Hello, everyone!
It’s Donna here and I am very happy and excited to be sharing once again projects that hopefully will inspire you to create. You may all know me as a scrapbooker but this time, I will also share my latest “addiction”, PLANNERS.
My Prima Planner “Breathe”
First and foremost, I’d like to say that I am a beginner in terms of decorative planning. Although I’ve been using a couple of planners since May 2016, I still consider myself a novice, decorating planner-wise. So, I am hoping you’d take this journey with me as we all learn along the way. I will do my best to share not just how I decorate my planner/spreads but how to maximize and fully utilize it as well.
So, you want a planner. How do you go about it?
1. Decide which one or what type of planner you want and/or need. And what size.
I have to admit that I had a hard time deciding which one and what type of planner to buy. Simply because I want them all! But of course, I have to be reasonable so after a lot of thinking, I decided to get a ring-binder one. My first planner was a personal size but later realized I needed a bigger one so I got myself an A5-sized ring-binder too. I alternate between these two but mostly use my A5. This Prima planner is my 4th, actually. The 3rd one is another A5 but I don’t/never use it.
Pretty Paper Studio offers options from different manufacturers so you can choose which one suits you best.
2. Gather materials and tools you need to “decorate” your planner and spreads.
This is another option you can only answer yourself. From what I’ve seen, there are many types of planner people. Just like scrapbooking, there are those who do C & S (clean and simple), Shabby-chic or vintage type, there are also those who does mixed media on their planners or journals (the latter is another matter of discussion. I told you there are TONS of options out there). I am in-between C &S and chic because I like to add flowers and/or bright, pastel colors especially pink so that makes it chic in my dictionary.
3. Use your planner and use it well.
This part is a very long process. If you’re like me, after owning your first planner you’d see other options/designs and you’d go “ga-ga” over them. “Planner peace”, as they call it, is being contented with your current planner system. Me? So far I learned or should I say, psyched myself to be contented with my planners…for now. Because I am also thinking of trying out a TN or Traveler’s Notebook. Now, in terms of adding embellishments and what-not, it’s another story. Just like scrapbooking, one can never have enough flowers or embellishments.
Here are some photos to show you how I decorated my “Breathe” Prima planner… which is GORGEOUS. The rose gold hardware is amazing, I love it!
I have yet to learn how to add those little bits in photos we all drool over IG or Facebook and other social media. But realistically, this is how my planner pockets look like.
The 3 paper clips shown here were all DIY and hopefully, I can show you how to make one in my future post.
One of the many things I like with my new Prima planner is this plastic zipper bag. Mainly for my DT commitments, I use this plastic holder to store photos I printed for my scrapbook pages/projects. I just covered it with patterned paper to hide the photos inside (it’s actually also inside the bag).
You can easily add sticky notes and stamps to your planner either by using the plastic dashboard provided or tucking them in the pockets. Or by doing the same I did here. Snip some slits to all the holes of the clear acetate holding the sticky notes. This way, you won’t need to open and close the rings minimizing/preventing gaps.
Here are the sticky notes, washi tapes and other embellishments in action.
This is one of the pages in the planner. You can start each month with a vision of what you want to accomplish. I used a free printable by Prima too.
I prefer using the Sakura Micron pens to write on my planners
Next is my second week of January spread.
Sometimes I write things down first before adding decorations and sometimes I do it the other way around. It’s all up to your preference.
Prima also made these cute and very useful list pads. One pack contains 4 designs – Meal plans, Market list, Note to self and Today note pages. I really like this idea because instead of adding another tab for meals/recipes, what to buy, etc., I can simply add these to each weekly spread keeping it one place, making it more organized in my opinion.
Use one of the magnetic pagemarkers to close the list pages
here is my attempt at coloring the January divider. Excuse my poor coloring skill (and notice the little hand trying to snatch the watercolors away). I tried to salvage this after taking pictures so now it’s more color-coordinated.
That’s all from me today and I hope you learned something from today’s post. I will be back soon for more planner ideas.
Thank you for dropping by and happy crafting!
