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Storage Solutions: Distress Inks

3/15/2016

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I'm back once again with another peek at my ever-evolving storage solutions. This time, we're talking ink. Specifically - Distress Ink.
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I don't have a lot of regular ink pads - maybe a dozen or so. But I have every color of the Distress Inks in the mini size. And as you can tell from my many posts about them, I love them!

When I first starting buying the minis, I was able to keep them easily filed in rainbow order in one or two of the storage tins that are made for this particular product. However, as my collection grew, so did the need to keep them more organized and more easily accessible.

I decided to split the tins into color families. My first order of business was to sort out all the minis to see how many of each color I had. I decided that as long as the color family was together, it could share a tin with another family - if they were both small enough. So pink and red share, as do yellow and orange. Purple and black/grey also share as they are both very small families.

As you can see, there are spaces left in the tins - enough that I could get rid of a whole tin, but I want the colors grouped together, so I decided a few dollars for another tin was worth it. Plus, I've got room to grow now, if Ranger ever decides to come out with more colors!
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Since I store the tins stacked on a shelf, I used my label maker to label the sides of the tins with the colors inside. I made sure that each color had it's own label, in case I ever have to re-arrange the minis into different tins.
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All-in-all, this is a pretty simple solution. After all, I'm using the tins that are meant to store these mini ink pads. It's not like I came up with a whole new system, I just spread out the inks over multiple tins. But it works for me, and that's all that matters when you organize craft supplies. Do what works for you!

Happy Crafting (and Organizing)!
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Storage Solution: Clear Stamps

9/29/2015

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A few months ago, I shared with you my solution for wrangling my wafer-thin dies. I have been loving my mini binder idea for my dies, so I thought it would be a perfect solution for my clear stamps as well!
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Supplies: half-size binder, half-size page protectors, white cardstock cut in half, and a label maker. Put it all together and you get a super easy, super accessible storage solution for clear stamps!
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The stamps stay in the page protectors well and slide out easily when I need them. I have each page labeled with the name of the stamp set and the company so I can reference them later if I need to.

The only problem I ran into is that my mini binder is too full! I don't have that many stamp sets, so I thought they would all fit, which they technically do... But it looks like I'll have to get another binder and split them up.
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The binder fits nicely on my hanging file shelf in my craft room right next to my die binder.
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I do still have a few stamp sets that I did not put into the binder. One Stampin' Up set I just bought for Christmas and a couple alphabet sets that I put into CD cases years ago. As I rarely use these stamps, I figured a few in boxes on my shelf is no big deal.

I'm hoping that by having the stamps accessible and visible, I will take them out more often instead of reaching for the ones I always reach for.
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How do you store your clear stamps?

Happy Crafting and Happy Organizing!
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Storage Solutions: Tool Carousel

7/28/2015

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Crafters have lots of tools, and I am certainly no exception. I've spent many years being frustrated with options for storing those tools. If they were out on my desk, they were often taking up way too much room, but if they were neatly sorted into bins, I would never use them!

Then one day, I was browsing Michaels (like you do), and I found this amazing and adorable lazy Susan/carousel thing!
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I immediately brought it home and started playing. I have collected many little buckets and jars over the years, so I just popped some of them onto the carousel and started organizing.

One bucket holds all the adhesive I use on a regular basis; tape runners, glue pens, liquid adhesive, and a small roll of foam tape. Specialized adhesive (like glue dots and my sticker maker) are in bins on my shelf - if I need them, I know where to find them.

Another bucket holds all my crafting tools. Several scissors, a bone folder, hole punch, poke tool, Quik-stix, X-acto knife, tweezers, and a brayer. These are tools I reach for very frequently. Again, the tools that I don't use often or that have a very specific purpose (like eyelet setter or a stapler) are in bins on my shelf.
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Turning the carousel a bit, I get to my paint brushes. I put them in a small mason jar so they'd stand up straight. I know I'm not supposed to store wet brushes pointing up like this (the water can seep down and rot the wood from the inside), but I only put them in here when they are dry. I let them dry on their sides on my desk. I just don't want the brush tips to get bent if I put them into the jar pointing down.

I also have a mason jar with pens and markers. I don't have a lot of markers, so I only need the one jar.
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The back of the carousel holds some misc items that I use regularly, but have never found a good place for. My branding stamp, some post-it notes, my CM corner rounder, some business cards, and my small lenses for my phone camera.
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I love this carousel! I love the color and the little birdy in the middle, even if I don't see him that often because he's hiding behind all my tools.
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It holds a ton, but because it's raised off the desk on a small foot, it doesn't take up that much real-estate. Check out how clean my crafting desk is! What you don't see is the pile of work that got put on the floor for this photo. :-)
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I got the carousel at Michaels, the buckets at Target, and the mason jars from my local grocery store.

So how do you store your tools? Is it working for you?

Happy Crafting (and organizing)!
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Storage Solutions: Cardstock Paper

6/2/2015

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For years, I didn't care about cardstock. I cared about patterned paper; followed certain companies, hoarded my favorite patterns, envied those that could afford entire lines. But cardstock? Who cares? It was just there to mat my photos and provide a base for the pretty patterned stuff anyway.

But now that I've grown away from patterned paper, now that I've gotten into stamping and card making, now that I need consistent quality and exact matches for my invitations, now I care. A lot. And now I realize that my method for storing my cardstock was poorly lacking.

My method for storing cardstock in the past was basically a bin with all the paper thrown in. If I needed white, I'd shuffle through till I found some. Black? Same thing. I usually only had 1 or 2 sheets of specialty colors on hand, which meant when I made a card or invitation, I would have to go out and try to find the paper again in order to make more. And of course nothing was ever labeled, so it was a pain in the you-know-what to try and find that particular paper again.

But I've learned. And I've developed a method that works for me now.

Storage Solution: Cardstock Paper Edition
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I use hanging file folders to store my cardstock. I label each folder with the color and weight of the paper on the front and the company and store on the back, so it's always easy to go buy more.
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I keep the paper I use most (and have the most of) on top of a set of drawers in a filing box. These are the papers that I know brands and stores for, the ones I reach for on a daily basis or the ones I'm using for a special project.
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In the bottom drawer of the cart, I keep miscellaneous colors of cardstock. This is paper that I have only 1 or 2 sheets of and I may or may not know the brand or store. These are the paper I reach for when I'm just making a fun card or other project that I will not have to duplicate.
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I also keep my sets down here. Michaels has packs of papers with a variety of colors that all go together very nicely. I use these for cards when I'm looking for a lot of color. Since the packs are already matched so nicely, I don't want to break them up, so they go in one folder together. Besides, they don't list the individual colors!
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So there's a quick look at my cardstock storage system! It may change in the future as I collect more colors and brands, but for now, this works for me! Now I just have to figure out how to store my patterned papers...

How do you store your paper? Is it working for you?

Happy Crafting!
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Preschool planner

5/5/2015

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Today is Teacher Appreciation Day!
We all know how much extra effort teachers put into their students and their classrooms each and every day.
We know because we are products of those teacher.
Because our children are products of those teachers.
Because we have friends or relatives who are teachers.
Because we are teachers ourselves and we know how deeply we invest ourselves in every child that comes through our classroom.

Everyone go write a nice note or email to a teacher you know.
Go ahead, I'll wait...

Done? Ok good.

I am a preschool teacher. I have been for 10 years now (10 years? Can it really be 10 years already?!?) And as a preschool teacher, I know how important those early years are. And I know how much energy is needed to get through even a half-day class with those tiny balls of boundless energy. And I know how little time I have during the day to plan and prep and get ready for the next class or the next day. Which is why I also know the vital importance of a really good planner. And that's why I know that most of the pre-made planner out there are crap.

Yeah, I said it. Seriously though, teacher planners are just not made for preschool teachers!!! Especially those of us who teach multiple classes each day. So after years of making do and muddling through with the store-bought teacher planners, I made my own.

Is anyone here surprised? Didn't think so! ^_^
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Every year, my planner morphs a little based on what I am teaching and what worked or didn't work the year before. I go back through my previous year's planner and see what kinds of notes I made on a regular basis that maybe need a dedicated space in next year's planner. I also color-code my classes, so I can see at a glance what my week looks like.
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So let's do a quick break-down of what my 2014-15 planner looks like. Above is the weekly layout, in all it's messy-handwriting glory (seriously, I write like a fidgit-y 9-year-old).

The left-hand page is where I write the weekly themes for each age group and all my whole-room setup information (sensory table, science table, dramatic play center, etc).
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I also keep a running list of To Do items here. And since I'm also in charge of our school website and other tech duties, I keep a small tech section at the bottom.
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The right-hand page is where all the daily planning takes place. I have AM classes and PM classes, so I break the day into 3 sections: Notes/Events (birthdays, fire drills, meetings, special events), AM, and PM. I have certain activities during the day that I need to plan for like what to do at large group, small group, art, or table time. So I put those sections in each class area. Because if I don't have the prompt, I may forget to plan the activity, and there's nothing worse to not know what you're doing in the middle of a transition in a preschool classroom.
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I finish out my planner with a pen loop and monthly tabs. Then I bind it and I'm done!

I love my planner! It helps keep everything organized and in one place so even my assistant and paras can look at it and know what's going on for the day!

I've had quite a few of my co-workers ask about my planner when I take it out at meetings, so I've actually designed some for my coworkers as well! I customize them for each of their unique schedules and planning needs. I've gotten really good feedback from them and even some repeat customers!

I also sell some blank designs in my Etsy shop as well, so if you'd like your very own planner, you can stop by and download a 2-page printable for only $5! And for $8, I'll customize it with the colors, words, and sections you need. And starting at $30, I'll even print out your full (customized!) planner, bind it, and ship it to you!

This planner was designed for preschool, but it would work well for home-schooling, day-care, or nannies also!

Please let me know if you have any questions about my planner or if you have questions about customizing one of your own.

Happy Planning and Happy Crafting!
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Storage Solutions - Wafer Dies

2/24/2015

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I love binders. I really do. Someday I will write a post sharing all the binders I have at my house and at school. The number is firmly in the double-digits, I assure you.

But today, I want to show you one particular binder.
And I just finished setting it up!
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It's my wafer-thin die storage binder!
It's a mini binder, which means it's 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 (half-sheet size), which means it's the perfect size for most dies and stamps!
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As I started collecting more dies, I realized that if I had no way to organize and access them efficiently, I would soon lose track of what I had, or worse, lose the dies themselves! Some of them have very small pieces. Plus, I wanted to be able to keep some stamp and die sets together. I searched online and came across several crafters that use magnetic sheets for die storage and while I loved that idea, I did not love the price of the magnetic sheets that were sold for that purpose. So I did some digging and found magnetic vent covers at my local hardware store!
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They come in packs of 3 sheets for $4.47. The sheets measure 8x15 inches, so I cut them up. They cut very easily with a paper trimmer.
I was able to get 2 large pieces of 8 x 5 1/2, one medium piece of 5 1/2 x 4, and one small piece of 4 x 2 1/2.

I use the large pieces as full magnet sheets for large sets or multiple sets.
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I use the medium and small pieces for sets of small dies.
These two sets have matching stamps, so I made sure to store the stamps and dies together. The Hedgehugs stamp set is taped onto the paper next to the dies so they stay in place together and the Carnival Cupcakes stamps just slide into the back of the pocket on the left.
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All the magnetic pieces can slide in and out of the pockets easily so I can just take what I need when I want to work on a project.
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I used my label maker to label each die/set on the magnetic sheets. I didn't want to put the labels on the page protectors because I didn't want to worry about getting everything back exactly where it needed to. And I want to be able to change the order of things when I get new dies. Labeling the magnet sheet keeps it flexible. I make one label for the company and one for the name of the die/set.
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I love having everything in one place and easily accessible!
I love my binders!

Do you use binders in your craft storage? What do you use them for?
If you don't use a binder, how do you organize your dies?

I'll be adding more Storage Solutions posts over the next few months. I know storage and organization are a big topic among crafters (and others) and I hope that my solutions inspire you to get your supplies more organized. Is there something in your craft area (or kitchen, or classroom, or office, etc) that is unorganized? Something that you need a solution for? Let me know and it may be the next Storage Solutions topic!

Happy Crafting!
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Planner Peace! (and a freebie!)

8/25/2014

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I've always been kind of a plannerd (planner nerd). In high school, I used a simple student planner I got from probably Target to keep track of my assignments. In college, I got the official planner for our college (it had the college logo on the front and important campus events already listed inside) and I used that religiously for years. In fact, that's where my color-coding planner system began and where I first fell in love with post-it notes. I used the highlighting post-its color-coded for classes. The assignment would get written down and 'highlighted' on it's due date, then when I completed it, I would take off the sticky so it didn't stand out anymore.

Once I graduated, I went back to a basic planner on and off for a few years, then switched over to electronic calendars (Google, color-coded, very pretty!), but I never really found a good system to keep track of everything I had to do. I had a place for appointments, sure, but what about my to do list? Where was I supposed to put the note that some time this week I needed to call my grandma or go to a certain store? And when I got to said store, how was I supposed to know what to buy? My list was most likely at home on a sticky note on my desk. 

*sigh* This was not working.

Then last summer, I started finding Facebook groups and blogs and You Tube videos about Filofax and other planners. I was intrigued. Could I function effectively in a filo-type planner?

I had already made my own lesson planner for my preschool teaching, why not make one for my home life as well? So I started putzing. And printing. And tweaking. And reading. And the more I worked and actually used my planner, the better I got at developing a system that worked for me. And I think I've finally achieved "planner peace"!

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Here's what a typical week look like in my planner before anything goes in it. It's very minimal. I put a strip of washi tape down the middle to break each week into 2 parts - appointments and to-dos. 
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(I just realized I used the same washi tape for both of these weeks - one is from May, one is not till October!)

I use the outside edge for appointments - things that happen at a specific time or only on a specific day. Things like holidays, birthdays, work schedules, appointments, and events go here. The inner edge of the pages are for to-dos. I use color-coded post-it flags for my to-dos. This lets me see at a glance what kind of week I'm going to have - heavy on personal stuff, work stuff, errands, craft, etc.
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I keep all my post-its on a divider in my planner and I have a fly-leaf opposite so I can stick re-occurring events there (like going to the bank - I know I'll need to do that again, just not sure when. So I keep it back here).

The nice things about the post-it flags are; 

1) When I'm done with an activity, I can just take it off and throw it away - so satisfying!

2) If I don't get something done on  Monday, I can just move it to Tuesday, or Wednesday, or whenever I have time to finish it on another day. And I don't have to keep re-writing it every day.

3) If there is a repeating event (grocery shopping every Monday or paying the phone bill every month), I can move the post-it to the next instance of that event when I'm done with it this week/month.

I also use the slightly bigger notes for lists of things I need to buy or get from a certain store or person. Or things I need to bring to school the next day. Or any small list that isn't a to-do.

So that's the calendar portion of my planner. I've been using this version of it since April and it's worked really, really well so far. I've made a few minor tweaks, but it's pretty much as you see it here. I'm going to make a video soon walking you through my calendar so those of you who like more visuals can see everything!

And if you've read this far, thanks! I know I can be quite verbose at times. As a reward, here's a free download of my planner pages:
2page_weekly.pdf
File Size: 16 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

It's for half-size paper (8.5 x 5.5), so cut your paper in half before sending it through your printer.

You can decorate it any way you want! That's the beauty of blank planner pages!

Please let me know if you have any questions or if you want to see more of my planner or if you want clarification on anything. I hope to be sharing more of my planner in the future, so stay tuned!

Happy Crafting!
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Project Life tips & tricks; Extras

2/17/2014

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About half way through my 2012 Project Life album, I realized that there were a lot of things that I wanted to include in my album that I didn't have a page protector for, I hadn't seen anyone do it before, or they just didn't fit. So I began to experiment. Here are some ways I deal with my 'extras'.
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I make a lot of cards. Mostly to sell, but I make many for myself or friends as well. I wanted a way to display some of these cards (I always seem to make 1 or 2 (or 5) extra!) in my PL album, so I just slipped it in. The cards don't fit exactly, but close enough. Plus, it becomes interactive! You can flip it open and see what's on the inside or I've added journaling on the inside, too. 
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I collect pressed pennies. I have since childhood. And I have those fancy penny books to keep them in. Trouble is, the books are tucked away somewhere in my basement storage room (I think...) and I never see them. When my family visited Disney in 2013, I collected many, many pressed pennies and I wanted to incorporate them into my PL album, after all, I spent a good portion of the trip tracking down the machines! So I just used glue dots to adhere them to a plain piece of cardstock!
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I've also begun including single pennies right on journaling cards. It adds a bit of flair, displays my souvenir, and it looks pretty neat!
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I use Foursquare. It's fun for me to keep track of where I've been and who else has been there. Plus, I get to collect digital badges for visiting certain places or certain types of places. The scrapbooker in me was sad that these badges were purely digital, until I realized it would be easy to just print them out! So I did, and not every time I get a badge, I make a small journaling card about it.
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Most of the time I don't keep pamphlets, flyers, maps, etc. But sometimes I do. And I don't always have a page protector to fit them. So I say, forget the page protector! Unless the pamphlet is really important, just punch it and put it in!
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I've been feeling guilty for years every January when I have to take down all the Christmas cards I've received and throw them in the recycling bin. No more! I cut out the best part of the card and slide it into a multi-pocket page and now I can remember the cards and senders for years to come! I do the same thing with valentines from kids at school and birthday cards!
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Another use I've found for the baseball card-style pocket pages is to showcase a series of photos. On December 12, 2012, I took 12 photos (12 on 12/12/12) and put them into this insert to set them apart from my regular weekly photos. I've also used this technique for things like December Daily photos, birthday party (or other event) photos, and all my random cat photos. Yeah, I have a lot of those...
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So, I hope I have inspired you to take all those extras that you weren't sure about and include them in your PL book! Don't tuck them away in a box or an envelope at the end of the book, put them in where they are relevant to the story! To your story.
After all, if you don't tell your story, who will?
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Washi Tape!

2/8/2014

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For those of you who are unfamiliar with washi tape, it is a fairly new to the crafting world. It originated in Japan as a masking tape used in bookmaking. Crafters got a hold of it and begged for more colors and patterns, and manufactures have responded!
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I have become quite addicted to washi tape. I have quite a few rolls in many colors and patterns. My collection started small and was easy to store in my project life supply tray, but when I reached about 15 rolls, it became harder to store. So I searched Pinterest for washi tape organization and found the best idea ever! Put it all on a thread organizer! So easy. And I love how I can see all my tapes and there's still a lot of room for more! (Shhh! Don't tell my husband!)
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I've used washi tape for a lot of things so far:
- Christmas cards - this was my first real time using washi tape in any sort of project - it really got me hooked on washi.
- Project life - I've used it on many inserts and photos.
- Perpetual calendar gifts (see below)
- Gift wrapping (see below)
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I want to use it for a lot more in the future.
- scrapbook pages
- cards
- mini books

Do you use washi tape? For what?
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Days 16-18... catching up!

6/24/2011

2 Comments

 
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Days 16 and 17 brought with them a need to organize my life. I spent day 16 creating the prototype and day 17 creating a printed version of a personal planner. On the left are the days of the week where I can write not only appointments and reminders, but notes from the day, which will be useful in creating my week in review scrapbook pages. On the right are spots for lists; Things To Do @ Home, Things To Do @ Work, Places To Go, People To Contact, and a big spot at the bottom for Notes & Ideas. I'm really liking it so far, I just hope I can keep up with it for long enough to be useful long term.

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Day 18 found me with a need to expand my planner. I added 2 more sections: Menu/Grocery Lists, and Store Buy Lists, where I can write the name of the store and keep a running list of items I need there, so when I have enough items, or time to go, I can remember everything I need.

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