I'm British, So Filofax

Adventures in Trying to Organize My Life


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First Annual Wild for Planners – Geaux Wild

When this event was announced, I don’t know if I truly believed it was a real thing. It seemed too awesome to have an entire hotel full of people who are as passionate, inspired, creative, and (let’s face it) borderline obsessed with planning as myself. Add to that it was a creation of the (in?)famous 🙂 FB group Planners Gone Wild (PGW as we loving refer to it) and was being hosted in New Orleans… *Mind blown*

So the day of ticket release happens, I log on and 100% not believing I would actually be able to get a ticket and the website would crash because when PGW-ers know about a planner related release, we are well known for overwhelming the internet. To my utter surprise, not only did the site not crash (first sign this was going to be more amazing than anyone could comprehend) but I got a ticket. *CRAPCRAPCRAP* I justified it by the fact that it was occurring the exact same weekend as my birthday and with a gentle arm twisting I also convinced a planner bestie of mine she definitely couldn’t miss out on this craziness. Thank’s FOMO. 😛

There was so much hype prior to ticket release… and it only increased steadily as we waited for that weekend in May. So much preparation on all of our accounts. But I will tell you it still didn’t feel real. Not when I requested off work. Not as we googled hotels and decided we had to stay at the convention center’s Marriott to really soak up the fun. Not when flights were found and booked. Not as I packed and repacked and unpacked and freaked out about packing so I eventually just threw everything I owned that would fit in two bags. Not as I tried diligently to explain what exactly I was attending and why it was even a ‘thing’. I don’t think I even quite grasped what was about to occur sitting on the plane flying to Nola.

What I can tell you is that that weekend was everything. Literally. As Naina (like China but apparently not really!) so aptly put it “I feel like I’m in Vegas and Disney World and stickers all in one place” I still don’t think people will “get” it unless they are themselves a planner but this video goes above and beyond to describe the amazingness that we all got to experience. We were spoiled rotten and amazed by the event coordinators at literally every turn. There was not a single thing they didn’t think of and choreograph like only a llama could.

Every speaker, every sponsor, every volunteer, every attendant, even the staff at the Marriot… it was almost too much to comprehend. We are all so thankful and subsequently in a post-Geaux wild mourning period because there really is nothing like being surrounded by an entire community who GET you. who INSPIRE you. who ENCOURAGE you. who CRACK YOU UP. who make a hobby you have always loved EVEN MORE TO LOVE… It was everything.

I am so thankful that I was able to be a part of the first annual Wild for Planners #geauxwild #geauxwildorgohome #geauxwildconf #geauxwildnola #geauxwild2016 #nosureiwilleverspellgeauxgoagain

THANK YOU TO AMAZING WOMAN WHO MADE THIS POSSIBLE!
THANK YOU TO A COMMUNITY OF AMAZING WOMEN WHO JOINED ME IN THIS ADVENTURE!

THANK YOU FOR THE EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME!

This video will likely top a million views if not only from Geaux Wild survivors reminiscing and trying to recapture the feeling of being there daily… for the next ~365 days… until we can do it all again!

Geaux Wild 2016


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As Requested by My Atlanta Girls: Stampin’ It Up!

So at a planner meet up (yes, this is a real thing, planners who get together to drool over each others planners and talk planner talk and say things like ‘you can’t sit at our table’… <3) it was requested that I use my blog to talk about where I get all my crazy amounts of supplies. Today's request was for stamps. So here is you promised blog on Stamps!

I am not the most artistic person but stamps allow you to be faux artistic (that actually sounds pretty posh) and it should ideally help you save money by not buying as many stickers… in my case, not so much, but I can see it helping more logical less impulsive buyers! When it comes to stamps there is a wild world of stamps out there to be bought.

The most obvious places to start are your craft stores… Hobby Lobby, Michaels, Joanns, etc. Joann’s is usually my go to place. For one, they are ALWAYS doing 50% stamping supplies (like right now) and I buy online because the selection is wayyyy bigger. Specifically, they have Versa Magic individual inks (the best ink by far) on sale always for less than $1.50!!! You can go to the versa website and print out the color chart and then pick what magical rainbow of Versa match up for colors coordinated with the monthly themes for EC. I have a copy of it somewhere if anyone is to lazy to look for it. 🙂 Joann’s has Inkadinkado, Fiskars, Hero Arts, Lawn Fawn, Avery Elle, and many more. Those are some of my favorites. They include letter stamps and mostly decorative stamps. There’s also fun stamps like this one Inner Demons To die for!

My advice is never buy stamps from craft stores unless they are on sale or with coupons. They will always be on sale sooner or later!

Another great store for planner stamps is Simon Says Stamp they have a great selection and ship relatively fast! You can browse their site but Waffleflower, Penny Black, Lawn Fawn, etc… are all GREAT decorative stamps. They also sell ‘planner stamps’ like the ones from Marion Smith that have icons and lists stamps that are more directed at planner stamping.

Another awesome shop is Pink and Main they have fabulous planner stamps and decorative stamps with super fast shipping.

Some of the more exclusive stamps come from Mommylhey Designs Mommy Lhey her shop is down until the 15th when she is having her new release. You can follow her on instagram and youtube to see some of her awesome designs. She has kawaii icons, decorative stamps, and a whole slew of just adorable one of kind stamps that you will see tons of stamper planner people drooling over. She has a coupon code ‘welcome10’ for 10% off that usually works. She also has a Facebook group for news and sometimes coupon codes.

Some other shops are Studio l2e StudioL2e, Mama elephant (who you can find on Simon Says and sometimes in craft stores), Sweet stamp shop Sweet Stamp Shop, and Sweet V’s Stamps V’s Sweet Ideas.

Then there are some etsy stores that feature stamps including TinyStampsBigPlans (ship from Australia but ship relatively fast), Annies Paper Boutique, Atieler Dreams, MsKimmCreates, Prettyinpinkxoxo, and bellacreationz4u.

My advice is to first join a facebook stamping group so you can see some designs and find out which planner stamps you want ideally. One of the best Stamping Facebook groups is Planner Stamping. Then follow some of the stampers on Youtube because they will show you the stamps in action and you can see some great design ideas! I recommend Meredith Plans and Vanessa Vergara but there are tons more!

As an added addition you can find some of the stamps (Avery Elle, Hero Arts, Lawn Fawn, to name a few) on Amazon so if you are a die hard Amazon freak like me that works out well! 🙂 Lawn Fawn sells sets that come with exact replica die cuts as well if that’s something you need.

I would steer clear from Heidi Swapp stamps, theres a reason they are always on clearance. They just don’t stamp well.

And I googled but couldn’t find the ink splatter stamps you girls were using tonight but I believe, if memory serves me correctly, they are recollections and can definitely be found in craft stores!

If you guys aren’t already on the ebates train, get on it! If you shop through the ebates site you get monies back and they include amazon, etsy, joanns, michaels, etc. Ask me and I can send you my recommendation code so I can get some money back for referrals! Lord knows I need some monies back to my cc bills!

Can’t wait to see what you guys stamp up!!!!
XOXO
Sarah


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Office Space: Where I Plan

I have been on an organizing kick lately and so it only seems fitting to post a blog showing my creation space… my office. I made a commitment to myself when I moved back from Florida to keep a tidy office and leave my laptop out of my bedroom and so far I am doing pretty well! In order to keep my space clean though, I feel like it has to be visually appealing. Just like with planners… I am more likely to look at my schedule and to do’s if it is in a pretty planner and fun to look at. So, without further ado, my office! I racked my brain and scoured the internet before posting this blog looking at others blogs and video tours of their planning supply organization and craft areas. I came to two conclusions; 1) I’m not everybody else so I can have my own style 2) I am not good at making videos. At least not yet. So I took some photos instead. Hope you enjoy and are inspired to organize your own areas!

Where the magic happens 🙂 Notice the Target Dollar Spot Haul supplies as decoration!

So here is my desk… God bless Ikea for letting us create our own spaces. It’s as if that place was made for planners. You will see the name Ikea more than a couple times throughout my blog. I love that place. I got two drawer units and a table top from Ikea and made my own desk. I feel like it’s a large enough space to utilize without being overbearing. Of course in a dream world I would have an L shaped desk that took up half the room but this is reality and I am working with the space I have. O:)

My laptop doesn’t leave my desk. It’ s a HP Envy, the first non-Vaio I’ve had, and while I am not a huge fan of the new Windows I like the size of my laptop and it definitely holds it’s own with the amount of damage I do downloading and saving files. Pinterest, WordPress, Facebook, Instagram, and Google+ are all neatly settled in my favorites bar ready for me to surf the internet for hours on end!

I won’t show you all the drawers because they aren’t all planner related. This drawer dutifully holds my electronics; my camera, camcorder, Pringo photo printer, and label maker. It’s also home to my 6 hole punch which is a Japanese import you can easily purchase on Amazon and adjusts to punch holes for all three sizes of Filofax! It can be found here. I also have a recently purchased flag punch, binder clips, pen loops, paper clips (who knew I would one day pine over paper clips), and an assortment of charms as I recently started making my own planner charms.

This is where I display my planners… the highlight of the room! The shelving unit is also from Ikea and is meant for the back of a desk but was repurposed with the help of a good friend to fit on my old dresser so I could show my entire collection! ❤

In this mix we have several Filofax (Domino, Saffiano, Finsbury) in different sizes and colors, a Heidi Swapp planner used as a memory planner, a Heidi Swapp planner used as a blog planner, the Happiness Planner, a Get to Workbook, a gold Lovedoki, two fauxdoris, Websters Pages Color Crush planners, two journaling prompt books, and my Listers Gotta List notebook. And can’t forget some of the most useful money I ever spent… my laminator! Extremely inexpensive considering the use it gets!

   

In my dresser, I have one drawer full of paper (A4, letter, photo paper. Pringo paper, cardstock, etc) and extra print cartridges [not pictured]. Then I have a one drawer dedicated to my personal size inserts and one for my A5 inserts. Personal size inserts are stored in a mix of Target Dollar Spot accordion folders, a color crush planner box (great for storage!), and an Avery mini binder filled with folders and mini sheet protectors. The A5 inserts are also stored in mini binders with file inserts made from scrapbook paper as shown in a previous blog to accommodate the size of the inserts. I have my Passion Planner stored in here also as I have unbound certain sections and periodically used them in my A5 Filofax. I just used binder rings to bind my collection of dividers and dashboards neatly together. I also store another mini binder in this drawer with sheet protectors containing acrylic stick on stamps sorted by type and a small dollar haul accordion file containing some journal cards that I printed out from Pinterest.

Now this beauty is a new family member… it was actually a gift from a friend and also another Ikea find. It’s called the Sprutt and it was found in the closet and shoe storage section of Ikea. It is a 6 drawer unit that is made of metal like a high school locker. I just found a pretty font and printed out labels glued to blue scrapbook paper for the front label section. The unit goes back approximately 12 inches and the drawers are nice and deep!

The six drawers contain 1) notebooks 2) stickers 3) post its/sticky notes 4) page flags 5) stamps 6) ink.

            

I’m a lucky girl! I just got this over the weekend and he even built it too! 😛

Then in the corner of my room I have a drawer unit from Hobby Lobby that was in my bedroom in Florida that I have repurposed as a printer stand since I now use my dresser as a display for my planners. And the room would not be complete without my Ikea Raskog. For less than $45, this cart comes in so handy as you can stock it with current supplies and move it around not only your office but your house and it tucks away neatly in a closet when I am cleaning up. I use the top section for pens, scissors, hole punches, glue, etc. The second shelf contains some more stickers and washi tape (all my pink themed stickers and washi as I am going through a phase where I feel it is necessary to have my decorations match the patent cover of my Filofax…. it’s really hard….). Then the third shelf contains small containers (also from Ikea) with all my remaining washi tape. The green container is actually full of black, gold, and tan washi tape sectioned out for when my Nude Original arrives… I am telling you… this color coordination thing has a grip on me right now!

  

Well I hope that you enjoyed my photo tour. I am proud to say that no matter how messy I make this room while planning and decorating, I always make sure to leave it tidy before I close the door. This is a big deal for me considering my innate ability to be a clutter bug. 🙂 I take pride in this room though and since it is where I spent a large percentage of my time outside of work and sleep, I feel it deserves to be well taken care of. 😀

Sweet dreams folks!

XOXO

Sarah


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Wasn’t Planning on Rain This Wknd… But PERFECT for Planning

I’ve had plenty of time to play with my planners this weekend due to this disgusting weather! More photos to come…   Here’s my collection! Always adding… I am preparing a blog of my organizational system in my office because I have some new goodies so that is on it’s way!

Until then here is my work station aka my desk (gotta love IKEA)…
I have also been researching what people keep in their Planner Supply Cases. So far @theresetgirl has a great one to look at for ideas… I just *happen* to have that case from Target. Meant to be I guess. 😛

The Reset Girl – What’s In My Planner Supply Case

XOXO

Sarah


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Breaking News: Planner Addict Realizes She’s Hit Bottom

Okay so the bottom of planning addiction isn’t all that bad. Colorfully expensive but not all that bad. 🙂

I have come to some conclusions recently while trying to think of blog topics. I am too busy rearranging and arranging and doing and undoing to make any of them a logical stream of thought so I am going to list some of them here.

I’m a full blown addict. I came to this realization pretty harshly when writing a piece for Philofaxy and their Reader Under the Spotlight section. *cough14plannerscough*

I will forgo food to buy planning supplies I don’t need, especially when comparing to sustenance…

I have paperclips I have no idea when I could practically use except for photoshoots with my planners for IG and my blog.

My Pinterest has become entirely planner related… Eventually I am going to run out of things to look at… then what!?! I might have to actually accomplish something productive! The horror!

I have rewritten my plans so many times I don’t actually need a planner anymore. Planner peace is about as realistic as unicorns from where I am sitting.

I am a planner snob. If I google, interest, instagram, etc planner pictures and the poster has poor penmanship, I feel as if I’ve been robbed.

Watching TV has become watching Youtube videos of people describing their planners in such detail you’d think it would become redundant.

I’m so busy planning I forget the basics… like showering and going to bed.

I am on the verge of blocking Etsy from my phone because I find myself shopping at work…

I am on my fourth hole punch… I guess I am little rough on them.

In other news, my mum’s in England and when she comes back I’ll have a new member of the family!!!
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XOXO

Sarah


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Inspire Me

I have been neglecting you. I have been neglecting my planners.
I have, in turn, been neglecting myself.

I have signed up for some new adventures in hope of getting a rejuvenating boost of motivation. I just sent in a bio piece to Steve at Philofaxy and submitted an application to be part of Mrs Brimbles Creative Planner and Journal Design Team! Wish me luck! I could only dream!!!

I also signed up for a class through Rukristin called “Find Your Voice” which is a 6 week course to scrapbook your story.

Hopefully these things will help! I miss being creative. I have to make time or I’ll lose it! 🙂

Stay tuned!
xoxo
Sarah66181eae502c67b0be954e3341d7b813


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A New Family Member!

So when it comes to planners I am far from the worst but I definitely have an established problem.

family

I am tried and true Filofax lover which has been established. I bought the Kikki K… received it on a Friday… then sold it before the weekend was out. I thought for sure it would Filofax only from then on. I had been eyeing the color crush though. Webster, being more scrapbook than business, pulled me in with pretty colors and shiny things. But they were always sold out so it was never a problem… until I discovered scrapbook.com. And, of course, they had the white planner with gold interior available…. my college football team colors… how could I resist!?!? So there is a new member of the family… let me introduce to you Goldie… my Webster Planner Color Crush Planner…

color crush 1        color crush 2

Then comes the process of deciding what parts to keep and moving in….

creative

Turns out Webster does dividers and calendar pages pretty well so I keep them…. and had too much fun decorating pages for the twentieth time this year… 🙂

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The month pages are embossed with the month in gold and then just plain so I used a polaroid stamp and gold ink and printed off some meaningful pictures to personalize the months.

picstitch

At the end of every month, there is a “this and that” section with the dates just listed.  I used January for “big things” because it seemed like there was a lot of special moments that month and then February for a gratitude journal because I was bursting with gratitude moving to GA. I am using this to keep track of instagram challenges for this month.

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This planner was definitely made by a scrapbooking company which is a positive because the pages are divine. But the tabs just weren’t practical for what I use my planner for so I covered them with gold washi and made my usual tabs. I am trying to use pretty paper for all my notes and keep it decorative and scrapbook-y…

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So all around I do like this planner. For the price, it is a great starter planner. The rings are far from Filofax quality and need some encouragement to stay closed at the very top as I have found with all non-filo’s. But it’s so pretty it’s actually forgivable. It has the inside pockets just like my beloved Domino but with the exception of the credit card like slots they definitely don’t budge as much so it seems they are much more for decoration.

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There is a little notepad in the back that it very convenient. And it definitely holds a lot. The rings are just slightly larger than the personal domino. I will be using it for the time being. I know I know I will end up back in a Filo but I will be taking the vibe of the color crush with me for sure!

Now if only Filofax did a white planner with gold accents…. And don’t get me started on the gold Filo that Facebook keeps reminding me I love because I looked at it one two many times on ebay but can’t justify spending over $150…. maybe one day. 😛   So overall I am having a fun “vacation” from my Filo but I know I will always find my way home.

Next to get a cute craftmate folio so my new planner doesn’t get lonely!
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xoxo

Sarah