WOYWW 373--My Hearts Glitter

Happy What's-On-Your-Workdesk-Wednesday!

I don't know why my necklace is laying there.

 I found this perfect little stack of glitter paper. Because of its small size, no cutting needed before I ran it through the Big Shot with heart and flower dies. I just had a lovely time of diecutting. I'm dreaming of making little cards to sell, and stocking up on decorations for my planner and scrapbook pages. Yay me! I've been meaning to do this for a long time, and my Big Shot missed me. I actually had to dust it off!

Perfect size stack for diecutting

I took a sturdy box that a mailer came in, snipped off the lid, and now it's a perfect little tray for my paper scraps.

I've got plans for these glittery scraps!

Well...look at me go. I was feeling so organized, we took a trip to our local gigantic At Home store, and they had THE best prices I've ever seen on acrylic organizers, so I got one finally for my nail polishes, and I love it.

Just a nice day at my happy place--my crafty corner.

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch

Orange Circle Studio 2017 Do It All Planner - Flip-Thru

 Very excited to get this in the mail! I had preordered the Secret Garden version of Orange Circle Studio's new 17-month weekly planner from Amazon for around $10. I can't seem to find their planners around my town any longer, so I was happy to preorder this very inexpensive planner. And I will tell you why...as we flip through...it will be perfect to use in my office this year.

Who doesn't love planner stickers and this planner has 300 of them. They are so handy, right in the front.

I may or may not have my Midori planner with me each weekday, so I can coordinate my office and home schedules in this planner, yet keep it at the office.

It has the yearly and monthly calendars.

Each monthly calendar has a lined space at the bottom to write notes.

It gives you a weekly vertical view. This is perfect for me, because I don't have an hourly type of schedule each day. But if I do have a meeting, it's easy to pen it in here with my daily to do lists. Each week has an inspirational quote too.

It also folds in half very nicely.

 In the back of the planner is a generous of amount of shopping and to do lists! They are perforated, so when I list things, I can tear them out and take them with me or stick them in my Midori planner which travels with me.

They give you lots of shopping and to do list sheets that can tear out.

Inside the back cover are some card holders--perfect to keep several business cards I need to reference.

And, of course, being a paper lover and planner girl I love both the pocket on the front cover, and how the label is designed to peel off so that you can decorate the front cover the way you want! Of course, this would be a perfect life planner for home too. Hope you enjoyed this little flip-thru. I just can't bear to use a boring planner, even at the office, so this one has everything I need since I work on the academic year in my office planners. Hope this helps you find your perfect planner without spending a ton!

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch

 

WOYWW 371--Play and Planner Mail and Another Cat Photo

Oh how I love happy mail. In the mail today, and now on my desk, was my July Sephora Playbox, and a brand spanking new planner.

Coffee...beading...play mail

AND...drumroll...Julia's hosting again!!! So excited to have our Julia and yet we still have our Jan who was the best BFF in the world to host this group of fine crafters!
Visit our desk and mess here at What's-On-Your-Workdesk-Wednesday.

making sparkly bracelets

It's the only place in the world where a desk is so much more than a piece of furniture.
I do love a little makeup--oh yes--and subscribing to the Sephora Playbox (10 bucks a month) lets me dabble in some luxury brands I am too frugal to buy, but I can still enjoy them and find out if I even like them or possibly can't live without them! It always comes with a fragrance sample, and I'm really enjoying that too--I've loved every fragrance so far. The deluxe-size samples are quite generous and it comes with a card that will automatically give you 50 bonus points in the store no matter what you buy. It may take a month to be on the waiting list to subscribe, but I really like it.
Here's a little unboxing moment:

The planner mail is a new planner by Orange Circle Studio that I had preordered on Amazon. It's a 2017 16-month planner that starts in August--it includes planner stickers and tear-out to-do sheets and shopping lists. Ten is my number, because the preorder price was 10 bucks! I've seen this planner priced as high as 14.99 and also someone mentioned they got it at a Home Goods store for 7.99--but it is not available at any store I have in my city. So I'm pretty happy with this.

I'll do a flip-through on the blog later.
I got my mail opened, drank my coffee, put on my makeup for the day, and then started cleaning off my desk for more beading. Then this happened.

That's my daughter's calico cat, Sweetie. And when darling daughter is busy and not at home at all, Sweetie sets up shop in my crafty corner with me. She is actually completely precious, but really...do we have to clean our white bums on my nice white craft desk? *sigh*

Have a lovely week, and Julia, you and Jan both rock!

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch

WOYWW 371 - Desk Delight

Happy What's-On-Your-Workdesk-Wednesday!

Planner girls talk about reaching "planner peace" -- basically meaning they finally find happiness with their planner situation, instead of feeling like the new planner they just bought is not working out every two months and then spending more money on a newer planner when the expensive one they bought in the first place has months left in it. Ridiculous, right? Why are they not happy with their planners all the time? I don't know. Well, I didn't buy a new desk. My desk is actually a big ole vintage wooden desk with vintage cubby shelves on top. I grew unhappy with it. I didn't dump it though. But what I did do was paint it all white. And then the other day I rearranged and organized everything again.

Thus - desk delight! My new term I made up.

I actually blogged about this yesterday too. So I won't go into it all again. But my "pretty box" organizing system on the side is working out very well. And having that little box full of things I use all the time is great because it stays handy and yet those bits and bobs are not constantly cluttering my desk. It is the "beautiful" box on top there and can slide right in and out, so I have constant access to it.
 

Lovely bits and bobs that would normally be all over my desk.

So today I had the planner out, and was looking at a tag I made awhile back...thinking of making more tags.

However, I'm busy with food this month for my daughter's cast and crew on a webseries she is shooting. Here's what happened to the box after I made the chicken for last night.

He has "box bliss." Have a wonderful day!

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch

Your Dream Desk - Reorganizing Your Crafty Space

I do not have a dedicated craft room. Let's be clear on that. I was talking to a lady at a craft fair, and she told me that her husband actually bought the little house next door to theirs and gave it to her for her own craft space. So yes, someone on this planet doesn't just have a craft room, she has a craft HOUSE!
In a world where the tiny house concept is growing more popular and they want you to throw away all your stuff, I thought that was quite amazing. But back at my house, I do have a corner with sunlight, for my big ole crafty desk, and a couple of shelves in another corner for some storage. I know if my shopping got out of control I could fill a house though. Lately, however, without doing it deliberately, I've been on an unofficial no-spend--just really curbing my urges to run wild at the craft stores. I've been busy, and I don't want to spend what little time I have to craft, out shopping. It's a time thing--but I love to shop. Instead, I focus on projects and reorganizing. This really helps. Anytime I reorganize, I find cool stuff and better ways to both store it and have it at arms length.

I think the secret to having your dream desk is:
1 - Good Organization
2 - Colors You Love
3 - A Cross-Functional Space
4 - A Bright and Clean Space to Work and Be Creative

Organization
The secret to my reorganizing is, I know everything has its place, so I let the stuff tell me where it wants to go. I keep like things together as much as possible. I use the pretty box method of storage a lot (you know, those pretty boxes you can get at Michaels or Home Goods)--but I also stick a posty on those boxes so I don't forget what I put in there when they're stacked up! You have to reach that balance of "stored away nicely but still at your fingertips." It's not easy to do. If it's too stored away, you'll forget about it. If it's at your fingertips, it could be sitting around in your face and in your way. The pretty boxes are just the right sizes for me to reach that balance inbetween. I also have a smaller pretty box that has the odds and ends things I am currently working with, but also like to put away.

Colors You Love
A lot of people comment on the pink cutting mats on my desk. I've come to realize that the colors that make me feel the most happy, relaxed, and creative are pink, white and gold with some purple and mint green thrown in. Maybe these are my summer colors, or my colors of the moment, but building the look of your desk with your chosen colors is important. It's inviting, so you'll craft more. It's inspiring, which frees your creative thinking. And, your desk is you--it should reflect that in every way.

Cross-Functional

I used to keep my cosmetics in the bathroom. For years! But as I've collected some of the nicer palates I have, I realized that the bathroom is the worst place to store your makeup. I've never had a vanity though. I'm a craft desk kinda gal. Sooo...my craft desk became even more cross-functional. It is a place where I make things, I write, I do work things, and now with the purchase of a great little mirror and some acrylic storage, I can do my makeup there too. I love it. In this recent reorganization, I switched it all to the left side so now it's even more out of the way of my main workspace, and my mirror is hidden when I'm not using it. If and when I do get any more cosmetics, I've got room to go more vertical with my storage. And speaking of vertical, don't forget storage on the walls. I have a hanging pocket organizer there on the wall, meant for jewelry, but I use it for craft supplies that stay handy!

Bright and Clean
With all that play at your desk comes the work. Keeping it bright and clean. The first thing I did a few months ago was to paint my desk and shelves white. I couldn't believe the difference, and it made me so happy! It completely brightened up my crafty corner. With the mix of wood and acrylic storage on my desk, I found this multi-surface cleaner that is so easy to keep on hand and use, so my desk can stay clean, my clear storage stays sparkly pretty, I can wipe down crafty tools and supplies, and I don't have to bring out fifty products to do it!


Even if you have cubbies, shelves, and places to put things, you have to be careful not to overstuff. Any little organizers I have can get so quickly overloaded. When I was doing this cleanout/reorganization, I had to unload a little letter sorter I had filled up with all kinds of list pads, paper scraps, and bits and bobs. It was driving me crazy to look at it, and I didn't even realize that until I unloaded it. I only put back what I really wanted to look at and use. Now it holds my two coloring journals, my often used listbook, and some journaling cards I'm encouraging myself to use soon.

And one more thing...
You are special. Keep some flowers on your desk! I got my flowers at JoAnns...that's right, they're not real. (Real flowers could actually create more mess) But I think they are so pretty, welcoming, and make my desk look a little more special, like someone special lives there.

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch

Making Fun Paperclips from Your Stash

Flagging your most often used sections of your Midori traveler's notebook is easier with decorative paperclips. And let's face it--you can use fun paperclips as bookmarks anywhere in any book, planner, or journal. You probably have everything you need in your stash to make some for you and your friends.

If you have a zillion of the colorful paperclips, you can make them decorative with anything that's somewhat flat. See the cute glittery dress in the center? That came from an old toy stash I had found from my daughter's toys of the past--it was a pretend cookie from her American Girl doll stuff!
I use cute buttons, big sequins, silk flowers, and I've made paperclip flags with glitter washi tape too.

Hot glue your decoration at the top of the paperclip, opposite of the clipping end. After it has cooled, add a little piece of washi tape on top of where you glued on the back to secure it and to cover up the glob of glue. Another way to make it cute on both sides is, for example, glue a silk flower on one side and a button on the other side which then looks like the center of the flower. You can also use a piece of jewelry if it's somewhat flat--I could fix a cuppa tea and make these all day!

Put a scrap piece of paper under your glue gun to catch the drips of glue.

It's also a great idea to keep a few extra clips in your planner along with extra stickers and post-it notes to use on the go. Be creative, have fun!

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch

WOYWW 370--The Craft Boss Is Back

Happy What's-On-Your-Workdesk Wednesday! 

I am planning, doodling, sipping green tea, making paper clips for my midori and stitching. I'll post more about the paper clips tomorrow. My inner craft boss is back and she is on a roll.

The Midori I made from an old leather Coach bag

And for other reasons, with my busy family, I'm having a busy month! And I think my tomatoes need watering. This may be my shortest post ever, but I want a little time to visit your desk. (calm down tomato plants, you can wait another hour) I hope you have a wonderful week, keep your joy, and do the thing that lights you up.

Working on the July room in the dollhouse 12-room cross-stitch--look at me go!

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch

A Second Life for Your Outdated Planner - A Forever Art Journal

Well it's that time of year when you may be splurging on a new planner! I have to tell you, I've been a planner girl since the only planners out there were boring ones! I made my own from those cute cloth-covered journals back in the day...that's how desperate I was for planner peace before I ever heard that term. Now, you can find beautiful, colorful, fun planners in all colors, shapes, sizes, and prices! I think it is a little hard to spend on the luxury priced planners since they will be outdated next year. And what if you get tired of it before that? What if you didn't find "planner peace" and you spent eighty bucks on an Erin Condren?

So think about it before you rush out and buy the latest planner trend. Think about its function in your life, if you'll really use it, and what you will do with it later? Toss it? Keep it for decades? Do you have the space? It is worth shopping around and thinking about it long term.

I often use an Orange Circle Studio planner, and the one I was carrying in my bag for a few years in a row was small, but the pages were art journal themed. I thought it was gorgeous, and it cost just twelve dollars for the weekly page layout and it was filled with places to write and journal things. So when its time was up, I couldn't bear to toss it. After a couple of years, I took two of these journals and upcycled them into a forever art journal. I stitched and glued some of the unused pages together, added beads, ribbon, and now after having this homemade journal for a while, I realize how much I love it. I keep my favorite bible verses in it, thoughts, and ideas. It's like an inspiration book. But I like to call it, a forever art journal.

See how I upcycled my planners here

So I wanted to remind you, that your planner can have a second life, a restaging, a do-over. Just pick the right one in the first place, and you could enjoy it for longer than it was meant to be. When its time is up, you could rip it apart, take the best of it, and stitch together your own forever art journal. Get out the glue, floss, glitter, buttons, ribbon...whatever you like, and have a great time knowing you spent your planner money well.

In the meantime, Orange Circle has come out with a new version of their gorgeous planners on Amazon, and I've got one preordered that starts in August for around eleven bucks I think it was to preorder. I have no idea what the inside actually looks like, but I have faith because I love their designs. This is going to be my office planner, and after that, well, you know what!


Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch