This Bag Rocks!

I ordered my own brown bag so I could see it in person!  I like this little thing.  It seems tough and sturdy and durable.  It does remind me of burlap so it’s not exactly a sleek or refined type of item.

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It sits upright on its own and it holds its shape without sagging or falling over or bending.

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I jammed all of these books in it before heading to the library.

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I was delighted to discover that it would hold a regular 3-ring binder.  This opens up tons of possibilities with this bag.  This is the small gift bag, so I wasn’t expecting it to hold numerous things, but it easily carried the 3-ring binder, 3 library books that I needed to return, and my planner and my phone.  With all of those things in the bag, it did not fall over, but just sat there waiting for me to grab it and run out the door!

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At the last-minute, I threw in my wallet as well, and tucked it under the planner.  Everything still fit and I could grab the handles comfortably to carry it out to my car!

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I think this bag will hold up to a lot of wear and tear.  It is probably not going to show smudges or scratches.  I think it’s a great little bag and I’m glad I bought one for myself!

In Love With My Event Stickers

I am in Event Sticker heaven!  I just love my event stickers and use them all the time in my planner!  I love all the colors and love using them to motivate me to complete certain tasks!

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I put reminders to call my family members, and mark down when I do a special mall/shopping day with my daughter!  I have stickers for club meetings for my son, and library days, and menu planning!

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I mark my Flylady zones and keep track of all the movies we watch (mostly because I think we watch too many of them, and I’m about to order stickers for books I’ve read, as I think it would be much better to have more “book” stickers than “movie” stickers)!!

I have them color coded and at a glance, I know exactly what needs to happen!!

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My planner evolves each week, with all the most important things placed on the pages first!!

I am trying really hard this year to get our finances in order, so am marking each bill due with a green Pay Bills sticker with the business and amount (I have a whole entire sheet of these on order because I already ran out).

I love tiny check boxes, and use a fine black Sharpie to write on the stickers.  I have stickers for each family member, in “their” color, so all appointments, or anything that pertains directly to that person is marked with their color of sticker!

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I have ordered stickers for each of my blogs so I can be sure to do my weekly blog posts, and not forget to make those happen on time!!  And I’m going to also order black stickers with the word “Piano” on it, so I can record when I practice/play/enjoy the piano, one of my favorite hobbies!!  I want to be able to look back at my year and see the things I did just for me (piano time), to know that I not only invested in my family and their happiness, but I took care of myself as well, and did things that brought joy into my own life!!

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The event stickers come in 35 different colors, and I love having a rainbow of them in my planner!

Some things I’ve learned about the event stickers…

The words don’t show up very well on the colors Pear, Butter, Lemon, or Light Blue.  If you want to write on your sticker with a black Sharpie, the writing doesn’t show on Chocolate, Black, Navy, Charcoal, or Mocha very well!

If you want to order stickers that match each of the month’s colors, be sure to check out my Color of the Months blog post, to find out exactly which colors to choose for your event stickers!

Here is my list of event stickers so far (in no particular order), and the colors I chose for each one, and the reason behind the colors:

Daryl – Orange – Because that’s his family color
Kristy – Pink – Because that’s my family color
Darien – Cornflower – Because that’s his family color
Kaelyn – Lemon – Because that’s her family color
Kendrick – Kelly Green – Because that’s his family color
Write Letters – Light Pink – Because it’s something I need/want to do, and it’s in my color shade
Special Dinner – Pool – Because everything food related is in Pool
Potluck – Pool – Because it’s food related
R.A.K. – Gold – Because RAKs bring sunshine into someone’s mailbox (or my mailbox)
Movie Night – Navy – Because Navy is like the night sky, and that’s when we watch movies, at night
Call Friend – Light Pink – Because I want to do that more often this year and pink is my shade of color
Call Mom – Hot Pink – Because I love her, and it’s in my shade of color again, but more vibrant because it’s very important
Call Kim – Purple – Because it’s my sister’s favorite color, and I need to call her more often
Anniversary – Light Gray – Because we are getting close to our Silver Anniversary
Lazer Tag – Gray – Because it’s dark in the building and kinda smoky in there too
Sky High – Teal – I don’t know why I chose this color for this
Mall/Shopping – Butter – Because it’s something I do with my daughter, and it’s in her shade of color
CMWF – Orange – Because it’s my hubby’s work
Road Trip & Travel – Coral – Because it’s one of my favorite color of stickers, and both of these activities are some of my favorite things to do
Snow Skiing – Baby Blue – Because it looks like winter and snow and cold
Hiking & Camping – Mocha – Because it looks like dirt, and you get dirty when you go hiking and camping
Tennis – Pear – Because it’s the same color as tennis balls
Swimming & Water Skiing – Turquoise – Because it looks like beautiful refreshing water
Bubble Bath – Hot Pink – Because it’s one of my FAVORITE things to do, and it’s in my shade of color
Door Decor – Beet – Because Beet is super pretty and Door Decor is a happy thing I do each month
Pathfinders – Army Green – Because it’s my son’s club, we march, and it’s in his shade of color
Library – Tan – Because our library’s name has “Prairie” in it, and tan makes me think of the prairie
Plan Menus – Pool – Because it’s food related again and it’s a very calm and soothing color, though dealing with food does not leave me feeling calm and soothing, so I thought I needed some external motivation and help in that area
Various School Related Stickers – Red – Because the little red schoolhouse is always Red
Specific Bill Related Stickers – Green – Because green looks like money
Dogs – Taupe – Because muddy little paw prints are usually brown, and Taupe is a light brown that I can write on
Pay Bills – Green – Because it’s about money again
Zone 1 – Dark Orange – Because that is the color Flylady uses for Zone 1 (next time I’ll use Dark Red)
Zone 2 – Gold – Because that is the color she uses for Zone 2
Zone 3 – Cornflower – Because that is the color she uses for Zone 3
Zone 4 – Kelly Green – Because that is the color she uses for Zone 4
Zone 5 – Beet – Because that is the color she uses for Zone 5 (purple would also work)
DRINK H2O – Turquoise – Because that’s the color for water related things
Shine Sink – Lavender – Because it’s a chore, and Flylady loves purple
Mini Tramp – Seafoam – Because it was a nice color that I hadn’t used yet
Fab Abs – Coral – I don’t know why I chose Coral for this one
PROVERBS – Butter – I don’t remember my vision behind this sticker or this color 😦

And if this isn’t enough, I’ve got stickers ordered for my 3 Blogs, Piano Time (black), a few more specific bills (green), Attack Clutter (lavender), Pay Bills (green), and I’m always trying to think of more, especially those that will motivate me to accomplish something or develop a needed habit, like reading more books, or some type of exercise, or some type of cleaning routine!

If you haven’t tried the Event Stickers yet, go for it!  It’s an easy way to bring color into your planner pages, and a great way to color code, set goals for yourself, and bring some variety into your days!

Colors of the Months

I know many people like to color coordinate the event stickers with each month.  This offers a more uniform look to the planner, something that is appealing to many.  Each month has a great duo of color!  You can order Event Stickers to match your months!!

Here are the colors EC has used for each month…

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ORANGE & SEAFOAM

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RED & LIGHT PINK

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PLANNER GREEN (KELLY GREEN WORKS) & LIME

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TURQUOISE & PLANNER PURPLE

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SEAFOAM & PEONY

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CORAL & TEAL

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NAVY & RED

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GREEN & GOLD

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CHARTREUSE & PURPLE

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MOCHA & ORANGE

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THIS BROWN MATCHES NOTHING (TAN or TAUPE COULD WORK) & TEAL

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BABY BLUE & ARMY GREEN

When ordering Custom Event Stickers to match the months, please remember that “Planner Green” and “Planner Purple” are not available in the Custom Event Sticker color choices.  For those months, you would need to choose the other color in the monthly color duo, or use the blank stickers that came with your Life Planner or Notebook.

Blank Event Stickers In Your Planner/Notebook

One of my favorite items available for the Planners and Notebooks is the blank colored stickers.  I have stacks of them waiting to designate that special event, day, or activity.  Every Life Planner and Notebooks with the monthly calendar pages come with 2 pages of pre-printed events, as well as 2 pages of blank stickers.

Let’s talk about the blank stickers.

There are 10 different colors of blank stickers, 5 on each sheet.  I don’t know the order they are in, because I had already removed these and cut them apart before deciding to do this post.  I am grouping the photos into two different groups like this… (please remember colors vary according to lighting when the photo is taken as well as the way a monitor displays the colors).

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AND

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The reason they are grouped like this is because the first six strips of color have actual names available on the Erin Condren website.  These colors can be selected when you order Custom Event Stickers.

The colors are:

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This next group of stickers don’t have names.  I have ordered every color of sticker available on the EC website, and these 4 colors are not part of what I received.  They come in every Life Planner, but they don’t match any of the color choices on the EC website.

I have given them my own names, for now, but I will be checking with EC to see if they actually do have names for these colors (I’m sure they do).  When I find out what they are, or if anyone already knows, I will be sure to post about it here on the blog.

These colors are close to the Custom Event Sticker colors, but they are not an exact match, and cannot be ordered for Custom Event Stickers.

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The Planner Lime is very close to the regular Lime color, but it isn’t quite a match.  The Planner Purple is a most lovely purple color, and I really wish they had this one available to order, but they don’t.  The Planner Teal and the Teal on the website, are close, but again, not an exact match, and the Planner Green is quite a bit darker than Kelly Green, but not as dark as Army Green.

In the next blog post, I will be showing which colors match each calendar month.  Most of the colors are available if you want to order Custom Event Stickers that match your months, but a couple of the months actually use a few of the 4 colors above that are not available for custom ordering.

Stay tuned…!

Paisley With a Twist of Hot Pink and Turquoise

I love finding unique color combinations that WORK, and this is definitely one of them!  Thank you to Jennifer for sharing her planner cover with us!

Hi Kristy!

…The colors I picked were turquoise for the background and hot pink for the design. At the time, I didn’t know that you could change the font and I just went with the one that came with the planner. In hindsight I wish I would have done a cursive, but I still love it. I picked these colors to match my company colors with Origami Owl. (I am an Independent Designer with the company).

Thanks so much!!!
Jennifer Throckmorton

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Photo by Jennifer Throckmorton

Feel free to check out Jennifer’s Origami Owl site by clicking on her planner photo!  Thanks again Jennifer for sharing your vibrant cover with us!  I think it looks fantastic!!

My FAVORITE Cover So Far!!

All of the credit goes to Shea Johnson. She designed this, and it came out perfectly!! I think it should become a planner choice on the Erin Condren website when they roll out their new designs in June. I believe 1000’s of this cover would sell because it is that cute and yet classy, cheerful, playful, and just very pleasing to the eye! Thank you so much Shea for letting me show this to the world! I absolutely LOVE it!!

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Photo by Shea Johnson

Here are the specifics in case you want to order this cover as well…

She asked for the outer stripes to be Hot Pink, and the middle stripe to be Pool. The personalization was “the johnson family” on Line 1, and the names of her family members with asterisks between each one on line 2.

Then in the special instructions box she specified the following:

I am wanting The and Family in Hot Pink in the Instagram font, johnson in multi colors with the big EC asterisk in Hot pink at the end. (Is there any way to substitute the red in the multi color to Hot Pink?) Also, please put the EC asterisk in multicolors between the names on line 2. I would like johnson to be as wide as possible, to fit the full space. Also want The to sit in the middle, right on top of johnson (starting above the n, with no big gaps…I want it to look uniform.) Please let me know if there are ANY questions! I hope this turns out as cute as I think it will! **Please note, I have already asked Customer Service if this would be a custom design and they said no. Thanks!** 🙂

The absolute beauty is that EC did everything EXACTLY as she had asked, on the first try, and it definitely is as cute as she thought it would be. I have spoken with Shea and she says she would be honored if people ordered this design for themselves…she loves it so much she would be happy for others to share in that same joy! Now, that is such a beautiful spirit. Thank you Shea!

She also shared a photo of the free labels that came with it. Be still my heart!!

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Dear Erin…from Amanda

Thoughts from Amanda…

“[Your] planner has changed my life… I was lost and now I know where I’m going, how I’m getting there, and what must be done along the way…for that I thank [you]… I love the colors and how fun [your] planners look…great style and maybe on a professional level …. idk, I haven’t been my own boss but…but maybe do two types of planners-one spiral bound and one that we can add to, allowing more options for those who want to add to their planner!!!”

Before and After Dec 16-22

This is definitely one of my favorite products that Erin Condren offers.  I love seeing how each week evolves!!

This was last week on Sunday.  Each week starts off sparse compared to what it ends up like.  If feels like I’m painting a picture each week, and it is always different.  I love the variety that this provides!

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The week got filled up a bit, but it wasn’t overly busy.  Kids finished school for the year, and Christmas break officially began.  We didn’t seem to get much laundry done this week.  I do believe I did a few loads, but not on “my” laundry day!

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Here is next week.  Everything has been building to Christmas day.  I have NOTHING planned after Christmas!  I do rather hope we will stay home and just relax!!  Next week’s “after” photo of this OWaW will tell!

I used thin Sharpies to write “Christmas Morning and Christmas Eve” and draw the holly leaves and berries.  I LOVE being able to use Sharpies on this product.

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I just can’t stop talking about the  Sharpies.  I can’t believe how useful this little “cup” is that I got from Walmart.  It has a big magnet and attaches to the side of the fridge, but when I need my markers to fill in my OWaW, it pulls right off and sits on the table perfectly!

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This is becoming a fun routine and I look forward to Sunday night each week when I get to tear off a new page and start filling it in!

Happy Birthday Cards

I took advantage of the Friends & Family sale, and the Black Friday sale! I don’t remember which one, but I ordered these little birthday cards and they are perfect!!

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They came in the little clear pouch and the cards themselves are very compact, perfect for a quick little note. I love that they are so colorful and they are appropriate for both women and men.

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There are 12 cards and envelopes and 20 matching address labels. I was able to choose from several different colors for the envelope at no extra charge.

I am very happy with these cards and will order again when they have another sale!!

Before and After Dec 9-15

December 9-15…the first week!

Oh! What a Week began with much anticipation and excitement!  I color code, so each color refers to a specific individual in our family, and purple alerts ALL of us.  I use a cloud bubble to bring extra attention to an item.

On Sunday, the 8th, I filled out our week.

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I added things as the week  progressed.  On Thursday, there were 2 chores that my kids needed to do THAT DAY.  I also wanted my husband to help them, so I put a cloud bubble around their chore with orange, my husband’s color.  Since we are still in the training stages, I pointed out both that I had added something to their days, and that I wanted my husband to help them do the task.  It sort of worked.  I’m pretty sure he helped with the bed, but I know he didn’t help with the porch furniture.  But both chores got done, so that was the important thing!

On Sunday, the 15th, our week was finished!

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Things were added along the way.  I loved grabbing my Sharpies and writing new things on the schedule.  I love that this is only the beginning and this system will be fine tuned each week.

Right now, it is mostly for events and appointments that involve my family members, and any event or appointment that I have, that also impacts their day.  The chores listed are things that are not every day or every week chores. I notice them, quickly jot them down so I don’t forget about them, then point them out to the individual! I do plan to list the laundry days each week at the bottom.

I loved having it on my fridge. Next week is already up and I can’t wait to see what the week will bring!!

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