Monday, January 26, 2015

Valentine's Day: Etsy Finds and Printables

Nineteen day! Yupp, that's right. Nineteen days until Valentine's Day. I thought I'd pick out some of the Valentines-related Etsy finds I like as well as some printables from Paisley Petal Events and Pumpkins & Posies. These are the ones I'm planning on using in my monthly calendar spread in my planner – check out my planner tips and tricks from last week.

If you follow me on Twitter, you might've seen me participating in some Twitter chats. The products featured below are some I've come across during those chats. The bottom two cards are from my Etsy shop, Salut Greetings.

Top Left Image from SamahStudios | Top Right Image from HarrisSignStation
Middle Left Image from HookYarnAndHooper |  Middle Right Image from ThreadedGoodness
Bottom Left Image from Salut Greetings |  Bottom Right Image from Salut Greetings

What Valentines-related items have you found Etsy? Any printables?



Monday, January 19, 2015

Planner Tips and Tricks

I am obsessed with planners, planner printables, tips and tricks on how to improve my planner. Anything planner related, I probably like it. Just look at my "Because I Like To Be Organized" Pinterest board or my "Printables" Pinterest board and you'll see what I mean.

About a year ago, I got into color coding and coordinated my class schedule that way, but after watching countless YouTube videos, I got into decorating my planner and improving my planner system. So, I thought I'd join in on the planner obsession and share what works for me and how I decorate my planner.

I bought my planner at Barnes and Noble (I couldn't find the exact one. The only difference between the linked one and the one I bought is the color. Mine is blue!). I knew I wanted a spiral bound planner because I wanted to include my own inserts.


The only thing missing from this planner were monthly views, so I found this one from Scattered Squirrel and I glued it onto pages I wouldn't use. I knew I wanted a monthly going across two pages, but there are plenty of single page monthly views out there! To reinforce the glued pages, I used washi tape to cover up the edges that way the pages would fall off as I used my planner.


Then I used these printables from MsWenduhh to add in holidays and birthdays. I found a bunch of other printables to include onto to my monthly view. I decided to decorate each month as the year continues, so right now I only have January decorated, but probably in the next week or two I'll decorate the February spread.


Organization wise, I have a color coded system in my paper planner that coincides with my iPhone planner. The only differences between the two is that for workouts: it is pink in my paper planner, but red in my iPhone planner only because pink wasn't a color option in my iPhone. Also, in my iPhone planner, my classes are all under one color (blue), but in my paper planner, each class is written down in its own color.


I tend to use the monthly spread for an overview of when things are/deadlines and the weekly view as a to-do list/steps I need to take to complete the deadline, etc. In the weekly view is where I write that color coded class schedule, but I also include appointments and meetings.

Some planner extras...

I use paper clips to mark off where I'm at in the planner. This planner comes with little tear-offs in the corners that can help you keep your place, but I decided to used the paper clips. I've seen some people add bows or other embellishments and I would love to do that, but I throw my planner in my bag, so those would probably break off.

I created my own inserts after watching this video from MissVickybee. I needed some pockets where I could stick coupons and some of my printables that I know I'll use more often. All I used for mine were envelopes and some washi tape on the side to keep it strong enough to handle the holes I punched in to match up with the spirals. Behind those inserts are an exercise/workout calendar I printed from Balancing Home.



I've also seen some planners that have an elastic band to help keep it closed. I thought that was a fantastic idea! I had some left over elastic and I made one myself. I'm not sure how to decorate it though. Any thoughts??

Hope this was helpful! That was a lot of information- if you have any questions/comments, let me know. And feel free to share how you utilize and decorate your planner.

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Etsy Shop Officially Opened | Salut Greetings

I am so incredibly excited to announce that I (finally) opened up an Etsy shop for my handmade greeting cards. I've been thinking about doing this for a few months and thought I'd start out by listing a couple Valentine's Day cards.

I would totally appreciate it if you would check out my Etsy shop! Don't forger to share it with your friend and family. Feel free to leave a link for your Etsy shop too!






Monday, January 12, 2015

5 Road Trip Essentials


I just back from vacation last week. I went on a road trip to Florida and it was so much fun! We went to Universal Studios, Downtown Disney, Lion Country Safari and spent time with family. Definitely a much needed vacation and break away from the cold weather back at home!

After all spending so much time in the car, driving to and from Florida and to all the places I mentioned above, I came up with these road trip necessities:

1. Water
Probably the smartest thing we did was go to the store before we left for Florida and bought a case of water bottles. I drink water more than anything (except maybe ice tea!). It prevents you from getting a soda at each stop you make for food or buying an overpriced bottle of water.

2. Snacks
No, I don't mean chips. Although they are convenient, opt for something healthier that won't spoil. I chose trail mix.

3. Music
Enough said. Make a playlist. Bring CDs. Don't forget the cable to hook up your iPhone/iPod to your car if it doesn't connect wirelessly!

4. Cash/change
This might be a no brainer. Make sure you if singles and change for any tolls or vending machines. Sometimes it's better and less expensive to buy gas using cash rather than credit too.

5.Blanket
When you're in the passenger seat and want to take a nap, you'll appreciate this. Trust me.

Are there any road trip essentials I missed? Let me know!

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Some Changes (New Name, New Logo!)



In case you missed my earlier post, I mentioned some new changes that will be going on here... some of which I just changed a few minutes, like the blog's name!! I've been thinking about this for a while and decided to go with it. I'm so excited about this change and future changes I have in mind.

Thanks for coming with me on this new blogging adventure!
Hope you are enjoying the start of 2015!

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Ringing in the New Year



Happy 2015!!! (This is me and my dog Riley towards the end of December. I just love this picture!)

I am so excited for this year.

For one, I'm graduating! Say what! I'll be starting my last semester shortly and I cannot wait. This semester I am working on a special design project and will be exhibiting my work over the past two years in the Senior Show.

And two, I have some plans... for this blog and some side projects which I cannnot wait to share with everybody.

As with every year comes some goals and I already got a jump start on mine.

I've completed two workouts with Abby from 3sfit.com. Check out her website and her YouTube channel, which is where I saw her new Give Me 30 program. I'm loving it so far. It's made me realize how even with a busy schedule (and who isn't busy these days, lets be real), it's important to take some time for yourself. Exercise hasn't been a consistent thing for me, but I'm making it one now.

Like my exercise routine, I hate to admit that keeping up with this blog hasn't been a consistent thing for me either. I'm changing that up to. By the way, Pinterest is a great way for inspiration on how to keep up with your blog, topics to blog about, etc. I think I'll have a follow up post regarding some blog changes I've been considering.

What are your goals for the New Years? Did you start them already?