Showing posts with label Happie Scrappie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Happie Scrappie. Show all posts

Monday, 13 June 2016

Kawaii Mini Planner


'You can never have too much Happy + Stationery'. Having subscribed to the Happie Scrappie sub box each month and gathering up a collection of planner inserts I put them together to make a mini planner.


My previous Bullet Journal/Planner, made from a Not Another Bill (NAB) notebook by Le Typographe, had fallen apart. Searching for a personal planner-sized binder I choose a translucent plastic cover from an Etsy shop, Lisandre Crafts, that arrived with three differently coloured elastics - black, brown and orange. Inserts and cards gathered from the Happie Scrappie (HS) boxes were inserted, cut or punched to fit.


The title page is a testament to Kawaii! The happy-faced wooden stickers have been adhered to the inspirational card and I attached a duck-shaped paperclip. Next is a card insert holding samples of washi tape, I save strong acetate packaging and for this I cut four pieces, rounded the corners, and wound differently patterned and sized tapes to them. Two camera shaped paperclips from HS hold them in place.


 Continuing with the bullet planning set-up the first page is a 'Future Log' where I can park long-tern goals/plans/tasks for future scheduling. Left hand page is decorated with some left-over Wizard of Oz stickers from a 'Plan With Jade' kit in the spirit of Kawaii. An inspirational card, slightly longer than the planner pages, is used as a bookmark.


The weekly planner inserts are pre-printed, some with colour accents and others B&W with icons to tint. A second section of the planner contains lists - books I'm reading, movies to watch, meds, birthdays and a list of favourite Copic markers complete with colour reference.


Third section contains squared and lined paper with weekly challenge charts. A magnetic page marker from HS helps find the current challenge page easily. Although the code used to bullet journal/plan is embedded in my memory I've recorded a list of the symbols used.


 Each month Sam from HS includes decorative planning stickers, some with smiling faces, and these are either punched to insert in the planner or tucked into a pocket made from a couple of pages sealed on top and base with washi. Colour-in pages are included with the HS boxes and the final page has been well and truly tinted with Copics. As the card is not thick there is some leak-through but I don't mind this. A mini metal binder clip doubles as a pen holder, its wings folded back to secure any letters or loose notes. The HS pen is ultra-fine with black gel ink, perfect for a mini planner.


There'a always room for a little art - two drawings on sticker paper and one on the white reverse of a cactus die-shape glued to the inside of the back cover.

I'm delighted with the planner, it's fun to use, looks bright and Summery and can be changed or adapted easily. 

Sunday, 29 May 2016

sub boxes - Lucky Dip Club & Happie Scrappie

Subscription boxes come in many forms. Graze snacks, Birchbox beauty, Japan Crate sweets, Not Another Bill design, Funko collectables & Wantable accessories to name a few. The list is almost endless and there's something for everyone if you're into paying a monthly fee and getting surprise contents.

I've tried a few and currently am signed up to two subscription boxes: Lucky DIp Club and Happie Scrappie.




Lucky Dip Box is a UK subscription that ships worldwide though within the UK shipping is free. Cost per month is £18 plus shipping if going to an international address. 




There's always a theme each month, May's being all about 'Flower Market'. The box arrives small enough to fit through a standard letterbox and can contain jewellery, functional items, stationery products and more. The magazine has articles about the artists and designers making it a decent read. There's definitely a quirkiness to each selection and personalised products are made 3 to 4 times per year.




In the May box were flower seeds in a machine stitched packet, an embroidered fabric patch 'Bloom where you are planted', a laser-cut sunflower with option to make it adhesive or a brooch, an enamelled cactus-in-a-teacup pin and a printed floral bag 'Petal Power'. Plus! In the mini magazine Leona includes a 'colour-me-in' page which I go straight to and a craft-make idea to upcycle the cardboard box. It's worth taking photos and posting them on instagram #luckydipclub as there are monthly winners of other unique items.



Previous LDC sub boxes:
 Cats & Cocktails, Seek Adventure & Girl Planet

This has to be my all time favourite sub box. The contents are fun, colourful and cheer up a grey day. Plus, the items I don't use are perfect for Christmas fillers.




Happie Scrappie is a subscription from Malaysia/Singapore I stumbled onto after watching an unboxing on YT. It's contents are mostly Kawaii but also useful if you're into planning. It arrives in a bubble envelope and inside everything is neatly packed into a fun card envelope. May's theme is all about cactuses and hedgehogs and the inevitable confusion if the hedgehog is green. Low growing cactii. On legs. That moves.


The subscription costs vary as Happie Scrappie offers a range of subs to suit most people and postage varies according to where you live in the world. I get the Personal Sized kit and pay £12.99 + shipping to UK. Again, this is a quirky styled subscription box but it ALWAYS has a pen, a great coloured/decorated/shaped pen that is usually extra fine gel. And her little notebooks are printed on both sides of the paper. The printed cards that are included are perfect to laminate, punch and use as dashboards in planners.



Washi is often from mt (desirable) and there are co-ordinating extras just for fun. In this month's box were a little printed bag (perfect for storing gel pens or ballpoints), a sturdy planner charm and a decorative roller - mine was a pinky-red watercolour effect. Sam includes stickers for planning and with them I found a card hedgehog page marker and cactus book mark.

A lot of thought and planning seems to go into each Happie Scrappie sub plus there are monthly YT videos giving sneak peaks of the upcoming themes. They're worth watching as I found the different sizes on offer a little confusing. Check out Sam's blog with free printables.

Links:
Graze
Birchbox
Japan Crate
Not Another Bill
Funko
Wantable


Tomorrow's blogpost: to be decided...

Copyright © 2016 by Roisin O'Hagan/bloowabbit
All rights reserved. The artworks/illustrations or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the artist except for specific permission granted with a free downloadable.

Monday, 23 May 2016

Favourite sticker makers...

stickers based on the series 'Outlander' by Mochi Heart Designs

Just over a year ago I was introduced to Decorative Planning and the world of sticker makers opened their doors to me, beckoning me inside. Some use matte paper, some use glossy. Some planning stickers are repositionable, others are not. And some sticker makers design their own icons and patterns from scratch.


stickers from Boulderbon on Etsy

decorative and functional stickers in both subtle and bright colours


a planner spread with 'Strawberry Fields' kit

The first stickers I bought were from Bonnie at Boulderbon. I'd been watching her sub box and planner videos and when she began to make her own stickers I tried them out. They are on matte paper, repositionable and designed to fit the Erin Condren Lifestyle Planner. Her designs use colour palettes that were initially delicate yet recently she's branched out into using brights and bright pastels. Bonnie is planning to attend art classes with a view to making her stickers even better than they already are.

She supplies full kits for an entire planner spread as well as individual sheets. I've used her laundry stickers and I've my eye on her Kitty Grocery Shopping Carts.

Bonnie has used stickers from other sticker shops and it was from watching one of her videos that I found out about the shops Oh Hello Stationery Co and Crazy Confetti.

Oh Hello Stationery Co sticker shop on myshopify

decorative and functional stickers plus Feb subscription kit

Feb sub kit on a planner spread

The lovely thing about getting an order from Oh Hello Stationery Co is that it arrives all wrapped in a strong paper poppy blossom, the flower being their brand emblem. Plus you can save 'poppy points' as you shop which can be redeemed off other orders. 

Alex and Kyla at Oh Hello make glossy stickers, specifically designed for the Erin Condren planner, but they can be used for Happy Planners also if you don't mind adding a little washi to fill the spaces. Sticker kits and individual sheets are for sale. The duo design and make their stickers from scratch, Alex even does how-to YT videos on his channel 'Above the Telescope'. Kayla demonstrates how to use their products on her YT channel 'Microscope Beauty'. I like the quality of their stickers, and particularly 'Little Red RIding Hood', one of their Weekly Mini Kits


Crazy Confetti at Etsy



I placed a couple of orders from Monica at Crazy Confetti on Etsy, functional stickers, and her 'recycle' and 'laundry' icons are two of my favourites. When I last ordered her stickers back in October'15 the paper was matte and repositionable though I believe Monica has changed to glossy paper since then. I really like her 'Weekend Banners' in a funky modern script and I notice she's started to do full kits both for Erin Condren planners and for MAMBI Happy Planners



Djoisch Design on Etsy produced the most beautiful watercolour effect stickers, however I notice on her website that she may also be producing digitally designed stickers. I ordered the Happy New Year kit as well as the 'Gardening Set' plus some functional stickers. She uses matte sticker paper and the stickers are sized to fit the ECLP. I had some issues with how clear the kiss-cut was and ruined a few stickers trying to peel them off, but this was in Oct'15 so she may well have rectified that problem. DIdn't stop me loving her designs.



The Reset Girl, who runs the ListersGottaList challenge has a shop filled with quirky stickers on a modern vintage theme - 'I love the 'Planner Honeys', reminiscent of 60s sewing patterns. Her iconic spectacles run throughout the kits. They are printed on glossy paper and look like their whimsical shapes could fit any planner.



A wonderful sticker maker, Mochi Heart Planning, who sold just by word-of-mouth on a MAMBI fb page, covered some of the leading TV series: in the styles of 'Downton Abbey' and 'Outlander'. Her 'Under the Sea'  designs were to die for as were the 'GOT' reminder stickers...all hand drawn and printed on matte paper.



'Delicate Serenity' planner spread

'Snow White' planner spread

Looking for some sticker designers closer to home because of shipping prices I found Plannable Designs. Her kits are beautiful and the paper she uses has almost a velvety finish, lovely to write on. 'Delicate Serenity' and 'Snow White' are two of my favourites from her Etsy shop and I have more sets in my sticker file itching to decorate my Happy Planner.


'Wizard of Oz' planner spread

Plan With Jade is a second UK sticker maker who've I bought from - I couldn't resist her 'Wizard of Oz' kit. She uses matte paper but I feel it could be thicker - I found the stickers to be semi-transparent and I reckon with thicker paper her designs would look amazing. She's a sticker maker I'll be keeping an eye on as I love what she creates.

'donut' stickers designed by Mel Stringer

Occasionally stickers are supplied in the Lucky Dip Club subscription box.



Flat and puffy stickers come with the Happie Scrappie subscription box

'Shark Attack' spread with Darice stickers

The over-the-top Darice sticker books, available in the US
(or expensively on ebay)





Links:
Tomorrow's blogpost: 'Short Stories' 


Copyright © 2016 by Roisin O'Hagan/bloowabbit
All rights reserved. The artworks/illustrations or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the artist except for specific permission granted with a free downloadable.