Still alive

Wow its been a long time! I'm still here. I will get back to posting soon. In the meantime, here's a pic from my planner Instagram feed, www.instagram.com/skalovingeek.planning

I got goodies!

I was recently lucky enough to be chosen as part of a planner sticker PR team and today I got my first pack of stickers. 

So many!!

Check out the mixmatchplanner. She's on vacation mode until September 5 and then there just may be a flash sale...keep an eye open!

Mummy got to play

For the first time this school holiday I had time to myself. Eldest went to the cinema with grandad and youngest fell asleep in the car. So I scrapbooked!! I haven't looked at this stuff for months! I'm really happy with how they turned out. The first is using the latest lite kit from crafty templates, the second is using the previous kit.

Planner girls collective: Dream Planners

This week we're looking at our dream planners.

Dream planners. Unicorns. We all have them. Some of us lust after expensive handmade affairs, others like cheaper but harder to find options. Our lists are likely to change frequently as we discover something new.
This is my current one;

1. Filofax Chester.
I love the uniqueness of this one! I have only ever seen one on eBay but really want to see it IRL!

2. Filofax Siena. 

Oh so pretty. A colleague had one and I couldn't take my eyes off it!!

3. Van Der Spek Touch me.
Oooooooooo

Also if anyone has seen a green, orange or yellow filofax Finsbury, I am very interested!

There are always planners that jump onto and off the list, it's very fluid and prone the change!!

Debbie
Louise

Planner Girls Collective: Meal Planning

Meal planning is one of those things I try to be good at. I get very envious of all the Pintrest posts about batch cooking and prepping and it spurs me on albeit briefly. I buy the foil trays, over cook portions so I can freeze them....then I forget what's in the freezer, don't fancy it, get lazy.

I have this lovely pad from Aldi (drawn on lovingly by youngest) and on good weeks I will write a list of meal ideas although not necessarily on the correct day, then I can add specifics to the shopping list.

I also keep track of previous meals on the note sidebar in my Happy Planner. That way I have a list of previous ideas for when I'm stuck!

Check out what the other PGC ladies have to say:

Emma-louise

Memos, Mail and Me on Monday.

Inspired by the lovely Sian, my Monday memo is: 

I was looking forward to the school holidays. There was an air of anticipation but also fear. I was looking forward to being able to do things and not be rushing back. Today we kept it simple. We went for a walk and a sandwich. Which eldest decided she didn't like this time despite eating it previously. Youngest trying to climb into the drinks chiller or failing that, turn it off. There were sticks. There were parks. And, I hate to admit it, there was TV.

But there was also post! With stickers especially for my girls!

Spur of the moment is sometimes best

Today , on a whim, we drove to a random field to see if we could watch the big airshow. When we got there, my sister messaged me to say she was around the corner at her brother in law's house. So we joined them, watched planes and the girls had dinner on a picnic blanket whilst watching the Red Arrows.

Latest sticker purchase

As a planner lover and sticker lover, I find it very hard to restrain myself when it comes to buying pretty stickers for my planners. I have discovered one of my favourite etsy stores is the Plump Planner. Karen only opens on a Friday night and for a very short time. Because of this, she is able to offer a quick turn around. I am regularly checking out her Instagram for her new sticker designs and come 7pm on a Friday, I fill my cart. I have to restrict myself to one sticker purchase a month at the moment.

These are my latest...

Planner Girls Collective: Sumer Plans

This week we're looking at our summer plans.

We have one very big plan (hopefully). Moving house. We finally sold our place and found somewhere new (to us). All the boring but important stuff is going through so now we wait on a date.

I also booked eldest onto an intensive swimming course, which she is looking forward to.

Hopefully we will manage a few days out here and there. A wildlife park maybe, strawberry picking,splash park.

Have a look see what the others are planning for their holidays. (Links coming!!)

Planner Girls Collective: my craft space

I confess, I don't actually have a dedicated space. I see all these love pictures of other people's spaces and feel very jealous. I had always hoped that when we moved out of our coach house, I would be able to have a space rather than on my bed.

For now, scrapbooking is done in our spare room, again on the floor. Papers and albums etc are stored on an expedit.

Planning happens on my bedroom floor! I tend to do it when I get my girls to bed so it makes sense to have my things there.

We're moving again in a few weeks, so maybe I can actually have a proper work space??!

PGC ladies

Michelle

Kelly

Louise

Filling in the gaps

I didn't take my Happy Planner away to Spain as 1. It would have been too big and 2. I didn't think I would have time to play. So instead I just took my Recollections planner and write notes each day and when I got home, I transferred to my Happy Planner.

I chose stickers from oodlemadoodles for my HP and some icons from happycutiestudios for my personal Planner.
I printed a few photos and have made notes of the gaps so I can print a few more.

When is a holiday not relaxing?

Answer: when it is with small children!

Don't get me wrong, a week in sunny Spain is lovely, but there's no sitting down with a good book when you have little ones. Luckily we went with a group so our eldest went off and played happily,but littlest became clingy like a baby monkey. She wouldn't even go to daddy!!
We had ice cream, went to the beach, played in the pool, had cocktails...

I'd definitely go back..when they're older.

Maybe stick to Cornwall for now!!

Latest sticker haul

After selling some stuff on ebay, I decided to treat myself to some new planner stickers. I always have some in my etsy cart, ready for the rare occasions I have some money. As it was a Friday, I decided to wait for the Plump planner to open and buy my cart load from there.

I picked up six page kits and some very appropriate Costa lover stickers!!
I can't wait to use them. Just look at the Star Wars! And Wizard of Oz! And Toy Story!

This week, last week

Here we have my last week's spreads from Happy Planner and personal Recollections planner. Need to add photos still. Mary Poppins stickers from Hazy Days UK. I love how MAMBI have created special stick on tabs for adding your own things into your planner, especially good if, like me, you can't justify the cost of a punch!

This week I'm using a basic kit from oodlemadoodles and some sticker flakes as decoration. I love the delicate details on the stickers and the colours are perfect for spring..not that we've seen much of that yet!

Pox attack

After her big sister got a fairly small dose of chickenpox, Rosalind got it bad. Poor monkey is covered. They're literally everywhere. Saturday night we had three hours sleep and I was working all day Sunday. Cant wait for these to pass. And just when I said I wanted April over, May throws this at us.

Planner Girls Collective : my planning style

I not sure how I would describe my planning style really. 

I start with a blank week and choose any decoration.

I add a few basic decorative stickers and fill in any events etc I already know about.
As the week goes by, I fill in the gaps. Add random stickers and notes until eventually, my week is full!

Have a look and see what the other ladies have done.

Emma-Louise
Hannah
Michelle
Debbie
Louise
Jo

Planner Girls Collective: why i plan

People enter the world of planning for various reasons,but usually it is to keep track of something.

I have always been obsessed with stationery. I used to love the look of a ream of clean paper. Pots of pens held serious alure for me!

I started planning to keep track of an increasingly complicated life, and that is why i continue to plan. It's just an added bonus that i can use it as a bite sized creative outlet.

Over time i wanted something with which i could document things, for memory keeping. I tried Project Life but was always disappointed with it. And then i discovered the Happy Planner from Me and My Big Ideas. You really can't go wrong with it! There are so many etsy sellers with stickers specifically for the planner . You can make it as simple or fussyas you want.

And that is why i plan. To document.

Check out what the other ladies have done.

Emma-louise
Kerry

Kelly
jo

Louise

Debbie

Oh April.

What a month.
My​ mother in law passed away in the 1st, which was also Ella's party.

 Easter weekend was busy and  a lovely distraction.

 The funeral was the 19th. 

School is due to start tomorrow but both little ones have chickenpox. April can jog on.

Amazing dividers!

Today I received some amazing galaxy dividers from cute and quirky creations. I can't wait to put these into My planner!!

Plump planner sticker haul

My order from the Plump Planner arrived yesterday. I have four new page kits and some stickers for documenting children's parties, which every parent knows feature highly in the school year!

I cannot recommend Plump planner enough. The stickers are great value and she has a quick turnaround.

A weekend of highs and lows.

This weekend has been a real mixed bag.
Friday was Ella's 5th birthday. We'd got her a scooter, and whilst she was at school, i actually baked her a cake; she wanted a princess cake but in the end, said mine was better than a princess cake.

                 

Saturday we went for lunch at Frankie and Benny's. Littlest was fast asleep so Ella had a lunch with us to herself. We couldn't have a big day out as my mother in law was in hospital and needed to be bear. Besides that, we have a party all booked and those things aren't cheap!! 

Then we went to Toys r Us and she chose a new helmet for her scooter. Rosalind thoroughly enjoyed herself!

Sunday was Mother's Day here in the UK. So obviously that meant another lunch out! This time it was Giraffe where i had their amazing Koti Roll. Unfortunately we had a call form the hospital and lunch was cut short. Everything was ok but it was still scary. Then we visited my mum for a bit. 

It was glorious sunshine here which was perfect.

                  

My mother in law is moving to a hospice for care now so there will be more lows to come.

Planner Girls Collective: current planner set up

I am now happily settled into my holographic Recollections planner. It's quite hefty but i like it. It feels safe and secure and reliable.

I have kept the same set up as previous as this works well for me.

In the front are a selection of most used stickers. Then there is a section for bits and pieces including a year pull out for my shifts at work, and a zip up for postal stamps. There's a  financial section as a half baked effort to control my spending, a monthly view and my week on two pages.

I am also enjoying using my Happy Planner in conjunction with my personal. The memory keeping is actually enjoyable. 

I like to keep the same stickers in both planners, it flows nicely and shows correlation and links the two.

Check out the other PGC ladies;

Rebecca
Emma-louise
Zoe

Suzanne
Gemma
Kerry
Kelly
Michelle
Alyson

Louise

Recollections Holographic planner

Today I picked up my brand new holographic planner from Michael's in America. It was very kindly shipped to me by a lady on my Instagram feed!

I moved into it after putting my girls to bed.

It is slightly bigger than a personal sized filofax (see compared to my saffiano). 

I also think the rings are a little bigger too.

The pen loop is vinyl, not elastic, so you are restricted as to the pen size you use.

The closure strap is also a stiff vinyl, but this can be 'trained' to be more flexible.

The lady also kindly sent me some stickers from her etsy shop. The birthday it is perfect as next week is Ella's 5th birthday!