Monthly stationery subscription box...The Brimbles Box!

I have some really exciting news to share...I will now be selling monthly stationery subscription boxes! I have had requests for these for some time and always said no as there were lots of people doing these and didn't feel that this was something I should or could do. I have now decided to start one and so this is just my little announcement!

How It works

Do I get to choose what is in my Brimbles Box?
The box is a surprise box, every month you will receive a box full of stationery / planner surprises that you can look forward to discovering. It is like Christmas every month! You can however choose between receiving a box just of stationery or a box tailored to either an A5 ring planner or a medium ring planner. We will do our best to ensure that every box that you receive is different but there may be instances when you receive a duplicate item one month that you have had previously but you will never get two of the same thing in the one box, that would be silly! You may also find that if you see any ‘unboxings’ on social media that your box may be slightly different from someone elses as we may need to substitute items at short notice but you can rest assured that all boxes will contain items of at least £15 RRP. Due to the nature of the box we can only except returns or exchanges if the items are faulty.

When will I receive my box?
Your first box will arrive depending on the date on which you signed up. The cut off date for ordering the next month is the 14th of that month. For example, if you ordered your box on the 14th April the next box that you will receive is the May box. If you ordered your box on 15th April, the next box that you will receive is the June box. All boxes are despatched between the 28th and 31st of the month regardless of where in the World you are. Boxes are despatched from the UK and delivery date will vary according to your Country. In the UK you may receive this within 2-3 business days but in other countries this could take 2-3 weeks so please do bear this in mind.

Do I need to order a box each month?
If you would like to receive a box every month all you need to do is sign up for a rolling subscription and then you can sit back and enjoy receiving a box every month. Every month your box will be sent between the 28th and the 31st and will be with you shortly thereafter. Your box and payment will automatically renew unless you cancel which of course we hope you don’t!

Can I cancel my subscription?
Of course you can but of course we hope you don’t! Please bear in mind there are cut off points for example if you cancel your box on or before the 14th of the month you will not be sent a box in that month and if you cancel after the 14th you will receive a box. You can reinstate your subscription or buy a one off box at any time. There is no minimum length for subscription.

For more information and to order your very first Brimbles Box please head on over to my shop which is now on my updated website: www.mrsbrimbles.co.uk/shop don't worry though I will still have my Etsy shop, that is not going anywhere nor do I have any plans to change that!

This weeks Filofax decorated pages

I figured as it is December tomorrow I can now start with the proper Christmas decoration. I think I have been really good in waiting this long!

Tha paper tape is from Paperchase and the stickers are from my Etsy shop.

   

My Filofax Size History / Journey

I just thought I would share with you today a little about my Filofax size history, why I have used what I did and why I use what I do now.

In the begining there was the pocket. A beautiful little pocket botanics that I bought because I needed a diary and loved the flexibility of the rings. I will always be a ring planner girl as opposed to a bound but that is another story for another time. My little pocket was perfect for what I needed as my week day days were fairly boring, I got up and went to work and nothing much happened apart from the odd yoga class in the evening, it was my weekend that I mainly used my diary for. Anything work based was on the work system. I got increasingly frustrated with the weekend section being so small on a week per view system yet it was pointless me investing in the page per day as during the week I just wouldn't use it. That is how I ended up designing my own inserts!

My work situation changed and I ended up working part time and going back to college to retrain meaning that I needed to document, track, plan for teaching schedules and assignments as well as my social stuff. The pocket was just not big enough for everything that I wanted to do so I decided to go to a personal size. I no longer have the planner though as I sold it some time ago. It was great and really suited me for everything that I needed it for.

So let's fast forward a bit, my situation changed again and I was then working for myself from home. This changes everything when you have a business to run, clients to track, home and personal all in the one planner. The personal size for me was just not doing it and I had convinced myself that I needed an A5. I mean, proper NEEDED! The one that I purchased as my daily was the A5 Apex. To be fair once I had this I did put it to good use and I was convinced that A5 was the size for me because I had large handwriting and had a lot of things that I wanted to put in my planner.

One day I happened to be in the right place at the right time and was given a pocket Saffiano for free. I do love the Saffiano's they are very pretty and although I didn't want to use it as a straightforward planner, I did want to use it so decided to set it up as a purse / wallet. My A5 stayed at home and the pocket purse came out and about with me until the day I bust the rings. Proper bust with no hope of fixing. Arghhhhh! I realised that I loved using my little filo as a purse so that made me go back to the personal and I got a nude personal filofax to replace the pocket only this time I went for it in personal size.

Since I no longer had a purse, I found myself using my personal to put my cards into which then made me make the switch to using the personal size. Everything that I had convinced myself was wrong with the personal size ended up being just right again and I haven't looked back since I made the switch. I love that the personal size is portable and can be used as your purse and every day carry. Even around the house I am finding the personal size so much easier to carry around and use. My writing has even become smaller again so I was obviously just filling the space!

I really do love the personal size again and can't see myself changing any time soon. Never say never of course but I am very happy with how it is all working out for me and I will share a set up with you very soon I promise!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

I am so so ready for Christmas. So ready! It doesn't help that we went on holiday last week to the most Christmassy place...Winter Wonderland at Center Parcs. If you have no idea what I am talking about or want to have a nose, I vlogged whilst we were there, I will pop the video in at the bottom of this post if you want to watch and are not subscribed to me over on my vlogging channel.

So because I am feeling Christmassy and so in the mood I thought I could allow myself to start decking up my Filofax for the season. Of course I am still in my Malden because it just seems to fitting I think.

My Malden is my everyday Filofax which I want to make Christmassy. It is not going to be massively Christmassy (famous last words) as I have my dedicated Christmas planning Filofax for that. You wait, give it a week and it will be full on Christmas!

So what changes have I made? Well firstly I have switched to this crown pen because I think it is more suited, I don't know how long I will have it in there though as it is a bit too thin for the pen loop. As a side note, what is it with the Malden pen loop - most pens are too fat or too thin for it but mainly I find the Paperchase ones fit quite nicely. For these photos at least the crown pen looks good!

I don't very often get to go to Hobbycraft as we have to drive for about half an hour or more to get to one but it is a nice treat when I do get to go. We had to make a visit last weekend to buy nice card and paper (we were making the order of service for Jon's nan's funeral) and whilst we were there I couldn't not have a look around. I fell in love with these washi tapes, I think they are just gorgeous and will go so beautifully with the Malden don't you think. Just look at those poinsettias!

My dashboard will be changing, I know it will because that is just what I do, I can't help it. For now though I am using this winter fox design which I purchased from Filomania on Etsy. Not only is it so cute but just so fitting for that winteryness which is not quite yet Christmas!

A wonderful wonderful subscriber of my Mrs Brimbles YouTube channel very kindly sent me a Christmas themed gift package and in that package was this beautiful pine cone to do list pad which I think is absolutely beautiful, I am sure you will agree. I loved everything that she sent me and will put it all to good use but when I saw this pad I knew instantly that it had to go in Mr Malden! The page size is just slightly bigger than the personal size pages but that doesn't bother me in the slightest, I just chopped a bit off, hole punched it and popped it in. Now I have festive note paper / list paper.

Just look at that beautiful pine cone design.

I could always chop the pine cone design off and be left with the to do writing at the top which would be good for other times of the year. Of course I will also leave it whole for jotting things down whilst I am at my desk etc.

I had already received the gorgeous pinecone pad when the lovely Charlotte posted photos on her instagram of her pinecone dividers that she had made. I knew straight away that I had to order some because they would be just perfect and you know what, they are! What do you think? Don't they just go so well and make everything look so lovely and festive!

Charlotte also included a little card for me which looks so cute. I have no idea what I am going to do with it but it looks really cute just nestled in between my daily pages that I am yet to decorate. If you wanted to buy any of Charlotte's dividers you can find her on Etsy as Charlottesweb86.

So now I am all good to go in my daily. As I say I am most likely going to add to it and change as the season goes on but that is all part of the fun and I can't wait to use all my other lovely goodies. Thank you so much June x

And here is that video I talked about if you wanted to check it out!

Book Review - The Map to Adventure

The Map to Adventure
Author: Rebecca Taylor
ISBN: 978-1502882240
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (20 Oct 2014)

From the back:

When Amelia and Max find a tattered map in an old book in the library, their lives will be changed forever. Embark on an epic fantasy adventure treasure hunt through a land of mystery and suspense filled with fantasy creatures and an adventure quest the two children will never forget. For the two unusual children, Amelia and Max, who hang out in the library when everyone else is playing in the sunshine outside, the adventure and mystery begins when Amelia finds a dusty old book about pirates that just happens to contain a map to some secret, hidden treasure – and it just so happens the trail starts right there in the library. When they find the old bookcase marked with the sign of the Oak Tree, the children’s fantasy comes to life, and they find themselves facing mystery and suspense in the forest of enchantment. With the help of an owl named Oliver and many more fantasy creatures, the pair begin their adventure quest, never once turning aside from the treasure hunt despite the danger that dogs their footsteps.

Through the Forest of Enchantment and the bleak Fire Mountains to the border of a great freshwater lake they trek, and discover an underwater cave that leads them to a bay where mermaids and murderous pirates roam. Now, the adventure and mystery of the treasure map is not the only problem they must overcome, but will their determination be enough? And what about this prophecy the mermaids spoke of, the one concerning Amelia and her title of ‘chosen one’?

A children’s fantasy adventure like no other, ‘The Map to Adventure’ will lead you on a magical journey through the realms of the imagination and leave you wanting more.

My Review:

I was asked if I could review this book and given a copy of it by the author in return for an honest review. I do really enjoy reading children's fiction, mostly the ones that everyone has read like Harry Potter, Inkheart etc and I love them but I haven't read many children's books of late and I have certainly never written a review of them. The review part is where I struggle a little as I don't think you can review a children's book in the same way you can an adult fiction or a young adult but I will certainly try my best so please bear with me.

This is actually quite a short book being only 116 pages long I am not sure as to what age range this book is aimed at which again makes this a little tricky to review. I do think that the shortness of the book has both pros and cons. For me the pro would be that children of a younger age may find this easier to read as the book wouldn't feel quite so daunting. For older children and as was the case for me, I read through this really quickly and was left wanting a lot lot more.

I think this is a lovely story with a great idea, lovely characters and on the whole a fantastic concept. This is Rebecca's first novel at age 23. In part this book does show that this is her first novel but I think that it also shows the foundations of a great writer. As I said the book has a lovely story line to it but I very much felt at times that there should have been more embellishment, more description and Max and Amelia whizzed through each section a little too easily for my liking, I would have liked them to spend a little longer, done more things, explore more, met more people, had more adventures in each part of the World they visited, instead they just seemed to walk through each World to the next. The ending was really interesting and different, not what I expected at all. I don't want to give the ending away as that would spoil it. I liked the ending but I did feel like that the author could have gone into a little more indepth and to me that wasn't the ending, it was the beginning. Maybe there is another book in the works? I don't know but there certainly could be...I want to know more about that treasure they find, more about the circumstances, the who, the what, the why etc. without giving it away, it is not your typical chest of coins type of treasure!

The book has a great grounding and basis it just needs a bit more content for my liking. As I said reviewing a children's book from an adult point of view is tricky, maybe a child would think totally differently. For me it needs a bit more meat on the bones. Rebecca is good at the description she just needs to take it a bit further. I would really like to see her re-work this book. Keep it as it is maybe for a younger audience as it is very easy to read but for older children or children with a higher reading capacity it would be great to see a meatier version of the book. I don't think the story needs to change just more of it as I have said previously.

The only thing I didn't like and I have to be honest here otherwise it is not an honest review, is the font used in the book. I found it annoying and tricky to read and would prefer a more traditional font such as times new roman but again kiddies might not mind and may like it.

So all in all I did genuinely like the story (I just want more of it) and I would buy this for the little people in my life as I am sure they would like it too. I hope Rebecca writes more and I am looking forward to seeing what they are! If you or your children have read this book I would love to know what you thought.

Washi Tape Tag

I came across The Washi Tape Tag on the Spread the Giggles blog and I thought it would fun to do and share.

I never owned a single roll or sample of washi tape until my birthday in February this year and since then I have become addicted to it! I can't imagine life without it now and I don't know what stopped me from buying some in the first place but I am so glad that I now have...cough....quite a few!

So here we go on with the tag...

1. Show us your washi tape collection!

It is a big old jumbles mess with no organisation to it what so ever!

2. What are your ultimate favorite washi(s) of all time?

So these are my all time favourites. 1 & 2 are from Hema. 3 & 8 I received in a Linkys box. 4 & 6 are the MT brand sold by Just Keep Pinning. 5 is one I stock in my shop and 7 is from The Idea Owl on instagram. 

3. What are your most recent favorite washi(s)?

This vintagey looking one that I got from The Idea Owl.
 
4. What are you least favorite washi(s)?

Firstly is the wide one that I got from Hema. The quality is not very good, it is very thin and it is super duper sticky and keeps sticking to itself and teraing. The glittery one is from The Works and again is just so glooopy and way too sticky!

5. What are the most expensive washi(s) you have or the most you ever paid for washi?

I can't remember how much I paid for them but the most expensive I own are the trio by Cath Kidston, I think because of the 'name' attached to them. I do love them very much though so in my opinion they were worth it!

6. How do you store your washi tapes?

I just store mine all jumbles up together in a box which then sits on my Ikea Expedit unit.

7. Show us your favorite project/craft/layout you've made using washi tape.

I don't actually have a favourite, I just love sticking them all over my Filofax and journal pages!

This is an open tag so please feel free to do this yourself!

Guest Blog Post - Lyn the Plannerbug and how / why she got smitten!

Hello, everyone! My name is Lyn and I’ve been bitten by a planner bug! I was very kindly invited by the oh-so-wonderful Mrs. Brimbles to do a little post about how I got into this crazy paper planner world. I am a huge fan of Anna and have been following her around like an infatuated puppy. Um, virtually following her, not actual stalking (no worries!).

 

I left my corporate job in early October and became a housewife. My life was suddenly quiet and I found myself yearning to write by hand, which was rather strange because I’ve hardly used a pen since becoming dependent on various gadgets to help keep me on track during work. I have no intention of writing a novel but I just thought of jotting my thoughts down. I was browsing through Pinterest and came across a photo of a Filofax. Then I did a search. Then I was hooked.

 

Using a planner is very appealing to a structured person like me. I am quite the organising junkie and am known to be a neat freak. Although I’m not working, I like having a well-planned day so that’s when a planner comes in handy. But you know, it doesn’t stop there. My collection of stationery, notepads, paper products and (more) planners has grown in the last few weeks. It doesn’t help that I’ve been following various blogs, Instagram users and Facebook groups to feed my new addiction.

 

I created a blog called plannerbug, where I write about planner related topics. My blog is not just about planner this-and-that as I do intend to cover more home and living topics in the future. I also have a beauty blog, which I’m slowly getting back into. I sincerely hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know me a little better. And thanks to Anna for allowing me to blabber a bit on her blog too! I can be found at:

• Planner Bug Blog
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Pinterest

Thanks for reading and hope to see you around! Lotsa luv, Lyn.

This weeks Filofax decorated pages

We went to Center Parcs this week just gone and it was all decked out with their winter wonderland theme so now I am feeling Christmassy and wintery so I thought I could start to sneek something in a bit on the festive side. This makes me think of snowy times...I hope we do get snow!

I have some super exciting things to share...Filofax Friday

I have some amazingly exciting news to share with you and some goodies too....


If you remember back in the summer I was very lucky to be able to take part in the 'pimp my Filofax' blogger challenge run by Filofax and I won second place which meant that I was able to give Filofaxes away to you my lovely blog readers and YouTube viewers. Because I did that challenge I am on the blogger contacts list that Filofax have. A few weeks ago they reached out to us bloggers and told us that they were organising another blogger challenge around the e-tech accessories line and were looking for creative ideas and suggestions of what they could do for this.

I am super excited to say that Filofax chose my idea to use for the challenge and as a thank you / proze / reward for using my ideas they said that I could choose some items from their online shop. Can you imagine how excited I was by this, I mean, I was like a kid in a candy shop, what on earth would you choose? What should I choose? It was so overwhelming but I did narrow it down and this is what I got...

I decided to not get a planner but to get something that I wouldn't normally go for or choose for myself. I decided to make this a real treat and indulge myself.

Firstly I went for a pen becuase I have never used a Filofax pen before and I really wanted to try one. I opted for the Calipso ballpoint in teal because it looked so pretty. I am yet to fully use it but did have a quick squiggle on a page. It writes well and has black ink. I will do a full review once I have fully had chance to use it.

Secondly I went for the Malden Card Holder in the Ochre to match the same Filofax that I am currently using. I went for this as I am currently using my personal as a wallet / purse as well as my daily carry but there are times when I just want to nip to the village shop etc and don't want to have to carry my Filofax with me so I thought this would be super hander to put my bank card and key in. I think it is meant for business cards though.

Very lastly I decided to treat myself to a new handbag. This is a total luxurious treat. I normally wear a smallish cross body back for general out and about but now and then I need a larger bag and very recently the bag that I was using broke. I couldn't decide on the colour but I opted for the Calipso Handbag in Bright Blue. So far I love it.

With all of these items, I plan on using them for a while to really get the feel for them and then I will post reviews so you can find out what they are really like etc. I can't wait to start using them, really I can't! I am chuffed to bits, thank you so so much Filofax!

I also have yet more exciting news to share with you........I am also taking part in the blogger challenge. I am so excited and my mind is already wizzing and whirring away with what to do. What is the challenge well it is...

Isn't that so exciting. I have until 2nd December to submit my photos to Filofax and then they will go out for public vote. The more likes my photo(s) get on the Filofax Facebook page the more chance I have of winning prizes to then give to you guys as after all if it wasn't for you lovely people reading my blog I wouldn't get to take part in a blogger challenge!

You can rest assured that I will be back as soon as I can with more information to share with you on the new goodies and also on the challenge.

Thank you so much everyone, I am off to do more happy dances!

December Daily Instagram Challenge

Image / Graphic Credit: Anna Brim / Mrs Brimbles

Wouldn't you agree that December is just the most wonderful time of the year? I most certainly do and I want to see what December is like for all you guys too! I loved the October instagram challenege that I ran because I really enjoyed seeing your Autumns and your Halloween prep. I got to travel all around the world looking at your photos and it was great.

Well you know that this was coming as I have mentioned it a few times around the social media world. My daily instagram challenge is back and this time for December...who would have guessed it! I want to see all your December and Christmassy photos.

You can play along and post just for fun or you can enter to win the prize. The prie is a £25 coupon / voucher to use in my etsy shop: www.etsy.com/shop/mrsbrimbles

I have designed the prompts to be interpreted in a way that suits you, loosely based on the things that I love: Filofaxes, Stationery, Journals, Books, Planning, snuggly and getting cosy, planning decorations, food, Christmas etc. You interpret them as you like but most importantly have fun with it. You don't have to enter to win the prize, you can just play along with the prompts for fun, entirely up to you, the more the merrier!

So here you go, here are your daily December / Christmas inspired photo prompts...

Please do feel free to share the above photo on instagram, Pinterest, your blog etc or print out to put into your planner or journal. If you would like an insert sized for your planner you can download those from this link.

The Rules for the instagram challenge...

I know, so boring that there needs to be rules but there does so that everyone is clear on what they need to do and to keep it fair to everyone participating!

• You must post all 31 photos on instagram using #mrsbrimblesdecdaily
• You need to be following me on instagram: @mrsbrimbles
• The prompts are just that, prompts, interpret them as you will, or if you are stuck for inspiration just post a photo anyway! If it is easier you can do a different prompt on that day as long as by the end you have done all 31.
• You have until 7am GMT on 5th January 2015 to register for the giveaway on the widget below AND to complete the photo challenge on instagram.
• If you haven't registered on the widget you won't be elligible to win the prize so you will just be doing the challenge for fun which is totally fine with me if it is with you.You can register at any time from 20th November 2014 but photo posting on instagram starts on 1st December 2014.
• You don't have to post everyday but you do have to post all 31 photos by 7am GMT on 5th January 2015.
• Once the competition has closed a winner will be drawn by random using the giveaway widget, and emailed. I will then check you have completed all 31 photos, if not another winner will be chosen. The winners name will appear on the giveaway widget once closed.
• The winner will be emailed a voucher code to be redeemed against any items that are currently in stock in my Etsy shop.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

By submitting an entry to this giveaway you agree to the following Terms & Conditions:

• Open internationally
• You must be over eighteen years of age or have parental / guardian permission.
• The prizes stated above are the only prize(s) - no cash alternative.
• One winner will be chosen at random and notified by email. Winner(s) will be announced on this page on the rafflecopter widget after the closing date.
• If the winner(s) do not respond to my email within 48 hours a new winner(s) will be chosen.
• Your email address will be added to my newsletter database - I will not sell this to anyone else nor will I constantly be spamming you and you can unsubscribe at any time!

My Fauxdori Set Up

A few of you have been asking to see more of my Fauxdori and how I have set it up. It is not that I didn't want to show you or share it with you it is just that there is nothing that spectacular about it. The cover is beautiful and well made but I don't do anything different with mine or out of the ordinary that you haven't already seen from other peoples. Still I love to look at other people's set ups so it is only fair that I share mine now isn't it!

A lot of you were worried when I put my fauxdori up for sale on instagram thinking that I had abandoned it. I can assure you that is not the case. I sold my first fauxdori because I saw one that had come up for sale that I really really wanted and to make room for it and to raise the funds to buy it, I sold mine original one. I was sad to see it go as we had become good friends but I wanted this one for a couple of reasons. Firstly it was wider so I wouldn't have so much over hang with the notebooks, the leather was sturdier, it was chunkier to hold more and lastly I knew it would be really well made. And it is. This was a fantastic buy and I really do love it!

On the outside I have a charm that I purchased from Etsy. It wasn't very expensive at all but I love it. It has a cute Bambi and thumper along with the skunk that I can never remember the name of. It doesn't sit quite right due to the way the loop is but I don't really care, I like the way it looks on there anyway!

 

Then inside I have a folder which houses little pieces of ephemera to use in my journal and a couple of notebooks.

It is quite hard to do a set up post just in photos especially as I don't really have that much inside my faauxdori but I really hope you have enjoyed a little peek and some more upclose shots! It is much easier to see the full workings and the insides in my video...

This weeks Filofax decorated pages

I am going a little bit minimalist this week. I love both of these washi tapes that I was very kindly sent by a swap buddy so I am afraid I can't tell you where they were from.

The Planner Addict Tag!

I was tagged by the lovely Vienna, aka My Planner on YouTube to take part in "The Planner Addicts Tag!". I love taking part in fun tags like this so here are my responses...

1. What planner are you currently using? 

I am currently using the personal size Ochre Malden.

2. What planner(s) have given you planner peace? 

Definitely the Malden, it is everything I thought it would be and more. I also found peace with the nude original, again in personal size.

3. Filofax, Midori or Erin Condren? 

Filofax. Always. I down own a fauxdori but I am using that as a journal and notebook rather than a planner. I like the look of the EC's mainly due to the large 'boxes' and all of the beautifully decorated pages I have seen than for the planner itself.

4. Pocket, personal, A5, or binder? 

Ha ha all of them! I have them all but....personal is my current favourite. I will do a video soon on why I have or do use the sizes that I do.

5. Where do you get inspired the most? YouTube, Instagram or Pinterest? 

Instagram without a doubt. I always check instagram first thing in the morning with my breakfast and periodically throughout the day too!

6. What's your go to pen? 

Errrmmmm lots! I have many on my desk but the one in my FF is currently a Paperchase one.

7. What are your favorite inserts? 

The ones that I designed for myself and now sell in my Etsy shop of course :D

8. Stickers, post-it's, or page flags? 

I love stickers but I do have a tendancy to hoard them quite a bit. I do love my sticky notes for jotting down the odd note or two as well.

9. Keep it simple or deck it out? 

Somewhere in between the two. I like to keep it fairly simple and uncluttered to help me stay more organised but I do like to decorate and personalise too.

10. How many sections do you have in your planner? 

I currently have four but I do have sub sections within those too. I will do a seperate video / blog with a set up tour probably in a fortnight.

11. Do you use a planner for school? 

Gosh, I left school in 1999 at the age of 18 so no, too old for school. I bought my first FF when I grauated from University in 2002.

12. Rings, spiral bound, discbound or other? Why? 

Rings, I just love to be able to change and move my pages around which a spiral bound doesn't offer. I may be silly but I worry about pages staying in with a disc bound system!

13. Do you use a dashboard? How?

I am the dashboard queen lol! I have a lot of them because I make them to sell in my Etsy shop. I use them as a bit of eye candy when you open your planner, for attaching sticky note reminders too and also to protect the pages etc underneath.

I am not sure who has and hasn't done this tag, so if you haven't done it I tag you!!

If you would like to watch the original video of this tag you can do so below...

Using watercolour in my Fauxbonichi

Last Tuesday I shared with you my new Fauxbonichi and I was met with some lovely lovely comments from you guys both here on the blog and also on YouTube not only welcoming me to the Hobonichi / Fauxbonichi community but also about my style of journalling in said book. I have joined the fauxbonichi group on Facebook (although I don't use facebook all that often) and have been looking on Pinterest and watching flips on YouTube. I am really loving how so many people are embracing this style of journalling far more than  people have with other journals and I hope everyone keeps it up as I love looking at what everyone is creating!

Some may argue that this style of journalling is not new and has been around for years which is true but I am all for anything that gets people to journal more and get creative so bring it on I say! I for one am thoroughly enjoying my journal time of an evening.

Some of the comments that I received were also about using watercolours in my fauxbonichi. To recap the book that I am using is the leather look grid notebook by Paperchase which I actually purchased on Amazon but I believe Barnes & Noble stock one that is very similar. Now I have been using watercolours for years and years, the ones I use are by Winsor & Newton. People were both concerned and interested about using watercolours in the journals on non watercolour paper. In my experience you can use watercolour on any paper. Any. The key thing is to practise, practise with your watercolurs, learn how they work and how much water you need to acivate them.

Unless you are doing lots of wet in wet techniques then you can use any paper. The key is to keep the paint / paper fairly dry. The only paper that I have had difficulty with (although not impossible) is cartridge paper as the fibres come apart a lot more easily. As long as you keep the paint and paper fairly dry you will be absolutely fine I can assure you and don't go agressively at it either.

The type of watercolours you use will also affect this but again it all comes down to practise and learning how your media works. Cheaper paints will typically need more water to activate them and will be less pigmented, this means that you will be applying lots of watery colour to your page to get the colour intensity you want. If you can stretch to a better quality set this would be best.

In the video I talk more about this and also show you how I have coloured my page in with watercolour and how it works...

Squirrels in the leaves - This weeks Filofax page decoration

I am still in full swing with my autumn decoration. You know it has been a while and I am on and off with the way I decorate my pages, if in fact I do but at the moment I am back in love with it and in full swing and I think it is going to stay this way for a while, especially with Christmas fast approaching us!

I am really really really (yes three really's) into Kraft paper at the moment, I don't know why but I just really love it's rusticness. A pen pal of mine very kindly sent me some kraft paper for my personal size and I love it. I just knew that I had to use it for a week spread rather than just as note paper.

I was going to print my inserts directly onto it but then I thought as I had a totally blank canvas it might be fun to write on it instead so that is what I did and I am really happy with the results. I was going to doodle over my pages but then I was very very kindly sent some gorgeous stickers from a viewer / reader in the States and I knew that these would be perfect. I was so tempted to hoard them as they are beautiful but I am trying not to do that and just use them. It was hard but I am getting there. They are just so autumnal and gorgeous, I love them!

I mean just look at those bunnies! Bunnies and pumpkins together is just a total autumn winner as far as I am concerned!

 And then we have a cute owl and squirrel playing in the leaves!

Keeping with the theme of squirrels in leaves the dashboard that I am using this week is this cutie (similar autumnal designs are available in my Etsy shop at time of writing / subject to availability)

And sticky notes this week I am using the Owl sticky notes  (available in my Etsy shop at time of writing / subject to availability) and the kraft paper sticky notes that I picked up in Tiger. They were two for £1 so I snapped them up!

As I mentioned I received some lovely stickers and trying to beat my hoarding tendencies I wanted to use them but still have them. I know that doesn't really make much sense but I know what I mean! Just look at them aren't they beautiful...

So I decided to turn them into a flyleaf / page marker. I removed the green leaf in the top left and replaced it with a squirrel sticker and made the head of the squirrel stick out further than the top of the sticker sheet. There was a little gap so I filled the gap with acorn stickers, again from a different pack. I then stuck a snail sticker down in the bottom edge. I then laminated the while thing and hole punched it. I am showing you it against a white background so you can see it more clearly.

I cut around the squirrels head and I now have a really cute face sticking out the top letting me know where my week is. I love him and think he is so cute!

And of course I cut around the snail and he is acting as a little tab at the bottom. I love it and am really pleased with it and of course it is a great way for me to use / see the stickers over and over again and pull it out next year too!