..:: what's in my planner : crate paper hello love ::..

This month I used Crate Paper's latest collection, Hello Love, to prep my planner.  I used some of the stickers, die cuts, and patterned paper. Simple. Pretty. Ready for February.

I also used these Elle's Studio stamps to keep my One Little Word visible. 

I am totally still digging my Get to Work Book, and this month I am housing it in my Simple Stories Carpe Diem planner.

You can get the stamps, planner supplies, the Crate Paper collection, and many other fantastic (and new!) items in the Paper Issues Store, and you get 20% off with the code 'orangegearle'.  

..:: pumpkin spice : what's in my planner ::..

Hi friends! There is all kinds of yummy Pumpkin Spice by Simple Stories up on the Paper Issues blog today!  I used it in my planner this week...

I used my 1" and 1.5" circles punches and punched out a bunch of my favorite papers from the collection.  I also added some word and circle stickers #ftw. 

A little bit of doodling usually makes it into my planner, along with water color pencils. (I'm super excited about date night this week)!

Thanks for stopping by!  This past weekend was the Paper Issues online crop and because of all the inspiration, I made a bunch of stuff and will be sharing it here, soon.  All of the challenges are open through midnight Nov. 14, there is still time to play!  Check out the challenges here.

..:: november : what's in my planner ::..

hello november.

What's in my planner: I love using stickers and embellishments from collections that I have purchased for scrapbooking. It just works for me. I purchase many collections (my motto is 'buy all the things') and I always have stuff left over.  The 6x6 pads are perfect because the patterns are smaller than the 12x12 papers, but I also love to use the branding strips from the larger papers, the embellishments (like die cuts or vellum pieces), and the stickers (even the alphas)!  This month I used items mostly from Simple Stories Pumpkin Spice collection. I added some washi tape from my stash and I used water color pencils to highlight a few items through the month.

Grab this collection, or anything else you may need (buy all the things), from the Paper Issues store and use the code 'orangegearle' at checkout for 20% off your purchase!

..:: october : what's in my planner ::..

So yeah, I love my Get to Work Book.  Here is my October spread.

Colored pencils #FTW

Stamps, markers, and colored pencils, oh my!

 Last year's Elle's Studio Halloween collection. Eek! I love.


Until next time!

..:: lists : what's in my planner ::..

With school and work starting back up, and lots of fall birthday celebrations, many, many lists have been inserted into my Get To Work Book lately and I thought I'd share! We are sharing our lists on the Paper Issues Blog today!

Once again I have to say I love the simplicity and neutral look of the Get to Work Book. It's a blank palette for me to work with each week!  As usual, I pulled out the watercolors for my three blocks along the side and the days of the week across the top.  This has been my go to, and I am still loving it.

This is how I do lists in my planner. I use the three blocks along the left side as my three major categories.  In those boxes I put the "general" stuff I want to get done for the week; each block a different category of my life: home, work, and play. Then, throughout the week, I insert lists of tasks to complete -- these are much smaller, day to day tasks that lead up to finishing the stuff on the far left. For example, in my work block, I have "facilitation". I facilitate many meetings and work sessions throughout the week and there are several steps to make that happen.  So on the week days I add in the smaller steps to make facilitation happen. This helps me break things in to smaller pieces (less overwhelming) and it gives me lots of stuff to check off (which just feels good)!

I try to leave some extra spots to add in to do items as the week progresses -- stuff that I didn't anticipate or sometimes things that are added to the plate. I use a stamp for those little checkboxes, so I stick a few extras in there just in case I'm without my stamp when I'm adding to the list (sometimes I just make a box with my pen, too)!

This week I also added in some stamped leaves and fall sayings (Ali Edwards), just for fun.  And that card?  Don't you love that card?  It's from Paper Issues (order something and you will get one in your package)! In my spread this week, that little fox flips up and there's more "to do" underneath. Something important I should mention: Are you ready to Scrap and Chat with us this Friday in the Paper Issues {Friends & Fans} group?  It's quite the party, and there are prizes!

Pretty much all of the pretty papers and embellishments on my spread this week are from the absolutely beautiful Cedar Lane collection by Pink Paislee. It is a grande collection! Grab some in the Paper Issues store -- and don't forget to use the code orangegearle for 20% off your total purchase!

..:: PaperPOPs : what's in my planner ::..

Ladies and gentlemen, I have a new addiction.

See that cute flamingo in my planner -- it's called a PaperPOP and it's awesomely cute.  There are tons of different styles and they are made by Jen Chesnick of Parker On the Porch, and they are in the Paper Issues Store, here.  I used glue dots to put a paper clip on this one to use in my planner. 

This is how that cute little flamingo looks in my planner this week:

This is my labor day week spread in my Get To Work Book (that I am loving). I used papers and die cuts from Amy Tangerines latest collection Finders Keepers, and, of course, some water colors.

I used two different sized flat brushes to go all around the outside of the page with pink and orange (inspired by Amy Tan's papers). Then I painted the three squares along the side where my major tasks go and the days of the week along the top (I pretty much do something like that each week). I added two more squares above and below using patterned papers from the Finders Keepers Collection. To unify them a bit, I mimicked stitches using a black pen around the edges (to be transparent, I go this idea from one of the Amy Tan's papers, too)! 

This is my labor day week spread, and even though it was a three day weekend, it was a busy one, so as I was creating, I was looking forward to some time at home. I grabbed a new date stamp by Dear Lizzy and stamped pretty please several times on Saturday's day. Added a die cut of a house, and wrote 'let's stay home' with the typewriter and watercolors.

Check out this blogpost at Paper Issues for more inspiration.  Gotta grab some PaperPOPs or Amy tangerine papers, or jus about anything else?  Don't forget to use the code orangegearle for 20% off your order!

:: the get to work book ::

Today I am sharing one of my new favorite things: the Get To Work Book designed by Elise Blaha Cripe. I haven't shared much in the way of a planner on this blog.  I'm just getting started.  I'm just beginning to experiment.  I love it. I've caught the bug.  I've tried a couple planners, and this is my current favorite.  It's beautifully simple and leaves a perfect backdrop for anything I want to add. Love. Simple. Neutral. Useful. Beautiful.  In the photo below, do you see that strip of floral patterned paper?  For the August Monthly spread, I took all of my inspiration from that little strip.  (Webster's Pages: Hall Pass)

I've had the Get To Work Book for about a month. This planner (sold out, boo!) goes from July 2015-June 2016.  The good news: There will be preorders for a 2016 planner coming soon.  It sounds like she is taking in all of the feedback she has received and making a few minor changes -- but I think the basic planner, with it's perfect-ness, will stay mostly the same.  More good news.  

My June pages were, OK.  I'm started to get in the groove and ready to share a bit more.  Here is August's monthly spread:

See the glare?  ;-)  It is so difficult to photograph a transparency!  I created the "today" book mark from some flamingo transparency paper (because. flamingos.). Most of the strips of color that you see aren't washi (there is some in there, but not most of it).  Most of it is from this vellum 12x12 sheet that is part of the WP Hall Pass collection and still available in the store.  This is the first time I've tried that, and I like the way it looks.  Don't worry, I haven't abandoned my washi. The books you see on the first day of school, and the other flower paper are both cut out from patterned paper in the same collection.

One of the things that I have done on many of my pages is use a mask with some ink to fill up larger spaces with color.  For this August spread I stuck with the whole back-to-school idea, and added alphas along the left side of the page using this technique.  First I downloaded and cut this free cut file from the Paper Issues store. Then I used my blending tool along with the Pink to Red ombre ink from Hero Arts to create the background of letters for "August 2015" to sit on! I'm super happy with the way it turned out!

I used some Snarky Stamps to stamp the word 'happy' and 'day'.  B.'s name is stamped, colored, cut out, and glued back in.  I love the texture this adds!

One of the things that I've discovered is part of my jam when it comes to planners is using water color! I doodled these little flowers, and then added some watercolor.

You might think, "Aren't you worried that the pages will crinkle or warp a bit?".  Nope.  I was worried about it…and then I accidentally set my planner in some water.  Just a little -- only enough to cause issues for about 2-3 weeks of calendar. But it also gave me permission.  :-)  It was no longer "perfect",  and so now I can play.  ;-) I love the paper in this planner -- it does lose it's shape a little with the water colors, but not enough to bother me.  

Several other Design Team members are sharing their love of planners, and the planner bits that they get from the Paper Issues store to help them make pretty things. Check out the post here.

As always, if you are looking to add to your scrapbooking, or planner-ing stash…don't forget to use the code orangegearle when checking out from the Paper Issues Store.  It'll save you 20%

See you soon!

:: june ::

Hello June. I am so happy you are finally here.