washi log. It's pretty simple: I simply use a bit of washi as a sample on some paper in my planner so that I can flip to it whenever I need to find the right washi tape for a project. If you watch the quick video above, you'll see how I do it - it's not rocket science, or even a completely new idea, but it is one that allows you to refer back to it time and time again. Now, so far I've only done the 2018 Washi Box (mostly because my crates of tape are a vaguely terrifying prospect to create samples from) but I do aim to get to the rest of my tapes in 2019.

  What is your tip or trick for keeping track of your washi tapes?

 

 If you like this idea, you may like to follow my videos on Youtube. Each week I post planner videos as well as other content, such as book reviews and crafty projects.

January Planner Layout

 Hello lovely planner friends. Here in Australia, I'm currently sitting in air-conditioning to save myself from the 40 degree weather - and while I'm not a fan of the very hot Summer weather we get here, it's a great opportunity for me to break out my very favourite colours in my planner. Read: pink. While the sticker kit I used for this layout (An English Garden Sticker Bundle) is technically a Spring layout, the bright colours really remind me of Summer, because everything's so light and bright outside.

   

When I use my vertical planner pages, I love to use a quote/motivational sticker in the top left hand corner - it's the first part of the page and I find it really helps to have something inspiring to read and think about each week. I'm also not super strict about using my habit trackers - they're mostly there as a reminder of things I should be doing. (The reality is I probably should be paying more attention to them, but it's ok - life happens!)

   

Another quick tip: this kit came with gorgeous illustrated and photographic full boxes, which I loved using, but sometimes you just need to make your own boxes! The little girl with the watering can in the bottom left corner is one of Anna's illustrations on top of a blank box and I love the way it looks with the girl coming off the side of the boxes. It adds just a touch more whimsy (and makes me so happy!).

   

We all know there's no one 'right' way to plan in your planner - your system and your decorations (if you choose to decorate) have to suit you and your lifestyle. Being happy with what you create is the most important thing! I love how this layout turned out, and every time I see it I smile. That's how I know it works for me.

Have a wonderful day and keep on planning!

If you like this idea, you may like to follow my videos on Youtube. Each week I post planner videos as well as other content, such as book reviews and crafty projects.

Stef's planner pages

Hello, Planner Friends! While the Northern part of the world is gearing up for Winter, here in the Southern Hemisphere, we're bracing for Summer, which has sporadically stuck it's head out a few times only to retreat behind some Spring rains. Which makes for a difficult time predicting weather, but I love Spring rains so I don't mind too much. It's also the time of year when I really think about gardening. I don't have too big a garden - just a lot of plants on my balcony - but it's nice seeing them come into flower after Winter. As a result, I've had a lot of Spring-themed planner layouts recently, and they make me so happy! This week I used the English Garden sticker bundle by Mrs Brimbles to create a fun, horizontal layout. The kit has stickers that would work for both horizontal and vertical layouts, but I really wanted to play with the illustration stickers this week, and this is the result. For the full process, check out this video:

It's been a while since I played with a LOT of coloured washi tapes and I have to say, it was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it. There's nothing like pops of colour to really brighten your day. I find it impossible not to look at this layout without smiling, because everything about it is so cheerful, and that's exactly what I need at this time of year when everything starts to get hectic in the lead-up to the holidays.

 

I wish I could say I had a formula to where I placed the stickers, but I honestly don't (and I'm pretty sure I break a lot of design rules, too... but hey, rules are meant to be broken, right?). I just wanted to make sure I not only had a pretty layout, but a functional one, too, with plenty of room for my to-dos and upcoming events.

 

My horizontal layouts always have eight boxes - the eight being for a 'notes' section. Which in my layouts is always more decorative than 'notes' (because that's just how I roll!), and it's position in my layout tends to fluctuate depending on how much space I need. So this week it's in the middle of the week and I really don't mind that!

 

I hope that wherever you are, you are being inspired and living your best life, and that your planner helps you to do that. If you're looking for more planner inspiration, I post planner videos every week on my Youtube channel. 

 Happy planning, friends! 

 Stef

Motivational Layout

Hello, planner friends!

This week I wanted to go back and create a layout that was inspiring and that reaffirmed a positive outlook. This time of year can be quite chaotic and it's easy to fall back onto negative outlooks and feel like everything is happening at once, so it's nice to take a step back and have something positive staring at my (in planner form) during the week. This layout features some older stickers and Brimbles box items - but they're super versatile and can be used any time during the year, which I really appreciate.

Marble Sticky Notes // Marble and Gold Planner Stickers

Along with some stamping, I've revisited an old favourite technique of mine - washi tape layering. The awesome thing about washi tape is how it can be torn into all sorts of shapes and layered to create interesting effects. Because of the gold foiling on the stickers, I wanted a hint of gold in the washi tapes (so as not to overpower the layout itself) so I just tore the strip in half and added it on opposite sides of the page!
 





I hope you've enjoyed this layout. As always, if you want more planner inspiration, I post planner videos every Sunday (AEST) on my Youtube channel, Noveltea Corner. Until next time, happy planning! Stef

SMART Productive Planner

“Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address.” "You've Got Mail" - Nora Ephron

You've Got Mail is one of my favourite films. I just love cheesy chick flicks, that are usually so predictable you just know that the girl and guy who hate each other at the beginning will fall in love along with some kind of misunderstanding along the way. But there's something about it too. I think it feeds into my love of New York but also the fact that it starts with "Fall" well Autumn here in England. I love this quote because it makes me think of "Back to School" season. As I write this Jaxon is on his third day at school. After the first day, he said he wasn't going back. Then yesterday morning he was a bit more for going to school. Today the debate was which side of the road we had to walk and then where to cross outside the school (there's a pelican crossing but about five metres away there's also a small traffic island in the middle of the road so you can wait for the lights to change and then still cross the road further along - if that makes sense!) So what have I been up to with my days so far of "freedom"? Well, lots actually. I'm almost up to date on the washing and have managed to clear some other bits of clutter that have been gathering around the house. I even got the bedding and towels back into the airing cupboard instead of them migrating across the landing.

 
I may have got distracted by pretty highlighters too. Interesting colourful spreads make you more productive right? Well I'm sure it might but not 100% I was as productive as I could have been! Then I got onto longer-term goals. What did I want to achieve next week and in the rest of September? Well, I might have got to a "Before Christmas" stage as well but decided to pause that one. SMART Goals. So I don't know about you but when it comes to making goals that aren't just a "cross of a to do" kind of goal I often end up back at SMART goals. (For daily goals I sometimes try the 1-3-5 method that my friend Rickie introduced me to. 5 little tasks, 3 medium tasks and 1 big task each day rather than a long to-do list like I normally do. You can read more here). Back to SMART goals, so let's go back to the beginning. What does SMART stand for? Specific - Make sure the goal is well defined. What do I want to accomplish? Why is the goal important? Who is involved? Where is it located? What do I need to achieve it? Measurable -  Make sure the goal is obtainable - think about how will I know when it is accomplished? (For instance, rather than ride my bike more, I might set a goal like ride my bike 10 miles a week) Achievable - how I accomplish this goal? How realistic is the goal? Relevant - is the goal relevant? Does this seem worthwhile? But also is this the right time? Time-Bound - Every goal needs an end day so that you have a deadline to focus on. Maybe it's the day of a big race (like London Marathon is always around the 25th April - actually it's nearly always the weekend before my birthday!)

 

My planner is definitely more of the appointments along with daily to do list kind of goals. I've decided to try and start a new insert in my standard TN for the longer goals. With Jaxon now being at school on weekdays, I'm trying to be more proactive and try and achieve some of those goals that I kept putting off because I couldn't do them with Jaxon in tow. September started with a lot of decoration, I'm a huge Harry Potter fan and even if Anna's September stickers weren't technically HP and Hogwarts themed they did work perfectly (with some additions) to decorate the week leading up to what is the day everyone catches the Hogwarts Express to school. I paired the stickers with red and yellow washi. They were the closest I had to the Gryffindor colours (although I did discover at last year's Jingle and Mingle that technically I'm a Hufflepuff. Have you booked your tickets for this year's Jingle and Mingle? They are available here)

 

Hannah

Stickers and Self-Care in the Crazy Hannah Bubble

I would say I'm a bit of a logophile then again I thought something like etymologist would be more official (not to be confused with entomology which is the study of bugs!). I like reaching for a well-known search engine to look for the dictionary definition of terms (especially big words - the bigger the better sometimes!). But what's this got to do with my planner or journalling? Well certainly this week has been about self-care. For one week in August, it all goes a bit crazy and Mum and I along with 15ish other volunteers run a Holiday Club at a local church. It always seems like a good idea then by the time we get to this week we start to question our sanity! Along with this my amazing Dad and Sister in Law have taken Jaxon for a little across two days which meant I could try and get my head in the right place and clear the decks a bit! I worked through my emails, wrote some tweets and did some work tasks but I didn't make it to this week in my planner (As you can see below). It crossed my mind to do it Friday morning when Sister-in-Law had Jaxon but I woke up with a bad head and decided to snuggle on the sofa instead. (As Mum said, I was burning the candles at both ends and that's why I've had a bad head twice this week!)


 

She's exactly right. I get up with Jaxon around 8ish then I'm on Mum duty until he goes to bed. Because he's been at Holiday Club too his bedtime has been later than usual. I've got home around 9pm and then started to try and fill in what I need to get done. Any parents who survive on minimal sleep because their kids think sleep is for the weak, I applaud you because I'm one spoilt Mummy when it comes to sleep! Ever since Jaxon was born he's been a good sleeper overnight - nap time was a different story but overnight - I'm spoilt! (As I finish typing this out, it’s getting towards 1am and the timer on the lights has switched the lounge lights off - I am really up past my bedtime now!!) But on Thursday when my Dad/Jaxon's Grandpa had Jaxon for nearly the whole day I managed to get September sorted out. With Jaxon starting school, I can see the monthly view coming in handy to make sure we're organised and keeping up with washing uniform and things like that. When I saw the fairytale/woodland stickers, I wasn't 100% sure they were my thing but then I got thinking about how as kids we'd go conker hunting in September and October once the leaves started to change and things like that. So I decided that I'd use them across the September Monthly and actually by the "end" I wanted to try and fit more stickers into the spread so actually decorated the first week of term too!

 

I cleaned down the kitchen table, got the tripod out and decided to go for it. I could edit out the rubbish parts and talk over it later when needed. As I was stood there mid filming, Our Sidekick arrived in the kitchen chatting away followed by Our Sidekick's Social Worker coming for a visit. Part of me was tempted to load it at the end as a blooper reel! The SW got all excited about how my tripod was set up and how I was using my phone and things like that - It was kind of entertaining to listen back to it while editing! But we got there in the end! I think I'll go back and do the August Monthly one as a memory keeping kind of thing because I've done zero journalling.

   

 So when I've actually had time to do self-care, what have I been up to? Well, I've been knitting a jumper designed by a lovely lady called Nicky. It's all knitted in one piece and from the neck down (Rather than back, front and two sleeves like most jumpers I've done in the past). It's knitted in DK on 4mm needles so feels like it's taking ages but it's at a point now where I can do a couple of rows, put it back in my bag and carry on with something else so it's perfect for knitting groups etc. This week I had two knitting groups. I ended up talking Disneyland Paris to one lady as she's off on an adventure with her daughter, son in law and grandkids next year and wanted to know every piece of information I could bestow on her! I also caught up with my lovely friend who's recently opened her own shop in town. The two knitting groups I attend are definitely my self care slots. Even if I'm having bad day and want to miss group, I know that if I can just get out of the house and get to the group after 10-15 minutes I will feel better. I know that once I get through the door someone will watch Jaxon if I just need to go have a little cry in the corner or someone will hug me tightly and tell me it will be okay, maybe not right away but it will be okay. And you know what, right now it's exactly what's needed. There's been various things on top of the holiday club crazy and I've been so grateful for those lovely ladies picking me up and giving me a hug.  

 You can find me here: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Blog. 

Travel Journal and Memory Keeping

I adore keeping a travel journal, what a perfect way to document your holiday and to save memories. My latest journal took advantage of the July and August patreon resources and printables from Anna Brim's patreon goodies. I also sourced ideas from Anna's Adventure Journaling course. It's always a sad occasion coming back from your holiday's and I really loved my latest one in Palmanova, but I also love finishing off my journal and seeing it come together.

I always start my travel journal with a details page of where and when I'm going and staying. I also always set it up before I go. I add printables, ink, stickers and leave a space to write and add in photos. I don't have a portable printer so I always print my photos when I return and then stick them in after it is all filled in. I prepare my page before I go away using Anna's patreon printables, project life cards and a variety of stickers and washi tape. I find the whole process of setting it up before I go away so relaxing and it helps to get me in the holiday mood (not that I need it!). Read about how I set up my journals here - How to Create a Travel Journal 

Completing the journal on holiday

I love the mix of printables this month, some are photos that Anna took and added text to and others are her drawings and journaling cards that she has a space to write on. This month Anna has also included lots of quotes and text too, perfect for my journaling style.

I always fill as much in as possible whilst on holiday, it's a lovely way to relax by the pool (hey, who needs an excuse!). I love Anna's hot air balloon printable and the mix of her own photos merging with mine, which this time I had printed through the post.

I also love adding pockets made with cute envelopes, they are perfect for adding larger photographs and Anna's gorgeous journaling card (which I think came from a Brimbles Box last year). Then of course there's Anna's cute pineapple stickers! Tip in's are also a great way to make the most of your pages and are a great way to add in leaflets and tickets.

I honestly have used so many of Anna's collage sheets this month that I do apologise for the amount of photos in this post... but how cute are they? I love the beach girl and the ice cream, again there is space to write inside the scoop. There are also a variety of papers to print. I am in love with the fruity one in the last picture. 

I hope this has inspired you to get started on a travel or an Adventure Journal and don't forget you can get ALL of these goodies every month when you join Anna's patreon, it really is great value (I used printables from just some of the range from the last 2 months). Now the holiday come down really starts, especially as it's back to school where I teach in less than 2 weeks... ssshhh.

You can find me here on my blog and social media

kerrymaymakes.com

Instagram  |  You Tube  |  Pinterest ​
Art Journaling FB Group 

Using poetry to inspire art

I use poetry a lot in my art journal- it inspires a lot of my pages and gives additional meaning to my art.  I usually just store photos of poems I like on my phone but I've recently found this hard to keep track of.  So I've created a travelers notebook to collect these words that inspire me.  I write them poems or quotes in here and use a simple decoration on each page.  For these two poems I've used collage sheets from this month's Patreon and think they set the poems off nicely and look so pretty (making me more likely to continue with this notebook).

I've just started a new journal about the seasons and plan to include some of my favourite poems about change within it.  This is a found journal (basically anything that can be repurposed for art - in this case a children's book but it can be as simple as a mail order catalogue or a pamphlet you find at the doctor's office).

For my introductory page I wanted to journal about my journey as a woman, the seasons in our lives.  So I drew some figures based on some images from Jane Davenport's book and painted them.  I wanted a background that was airy and clean but it was impossible to watercolour on the glossy papers.  I sorted through some of my paper stash and thought this collage paper from last month's patreon was perfect - the exact style I needed in a format that I could add to the glossy pages.

As you can see I kept the original book page on the right and added my poem around the clouds.  I like the daytime-sunset contrast between the two pages and feel it helps further illustrate the idea of the seasons of our life.

 Don't forget to check out Anna's Patreon which includes all of Anna's beautiful collage sheets including these gorgeous pages as well as art tutorials.

You can find more of my art here, on my blog, or on Instagram.

August Monthly Set Up

 

 Everyone needs a little magic in their life, and nothing says magic like unicorns. This month I took the stickers from the Unicorn Sky collection and created two layouts, the first which is this monthly layout. I love mixing and matching craft supplies I already have and I found an old set of papers and ephemera pieces from a collection I bought ages ago from a local store and paired it Anna's stickers to create something I think is fun and whimsical and enjoyable to look at.

 

 

 

 

 There's nothing like creating layers on a planning page and it's been ages since I used scrapbooking papers to do so. I love the mix of the commercial products and Anna's illustrations to provide 

contrast.

   

 I hope this provides you with some ideas to just play in your planner. There are no rules, no right ways to create magic. 

Be inspired and inspire yourself constantly! 

 Stef

https://novelteacorner.com/

Wave-tastic Vibes

Well no one can say that Summer isn't here, with all this...err glorious? sunshine! I'm definitely not a hot weather girl so I'm properly hermitting away in the house, with the curtains drawn and windows thrown open. I will also admit to sitting in front of the fan and producing a robot voice, on more than one occasion....ways to fill the hours, eh?

My creativity has taken a bit of a hiatus, since the construction of the cabin commenced and I'm so glad to have finally moved the motherlode of craft supplies in. I still need to insulate the roof so at the minute it is doubling up as sauna. Rather suits one of Anna's themes for this month's Patreon collage sheets, minus the beach and the sea...near enough!

(Excuse the half dead lily.....it is a victim of the Craft Cabin Sauna!)

I was itching to get creating when Anna sent over this months collage sheets, although to be fair that is true for most months, but I have a real tie to the seaside so I was extra eager! There is always such a variety of artwork and differing styles in Anna's content, something for everyone, but the beach themed sheets were calling me. 

As soon as I saw the girls and ice creams I knew exactly where I was headed with them. I have (well now did have) a framed photo collage above our bed that I made back many moons ago of J and I's first holiday away together as a couple. We stayed in my cousin's holiday house up in Thornaby. With Redcar beach about a 15 minute drive away we spent much of the holiday at the beach, chilling in the day and misty walks in the evening. The photograph is of Redcar beach, facing towards the town of Redcar, if you face the opposite direction you look at a Redcar Steel Plant. Quite a juxtaposition.

I decided since it is beginning to look tatty I would repurpose some of the photos. I still have the negatives so I can always have them reprinted if I miss them....haha! 

I began by pulling Anna's artwork into the Silhouette Studio and set about resizing them so they would be roughly in the proportions I was after. A bit of grumbling at my machine and an emergency ink cartridge change and ta dah!! Ephemera appeared!

I also cut out the journal tags Anna added in this months sheets. I'm so happy she included them as I do love to layer them throughout my journaling but they also work as fantastic prompts for layouts. When I'm stuck for inspiration I'll flip through my phrase ephemera and usually something will jump out at me. They can really change the direction you thought you were going in!

I try to keep my ephemera and bits and bobs I'm looking to scrap or journal with in a pot next to me, as far too often they end up mixed with the offcuts and scraps headed for the bin. Cue frustrated searching and much muttering. I clearly didn't follow my own method below...and ended up with a pile of rubbish and ephemera. 

I pulled out my latest 12x12 paper acquisition, the Beach Life Collection and saw how perfect Anna's artwork looked alongside them!

I spent some time pulling out other bits that fitted with the layout I was going for. As it has been such a long time since I last sat down to scrap a 12x12 layout it felt a little daunting. I felt like I didn't have enough things, so there was a lot of rejected items (which I've still actually resort and put away ha!). I also wanted to include some of the buckets, starfish and clams from the other papers, so took some time fussy cutting a few out to dot around the page.

I cut a strip of the beach huts from one of the papers in the pack and placed it towards the bottom of the page. I took this as my line from which to build. I backed my photo on yet another paper from the collection. I wanted something bright to contrast with the green woodgrain effect as without the backing the photo felt a little dull and lost. 

I sat moving the pieces around the page trying to find a natural fit. It is quite different working on a much larger scale again, kind of awkward. When I was happy with the visual I took a quick snapshot on my phone, so that once I started moving pieces off to stick things down I wouldn't forget where I put them. 

To further pull the photo into focus and add some depth I stuck it down on foam tabs. This, however meant my original plan had to be altered slightly to accommodate the additional height. Both the bucket and the girl's legs needed lifting, so I cut small slithers of foam and popped them up to the same height as the photo.  

I LOVE how this little guy looks, he is from Anna's mermaid ephemera pack from the Mermaid Waves collection back in May last year I think? I knew he would be perfect so out he came. I made two small snips into his claws so I could slip the ice cream and ice lolly pieces in, giving the illusion that he is holding them..or running off with them I'm not sure.

The title is a bit of a hit and miss for me. I'm happy with the wording but not necessarily the alphas I chose. They could do with being a tad taller and maybe not glittery! Although, in saying that they do remind me of funfair lights you sometimes see on piers. I think the pearl dots help some with that too!

It's not too bad a layout to say I've not scrapped in about five or six years...there's a few things I might tweak. The bottom half I'm pleased with, but the top right hand corner and title I'm still undecided. I think I'll add a smidge of journalling in and see how it looks!

So that's me for this month, I've really enjoyed working my way back to scrapping again and in time hope to improve. Anna's artwork is so versatile and easy to use, it piques the creative in me and I find myself working away on something before I know it! 

Till next time guys! x

Jeni

Imagine a messy desk with just about enough space for the keyboard. That’s my desk, so the idea of sitting at my desk to journal or create anything more than the odd scribble has been a challenge. Working hasn’t exactly been easy with no space on the desk but it’s worked in it’s own way! Back in May we went to Paris for the weekend and then to Disneyland Paris for a week. I’d spent all week collecting train tickets, paper place mats from the restaurants and photos galore to then journal about it when I got home. Just like I’ve done with so many other trips. Well, we arrived back on the Sunday evening in theory ready to go back to normal life, however at the end of our trip, my son Jaxon had gone down with Chicken Pox. While my husband went back to normal life, Jaxon and I were sort of in quarantine. This is where working for myself comes in handy but between one thing and another journaling about our trip was getting further and further down the list. It’s now the middle of July and I’m writing this post. Jaxon is in bed and Chris has gone out for the evening (I have a Bear Grylls series playing on my iPad – now that’s a crazy adventure there!). Now some people are doing One Book July this month and it did cross my mind to join in, but it’s only now that I sort of have a plan in place. (About time right?) Passion Planner



For months maybe even years it had crossed my mind to get a Passion Planner but having not got on with other hourly based planners I wasn’t sure it was right for me so kept putting it off. When I sat down with another independent business owner here in Bedford and I saw what her Passion Planner looked like, I was convinced – I’d print off the tester PDFs from the website and see how it would go. Well that lasted all of the time it took me to fill in the next few weeks – I decided to order the undated version and get on with it. Well the classic is a bit big (it’s A4) but works wonders! When my stickers arrived from July’s Sticker Club, I carried them around tucked in my planner for  a few days and got a few ideas together like alternating the sticker washi with normal washi tape. Then when Chris was out at the church youth group and Jaxon was in bed, I attempted to get some filming done before it got too gloomy. I’m not sure it’s my best recording but it was fun to have the camera out for the first time in a while.

 

Journaling



 When you consider all the delays about writing about the Paris trip, I think I got further and further away from wanting to journal about the trip because there was more time that had past since we had got back. In the end I sat down and did it. I knew by getting on with it, I’d actually be able to clear both some of my messy desk and the pile that was growing underneath my desk (and would regularly get kicked and messed up!) Also I’ve been collect items since our holiday so they are taking up more space too! My go to for journaling is usually some kind of TN insert, for a long time I’ve been in a TN but something recently has taken me away from that and I’m not entirely sure what it is that has put me off. I’ve been working my way through the notebooks and inserts I already have. Some are as big as A5 and others are smaller size TN inserts. My current notebook is a Midori MD A5 notebook with grid pages. I’ve used some of the collage sheet from previous Patreon collections from Anna to decorate the outside and then used some of July’s Patreon collage sheets to decorate where I’m starting in the notebook. This will be a bit like a bullet journal in that it will carry my to do lists but it will also work as my journal to write about what we’ve been up to and how I’m feeling etc. Also it will be a bit of a “catch all” so there might be photos and things too along the way (maybe a flip through will follow at the end of the book). I’m hoping now that I have this plan, I can clear my desk a bit, I can feel a bit more clearer in my head and come up with a plan to move forward. After all what’s the point in getting caught up in all the decorative planning if you don’t actually get any plans done?

Hannah You can find me here: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Blog.