Lovely Lists Boutique - Coming Soon!

Hello Friend!

     Here is what my Write Brain has called me to create over the past couple weeks.  I decided to start making dashboards shown below because I wanted to have something colorful, completely customizable, reusable, and useful in my planner(s).  The following pictures will give you an idea of what my dashboards are all about.

     Above is a picture of my current Whitney English Day Designer dashboard which also serves as my page marker.  The stationery you see are from several places like Walmart, Target, Joann's, Disneyland, and Michaels.  I honestly had not used or barely used any of these pieces of stationery at all until I put together this dashboard.  I feel like the reason why I do not use some of my stationery is because I either forget about them or because I do not want to waste them.  Crazy, right?  But, because of how aesthetically pleasing this is to me, and because it is reusable, I am now having a great time planning with it.  

     I decided to use a coil clip with this particular dashboard.  However, you really do not need to use one because of its size and firmness.  I got this coil clip from the Erin Condrenwebsite when I ordered my Life Planner last year.  The coil clip comes with a "negative", adhesive-less side which usually gets thrown away.  I found out that this negative side actually fits the coils of both the Day Designer and the Simplified Planner perfectly!  It was definitely a very serendipitous and "A-ha" moment for me when I discovered this.

     Here is the other side of the above dashboard.  As you may know, the Day Designer and the Emily Ley are both daily planners.  I love that fact because I like to have a lot of writing space for my thoughts, lists, etc.  I decided to include a Target brand week at glance on my dashboard as well so that I have the best of both planning worlds.  And yes, do you see those coveted, hard to find page flags?  They are eternally reusable for the foreseeable future as part of my lovely laminated dashboard.  

     Here is a closer look at how the coil clip looks, and yes, I color coordinate my tabs. 

     And finally, here is a smaller double sided dashboard that I put together.  The stationery pieces are from Michaels, Target, Paper Source, and TJMaxx.  I absolutely love blank clock faces, and the one shown above which I purchased for a pretty hefty price ($8 at Paper Source) has been hoarded up until recently because I did not want to waste it.  Did you notice the lime and lemon sticky note?  That was a steal of a deal at TJMaxx for 30 cents.  I have found the Expo Vis a Vis Wet Erase markers to be both easy to write with and the most economical when it comes to writing on anything laminated in general.  I played with the idea of fine tip sharpies and erasing them with alcohol swabs but found that a damp paper towel or rag was easier to find than several packs of the swabs.  I still use the fine tip sharpies from time to time if I want a finer nib to play with or if I want more ink color variety.  

     Well my friend, I thank you for spending time with me today in my little blog abode.  I hope you find my lovely dashboards fun and refreshing.  I look forward to keeping you updated with my online boutique endeavors!

Until Next Write,

Teresa

@untilnextwrite

     

Talking (About) Bubbles

Hello Friend!

     Today is Friday, so I thought I would share with you a special moment I had with my sons this past week.  I work an odd four-tens shift which requires me to work every other weekend with two weekdays off.  Those weekdays are either Tuesday and Wednesday or Thursday and Friday.   Up until recently, either my husband or my Dad would watch the boys while I was at work.  My husband who used to work nights lost a lot of sleep when he watched the boys during the day.  Now that he is back on a day shift schedule, we are thankfully able to have our boys go over to either my Dad's or my sister in law's house while we are both at work.  Long story short, my three year old has yet to be in a day care or preschool environment that encourages social interaction with kids his age.    After an agonizing "I'm a bad Mom" bout of self pity, and after looking at the pricey preschool rates around our area, I suddenly had a thought about what one of my friends did with her daughter in preparation for kindergarten.  

     The Play to Learn Program hosted by the  Tacoma Children's Museum is a free program that is offered to children and their parents.  The program is offered at several different libraries in Pierce County, and the location depends on the day of the week.  Most preschool programs have class for two hours, twice a week.  The Play to Learn Program runs for 90 minutes, Monday through Friday.  Because I have two days off during the week, I will be able to take the boys to class twice a week.  This past Wednesday was our first class together and the boys loved it.  We were the first to arrive so the boys did not have immediate sensory overload other than all the toys and mats that were set out.  As the other families started to trickle in, the boys naturally gravitated towards the other children and it was a lot of fun to see their interaction.  It was by no means a mishap free experience, but for the most part my boys were well behaved and willing to share.

I did not take this picture.  Please click image for original source.

     Towards the end of the class, the teacher started to blow bubbles, and when my three year old saw what she was doing, I just about cried because of how much his eyes lit up.  I looked over at my one year old, and he stood there, not knowing what to think.  The expression on his face was of wonder, a calm and quiet reverence, and then all of a sudden an insatiable need to catch the bubbles.  Even though he was trying to reach out for the little bubbles that were floating around, he did not notice the bubbles that had already landed on his clothing and the two that landed perfectly on top of his head.  I had this feeling that could only be described as a moment of grace; that knowing feeling that you get when you see a life lesson play out in front of your eyes.  Here my boys were, trying to catch the bubbles, sometimes getting frustrated, and sometimes getting overwhelmed by the thrill of the chase.  There was no question that they were having fun, but they also did not even realize that some of those sought after bubbles were on them the entire time.  From this quiet moment of observation came a big reminder to myself that even though it is human nature to want to chase after something, sometimes it is already right there with you.  

     Well friend, I thank you for spending some time with me today.  I hope you have a wonderful weekend.  May we continue to run after the bubbles in our lives yet never overlook the ones that have effortlessly landed upon us.  

Until Next Write,

Teresa

@untilnextwrite

My Orla Kiely Planner Essentials Organizer!

Hello Friend!

     Welcome back to my cozy blog abode!  I am so excited about today's post.  I have officially fallen back in love with my Orla Kiely cosmetic organizer.  I first came across Orla Kiely's lovely line of cosmetic bag products through one of Jennifer Ross' YouTube  Videos.  All of the pockets, zippers, and vibrant colors just had me at hello, so I bought this particular beauty at a local Target for $24.99 last summer.  Since about October or so until just last night, it was hanging on my wall next to my desk collecting knick knacks and goodies that my lovely pen pals sent me, as well as various wooden and clear stamps coupled with different sized acrylic blocks.  While I was revamping my planner regimen last week, I began noticing that I just did not have enough of my planner essentials on hand at any given moment whether I was at work, on the road, or at home.  So from this thought came the rebirth of my long lost planner essential organizer.  Check out my video when you have a few moments (11 minutes and 46 seconds to be exact) and let me know what you think!  By the way, a little birdy on Instagram revealed to me that all Orla Kiely cosmetic bags were 30% off this past weekend.  Just so you know. :)

Here it is, all closed up.

And this is what it looks like opened up!

This is the top mesh zippered pocket.

These are the stickers that are in the pocket.

This is the smaller mesh zippered pocket which holds my sticky tabs.

These are the sticky tabs that fit in the pocket.

This is a look at the cosmetic brushes pocket which I use to store my pens.

This is the little slip pocket behind the pen pocket.

Everything you see in this picture fits in the two previous pockets.

And last but not least, the surprisingly large and very accommodating clear zippered compartment...

which holds all of this!  Fun tip: the plastic holds sticky notes very well.  Although you are probably as much of a fan as I am of the Target sticky notes, let's be honest, they do not stick for stink.  However, the plastic that this compartment is made up of solves that problem.  

     Well friend, I thank you for spending some time with me today.  I hope that you found this post colorful, inspirational, and helpful in your planner and organizing quests.  I look forward to our next little get together soon!

Until Next Write,

Teresa

@untilnextwrite (formally @sentimentalitee)

February's Journal: Today is Super!

Hello Friend!

     Welcome back to my cozy piece of the Blog World!  I have quite a few things I would like to "Show and Tell" with you, namely the rest of the journals I found at the Kinokuniya Bookstore in Seattle last month as well as a recent Target haul I managed to pull off last Thursday with my baby boys.  I am going to start featuring one journal each month that I will focus on finishing by the month's end.  This is almost like a "Book of the Month" challenge, so join me if this is something that sounds interesting to you!  To kick this series off, February's Journal, "Today is Super", is featured in the following video as well as in the pictures shown below.  I have links to all of the journals mentioned in the video information section for your reference.

     The picture shown above is the cover of  my Journal for February.  I really appreciate the primary colors.  I have been very mindful of my overall feelings lately and how my feelings affect those around me.  When I saw how upbeat this journal was, particularly the "Today is Super" title, I felt like this was a great journal to help me stay in a positive frame of mind.  

Inside cover

Page Layout 1

Page Layout 2

Page Layout 3

Page Layout 4

     The four page layouts that are shown above repeat in the same order 23 times with the final page being what is shown below (sticker sheet with Page Layout 1).  As I mentioned in my YouTube video, I am going to write in 4 pages of this journal for each day of February and also for the first couple days of March so that I fill out the entire journal.  

Above is a look at the back inside cover with the book's ISBN.

And finally, this is the back cover of the book.

     Well friend, thank you so much for visiting with me today. Please let me know if there is anything you would like me to feature in my next blog post or YouTube video.   Have a wonderfully Super week!

Until Next Write,

Teresa

@sentimentalitee

     

     

An Awesome Book

Hello Friend!

     Today I came across a very inspiring book that I would like to share with you.  I would like to start with how this book and I crossed paths.  One of my life goals is to be able to do what I love on a regular basis without the confines of a schedule and somehow make a living off of it.  Sounds like Retirement, right?  My job as an Echocardiographer (the technical word for a cardiac sonographer) allows me to assess hearts on a regular basis.  Beating hearts in the best cases, still hearts in the somber cases.  I evaluate anywhere from five to ten hearts per day.  I am certified to do adult exams (as opposed to pediatric exams) so the majority of my patients are elderly. The insight I have gained from my patients over the past 7 years of my profession is an overall sense that life is short.  Whether my patient is a 22 year old with drug and alcohol induced heart failure or a 100 year old with a heart fit for a 22 year old, the same message seems to ring true.  Life is short.  Period.  So in my attempt to recall what I used to love to do as a child and then figure out if I could ever earn a living doing said dream (also another lesson I learned from a 20 year old patient / Rutgers student), I started down the road of rekindling my childhood love for writing and thus leading a creatively driven life.  Granted it all started with my love for planners and all things stationery.  If you take a look at my older posts, you will see how I have taken my planner passion quite seriously over the past several months.  I began establishing snail mail friendships with my lovely pen pals from across the USA and around the world to keep my writing and communication skills up.  I find the writing process very stimulating, and it encourages me to think before I write.  In a world where we have grown accustomed to instant gratification to the point where we expect things to happen for us with the click of a button, I feel as though we forget that dedicated work is what allows our dreams to become reality.  That and a whole lot of meditation, praying, and intentional goal setting.  So, as I was perusing my growing subscription list on YouTube filled with people I find inspiring, intriguing, and just plain interesting, I came across Jennifer Ross' You Tube channel and started to watch her Alt Summit 2015 video which featured Dallas Clayton, the author of An Awesome Book.  Yes, my blog post title is the actual name of his book.  

     Dallas' drawings are so intricately captivating that you would think he goes into a Zen-like state when he illustrates his books.  Who knows, maybe he does.  This book came from his desire to write a story that would teach his son to dream outside of the box.  From that one idea he has grown to become incredibly popular and now does book tours where he reads this book to children all over the United States.  He found a way to be a creative motivational author and he has found a place in my children's library for years to come.  May you and I both find the courage to dream without limitations so that we can in turn show our children that we should not be afraid to be who we are meant to be.  

Happy Reading!

Until Next Write,

Teresa

@sentimentalitee

A Look Inside My Whitney English Day Designer!

Hello Friend!

     Today's post features my white and gold Whitney English Day Designer .  Isn't she a beauty? 

     I am going to be honest, I did not use this planner at all for the month of January.  Let me explain.  I underestimated how overwhelmed I would be at the end of the year with the holidays being back to back with my son's first birthday.  January was basically a blur, and I am now starting the month of February off on the "write foot" by picking up where I left off with my severely late outgoing pen pal letters and my collection (yes, collection) of planners. 

      Now that I have explained why January was a complete planner fail for me, let's move on to what I like about this lovely Day Designer.  What I really enjoy about it is the format; you have an entire day on one page.  The only drawback is that Saturday and Sunday are squeezed onto one page.  That method, also seen in the Emily Ley Simplified Planner, will never really jive with me.  Whitney English does offer a smaller undated version of the Day Designer, so that may be something that I will consider for 2016.  I purchased quite a few planners for this year, and I have every intention of using each of them.  However, this is a "trial and error" year for me, so I will be going into 2016 using only one planner.  Whether it is bound, binder style, or of my own creation is to be determined.  My blog will serve as a great way for me to start the weeding out process, and I hope that you will find inspiration in my content along the way.  

     The following pictures will show you how things have been going for the first couple days of February (actually, the 3rd and 4th to be exact).  I signed up to receive the free Paper Source magazine via snail mail at one of their locations in Seattle's University District.  I was so taken by their vibrant Valentine's Day cards and products that I decided to "fussy cut" all of these cute things and turn them into stickers by using my new Xyron Sticker Maker which I bought at Walmart for $8.  I priced out the replacement adhesive for this fantastic little machine, and so far I have only seen it at Joann Fabrics for $6.99.  I do not see myself needing a replacement any time soon, but I will continue to look out for a cheaper deal and let you know when I find one.  

     Fussy cutting the entire Paper Source magazine was a labor of love, but it was strangely relaxing and very reminiscent of my care free kiddo days in Art class.  I have had my eye on various die cutting machines and the Silhouette Cameo, but for now I will enjoy the process of fussy cutting and visiting my Aunty Lorna's amazing third floor Craft Room in her house.  I may even indulge in a nice pair of Xacto scissors, but other than that, I'm golden.

   Here is a closer look at the Xyron 1.5 inch Sticker Maker.  It fits perfectly in my craft tote that I keep at home.  I even took this little guy to work with me today, and it fit just fine in my purse.  I did have to cut some pieces of paper down even more in order to make them stickers, but that was fine with me since it keeps the stickers small.  The banner you see in the picture below was made from a picture that displayed a stack of available seasonal wrapping paper.  

     The above picture gives you a better look at what the paper looks like after going through the Sticker Maker.  All you have to do is peel the plastic off of the top, and then peel the paper off the white paper like a traditional sticker, and then you have a sticker!  There are a couple things you should know before you purchase one of these little guys.  Try to make a few stickers at a time as opposed to one sticker at a time.  With the way the dispenser is made, if you only make one sticker at a time, you will lose about 1 inch of adhesive before and 1 inch of adhesive after the sticker you make.  If you place the paper close to each other like I did in the picture above, then you get more bang for your buck.  There is permanent adhesive and repositionable adhesive available for purchase as well.  

     The following pictures show where I placed my fun new stickers in my Day Designer.

     I really enjoy the simple monochromatic look of the Day Designer.  I have an Erin Condren Life Planner, and it is very bright and colorful on its own.  I thought that I would stay away from decorating my Day Designer, but I find the process of decorating both a form of relaxation and an overall good practice of intention.  When I take the time to sit with my planner and decorate the day or the week, I find myself thinking more about what I would like to accomplish.  The colors keep me interested and focused, and the "prettiness" encourages me to keep referring back to it throughout the day and after the day is over.  

     If you are interested in a closer look at the inside of the Day Designer and the Emily Ley Simplified Planner, please check out my YouTube  video.  I will be posting videos of both planners separately once I have used them for at least one month.  Happy viewing!

Until Next Write,

Teresa

@sentimentalitee