bloowabbit: Happy Planner

Showing posts with label Happy Planner. Show all posts

Monday, 30 May 2016

Making stickers without a Silhouette...

Sci-fi spread

I had got so caught up in decorative planning that I did think about getting a Silhouette Cameo. I love gadgets but reckoned I'd probably use it for a month and then the novelty might wear off as I've no intention of producing stickers for sale. There are enough sticker makers out there to choose stickers to buy from plus you can find plenty of free downloads. I did like the idea of designing some as a giveaway. Not having a Silhouette means having to cut printed stickers by hand so my downloadables would have mostly straight edges, making the cutting a lot simpler.

I opened up a Google Doc and began to play about with tables, selected a row of four boxes and changed the sizing for each to suit the MAMBI Happy Planner. This is easy enough to do - right mouse click and select 'Properties' and you can alter height and width of each box.

Once I'd created a series of full and half boxes, event stickers and spaces for weekend banners I went back into Properties and altered the line colour around the table from black to a pale grey. I needed a subtle outline to draw within and didn't want a dark line around them. I then printed this onto a sheet of white paper and coloured each box. Designs were random!

Once I'd coloured and drawn the box shapes with black ink I then measured out and marked cut lines at top and bottom of page and colour photocopied the sticker designs onto a matte A4 sheet of self-adhesive photo paper (Chiltern Wove). I then cut out my stickers by hand though you could use a paper cutter. Sometimes I prefer scissors.

I've emboldened the key words of the process to make it easier to follow as I didn't photograph each stage of design. I was laughing as I used the stickers to create a planner spread as they were badly cut and did not have a cohesive design theme! Terrible stickers in my beautiful planner...

So armed with what I'd learned I redesigned the sticker table on Google Doc, this time creating skinny boxes (spaces) in between each full box to allow for accurate cutting. I also included resized boxes for checklists and tiny boxes for icons. I again changed the box colour to pale grey and printed the sticker boxes onto Bristol Board which would take the alcohol markers I'd used much better than cheapo printer paper.

I also decided on a sci-fi theme for my sticker kit. Good to go. Spaceship, rocket, aliens and the cosmos with scatterings of stars. I line drew the shapes and made a mental note to invest in some grey drawing pens, the black seemed quite harsh. I left room in the full and half boxes to enable words to be written when planning.

I've tried to indicate where to cut if you're not using a Silhouette and I did colour over the edges to make sure that when the stickers were cut there wouldn't be any white edges visible. The stickers are sized for a MAMBI Planner which may make them a little long for the Erin Condren Planner, but if you don't mind having a more organic style of spread they could still work.

Having tried them out on my planner it's obvious I have a long way to go! Perhaps I need to adjust the box sizes slightly and not colour over the lines. If you do try them out please leave a comment below, I'd really appreciate that.

Links to pdf files containing giveaway sticker designs:

Sci-fi

1st set

Tomorrow's blogpost: Review of my 'a-blogpost-a-day-during-May' challenge

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, 16 May 2016

My Planners...

Personal Planner front

Personal Planner back

retired Personal Planner used as Creative Planner

Personal Planner was the first planner I used after retiring my diary. I went for the quirky horizontal layout although they also offer vertical and square options. I loved having my art on its front and back, it was a real advertisement for what I do. But I became dissatisfied with its design as the elastic cord roughened the page edges - the cover although thick and sturdy is the same size and offers very little protection. The metal ends of the elastic began to wear away the surface of the back cover which I needed to protect with sticky plastic. It began to look very tatty quite soon which was so disappointing.

Not wanting to leave a planner unused I adapted it to be a Creative Planner for some months, dividing into various sections. I've stopped using it because I now use my Passion P for my Blog and Art, I've cancelled the Website, the Novel is on the long finger and the YT videos and Etsy shop have still yet to happen. The PrP does sell some fab coloured uni pens on its website and although I'll not be repurchasing a planner I might order a new set of pens. Oh yes...pens (sighs of happiness).

MAMBI Happy Planner with planner stickers & homemade pocket

Vertical layout with purple/green rabbit spread

When I saw the Mambi Happy Planner I knew this was it, especially the artily decorated upbeat 'Good Things are Going to Happen' version. I've never had a problem with the disc system and although I'd looked at the Erin Condren planner I thought the shipping just too high. I found a UK supplier who charged a fraction of the international shipping for the HP.

THIS version, Happy Planner Watercolour, is what I have my eye on to replace my current HP in 2017, plus I can use my current blue discs which I prefer. My letter to Santa has been written.

semi-shiny cover and reminder sticker

I bought a Passion Planner when it was offered at half price and I love the simplicity of the monochromatic pages and the soft pliable black cover. It's held closed by an eIasticated band, has a broad silky page marker (the only blast of colour) and has a full page pocket at the back. The PsP has step by step directions how to mind map which is a great way to hone the planning of your secret passion or dream, helping make its achievement a real part of your everyday life.

So far I've used it as a Creative Planner for my art and writing plus to help work out realistic plans for large financial tasks. I've tried to decorate it with washi but it remains undecorated, a very functional planner. Since I've begun this latest blog the planning for that has filled its pages and it's now one of my most used planners.

PsP allow anyone to download free pages from their website to try out which in this current world of consumerism is wonderfully gracious. Plus they run 'buy one, give one away' events where they match your purchase by donating a free planner to someone who needs one, a student, a new business venture or other.

Every so often PsP bring out a colour version with decorative cover, but as much as I like them I'm still drawn to the black. Perhaps it's because it's in keeping with the black bound sketchbooks I've used since college. Old habits. Whatever I decide I have until the end of July to replace my current PsP.

Bullet Journal/Planner

I started to use a Bullet Journal/Planner instead of my pocket diary and am enjoying the minimalism combined with my own handwriting and doodles. I did a blogpost on the Bullet Planner, featuring Boho Berry, at the beginning of last week, link here. But as the squared paper tatty notebook I'm using is getting full I'm on the hunt for a more durable replacement.

Come September and I begin to get really organised for Christmas. I allocate a budget per person, look at my year's stash of craft items I've made and work out what extras I want. I put a lot of thought into Christmas including what theme I'm going to decorate my tree, hall and living room. I write a cooking schedule for Christmas Day itself.

homemade Christmas planner

And all this information used to be scribbled into various notebooks, on bits of paper and in cookbooks. But last year I decided that it was time I used a Christmas Planner. I looked on Etsy at beautifully made planners, on people's blogs and newsletters for downloadable pages and then decided I just had to make my own. It needed to be designed around how I plan my Christmas. Last year's was a cross between a junk journal and a smash book with dates. And there I'll stop because I could write an entire blogpost or two on the Christmas planner. I am trying to design a downloadable one decorated with my doodles so keep an eye out towards the end of the summer.

Wellbeing Planner from BusyB

A small planner that was a gift from my sister is my Wellbeing Planner by BusyB. Like some of my other planners it has been adapted and readapted until I began to visit a nutritionist. Then it came into its forte and currently has ideas written in it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and supper plus other info pertinent to my dietary needs and food tolerances. It's a great place to track my water intake when I feel that's dropped. And it has my weight changes within its pages so it's a very personal kind of planner.

Planners help me get focused, keep track, work out steps to achieve and I love the differences that each one has: colour, size, paper and texture. I'm really looking forward to replacing my Bullet Planner at the end of July and my Happy Planner at the end of the year. There's nothing quite like breaking in a new planner.

Links:

Personal Planner website

MAMBI Happy Planner shop

MAMBI Happy Planner - UK source: The Homemakery - reasonable shipping!

Passion Planner website

BusyB website - they don't sell the Wellbeing Planner any more but they do have a lovely range of planning goodies

Tomorrow's blogpost: 'Other comics'

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, 2 May 2016

Decorative Planning...

'I think I've embraced Barbie'...overdoing the decorative sticker kit from Oh Hello

(MAMBI Happy Planner vertical style)

Not so long ago I still used diaries to record things to do, events to attend and didn't even touch goals to achieve. About a year ago after stumbling onto a 'Plan With Me' video on YT I was intrigued. Paper planners didn't have to be small and didn't have to be functional. And there was a whole world of stickers to dive into.

I set down my lovely Paperblank diary and began to research planners. There were tons to choose from but I finally settled on a Personal Planner which I could personalise with my art. And then I went on Etsy with my debit card almost melting it with the amount of stickers, washi and fancy pens I bought. I didn't begin small, I went into decorative overload. I got caught up in the frenzy of Darice sticker books, paying over the odds for international postage. I went a tad crazy...it can happen.

Day of the Dead Darice sticker inspired layout Nov 2015

(Personal Planner horizontal style)

I saw from the YT videos how fellow planners hid very functional parts of their planner pages with washi strips and patterned rectangular stickers. I noticed themed kits were supplied from sticker makers, allowing us to co-ordinate each page. Subscription kits, composed of a selection of sticker styles from a variety of makers, made sure we didn't even have to think about what stickers to purchase, instead putting energy into decoration and having the opportunity to try out stickers from shops we hadn't heard of. And some folk preferred to use mini stamps with ink pads to decorate their planner pages.

Finding that the Personal Planner wasn't what I wanted I invested in a larger planner. More space to decorate. I found a MAMBI Happy Planner and fell in love with its arty design and inserts. Over the months of using it I've honed my layout style to suit me.

trying out asymmetrical layouts in both Personal Planner & Happy Planner

(Sept 2015)

current layout style - Happy Planner

(Mini Weekly Kit - English Garden from Oh Hello Stationery Co)

current layout style - Happy Planner

(Strawberry Fields Full Set from Boulderbon)

Each HP double page is divided into vertical days. Within each day are three sections for morning, day and night although I don't use this timescale. The top sections are covered either with washi or with rectangular 'full box' stickers. On top I use icon stickers to denote recurring tasks such as recycling, grocery shopping or laundry. I don't write beside the icon stickers as I'm happy with the visual prompts.

In each centre section I use either full or strip checklist stickers for phone calls, tasks, reminders. Checklist stickers are technically functional but stickers makers design them with hearts, circles or icons on glossy or matte paper, sometimes flat colour, sometimes ombre. I have even used checklists with tiny rows of 'stitching' around the edges.

The lower section can be a mishmash of whatever stickers I have left over. I've used half boxes to tie in with a set, hydrate stickers with tiny water drops to keep a tally on my water intake or event stickers that come with an icon at the side.

Once my basic layout is set I then add larger decorative stickers across the pages. It's advisable to use flat stickers rather than puffy or three dimensional as your planner can become 'fluffy' (plannerspeak), bulging within its covers.

I've bought stickers from the US, Holland and China as well as the UK but in the end I advise buying what you need while spending as little as possible. By all means try out an interesting far-flung sticker maker and enjoy their products but for everyday stickers keep your expenditure in check. And it's true - be selective about what you want to try and set aside a budget for trying new designs. The washi I purchased last year will probably see me through until the end of this year! What I find I need are checklist stickers and half boxes - that's what I use most. And I'm considering designing some stickers myself though I'm not going to make them - they'll be available to download. I had deliberated for a long time about getting a Silhouette sticker machine but I didn't - I'm more into design than production.

Whatever way you decide to decorate your planner have fun, join a planner group, a forum, swap ideas and try out new layouts. The world's your oyster sticker.