Plan With Me...Or Don't.

I keep putting this post off because I know I'm going to get a big, fat, "I Told You So" from my husband when he reads it, but I may as well finally get around to my promised post about how I planned to use my planner (heh) vs how I actually use it.  Because...why not?

I had these incredibly grandiose visions about what my planner was going to look like when I bought it.  I was watching plan with me videos on youtube like it was my job (probably actually instead of my job at that specific point in my life...).  I saved picture after picture of spreads and layouts to give me some great references.  I started my lettering tutorial videos. It was gonna be awesome.  My planner actually arrived about 2 weeks before I could use it (it didn't start until June 29...) and I was SO anxious to get started.

Then I realized something.  In order to get these gorgeous planner spreads I was seeing, I had to buy more supplies.  Washi tape.  Stickers.  Pens, markers, punches, stamps, ink.  I needed ALL THE THINGS!  Problem was...all the things added up really quickly.  And I had just spent $75 on the actual planner.

OK plan b.  I bought 1 variety pack of washi with my 40% off  coupon at michaels and 2 packs of planner stickers for like...$2 each.  Surely that would get me by for a bit.  HAHAHAHAHAHAHA I was so naive.

I mean, look at these spreads -

And these are the simple ones.  But they're all stickers.  And Washi.  And adorable.

I suppose I started out well enough.  As I mentioned in my first ECLP post, when I chose the horizontal layout I immediately regretted it.  That feeling has not changed.  While I've gotten into a rhythm for organizing how  I put things into the planner, I don't love it and I feel like the Vertical layout would look way better.  Choosing how to prioritize what goes where in the horizontal layout is super hard, yo.  I started off just trying to be random about it.

It allows for a little bit of variety - but it wasn't very organized.  And I hated trying incorporating the box on the right into the overall layout.  I needed to do something with it.  After scouring instagram for some ideas from other ECLP horizontal users, I found a great idea from one of my favorite letterers @llamaletters.  She used skinny washi to section off the box and made it dedicated for her work schedule, meal planning, and weather.  Well, my work schedule was fixed, but I thought meal planning and weather was good to have and I could figure out the third box in time.  Sweet.  Oh, but small issue - I didn't have any skinny washi.  Boooooo.  So I came up with the brilliant plan of cutting my washi into thirds to transform it into skinny washi.  BOOM!  Except that is really time consuming and annoying - but I did it anyway!

Ok this is better.  I had already appropriated the boxes for a few days when I planned ahead (and this is why I learned that is a big no-no (more on that later), so my organization was a little shot - but still not terrible.  But...I still didn't really super dig it.  I needed a third box (weird...the vertical layout has 3 boxes built right in...it's like they know what you're doing or something).

And so was born the 3rd box (and with it came the death of the washi separation, because seriously...eff that).  In the far left box is my daily to-dos, blog posts, important notes, etc.  The middle box is reserved for lettering the big event of the day..whatever that ends up being (most days it ends up blank...because I'm boring), and in the far right box is the weather, the Tiger's schedule & W/L record (or countdown until Spring Training/Opening Day in the off-season), and daily meal plan.  It works.  

Here's my problem.  You're really supposed to use the monthly calendar for your long term planning stuff.  And I do:

I also use the note page at the beginning of each month as a sort of dashboard to highlight all the important things happening.

The weekly planning, however, is not supposed to be done until the beginning of the week.  Most in the planning community do it on Sunday nights.  And they take several hours to do so.  Sorry - ain't happening.  I do mine early Monday morning, which is fine.  When there's something I know needs to go in the weekly layout, but it's not time to plan for that week (and I haven't yet added it to my monthly layout and/or Google calendar), I just throw it on a post it, put it where it belongs, then refer to it when the time comes.

The problem is though, that once that initial planning is done, I don't touch the planner again (here comes that "I told you so").  I still really rely on my Google calendar on my computer and/or phone, as well as Google Keep for all my important information.  This thing, while a great an ok creative outlet, is not super practical for organizational purposes.  The part I really get the most use out of is the keep it all pocket in the back - where i keep any paper I'll need or need to reference and don't want to get destroyed in the bowels of my purse, and the perpetual calendar - which lets me keep track of days that repeat every year on the same date (birthdays, anniversarys, etc...yes, yes, also something I can keep on Google with the recurring functionality...).

So what did I learn in my 4ish months of using this so far?  This type of planner is for scrapbookers - not for someone who's looking for true planning/organization - yes I'm sure some EC users swear on this as their bible - they would be lost without it, etc, etc.  That's fair, but to them, I also say you could get the same functionality out of a $5 paper planner from Target.  The ECLP offers you nothing revolutionary in terms of planning.  You specifically go for the ECLP because you want to to the stickers and washi and stamping that goes along with the ECLP culture.  There's nothing wrong with that, but it's not planning - it's scrapbooking.  I do think it's cool to look back at my "big event of the day" items and have those memories (because we know I've forgotten by now), but I don't need to carry a 5 lb notebook everywhere I go to get that.

My last ECLP post said next time I would try a less expensive but similar planner such as a Lime Life, Plum Paper, or Happy Planner.  I won't.  If I go for another paper planner, it's going to be something more compact - I love my new little May book so I may go with their planner - or I may just do a plain notebook to jot notes in or do a little sketch as i think of it (since my calendar really is all online anyway).

So - I've given up my dream of being #plannerfamous.  It's all good though...I'll take a little bit of ribbing from Chad, admit that he was right (it happens every now and then) and move on to the next big thing (buy ALL THE TOMBOW PENS!) I'm eclectic - no - I'm chelish!

Until next time friends...

My latest hobby - Lettering

I'm a hobby jumper.  I find some new and exciting thing that I am definitely going to do.  And I'm going to get so good at it, I'm definitely going to make a million dollars and be able to quit my job and just live off the success of said hobby.

Recently those hobbies have included metal stamping, graphic design, Jamberry, planning, and my newest obsession - hand lettering.   Lettering isn't quite the passing fad that some of the other things have been - I have been interested and practicing lettering since high school.  It's always something I've been naturally pretty OK at.  I was blessed with (what I think is) good handwriting to begin with it, so it didn't take much to add a little flair to my natural hand.

I took a traditional calligraphy course at a local community college before my wedding so that I could address all my invitations.  I loved it.  It was so much fun and it was awesome to be able to add one more little personal touch to my invites.

Since getting into planning, I've re-discovered the fun of hand lettering though and have started to seriously practice it again (instead of just writing someone's name nicely on a card at their birthday or whatever).  It began with the Llamas Love Lettering video tutorials I found through one of my planner groups (no wait...I found the planner group through the tutorial videos...so how did I find the videos?  I honestly can't remember.  Oh well).  She gave some great tips on "faux-ligraphy" and I've been obsessed ever since.  I started following a crap-ton of letterers on instagram and have gone crazy trying to mimic new fonts and styles and find my own 'voice' in the world of calligraphy.  I'm lettering everything lately.  Everytime my kid wants to color or play with sidewalk chalk, I color and chalk right with him - making fun, pretty letters (espeically the letter R.  kid loves his letter R.)

I also keep a lettering notebook at my desk at work for when I need a break from whatever it is I might be doing at the minute or have a little downtime.  I just open up to the next page and start writing.  So far my book is filled with a month long lettering challenge (via Llamas Love Lettering) and witty quotes from other people.

Lettering is also the way I fill up my planner without all the required stickers and washi that the #plannerfamous girls use.  I started an album today of my most recent work.  I'll keep adding to it as I go, so if you're interested in following my lettering journey, you can always revisit this post or follow me on instagram (links in the sidebar).
Keep in mind, some of these projects are straight copies of other artists work - think about it.  When you first learn to write in elementary school, you're given worksheets and told to copy the shapes that were each letter.  It's how we learn to write.  Eventually, as we get more comfortable with the shapes, we develop our own personal touches and each end up with our own unique hand-writing.  I subscribe to the same thought process for learning letters.  I can copy other people's way of doing things until I get comfortable enough to add my own flair and personality into each work.  Any piece that is, shall we say, "inspired by" another artist is appropriately credited in the caption.

Photo Gallery by QuickGallery.com

For the time being, I'm doing this for fun.  As a way to de-stress, unwind, let my creative juices flow.  If it turns into something where I can sell prints on Etsy or get commissioned invitation work or something and make a million dollars, quit my job, and live off the success of my hobby - well so be it.

Now, go check out some of my favorite Letter Artists and maybe find some inspiration of your own:

Cindy Guentert-Baldo (Llamas Love Lettering) | Website | Instagram

Jessica Garvin (Garvin & Co) | Blog | Etsy Shop

Natalie Keller Parianoof (Natter Doodle) | Website | Instagram

Lauren's Letters | Instagram

Until next time friends,

Erin Condren Life Planner - A Review

When I was resetting the blog, I re-posted my anticipatory post of the launch of the ECLP - Erin Condren Life Planner.  If you haven't, you can read that here.

Quick take - My excitement over the planner itself has waned since getting it.  I still like the concept of a paper planner, but in general, I think the ECLP is overrated.  There are alternatives that are essentially the same at a much better price point and going forward, I'll probably explore those options.

To give you a little more detail about why I feel that way - I ordered my planner on Launch Day.  I chose the Horizontal Layout in the Ready to Ship option ($55).  This meant that I did not get a personalized cover, but my planner would come with a coupon code for a free cover that I could order later (more on that in a minute).  I also chose to get the Party Pops markers ($10) and a set of Do-It-All Dots ($4).  I opted not to get the expedited processing (which is now $35, though I believe it was $20 at launch), but I did opt for FedEx Ground Shipping over USPS ($9.95 vs $7.95 - there are also 2 additional shipping choices: Fed Ex Express for $11.95 and FedEx Priority for $19.95).  After tax and shipping, my order total was $78.95.

I consider myself among the lucky few who received my order in the time quoted at checkout.  I placed my order on June 9 and received it on June 13 (3 days before my expected delivery date).  I did an unboxing video, so you can see my reactions to that...

Almost instantly after I placed my order, I had a little bit of regret.  I wish I would have gone with the vertical layout.  Horizontal was what I had always used and liked in college, but after seeing so many Plan With Me videos and fun layout images, I thought I would have enjoyed the vertical layout more.  I still feel that way.  I've finally gotten into a rhythm with my horizontal, but it took a minute to figure out how to organize it.  

Here's how the layouts differ:

Vertical (Source: Erin Condren)

Horizontal (Source: Erin Condren)

Besides the basic layout differences, there are some differences in the design of the two layouts as well.  The vertical planner has a bold, bright color scheme with the Party Pops design.  The horizontal layout has a more muted color scheme with the Prism design.  I really preferred the color scheme and design of the vertical, but was stuck on needing the horizontal layout when I ordered.  I kind of wish they had offered both color schemes in each layout.  

Also after ordering, I started reading various reviews from blogs, youtube videos, and on the EC facebook page that made me a bit wary.  I will say this - I did not personally experience any of the issues related to launch/customer service/credit cards.  BUT, if I had read these various posts/reviews prior to ordering, I never would have gone through with it - I would have looked into alternate solutions.  Because I didn't experience these issues myself, I don't feel right adding them to my review.  I will encourage you to go research for yourself and make a choice based on the knowledge you gain.  The option to leave a review has been removed from the EC facebook page (if that says anything...) so you would need to look at the "Posts to Page" section to get information.   A lot of the launch day stuff has quieted down, but if you went back just one month - you'd see a lot of it.

I did have a couple issues with my planner in general, however.  One was one of the major issues that came out of this launch.  My coil is not coiled properly - the ends are not finished.  You can see below that the ends should be tucked in at a 90 degree angle.  Mine are too long and barely bent, so the pages at one end or the other are constantly being uncoiled.  Then, because the ends are too long, the stress put on the pages is causing them to tear.  And finally, while I love my personalized cover - it's also starting to fall apart, again I believe, because of the stress from the coil.

My preferred solution to all of this would be to uncoil the whole thing and rebind - either by putting into a binder style planner cover or by ARCing my pages and using a disc bound system.  I really want to use the discs, but that would be an expensive fix to something I can live with.  Plus, by re-binding, I lose the use of my cover.

Speaking of the cover...like I said, I ordered the ready-to-ship version which came with a code for a free personalized cover.  Once I got it, I went online to choose and personalize my cover.  This is a really fun process because there are several designs to choose from, then you can customize the colors, the text, and even the layout for an additional fee.  Non-metallic, personalized covers using the default layouts are regularly $10.95.  But there's a catch!  Even with the free cover code, you still have to pay for shipping.  And the shipping costs are exactly the same as the planner (with $7.95 for USPS being the cheapest option).  Because my planner was my first order, I also got a generic $10 coupon.  When I tried to apply that to my cart, to cover the shipping cost, I could not - because EC does not allow you to stack coupons/codes.  So no matter what, I was going to be stuck with a cost of about $10 for my *free* cover.  Pro-tip: If you're going to order something with a code or a coupon, order as much as you can to save on shipping fees.  I will probably not end up using my $10 code because I don't want to get stuck paying $10 shipping on another $10 item.  And look, I get that shipping costs money.  There are supplies and postage and fees that businesses have to deal with and I'm totally in support of covering those costs if I have to.  Here's my problem though - it does NOT cost the same amount of money to send 2 laminated pieces of paper (cover - sent in a document mailer) and a 3-5 lb planner with accessories (sent in a fairly large box) - so charging me the same amount to send 2 very different items (with very different weights) feels like a rip-off.

All that goes back to my quick take - I like the idea of the ECLP, but the value vs. the cost just doesn't add up for me.  If you're looking for a paper planner and cost isn't a factor, please feel free to check Erin Condren out.  There are a lot of great products that I really would like to try. If you've never visited their site, you can earn $10 off any purchase, just by creating an account if you follow this link.  My understanding is that the referral credit works like a gift certificate not a coupon, so it can be combined with another offer (feel free to correct me in the comments if I'm wrong.  I signed up without a referral link and did not get ten free dollars...boo).  Despite my luke warm review, you don't lose much by going to check things out for yourself, right?  

I'm already looking for my next planner (and finding that elusive planner peace).  I still have 16 months to go in this one, so I'm making the most of it...but planners gotta plan, amiright?  Some of the other planners I'm considering are The Happy Planner, Glam Planner, and the Plum Paper Planner.

Here's a few close-ups of the planner from the unboxing --

Photo Gallery by QuickGallery.com

Next week I'll have a post about how I intended to use the planner vs how I actually use the planner - don't miss it...it will be riveting.  Trust.

Until then...

Disclaimer - this review was not prompted by Erin Condren and I have not been compensated for writing it.  However, I do receive a $10 credit for everyone who signs up for an account at erincondren.com using my referral link.  All thoughts an opinions expressed on this post are my own.