Journals and Planners and Notebooks, OH MY!

PLANNING A JOURNAL or JOURNALING A PLAN
Part 1 of 3

 What do you call your holder of words and lists, needs and wants, dreams and goals, your innermost thoughts and your art and your doodles?  The names used are as numerous as the subjects they contain.  For example:  Planner, Journal, Notebook, Diary, Agenda, Organizer, Filofax, Calendar, Junk Journal, Art Journal, Mixed Media Art Journal . . .  even Smash Book.  I know there are plenty more! 

They are very important to a lot of us and to some, well, not so much.  I personally don't know how those people function, but apparently they manage . . . or do they? ;) 

I've been struggling with getting, finding or making the "perfect" planner, 4-EVAH!  I've got a serious case of DIY SYNDROME!   (shhhhhhh . . . not so loud!) I've had it my whole life, and yep, it really gets in my way sometimes!
 
I've got a really cool, vintage briefcase that has an accordion file folder built right into the lid of the case!  Brilliant, eh?  Except that now it is chock, flippin' full!  It's full of lists and notes and ideas and plans and drawings and more ideas! About 6 years worth!  I've been going through it lately and realized that if I don't DO something about this not being able to commit to a planner, it will affect my business in untold crappy ways!  I can't run a biz with a case full of notes and lists and half-baked stabs at organization . . . I don't care how cute that Vintage briefcase may be!   

That's why I call mine, a planner.  Mostly because I've been planning on getting, finding or making one 4-EVAH!  (I know I said 4-EVAH 2x, 3 now . . . I'm that serious!)  I've sketched planners, copied planners, drawn planners and researched the crap out of planners.  

 I lugged all those papers with me to my sister Carol's house last month, and for 4 weeks I planned to finally figure out my planner.  And I planned and researched and thought about it and sketched and came back home without a planner.  :(  I've been home 4 weeks now, did the same old, tired routine again and still . . . yep that's right, NO PLANNER!  I mean, come on already, how hard can it be??

I've finally admitted to myself, that there is no perfect planner out there . . . for me.  I have the outside of my "perfect planner" perfected perfectly for me.  Full of fabric, elastic & chipboard, stitching & binder rings!   And I have the insides, such as the tabs & dividers, pockets & post-its, pen-holders & labels and lots of pretty and clever embellishments & ephemera.  Oh, and WASHI TAPE!  You can't even come to my planner party without some washi tape! :)

 

It's the words, the actual pages that are supposed to tell me what to do and how to stay organized that elude me.  One came so close, and another couple are in the wings  (I'll share about these in part 2 or 3)

My sweet friend, Kris, from With a K Writing Services and a very cute, helpful and oh.so.readable blog called Keyboards and Kickstands . . . spoke to some of my feelings so eloquently.  

She said: 

"I'm very particular about how I use my notebooks. Words are my living, and I need to feel free and at home with the page before I drop them on it.

I found a great notebook a while ago that I really loved using and bought a dozen of them...before they were discontinued.

Now I'm designing pages that I can print on good paper and use the way I want to. I'd love to learn how to bind my pages and make them adorable and useful, so I can trust them with my words"

I want to love my planner and I want my planner to love me back.  I want to have a full on, always holding hands, love affair with my planner!  I want to party like it's 1999 with my planner!  I need it to 'GET' me.   I am almost there . . . for reals this time.  (to be continued . . .)

Stay tuned for Part 2 on Wednesday, December 24th.  Enjoy the photos and go all the way to the end of the post to find out who this week's giveaway winner is!

 

Whew!  You made it!  Enough chatting.  This week's winner is:

SOCORRO "COCO" ALANIZ

Congratulations Coco!

Please email me with your address and I will pop your VINTAGE BOOK PAGE BUNDLE in the mail!  I really hope you like it, Coco!

THANKS EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU FOR THE LOVELY COMMENTS HERE, ON FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM AND PINTEREST!

Tomorrow is the last giveaway for 2014!  It's going to be a doozy and I've not quite completed putting it together.  I will announce it tomorrow and get some photos up for you too!  Get a head start for the giveaway and comment now, while you are still thinking of me and are in love with the pretty pictures! :)  Same rules.  1 comment = 1 entry, 2 comments = 2 entries, etc. ANY blog post you want.  You should check out some of the older ones, some are pretty funny!  See you Wednesday!

Craft Happy!

 

xoxoxo