Inspired by a Beautiful Planner

Hello, sweet friends, I hope you are enjoying 

your week!
I've been very busy lately - babysitting
for my little 6 mos. old grandson two days a week,
(and sometimes on the weekend for either of my grandsons),
trying to get the gardens tended in between the rain showers,
and also doing a bit of spring cleaning and organizing
in between.

Clearly, I need a plan, and like magic,
help has arrived!  

I recently won a beautiful planner 

in a generous give-away from Gina,
who writes one of my favorite blogs,
 With Twigs and Branches!

I was so excited!

The planner came with all these delightful goodies
and a lovely hand-made card from sweet Gina.

There was washi-tape, stickers, lots of printed cards,
stamps, to-do lists, a separate blank journal
and a decal for the front of the planner.

I was immediately inspired!

The planner was divided by month with
blank monthly, weekly and daily organizing pages.

There were pockets on the inside for stashing
notes, and bits of decorative 'scrap',
and slots for notepads and the little journal.

The name of the company that produces this line
is called, 'Carpe Diem' - Seize the Day!
I did a search and found some wonderful inspiration
using this product line, which I posted on my Pinterest
board under 'Planner and Scrapbook Ideas'.
You can find the link on my side-bar.

I've never tried scrapbooking,
but now I am smitten!

The first thing I did was apply the decal to the planner.

Of course I needed a place to keep my new planner,
so I converted my enamel-top farm table
into my planning desk.

My vintage photo holder keeps the pretty card 'scraps' handy.

Aren't they so cute?

I cleaned out the little drawer, lined it with
pretty paper and stashed my new supplies,
along with some things I had on hand.

Then I filled up the pockets and slots in the
binder with all my new pretties.

The blank journal slides under the pocket flap.
The pockets are fun places to hold cute graphics.

Love the 'messy hair...don't care' quote :)

A 'To Do' notepad with binder holes
comes in handy!

It fits perfectly in the top slot.
I had the little flowers on hand
that I saved from some gift wrapping.

Do you save pretty little things, just 'because'?

Sheets of little stickers fit nicely in the flap.
These are used to decorate the calendar pages.

Gina also included a pretty tote!
Weenie Baby approves!

It's the perfect size for sheets of scrapbook paper
ready for snipping.

I had so much fun setting up my little space.

I even made a cushion for my vintage folding chair!

A gal's gotta have a comfy seat when she is
setting down to plan her life!

I simply used a linen dish towel, folded and cut to size,
and sewn on two sides.
I inserted 3 layers of quilt batting......

I then sewed the open side shut and used a button to anchor
the batting on both sides.

I had the dishtowel left over from
 making my banner a few years ago.
The fabric is heavy and substantial, without being bulky.

Kai loves to look through the glass.
(I've pulled the curtain over his pet door
and he waits to come inside :)

Now I have a sweet little space to organize my life!

Whitey Bear rests on his dog bed.

My three little companions always keep me company :)

 When I did my grocery shopping this week,
I stopped at my local craft store (Ben Franklin),
to see if they carried the Carpe Diem line and guess what -
they did! I found these adorable page clips and flags.

I had these blank tags on hand,
and wanted to 'dress them up',
so I brushed on some watercolors......

I then stamped them with my new stamp from Gina.

Ta-da!

Want to see my first decorated pages?

I started with the calendar for May.
I had so much fun......
I put all the page clips on the last page of the planner
to keep them handy.

I can't wait to start my daily and weekly pages!
I will be sure to share them with you regularly.
xoxo
Do any of you keep a planner or a scrapbook?
xoxo
Thank-you, Gina for your wonderful give-away!
I'm having lots of fun with it!

Be sure to visit Gina's sweet blog,
With Twigs and Branches, dear friends.
I know you will love her.

xoxo