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

Plan with me 'Magic School'

 Hello, planner friends! I love October. It's such a fun month to decorate in my planner with all the fun Halloween-themed items out there. When Mrs Brimbles released her Witch School sticker set I was so excited, because it combines the ideas of a much-loved book series, school and Halloween-vibes without being just one or the other. Plus, I love the blue theme. I don't often go for an all-blue theme in my planner, but it is a colour I really love and pulling out all the stops for it on a layout just makes it all the more special. And yes, it's definitely a calming colour! You can check out my process video here:

 

 Don't forget to check out the rest of Anna's stickers here. For more planner inspiration, you can follow me on Youtube. Have a fabulous weekend, and happy planning!

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. 

Unicorn Planner Pages

 

 Welcome to Part 2 of my Unicorn Sky sticker kit layouts. I loved this set so much that I made two layouts in the same month to celebrate them because I just couldn't help myself (you may have seen my August layout earlier). Again, I mixed and matched Anna's stickers with papers and washi tape I already had lying around, and for a change I decided to be sparse on my stickers to make them stand out more.

Up until this year I've never been a big fan of vertical planning although now that I've been playing around with it for a few months I can see the appeal and it definitely ticks a lot of my list-making boxes (planner pun intended) because I am such a list person. I've been experimenting with different layout styles and have settled (for now) on a half-page columns for Monday-Thursday - because, honestly, I'm so busy working that there's not a whole lot happening on those days! - and full page columns for Friday-Saturday where I need a lot more space to document what's happening.

   

 It was also really nice to get back and grab some pens and do some doodling on my pages. I haven't done that for ages, either, and it was a lot of fun to just fill in a few little spaces that popped up in the layout.

   

 I'm a huge fan of layering pieces together to create something different and I loved using Anna's unicorns to pull the whole thing together. Look and this precious one - it's like she's waiting for all the amazing things to happen in this week!

   

 All the extra paper, ephemera and washi tapes come from stores locally here in Melbourne (and some of it is quite old now so tracking them down was tough) but I'm a firm believer in using what you have and mixing and matching where you can. It just creates a lot of visual interest.

   

 I'm looking forward to putting down all my plans in this week's layout. I think it's going to be a great week! 

 Stef

https://novelteacorner.com/

Bright & Cheerful planner pages

Hi friends!

What do you do when the weather turns grey and miserable? (Shh, it's Winter here in Australia!)

Me, I like to make things as bright and cheerful as possible in my planner to try and take my mind off the fact that it's gotten pretty icy outside.

This week I dug out the remains of my Hop To It sticker collection and put it to good use along with some washi tapes from my collection.

Every now and then I like to just play with washi tape - layering it up and tearing it to create different effects, and this week was no different. I love how it turned out with different patterns and colours contrasting with one another to create a look that a single washi tape on it's own couldn't do.

My tip to you all is don't get stuck doing things the way you've always done them - it's so much fun to change things up and just play. And if we can't play in our planners, where can we?

Check out my planner video below to watch how this layout came together, and scroll down for more close-up photos of the pages.

As always, feel free to follow me on Instagram or Youtube for more planner inspiration.

Until next time, happy planning!

Stef xx

June Plan with me!

Happy June, everyone!

This month I was inspired by 2 older Brimbles sticker kits that I had leftovers from and I have to say, they go pretty nicely together. The two kits in question are the Cats in Bloom and September Garden kits, which both feature lovely neutrals and muted colours.

June is the start of Winter here in the Southern hemisphere... but I might be in a bit of denial, going with such a Spring-y themed month. I can't help it, though, I love the colours and the personalities of the little cat stickers, which just inspire such a sense of whimsy.

(And who said thematic planning has to happen all the time - or ever? Go with what you love, right?)

I hope this layout inspires you to go back to all the leftover stickers you have lying around. See what you can mix and match into something brand new and fun!

As always, if you're looking for more planner inspiration, check out my Youtube channel, or head on over to Instagram and say hi!

Until next time, planner friends, have a wonderful day!

Stef

An English Garden

I have another collection to show you!

So I was sat in my garden and looked around and thought I must journal about how lovely the garden looks right now. So I took some photos and then the inspiration fairy said "why not turn these into a collection".

So I did and here it is lol! This collection is available to purchase now as either a Brimbles Box or individual items.

Browse the collection at: www.mrsbrimbles.co.uk

Plan With Me! Dreamer of Dreams

I don't very often share these types of videos but I thought I would just turn the camera on whilst I added loads of stickers to my planner lol!

I used the Dreamer of Dreams and the Wild at Heart Collection from my shop.

Updates to stickers!

Hey peeps!

Just to let you know that I’ve made some changes to my stickers...

1. On my functional sticker sheets I’ve changed the icons so they are chunkier and therefore bolder and easier to see

2. I’ve added a couple of different icons and made some more obvious or more universal

3. On the planner box stickers I’ve added appointments instead of all the plain strips

4. All stickers now have different paper! I’ve found better paper, more expensive paper so I’ve switched (and I’m actually switching again next month as I’ve found even better!).

I hope you like the new and improved stickers, I certainly do. I'd love to know what you think!

Anna x

Planner Nerd Layout

Hello, Planner Friends! I hope you're all having a wonderful week.

I've really been getting in to the vertical planning groove lately and experimenting with layouts and how I set-out my page. 

The April Planner Nerd "Brights" kit was SO much fun to work with because the colours are just so cheerful!

Along my vertical planning journey so far I've come to learn a few things about myself as a planner - I don't preplan a huge amount, although I do have a few things that happen every week. I definitely plan on the go more, and that's useful to me. I know that I like to have checklists (if I want anything to get done at all, I need checklists), but too many becomes overwhelming. I love pretty pictures and stickers in my planners, so decorative boxes are my favourite, but using them in moderation to aid functionality is still something I'm working on.

What have you learnt about yourself as a planner recently?

As always, I'd love to connect with you and chat all things planning. You can find me on Youtube and Twitter. 

Until next time, happy planning!

Stef xx

Grace's Planner Brights/Planner Con Projects

This month I was super excited to receive the Planner Nerd Brights stickers as my D.T. package, as I will be off to Cambs Planner Con in a few short weeks! So I already had the matching stickers that came with my ticket to the event, and now had loads of Planner Nerd stickers to use!

I started by decorating the week of Cambs Planner Con in my personal size planner - I rarely decorate in advance so it felt a little weird but I really like how it turned out. 

 I did, admittedly, add stickers from my planner con kit, but it's mostly stickers from this month's club. There will be a Plan With Video published on my YouTube channel for this, but it won't be until Sunday 15th (so it's ready for the relevant week!), so keep an eye out for that :)

Close Ups!

After this I still had plenty of stickers left over, and at first I was a little stumped at how to use them. The obvious way to use them would be journaling (or other forms of memory keeping) Planner Con, but I couldn't do that before the event! So I had an idea - decorate a little notebook to pass around at planner con, asking people to sign it, and have that to keep as a memento of the day.

Here's a close up of the front page so it's easier for you to read the text:

I also used more stickers from the kit to decorate some of the pages inside:

So if you're going to be at Planner Con 2018, please keep an eye out for my little book! As the blurb says, I'd be ever so grateful if you signed it!

Of course, this kit isn't just for Planner Con attendees, most of us are Planner Nerds in some form, and these are perfect for anyone who enjoys "jammin' on their planner" :P 

Thanks so much for reading! 

Grace @ms.paperlover

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