Papercrafts and Planners

Crafting a beautiful balance of creativity and productivity

Documenting My January Memories

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I’m Loving the Happy Memory Planner

The geniuses at Me and My Big Ideas recognized that many people were using their Big Happy Planners for memory keeping, and decided to make an entire line of memory keepers, and accessories. 

The new line has pretty florals, bright colors, vintage looks, and more. There is something to appeal to most everyone.  I chose this boxed kit to document my 2018 memories.

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It’s lovely and came with a few accessories to get started. Because it is set up like a planner with plenty of room for journaling it is very easy to keep track of all of your memories for the year.

I still like to make full scrapbook pages for special events, but this is a great way to look back on all the little and big events of the year. 

I have completed January, and loved getting creative by adding stickers, scrapbook paper, and journaling. Check out the flip through below.

A Lot of Fun Supplies

I have three Happy Planner sticker books especially for the big HP, and two of them were designed for memory keeping, I chose the Rainbow , Floral Memories, and Memory Planning basics (appears to be out of stock) sticker books. I pulled a little from all three for these layouts. 

As I was getting the links to share with you all, I noticed there are a bunch of new sticker books. I do NOT need more sticker books! I do NOT need more sticker books! There is probably a coupon for Michael’s though, right?

I also used a few sheets of paper from two Fun Stampers Journey paper packs. One of my favorites to use has been the Spring Filled Prints. I also used a fun balloon print from the Birthday Pop collection.  

How do Your Document Your Memories?

There are lots of ways to save your memories. I hope you are getting all of those pictures (well, maybe not all of them) off of your phone, Facebook, zip drive, etc, and making keepsakes that you and your family will love for many, many years.

Please comment below and let me know how you are memory keeping. I love seeing how other people document their memories.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you will come back and visit again,

Dedra

 

Give Away Time!

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Celebrating 500 + Subscribers on YouTube

As soon as my YouTube subscribers reached the milestone number of 500, I knew I needed to have a give away.  Now I just needed to decide what item(s) I would gift to a subscriber. 

I realize that some of my subscribers watch my planner videos, some watch my crafting videos, and a few watch both.  While I was trying to come up with the perfect gift that would appeal to everyone, my February Bloom Box arrived.

A Card Kit Delivered Each Month

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The February Bloom Box is gorgeous! Inside each Bloom Box is a full size stamp set, all of the materials to make four cards, and a full color instruction booklet. The only thing subscribers need to add are their own inks, and possibly tools. 

This lovely floral stamp set, and card kit, seemed like the perfect gift for a crafty gal. Now I just needed to figure out what my planner gals would enjoy.

Two Different Gifts!

It seemed like a great idea to offer two separate gifts for two separate winners. I could simply let the winners choose their prize. Below is my video with all of the instructions on how to enter the give away.

Enter Now

 

Be sure you click on the video, watch until the end, and enter to win one of these fun prizes.

Support Small YouTube Channels

YouTube has changed their monetization policies. Small channels can not get paid for the ads running on their channels, until they have 1,000 subscribers, and 4,000 hours of their videos have been watched. 

Small channels certainly don’t make a great deal of money from ads, but every little bit helps to offset the costs.

Those small YouTube channels really appreciate every subscriber, thumbs up, and comment. I hope you will subscribe to a few of those small channels. I’m making an effort to show my appreciation for the small YouTuber.

Thanks for visiting,

Dedra

 

 

 

Playing With the Gel Press

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A Fun New Mixed Media Tool

I was very excited when the new Fun Stampers Journey Catalog came out and there were so many things I had never used before. The Gel Press was one of the first things I was anxious to try. 

I opened up the package and drew a blank. I had no creative ideas pop into my head. Don’t you hate when that happens? 

Fortunately, I had lots of inks, stamps, and paints to play with. I decided not to worry about the results, but just start playing.

Below is a video of my first few prints. I’m sure I will get a lot more use out of this fun tool.

I have also enjoyed see how other people use their Gel Press. The Gel Press that I have is unique to Fun Stampers Journey because of its 8 1/2 by 11 size. It is a great size for art journal backgrounds. It is also a great size for making four card backgrounds at one time.

Another Look

If you would like to see another video of how to use this great product, follow the link below to watch one of the talented Fun Stampers Journey staff create a few prints.

Video – Gel Press

Please follow the link below if you want to learn all about how to care for the Gel Press.

Video- Caring for you Gel Press

A Mixed Media Sale!

This month lots of our mixed media products, including the Gel Press, are on sale for 20% off! mediamix_sept_sale_share.jpg

Ordering Info and What is on Sale

If you want to order any of these fun supplies to use in your art journal, scrapbook layouts, card making, etc, simply follow this link to see all of the items on sale.

Mixed media is new to me, but I’m really enjoying the messy fun of it all. If you have any questions, please let me know. 

Dedra

 

 

 

Continuing My GTD Journey

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My Productivity Journey

I have always struggled with organization, but keeping a planner helped somewhat. I really fell into the rabbit hole with planning, watching videos of how others plan, trying out ALL of the planners, and searching Etsy, Michaels, and Amazon for the ultimate supplies.

The truth is no matter how many stickers I purchased, my ADD brain still struggled.  As I spoke about in a previous post, the GTD system really spoke to me. It seemed so doable that even I could Get Things Done.

I’m happy to report that I am actually emptying my inboxes, filing important papers, and feeling accomplished. I had a bit of a set back when Hurricane Harvey decided to visit, but I still managed to clear out my physical inbox each week.

My planner is the hub of my GTD system, and it is still evolving. As you can see from the video below, I still have a great love of stickers. I can’t help myself, it has to look pretty, as well as be functional. 

If you would like to purchase any of the supplies that I used in my video the links are below. You certainly do not need any stickers, washi tape, etc, but you want them, right? I am a Fun Stampers Journey Coach, so anything purchased through my site earns me a commission. However, none of the other links are affiliate links, I just enjoy the products.

Supplies Used

Getting Things Done by David Allen

Kelly Purkey Household Planner Stamp Set

The other planner stamps I used are no longer listed on Amazon

Create365 Date Stamp Set

Websters Page/Fun Stampers Journey A5 I Heart Days Planner

FSJ Kiwi Slice Ink Pad

FSJ Blue Lagoon Ink Pad

If you would like to read my first post on Getting Things Done using my A5 planner, you can check it out  here. I hope you have a planning system, or a way that you are able to get things done. I would love to hear all about it in the comments below.

 

Dedra

New A5 Planner for Getting Things Done

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Everyone Needs a System

I think that no matter what stage of life you are in, it is a good idea to have a system in place to keep your life running smoothly. Everyone has appointments to track, bills that need to be paid (hopefully on time), and birthdays to remember. 

According to author and productivity guru David Allen, you must get information out of your head, and into a reliable system. He explains in his book, Getting Things Done, that your brain is for deep thought, and creative ideas. Your brain is not the place to store information.

As someone whose memory is faulty on a good day, the GTD system really appeals to me. Since I prefer a paper system, implementing GTD in my life called for a new planner, of course.

Setting Up My New Planner

Of course, I have files with file folders, a physical inbox, and other support tools. However, my new Webster’s Pages A5 planner is the main hub of my system. It took me a few weeks of re-reading Getting Things Done, watching videos, printing, labeling, cutting, and rearranging things to get my planner ready to go.

 

Resources and Supplies

The first resource I recommend you check out is the book that started it all –  Getting Things Done, by David Allen. I own the physical book, and the audio version. Below is the link to order your copy, in which ever form you prefer, from Amazon.

Getting Things Done by David Allen

I watched many YouTube videos, but my favorites are listed below. The links below are to their main channels, but a quick search for GTD will take you to their videos on the subject.

Brandy Michelle Plans

Boho Berry

Alexis aka Miss Trenchcoat

I used a lot of Fun Stampers Journey products, which makes sense since I am an FSJ coach. Below are links to those items, as well as links to the items I used that can be purchased on Amazon (my second favorite place to shop.)

I Heart Days A5 Planner

A5 Page Creator Steel Rule Die

Romantic Journey Printed Cardstock

Through the Year Printed Cardstock

Beautiful Wings Stamp Set

Huckleberry Fusion Ink Pad

Dymo Letratag Label Maker

We R Memory Keepers Planner Punch Board

Implementing What I have Learned

My system is set up, but now the real fun begins. I have a physical inbox to process, a 43 file system (explained in the book) to start using effectively, and many support files to set up. 

As I continue my journey to reduce stress from my life by putting in place the GTD system, I will share my progress. 

Do you use this system, or have a system that really works for you? Leave a comment below, I would love to hear your thoughts.

Dedra

 

 

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