Craft Storage Ideas Planner Blog Hop

Hi everyone! Thanks for hopping along on the Craft Storage Ideas blog hop!  You should have come from Cicily’s blog

We are so excited to share some great ideas for keeping your planner both organised and fun along the way, but first I want to share some FANTASTIC PRIZES we will be sharing with lucky commenters along the route!

· TWO winners will receive 50$ Gift Certificates from OrganizeMore to pick out your fave organizer!

· One winner will receive the following 3 stamp sets from V’s Sweet Ideas:

Fit Planning, Organize It, too!, and Organize It!

· One winner will receive the Scheduled stamp set from The Ton Stamps!

· One winner will receive a collection of planner stickers from MareBear Crafts on etsy!

To win, simply comment at each stop along the way. You do not have to comment on every stop to win, but it sure increases your chances! Also, we are sorry, but winners must live in the United States, as international shipping is just too pricey. :(

So, let’s get to it and have a look at my planner.

I use an Erin Condren planner.  This is the first year I’ve used a planner, and I really don’t know how I managed before, it quite literally has changed my life.

I love the fact that I could customise the planner to show my name, and that I could chose the design and colour scheme.  The first thing I customised was that brown elastic band.  They come with a little red ribbon with ‘Erin Condren’ on.  Being a bit on the OCD side, it really bothered me that the red didn’t go with the cover, so I unpicked the thread thinking I could just remove the red tab.  However, as I did this, I discovered that that little red ribbon was what was holding the two ends of the elastic band together!  So, I added a little green bit of chiffon ribbon and a button to sew it back together and hide the stitches.

I’ve put together a video showing how I use the planner, which goes into much more detail, so click the link to that further down this post if you’d like to watch that, but otherwise, I’ll share the basics here.

This is the whole month view.   For the month ahead, I just note down Birthdays and the odd important event, I save most things for the week at a view pages.  Then, at the side, in the notes section, I make a list of the birthdays that month so I can tick them off when I’ve made the birthday card for that person.  I’ve added this info for the whole year, so that I can get ahead with my cards and always have them ready.  I then also go to the week view, and a few days before each birthday I add a note in the ‘to do’ section to post the card. In the past I’ve been quite good at making my cards months in advance and then forgetting to post them!

The Erin Condren weekly pages actually show each day split into morning, afternoon and evening.  This didn’t work for me, as I don’t use this planner for my work meetings, this is for my personal life and craft planning.  So, I created labels to go over the top of each section, splitting the day into ‘Home’, ‘Craft’ and ‘To Do’.  Under home, I add any appointments I have – like meeting friends for dinner, or beauty/medical appointments.  Under craft I list all the things I need to get done.  Then under ‘To Do’ I list general things I need to do – and if I have a load of craft stuff to do, then I can add it to this section too which gives me more space.  At the bottom of each day there’s a section to write meal plans, work outs, lists, inspiration, etc.   I’ve decided to use this section to put details of what is on my blog that day.   That way I can plan my blog posts in advance and get them scheduled so I have a regular schedule rather than me just updating my blog as I make stuff.   I’m finding that by doing this, I’m blogging more, and thinking ahead of what I want to put on my blog. 

At the back of the planner there’s a notes section with lots of lined and blank pages.  I’m using this section for various things – firstly for my craft classes.   I know the dates for the rest of the year, so I’ve laid out a double page spread where I can keep a note of who has registered for each class, and keep track of when they pay.   This is great, because I used to carry a separate notebook around for this.   I go into more detail in my video, but the other pages here are used for general planning – I’ve got a page where I have measurements of my rooms at home and window sizes etc. I also have a page for storage ideas that I might want to use for my CSI blog posts.  It’s now my weekly routine that on a Saturday and Sunday, I walk to a local cafe for breakfast and I take my planner and sit with my coffee and think of ideas and plan ahead a little.  Doing this means a lot more of the ideas I have are getting actioned rather than forgotten!

Now onto the things I use with my planner.  First thing is these Pilot Frixion erasable pens.   I really wouldn’t be happy if my planner was full of messy crossing out, so these are just perfect for me.  I saw them first on Jennnifer McGuire’s blog, and rushed straight out to buy some.  I use them for everything now.

Next up are the new planner accessories from Simon Says Stamp.  Firstly let me tell you about these inks.  I just have this set of aqua/green colours, but they do a whole range of lovely colours (and I’m going to get more because they are amazing).  They are great for planners because they are small enough to carry with you if you want to update your planner on the move.  Secondly, they are hybrid inks, which means they dry quickly, so won’t smudge on your pages (and with me being such a neat freak, this is a must!).  They also don’t absorb into the paper so much as a regular dye ink would, which means they don’t bleed right through the page.  Most planner pages are fairly thin to avoid bulk, so this is quite a big deal.

At the bottom of this post I’ve linked to these products (and the rest of the range from Simon Says Stamp, along with all the other products I use with my planner, such as the removable stickers I use).  I’ve also included my affiliate link to Erin Condren which will get you a $10 discount if you want to order a planner, and I’ve also added the download for the Word document to print out your own heading labels like mine.

And here's the video where I go into a little bit more detail about my own planner:

 

Thanks so much for stopping by! Next on the Hop is

V’s Sweet Ideas blog.

If you get lost along the way click here to go back to the main blog hop page.

And here are the links to everything:

Firstly the editable Word document - Download Planner section headings

Here's the link to get a $10 discount on the planner - Erin Condren

And lastly, here are links to all the lovely things I use:

Waffle Flower PLANNER ADD ON: WEATHER 1 Clear Stamp Set WF116	Waffle Flower PLANNER ADD ON: WEATHER 2 Clear Stamp Set WF115	RESERVE Waffle Flower PLANNER STAY FOCUSED Clear Stamp Set WF114	Simon Says Clear Stamps MAKING PLANS Set SetMP191 Plan On It
Simon Says Stamp Waffle Flower Exclusive PLANNING AHEAD sss101498 Plan On It	Simon Says Stamp Studio L2E Exclusive PLAN ON IT sss101499	Simon Says Clear Stamps LIFE PLANNING sss101515 Plan On It	Pilot FriXion Ball Erasable 3 PACK BLACK Gel Pens 31556
Simon Says Stamp Hybrid Ink Pad Cube Set ZEN zn04 Plan On It	Simon Says Stamp Hybrid Ink Pad Cube Set KARMA ka01 Plan On It	Simon Says Stamp Hybrid Ink Pad Cube Set PEACE pc02 Plan On It	Simon Says Stamp Hybrid Ink Pad Cube Set ENERGY eg03 Plan On It
Pilot FriXion Ball Erasable 8 PACK Gel Pens 31569	Pilot FriXion Extra Fine Point Erasable 6 PACK Gel Pens 46524	Pilot FriXion Light ERASABLE HIGHLIGHTER YELLOW 46502P	Post-it Page Markers, Assorted Bright Colors, 1/2 x 1 3/4-Inches, 50-Markers/Pad, 10-Pads/Pack
Post-it Super Sticky Notes, 3 in x 3 in, Rio de Janeiro Collection, 6 Pads/Pack (654-6SSAU)	Avery Removable Round Labels, 1-Inch Diameter, White, Pack of 945 (6450)	Avery Self-Adhesive Removable Labels, 1-Inch Diameter, White, Pack of 600 (05410)	Avery Removable Round Labels, 0.75 Inch Diameter, White, Pack of 525 (6736)

InLinkz.com

Comments

[Sun Hee]

Thanks for the video! Loved seeing the differences of the inks on ur pages.

[Miriam Prantner]

Some great tips and product suggestions. Thanks!

[Carla Hundley]

Sounds like you have
mastered your planner!
Great ideas.
Carla from Utah

[Sue D]

I like how you organized your planner for your crafting time too and the birthdays for card making.
slrdowney at hotmail dot com

[Noelle]

Sharon, I sure love how you changed "morning afternoon and night" to fit your on needs better! I may have to steal that idea! Your video is wonderfully informative and gives so many more fantastic ideas! :) Thanks so much for all you do at CSI. We appreciate you! :)

[Ruby N]

Love this erasable pens! And the new inks :)

[Dawnll]

So much information you shared is helpful- I love the Frixion erasable pens also after I seen them on Jennifer's blog. Beautiful planner!

[Suzanne Webster-Lowrie]

You have a beautiful and functional planner, Sharon! Thanks for the video!

[Becca Cruger]

Erasable pens?! Now you're talking my language. It's all the high stakes risk of writing in ink without any of the consequences. :) Thanks for sharing your process with us!

[Denise Bryant]

Love the button on the front... great fix! Thanks for sharing your pretty planner with us!

[JanaLee Wagner]

Great ideas. Love the little stickers you make.

[Linda Chidster]

Great Video.....Love your Ideas!!!
THANKS for Sharing!!

[Erica Hettwer]

Ooooh, love those FriXion pens!!!

[Barbara N]

Thanks for sharing your detailed video and post.

[Amanda]

Now that is a fancy planner! I love the personalized touches that you were able to add!

[Dawn W.]

Wow! You sure do have an In-depth system! Love it!!