My Team

First and foremost: Oh. My. Goodness. It is absolutely ridiculous how long it has been since I wrote a blog post! I truly apologize for that. Good news is: we have plenty to cover! Bad News Is: I have missed you all! Moving On...

It takes a village to raise a child. It takes a team to make a celebrity red-carpet-ready. Well, it takes
multiple planners to keep me on track! I am not kidding! Jump on instagram and search some tags like "plannernerd" or "plannerjunkie." You will see that I am not alone! I have three planners. Yes, three. However, they all serve a slightly different purpose. If you think that's a lot, (again) hop on instagram and see just how many women join me in utilizing more than 1 planner! So what all do I use these for? I am so glad you asked!

1. My FoxyDori, made by Kelly - one of the sweetest Etsy sellers you will ever meet. It's fuschia (she calls it DragonFruit. Who cares?! It's gorgeous!), with my initials in the bottom right corner....Perfection.
So, What's In It? My MayDesigns notebooks, all of which serve their own individual purpose. This planner is all about me: my schedule, personal goals, personal to-do list, etc.. And it goes everywhere with me.

• An Agenda: This helps me keep track of the most important parts of my day (to do lists, errands, things to remember, etc.)
  
• An Address Book: Sometimes, I have a card in my purse to mail, but I have forgotten to write (or finish writing) the address. This is where my on-the-go address book comes in handy!
• A Meal Planner: This includes a weekly space to write out the meals for each day, and another space to write out my grocery list! So handy.
  
• A Budget Book: I'm terrible about writing out expenses AFTER I get home. I usually end up shredding the receipts before I remember to write them down in my check register or my budget tracker. This allows me to keep up with expenses WHEN they happen!
  
• A Notebook: This is just plain lined notebook paper. I use this to write down to-do lists, doodle, or even write important info given to me while I'm on the go.
  

2. My Erin Condren Life Planner. This planner is a little more broad in terms of what I write in it/plan in it. This is more of a "family" planner, but still is mostly focused on my personal daily to-do lists. I plan out any important events for J (my hubby) or T (my stepson) in here as well. Family member's birthdays, as well as their important events are noted in here as well. This planner frequently makes an appearance out in public with me, but doesn't necessarily travel everywhere I go.

• Weekly Spreads Include: Birthdays, daily to-do lists, errands to run, doctors' appointments, work check lists, my daily work schedule, reminders, etc.
  
• Monthly Spreads Include: Birthdays, Big events (i.e., anniversaries, graduations), vacations/trips, when my stepson visits, my husband's retreats. I also use my notes section on each month to track my PTO so that I make sure I don't go over!

3. My Inkwell Press Planner. This is truly a family planner. It lives on my bartop in my kitchen. This has everything going on in our family in one place: J's work schedule, my work schedule, T's visits, J's Honey-Do list, my goals for around the house each week, meal plans, work out goals, etc.. What I really love about this planner is the extra notes pages after each month and the goals page included each month. It's great for a business-minded woman (OR a woman on a mission to get out of debt!). While mine is not personalized on the cover, it does generally come with personalization. I ordered mine on sale when personalization was no longer offered.

• Weekly Spreads Include: Both of our work schedules broken down by time each day, dinner plan, work out plan, pay days, honey-do list, errands to run, and weekly goals for around the house.
  
• Monthly Spreads Include: Pay Days (we get paid on different days of the month), T's visits, big events, J's retreats, our vacations, my call weekends, etc. 

See?! It really does take a village to keep me on track!  Hopefully, this helps provide you with some inspiration on how to utilize multiple planners. My recommendation is to make your smallest planner your go-to on-the-go planner with your larger planners being more flexible to stay at home. If you like my magnetic clips, check out OliClip on etsy. Like the stickers you see?! Check out my instagram (@mrshenleyplans) for vendors or stay tuned for a new weekly blog feature (Coming Soon!): My Favorite Etsy Vendors.

Thanks for stopping by!

Orgainzing Your Planner Stickers

I saw this idea initially on Instagram from someone in the planner community for Erin Condren lovers like myself. I couldn't resist jumping on the bandwagon as my current system of storing planner stickers is to pile them up in a tupperware container. SO not conducive to finding something quickly. I searched high and low online trying to find something that I liked (as I am super lazy and hate shopping/running errands), but had no success. I then ventured out to my local Target and OfficeMax as Staples wasn't an option in my neck of the woods. I have outlined below the products I used, along with where I found them. 

What You Will Need:
Avery 7x9 1" 3-ring binder
Avery 5 1/2x8 1/2 inch Sheet Protectors
Avery 5 1/2x8 1/2 inch business card holders

How to Organize:
1. Separate stickers by vendor. To me, I generally think "Oh I wish I could find these from this shop." So organizing by etsy seller was easiest for me. However, you may choose to organize your stickers by category, what you use them for, etc..

Some labelled & filled page protectors

2. I labeled each page protector with one of my favorite stores. I made sure to write them on the outside portion and made sure to stagger them so I could see the labels a bit easier. Once labelled, I dropped the respective stickers into their protector and popped it into my notebook!

Some Lillie Henry stickers in their page protector.

3. Once my page protectors were filled with the larger sheets of stickers, I moved on to filling the business card holders. I used these for stickers bought in-store (i.e., Target, Michaels, etc.), page flags from target, and some washi samples. If something was a little too long or tall, I trimmed the excess to help it fit a bits better.

My page flag-filled business card holder.

Some stickers and washi samples.

4. Once I had filled all of my business card holders, as well, I created a dash board for my sticky notes on the back part of the binder, using the binder itself. Some of my thicker sticky note pads didn't make "the cut," as they would have made the binder outrageously thick.

My dashboard in my sticker binder! Dreams do come true!

5. My completed project, chock full of planner goodies!!! 

The biggest key to making this work for you is to find and use a system that makes sense to you! Happy planning and organizing! :)

Want more of what you see?? Follow my on instagram: @mrshenleyplans

Making Your Erin Condren LP YOU!

Remember a few months ago, we talked about how to make your ECLP work best for you? Well, I think it's about time we talk about how to make it YOU (not just make it work for you!). I have recently become obsessed with some new stores on Etsy that allow to you change your ECLP and alter it so that it works best for you! I've tried to break things up by categories so that you can find exactly what you're looking for! (Don't see supplies you're looking for below? Check out my initial blog on planner accessories {link above}, too!)

Bookmarks:
1. Personalized Name Bookmark: Want an adorable personalized bookmark? Check out CraftyAliCat on etsy! I ordered mine originally for my A5 Filofax - it's the perfect size for the ECLP. Naturally, you'll need to add a coil clip to make it work in an ECLP (Or be able to create your own removable bookmark [like the covers!]). Ali (shop owner) is so easy to work with, and she truly honors special requests! I love purple, and I am obsessed with glitter. She honored both! How adorable?!

2. Magnetic Bookmarks: I talked about Oliclip in my last planner accessories blog, but I've since found out about the etsy shop craftedvan (check them out on Instagram, too!). They have a wide assortment of characters, foods, etc. I got myself a stethoscope (and a cupcake for a friend!). Love them!

Labels/Event Stickers:
1. Custom Labels: Want some adorable labels for when you have a doctor's appointment? Check out these labels from ObsessedWithCute on etsy!

2. Switching the Daily Labels: Don't like the "Morning/Day/Night" labels on the weekly spread? Check out AlexStudio on etsy for some custom labels to stick over those! Check them out here!

3. Flag Labels: Page flags have become quite popular across the Facebook planner groups I am in. Want some custom flag labels or stickers? Check out some shops on etsy! Don't see what you want? Message the shop owners. Here are some To Do stickers available at HelloAshleyAnn.

• Page flags are also available at Target in the Dollar Spot. Look carefully! Sometimes they get buried. Not all Targets carry the Dollar Spot stationary either, so you may have to check out a few in your local area!
• Planneresque on etsy also sells some adorable check list page flag stickers! 

Decoration Stickers/Accents:
1. Kawaii Style: There's just something so cute and endearing about the kawaii-style stickers that are floating around! I can't get enough - seriously.

• Obsessed with Cute: I love her Bible stickers and purchased some recently. I'm waiting for them to be shipped, but I'm already doing a little happy dance just knowing that there will be some stickers from her shop on their way to me soon!
• WishiWashiLove: Adorable stickers, sticky notes and other planner supplies! I mean, how cute are these bowls and jars? Seriously!

2. Fun Stickers: I am obsessed with adorable stickers that add different flare to my planner! My recent purchase have included stores such as Stickerswashiandmore, lilliehenry, joeydesign, planner pretties by K, and SouthernHaute. All these stores have adorable stickers that add character to my planner in different ways!

My cute mermaid stickers and hot air balloon stickers
from JoeyDesign!

3. In the Store: Many local stores also have supplies that you might be looking for! Check out your local Target, Michael's, Jo Ann's, or AC Moore for craft supplies! If you're lucky, your local Dollar store will have some stickers or washi tape that you can use, as well! I haven't been so lucky!

Washi Tape: I've fallen off of the washi train slightly, to be honest, in my recent obsession of stickers. BUT in the spirit of all things you can use to customize your planner, I have to share my favorite sources for washi tape! ACherryOnTop, Pikwahchan, and SweetSuppliesStore.

Have some other sources for your planner supplies?! Share in the comments!