How I Use My Happy Planner

Last year I jumped on the planner bandwagon.My sister-in-law loves hers and it looked really cute! My mom always had one to keep track of all of our school stuff, sports, and activities. She called it her "brain" which made it funny when it got lost and she was looking for her "brain." :)

My wall calendar wasn't cutting it and I was having a hard time remembering everything. Something had to change so I picked up a Happy Planner at Michaels (mostly because it looked cute).

I started out having no idea what to do with all of those boxes! I consulted my sister-in-law, the planner expert, and she gave me some ideas. One of her best suggestions was finding free planner sticker printables on Pinterest. (Of course now I have a whole board of them HERE.)  I print them on adhesive paper and cut them out with scissors. I was worried it would use up all of my ink, but my ink cartridge lasted a really long time, so it wasn't as bad as I thought.

As the year went on I gradually started to try new things and find ways to make the planner more useful to me.

That also changed depending on what life looked like at the time. Sometimes I used boxes to write out to do lists and sometimes I listed my accomplishments for the day (when it felt and looked like nothing was getting done). Sometimes I used planner boxes to write down little things that I wanted to remember and sometimes I used them as a gratitude journal, recording things that I am thankful for. Sometimes they recorded milestones, and sometimes I just added decoration because I felt like it.  

I got some adhesive pockets on clearance at Michaels and they are pretty nice for storing appointment cards, extra stickers, or little things I need to save.

I previously used a calendar to keep track of meal planning, but I incorporated that into my planner, too. It is handy to have everything in one place. I also kept track  of my decluttering progress with a post it note in the cover. So, after one full year of using my planner I think I am finally starting to get the hang of it. I like to use the top row to show what we have planned for the day- appointments, practices, birthdays, etc. In the middle row I write my to do lists or anything that I may want to remember. In the bottom row I write out our meal plan for the week.  In the side column I write out my major goals for the week. Besides the printable stickers, I like to keep some washi tape, coordinating pens, and a pair of scissors in a little jar on my desk. (The kids are always swiping the scissors, though!) The washi tape is handing for dividing boxes, sectioning off certain days (like a weekend for wrestling tournaments), or making the boxes smaller in case my printable stickers are not the correct size. I like to alternate the pen color that I use because it helps things stand out a little better for me to visualize and remember. (I used that trick for taking notes in college.)

I also learned that it is a good idea to grab your new planner as soon as the store starts carrying the new line for the following year. They got really picked out and it took me 3 or 4 trips to Michaels to finally find mine. (It was like it magically appeared! It was NOT there before!) I really love the color scheme of this one, so I plan on trying to match my stickers as much as possible. (Although, I might get tired of it and change it up later- we'll see!)

I also decided to try putting my craft-related stuff in a Mini Happy Planner. I hope it isn't a pain having two planners, but I felt the need to compartmentalize. Does that make sense? The layout is a little different. I am officially hooked on this whole planner thing!

Do you have a planner? Do you have any tips or preferences? I am always looking for new ideas!

Washi Tape Tips

Hello! I am sad to say that it is the last day of washi week, but we do have a great topic: washi tape tips! Today you will read about the key tips to buying and using washi tape. To buy washi tape, you need to know where to buy it. I highly recommend Michaels craft stores.  They have a wide variety of washi tape. Depending on how much you want, there are many different sized packs. Some come in packs of 2 or 3. They cost about $4-5. You can buy smaller tubes of 8 or 9, which are about $15, or large tubes with 12 to 15 for about $20. When I buy, I almost always use a coupon or wait for a sale,  and sometimes there are dispensers that come with three or so rolls: don't buy it! It was so cheesy! It broke within a couple of days.

As I said before, there are may places where you should buy and should not buy. Michael's and Joann's both have a good selection, but Walmart doesn't. Although, all three have good quality stuff. They are places I recommend buying. Now the Dollar Tree washi tape is awful stuff. It doesn't stick and it is really thick so I DO NOT advise buying from there. Also, be careful and check how many ft/yards is on a roll otherwise they might not be worth it (standard is 10 yards). If you go to Target, some times they have little rolls in the "Dollar Spot" for $1.00 but if you are there at the right time you can get them on clearance as cheap as 30 cents! To me that's worth it, and we end up getting A LOT.

As for using washi tape, you don't have to get it perfect the first time. Depending on what you are using it on, it can be reusable. It stays sticky for quite a while. You don't have to be afraid to use it on walls, it doesn't peel paint or leave a residue.

So there, those are some tips on buying and using washi tape. I hope this was helpful! Thanks for reading!

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If you didn't, be sure to read the others HERE!

Washi Tape Organization

My daughter has decided that she hates blogging today, so I am going to finish the post for her. It is all about getting organized with washi tape.

Washi tape can help to get things organized in a fun, cute way. My mom made her own tabs in journals to create sections by folding a little washi tape on the edge of the page.

My mom also uses washi tape in her planner, and I use it on my calendar to mark important dates.

My sisters and I also used washi tape to mark the phone/tablet chargers so that we know whose is whose. Charger theft is a very serious crime in our house.

I have my own little "classroom" and the freezer door is the dry erase board. Many real teachers also use washi tape to create sections on blackboards or dry erase boards.

I also made a bunch of washi tape clothespin magnets. If you have washi tape that is about the same size as the clothespins it doesn't get any easier than this! Just put a strip of washi tape on the front and an adhesive magnet or two on the back.

I also made these organizers out of one of my shotgun shell boxes. The animal print is actually duct tape, though.

Thanks for taking your time to read this post!

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You can see all of the Washi Week 2017 posts HERE.

Washi Tape Fun

(Washi Week 2017 is a blog series by Halley, my 13yo daughter.) Hello there! Welcome to day three of washi week, and today's topic, washi tape fun!  I apologize that this is a day late a storm knocked out our internet:( There are so many fun things to do with washi tape. It doesn't have to serve a purpose. As long as it's cute, it is worth making!

These are American Girl doll-sized folders and textbooks. The washi tape not only holds them together, but it makes them cuter, too!

A better view of the insides...

For Operation Christmas Child last year we made play scenes out of Altoid tins. The washi tape just made the outside cuter. You can read more about them HERE.

Here are some scrap-booked picture frames that only need a little strip of washi tape make them look cute. Tapes with phrases on them are my favorite to use for things like this. (See more frames HERE.)

The star box below was taken from my mom and washi taped with a set of washi tape I had bought.

As you can see, my sisters ruined it by drawing all over the top of it.

There are so many different thing to do with washi tape, these are just a few. So here is a list of some more ideas I have tried:

• Washi tape popsicle stick bracelets
• Washi tape covered staplers
• Washi tape on pencil sharpeners
• Hanging things (walls, lockers, etc.)
• Sealing notes
• Covering books

There are plenty more, but these are the ones I can think of off the top of my head.

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Thanks for reading my post, I hope you liked it. Be sure to stay tuned for tomorrow and if you haven't already, please read the previous posts from this week. You can find them all HERE:

Washi Tape School Supplies

Hello! It's me again. I'm back for day two of Washi Week, and today's topic is school supplies! So, whether it's pencils, notebooks, binder clips, scissors, or just a strip along a binder, it's bound to be cute with washi tape on it. (If you haven't read yesterday's, you can click HERE to read it.)

Here are some of the pencils I made. They look cute, don't they?! All I did was use a strip (or a few depending on the width of the tape and the pencil) and cut it to the length needed. As you can see, I didn't really do a good job at that. Also, when sharpening, an electric sharpener is what I recommend using.

Here is another shot of the pencils...

Here are some journals my mother made for a local MOPS meeting craft. She bought a scrapbook paper pad to use on the covers and she made little cut-outs and stamps to customize it. I like how the washi tape really stands out on the and the little sayings are really perfect for this.

This picture gives you a good look at the back of the notebooks.

To do the notebook activity, mom decided to mark her scissors so she wouldn't get them confused with other people's scissors. Even something so simple as this helps keep a classroom organized.

Even a small amount of washi tape can make regular binder clips a cute classroom accessory. I just used one strip and wrapped it along the top. Smaller prints will work better, that way you get to see more of it. The middle clip has a big floral print, you can only see like half of the the tape's pattern.

Thanks again for reading one of my posts. More creative crafts are on the way for the rest of Washi Week, so stay tuned!

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(If you haven't read yesterday's, you can click HERE to read it.)

Washi Tape Cards

Hi! I'm Halley, and I'm here for Washi Week. Since I know many people have absolutely no idea what washi tape is, let me explain: washi tape is decorative paper tape that comes in SO many different sizes and prints, and you can do just about anything with it. I am basically the expert of washi tape in the family. I can't tell you how much I love this stuff. I may or may not have an obsession :) My parents (mostly my dad) say I have a real problem. I started with only 2 rolls from last Easter, and now I have  A LOT! I counted 79 this morning but I know I am missing at least 15. Anyway, I am super excited to tell you about my best Washi creations, and we're going to start the week off with my favorite... CARDS! The thing I love about making cards is there is so many things you can do with them and so many occasions you can make them for! Christmas, birthdays, weddings, thank you cards, or even just random cards to give to friends (those are my favorite!). Just like my amazing mom, I love Pinterest!!! Many of my cards are Pinterest-inspired.

With this card the sparkly card stock background gives a "happy" look to it, perfect for a birthday card.

I love this card! It was made for my sister who was going to be starting kindergarten, and she needed to get pumped up about it. What better way then using a card!?! All I did was cut a paper bag to size and glued it on. Then, using thin washi tape, I ripped off pieces to look like pencils then drew the tips So simple, yet so cute!

This card was my first, but I don't like it because I can't decide which way to hold it!

A lot of times when I buy my washi tape, they come in matching sets of two or three. Below are some of the tapes I matched together and and used on the cards. Some of them don't have their "caption boxes" yet, but usually if it's a taped background, I use a solid colored circle to surround the caption box, and if it's a solid background I include one of the tapes on the card to surround it.

And Some More Cards...

I made these cards just recently using cards that I bought and, some metallic washi tape to really set them off.

If the card isn't cute enough already you can add something simple and adorable to spice things up. All you have to do is border the envelope with one of the washi tapes used on the card. You can even add a strip on the front of the envelope to add a little extra cuteness to it. It just makes people more excited to get it in the mail!

Thanks so much for reading my post. I hope you liked it! Be sure to stay tuned for the rest of Washi Week!

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