Plan with Me Fall Leaves

Watch the video here.

Thank you for stopping by my blog today!

I still need to get my rhythm down for filming my PWM videos. I haven't gotten to the point where I feel comfortable doing them and I know that comes out in the video. Please hang in there with me and I do promise to get better at this.

On the bright side I did place my order for an electronic cutting machine and it is supposed to arrive this week. Hopefully I can start creating my stickers with it very soon. I know that will make finding the right sticker a lot faster. And I have a ton of ideas for things to make with my new toy. I am sure there will be future blog posts and videos with fun projects using it.

Now on to today's plan with me!

I decided way back in August that I was going to do a fall leaf theme this week in honor of the first day of fall this Wednesday. I started looking out for fall leaf stickers whenever I found stickers in stores. I found enough I think that this page turned out really pretty.

I do wish that the white out stuff was easier to use. I always make a huge mess with it. I think I am going to start cutting some strips of sticker paper to cover the colored bars that are meant to divide the day rather than trying to use the white out. It is far less messy and although it adds a little more bulk to the planner I think it is still the better option in the long run.

So when I looked at the fall leaf stickers I had collected I found that the colors ranged from green, yellow, orange and even a little purple. I also had some stickers that had gold foil in them.

Since I was unhappy with the washi tape at the bottom and on the sidebar last week it decided to go back to the scrapbook paper in those places. I did want to use some washi though so I decided to add it to the very top of the page. I have to say I love it there. In retrospect I do wish I had cut it a tiny bit narrower but this is fine this week. The scrapbook paper I found this week had not only the leaves but also some gold foil so it really added to the page. I love the depth that it gives with the leaf stickers layered over it.

Since there is both green and yellow in the stickers I decided to use up some of the heart checklists I had left from August. I love how they look up there and I am so happy to use those up. As I went through the sets of functional stickers I have used so far in my planner I found that I could also use up a good amount of the Bohemian Autumn set left from my apple theme week. And I mixed in some of the ones left from the last two weeks that came from September sets I had purchased.

I love that I was able to use up so many of the leftover stickers from the last several weeks. And I also love all the color they give. I think it really helps with the fall leaf theme.

I am going to try to get all the links to the shops I purchased the stickers from. I really hope I don't miss any, if I do I apologize.

The green and yellow checklists came from the Freshly Squeezed set from Printable Stickables

Today headers, hydrate stickers, weekend banner, and to go checklist are all from the Deluxe September Monthly Kit from MissSabineElise

The two full boxes I used on the weekend came from the Apple Sticker Set from Lemon Wishes Designs

The heart checklist flags, medium flag, and the errands box are from the Bhohemian Autumn set from AshlyLynnImpression

The purple flag and scalloped box are from the September Complete Kit from JWPlans

the watering cans are from Hannah4stickers

The bathtub and nail polish are from Little Blue Garden Printables

The weather dots and the shipping box are from Stamped by My Heart

The planner sticker is from FaryePlans

I think that is all the stickes I used if I missed any and you want to know where they came from let me know in the comments.

September 2015 Ipsy Bag

Watch the video here.

This month's Ipsy bag comes in another really pretty bag. I love all the texture on the front of the bag this month. And in my mind the color just screams fall! It makes me think of leather boots and cooler weather. I think I must have had a pair of boots that color at one time.

Now onto the products in the bag this month.

The first product I pulled out was the Soothing Moisture Mask from Eau Thermale Avene. I am not about to even try to pronounce that name. LOL According to the company's website it is good fro dehydrated, overstressed skin. I am going to have to give this stuff a try because I think that pretty much describes my life. The tube in the bag is definitly a trial size but I found the full size one (1.69 fl oz/ 50 mil) at Drugstore.com for $26. And the website even found me a couple of local places to purchase the product if I so desire.

Next up was the NYX eyeshadow trio palette. I have a couple of NYX products in my makeup collection but no eye shadows for some reason. I am looking forward to seeing what I think of these. This particular palette looks to be an Ipsy exclusive but similar palates can be found for a regular price of $6.

The next product was the eyebrow trio by Pixi. I don't have any other products by Pixi so I really don't know anything more about them than what I have seen on YouTube video reviews. I didn't find this particular product on the website and suspect that this is a sample size of their full size shades of brow palette. The full size version has 6 shades and comes with a brush for a cost of $12.

The lip crayon from treStique is of interest to me simply because I saw someone else get one in a Birch Box opening last week. Again this is a company I am not familiar with. The color in my bag (Nantucket Nude) is a bit on the orange side for my taste but I will probably at least give it a try. If I don't like the color I do know someone that it will look wonderful on. From what I see on their website the full size version comes with a built in lip balm on the end opposite the lip color and retails for $28.

The last item in my bag is a concealer brush from Crown Brush. I have to admit I am not a fan of this style of brush, I already have a couple and they tend to sit un-used in my brush drawer. According to this companies website this brush sells for $2.98.

So that is what I got this month in my Ipsy bag. What did you get in yours?

If you would like to get your own bag here is a link so you can join in the fun next month.

https://www.ipsy.com/new?refer=v8x2f

Plan With Me- Owls

Watch the video here.

The printable sticker kit I used this week was huge! And since I didn't really know what I was going to want to use when the time came I decided to once again cut out all the stickers. Oh man, what a job that was! I usually cut the stickers during the couple of hours my son and I watch TV together in the evenings. This set of stickers took me almost all week to do. The kits says there are over 350 stickers. I do love the kit and plan to purchase more of the complete month kits from this shop in the future but that is a lot time using a pair of scissors.

On a side note, that activity is what I needed to get myself serious about purchasing one of the electronic cutting machines. I have been looking at them for a long time now. I had actually spent about the last month or so really studying the different ones on the market and decided which one I was going to spend a large chunk of money on. I really want to be able to use it for all the different crafts I do so it was a big decision. I actually made my mind up and changed it about a dozen or so times as I learned more and more. I did place my order and my new machine is on its way to me as I type so when it arrives I will do an un-boxing video and blog and show you all what I purchased.

Back to this week's plan with me.

I love the combination of the purple, gray and burgundy colors in this week's kit. These are all colors I love so they combination really spoke to me. I wasn't sure what theme I wanted to with but since the owls were on the kit I decided they would be perfect. For some reason owls and fall really seem to go together for me.

For the bottom area and the sidebar this week I decided to use some of the washi tape I have collected. I ended up doing it off camera because I had soooo much trouble getting it to do what I wanted. It was a real battle for me for whatever reason. And after all the work to get it on the page I am not really sure if I like it or not. I think I prefer the paper in those areas. I think in a future layout I am going to try using both the scrapbook paper and the washi and see if I like it better that way.

One big advantage to using a complete month kit is that all the colors go together so nicely. Also since this was such a big kit there was a lot of choices to consider while laying it out. I especially like that the kit had the hydrate stickers that matched the colors instead of using my normal white ones.

So for the sources of the stickers used this week:

Deluxe September Monthly Kit by MissSabineElise

Weather Dots by Stamped by My Heart

Watering cans by Hanna 4 Stickers

It's Planning Time Kit by Farye Plans

Bathtub and Nail polish from Spa Day by Little Blue Garden

Hair dryer, etc from Pamper by Brothers Sisters Design

I think that is all the stickers I used.

Thank you for watching the video and reading my blog. Be sure to subscribe to the Youtube channel and follow the blog to see everything I post. 

Sticker & Washi Haul

Watch the video here.

So one day this week I decided it was time to play hooky from making videos and writing blog posts and take a day just for me. So I spent an entire day out of the house shopping. I came back ready to tackle all the projects on my to-do list and I have some fun new stickers and rolls of washi tape to play with. I got a bunch of other less fun stuff but I won't bore you with that.

My first stop was Walmart so I could get some household shopping out of the way first. Of course I made sure to check out every aisle that had any kind of craft supply on it and I paid extra attention in the office supply/ back to school areas for planner supplies.

I didn't find much but I did manage to find a couple of packages of stickers. One has some leaves since I have a fall leaf spread planned for a couple of weeks from now (September 21^st to the 27^th) and also a package with some nice fir trees for something I am hoping to do in December. The biggest score at Walmart was in the washi tape department. I have some washi tape already but I am always looking for more, especially in colors I think will go in my planner in the near future. I was able to find 4 rolls of Studio G tape that I think will go well. And then I needed to pick up some Duct tape for another project and noticed that there was washi tape on that display too so I picked up one of those too.

 

Later in the day I stopped at Michaels and found they were having a “buy 1 get 1 at 50% off” sale so I picked out 4 more sheets of stickers there. One sheet was some fall leaves and then the other 3 I am hoping to use for the October and November monthly spreads. Most of the stickers on these three pages are 3-D and I will probably have to work with them to make them thinner but for the most part I think they will work out well.

 

I also decided to stop at the “teacher store” Learning Palace to look for stickers. I love the fact that the stickers here are cheaper and you get tons of them. Granted they are repetitive but I can either save some to use next year, trade some, and/or use some for card making and art journaling.

After I got done filming the video I was going through my bags I brought home putting a few things away and I cam across this package of Cowboy themed stickers I picked up at the Dollar Tree. I am going it be saving this one for next summer to use on the July monthly spread since around here July is rodeo month. I think that will be a really fund spread.

Plan With Me- Purple Theme

Watch the video here.

Thank you for checking out my PWM, I hope this week's video is a bit better than last week. I am trying to do my best to bring you a good PWM video and I thank you for your patience as I learn.

This week I really wanted to make some full box background stickers that found on the Etsy shop Hannah 4 Stickers (link to shop below) the center of attention. Since these are so pretty I printed them out on semi gloss photo paper and then ran them through my Create a Sticker by XYRON using the re-positionable adhesive.

For the majority of the functional stickers I stuck with an all in one kit from J W Plans also on Etsy (the link to this shop is also below).

I am really happy with how the spread turned out. It is pretty simple but still very pretty. I have plenty of room to write as the week goes on.

I had intended to use some washi tape on the side and bottom areas of the pages but I just didn't have any that I felt would work with what I had in mind so I once again used scrap book paper. This time I had a sheet of a blue and purple background design and I love how it looks. Since I have my new Create a Sticker now and it is so easy to use I simply ran some strips of the cardstock through it to add an adhesive backing. This was soooo much easier than the way I have done this in the past.

Here are the links to all the stickers I used in the spread this week.

September Kit from JW Plans

Full box backgrounds from Hannah4Stickers

Watering cans from Hannah4Stickers

Bath tub and nail polish from Little Blue Garden 

Weather Dots from Stamped by My Heart

Drink It from Silver Shed Crafts

XYRON Create a Sticker

Watch the video here.

Last week when I was getting ready to fill out my day planner for the week I decided that some of the designs I wanted for stickers would just look so much better if they were printed on photo paper. I figured no problem since I have one of those little Xyron machines that you pull the paper through and it makes whatever you pull through into a sticker. Well, I had 2 problems with that plan. For one the little squares of photo paper were cut just a tiny bit too big to go through the small machine. They went through but just barely and some of them got kind of banged up on the corners. The other problem was that although it is not too big of a deal to do one thing in that machine doing several is a pain in the you know what. It was hard to get them lined up so they would even go through and then some got caught in the middle and it was almost more hassle than it was worth.

Since I had a couple of things I wanted to look at Joann Fabric this week I took a stroll down the aisle where they have the various Xyron machines. I was wanted to see just how much it would cost to up one step in these machines and what that would give me over the one I already have. Well, the price wasn't too horrid to go up to the one that has 2 ½” opening and it has a handle so no more trying to reach into the stupid thing to retrieve the end of the sticker sheet.

All these machines seem to come with permanent adhesive in them but you can purchase re-positional adhesive. Since I had run into a few problems with the stickers I had made for my planner being really hard to get lined up since they stuck down immediately I sprung for a roll of the re-positional stuff too.

When I got home I was excited to open the box and get to work making some stickers but I did decide to sit down and read the directions before I did anything. The Create a Sticker is really easy to use and the instructions are very short.

I did have a bit of an issue getting the top open the first time to change the adhesive but after the first time I opened it it works fine now. The adhesive cartridge basically just slides into place and is really easy to change out.

I do like that you can see at a glance which cartridge is installed. I was concerned about how I would know but the label is right there where you slide in the item you want to back with the sticky stuff.

Once you insert your item into the mouth of the Create a Sticker all you need to do is turn the handle in a clock wise direction and it does the rest.

In addition to how easy it is to use another thing I like about this Sticker maker is that the clear cover sheet for the sticker tape is wound onto a spot in the adhesive cartridge. With the little purple version I had before it comes out with the rest of the sticker tape and I was always getting it stuck somewhere I didn't want it.

I have to say I am really happy with my purchase and I have a feeling it is going to get a lot of use in my craft room.

Plan With Me- Apple Theme

Watch the video here.

This week I decided to film my very first plan with me video. I know these will be easier as I practice so please hang in there with me and be patient.

This week as on all the other weeks I have planned so far in my Erin Condren planner I am using printable stickers that I purchased on Etsy. I will have the list of the stickers I used along with links to the shops I purchased them from.

I haven't broken down and ordered regular planner stickers yet because I tend to plan my themes at the last minute and then I need the stickers now. I don't want to wait for the stickers to be printed by someone else and then mailed to me. I guess I am just not patient enough for that yet. Maybe after I have been at this a while I will be able to wait for them. In the meantime I am going to continue with the printable ones.

I have been just using the Avery brand label paper that I picked up at Office Max so far. I am hoping to find some better paper online in the next couple of weeks.

I think I also see one of those electronic cutting machines in my future too. I have been wanting one of those for a couple of years now and I am thinking I might just go ahead and get one soon.

Okay, enough of this let's get onto the planning this week.

I have to admit that the first time I saw the Bohemian Autumn sticker set on Etsy I fell in love. I kept looking at it, I kept going back to that page every time I looked at the stickers. Up until this week I have stuck completely to the color theme that is already in the planner and this one while it coordinated it didn't really match. I went back and forth about whether I wanted to use it or not. Then I just went for it and purchased it.

I decided that even though it was absolutely beautiful I still wanted a theme to bring everything together. After a bit of thought and more looking at the beautiful choices of sets I decided on Apples for my main theme. I love how the three sets I choose to use compliment each other. And I have a bunch of stickers left over to use another time.

In the past I have only used the sticker/label paper to print my stickers on. Since I wanted to take advantage of the beautiful full boxes on the one page I had purchased I decided to print that page on a soft gloss photo paper. I think they turned out stunning! I then ran those pieces through my little purple Xyron sticker machine. I did run into a problem in that the little machine was just a tiny bit too narrow for the size of the boxes. I was happy enough with the process though that I actually purchased a larger sticker machine since I then.

I was smart enough to cut out all my stickers off camera I just need to come up with a better way of organizing them for next time. I think I have an idea and when I finally get it figured out I will show my method in a video.

To begin my planning this week I covered the side bar of the first page and the bottoms of both pages in the spread with some wood grain design scrapbook paper. I like to use this method sometimes instead of the normal washi tape especially since I don't always have tape that goes with my spread. I will show how I do that next time I use the paper but this time I ran into issues with my paper.

When I plan I usually use the top boxes of the Monday- Friday part for my blog and YouTube activities. This week I added full check boxes everyday for that part. I did mess up my filling out on the Monday box but I went back and fixed it after I finished editing the video.

The rest of each day I usually use for everything else that needs to be done. Since I normally plan on Saturday for the coming week I like to leave myself plenty of room to fill out stuff that needs to be done as the week progresses. At the bottom of each day is a hydrate sticker, I tried a larger one for all week on the sidebar a couple of times but I do better with one on each day. I tend to forget about the one on the sidebar later in the week. I like to put any bills that have to be paid at the bottom of the page. That way they stand out more and are less apt to be missed.

On the sidebar I like to have a list of major cleaning jobs I want to get done during the week. I don't worry too much if some of them end up getting pushed to a future week.

I usually add another checklist of some kind to the sidebar and some weeks I use it and some weeks it stays empty. It is there if I need it.

The only other sticker that I put on the side bar is a juice sticker that I made to help me track/remember to drink a glass of juice everyday.

The rest of the sidebar gives me room to decorate a bit with any larger stickers I might want to use and to group some of the smaller ones too. These also carry across the bottom area most weeks.

Some weeks if I have extra decorative stickers I a keep adding them as the week progresses if I have the space after days are over.

At the top of each day I like to put a weather sticker to denote the day's weather. Since our weather tends to be a bit fickle I only put on the first 3 days when I plan and then I add the last 4 days sometime on Wednesday. I also add the temperatures each day since those can change quickly around here. For me I am adding the weather information to look back at not to prepare for so this system works for me.

Now as for the stickers I used this week here are the names of the pages and the shops they came from. Be sure to click on the highlighted name of the shop if you want to check out what they have.

Bohemian Autumn from Ashley Lynn Impression

Apple Picking from Ink Obsessions Designs

Apple Set from Lemon Wishes

Weather Stickers from All About the House

Drink It from Silver Shed Crafts 

Spa Day (bath tub and nail polish bottle) from Little Blue Garden