Confessions of a Planner Dude

So, about a week go Kelly, from Kelly Eva Designs, sent me some products from her Etsy shop to try out.  She included a total of four planner clips and three pen loops, all in various colors and all incredibly stunning. After a week of testing out the products in my Travelers Notebooks, both in my personal Chic Sparrow and B6 Jaileedori, I can say in all honestly that I love them.  I have nothing bad to say about her products.  They have held up really well with everyday use; and are really great quality. The larger cloth and planner clips were a bit too flashy for my Chic Sparrow, which I use everyday for work; however, since I use my B6 as more of a personal art journal, they worked perfectly in that one.  The pen loops make the perfect addition to both of my TN's!  Needless to say, I will definitely be making a purchase very soon. For pictures of the products in action be sure to check out my Instagram page  @plannerdude_steven ...

Now that July is coming to a close; and One Book July 2017 is coming to an end, I wanted to reflect on my experiences with the challenge and with the planner community as a whole. One Book July 2017 was great a great learning experience for me! I had so much fun challenging myself and trying new things this month. Staying in one book for the entire month wasn't that hard for me seeing as how I pretty much only use one book anyway, but I was able to use the time to try some new things.  I'll admit, I did get lost in the "style" of planning for a bit, but I found my way back to the "substance" and was able to get a grip on what is beneficial for my overall productivity. What did I learn from One Book July 2017?  I'm so glad you asked! First off, I learned Personal sized TN's are my jam!  They have just enough space for what I need to do, without being too big or too small. Secondly, I learned that my personal life isn't as busy as I thought...

So I didn't post a video of my set up for One Book July.  I just did a short blog post about what I was doing, what I was using, and what I hoped to get out of it.  The time has come for my first official Planner Flip Through!  I'm so excited...and nervous at the same time.  This is my first time putting myself out on the Internet like this, so please be nice.  If all goes well, I fully plan on putting out more content like this in the future. This video will explain my set up for One Book July in a little more detail and serve as an update for my initial One Book July  blog post. I hope you enjoy!

A few days ago I received my package from  JaileesPlanning . It was a handmade B6 travelers notebook; and I must say...I love it! Upon opening the package I was met with lovely, thoughtful packaging. The TN itself was wrapped in tissue paper with a shop label on the front. On the inside was a hand written note with a persoanlized envelope. Her travelers notebook are custom made with doubled layered, hand-sewn, faux leather and reinforced spine.  Her Instagram account states that they "won't be perfect, but they are made with love." And indeed they are! I cannot get over how freaking cute it is. I had mine made with a secretarial pocket on the front and back covers and pen loop. She also included extra elastic that can be used as a jump band or replacement elastic for the TN. Overall, I think her description of the travelers notebooks is pretty spot on. The tiny imperfections; and the fact that they are sewn by hand, is what makes these traveler...

Allow me to introduce to you my brand new set up for One Book July 2017!  This is my first year participating so I am very excited.  Technically, I only ever use one planner for everything, but being that this year's theme is #gobigorgohome, I decided I would take the plunge and try a size that I have been wanting to try for a while.  This personal sized Chic Sparrow is everything!  It's a Deluxe Creme Brulee in the Creme leather.  I'm obsessed with the color and smell!  While I absolutely love the texture of it, I discovered that I actually prefer a more structured TN to use as my everyday carry.    In addition to the new size, I decided I would add a few more embellishments than normal, just to see if it was something I could live with.  The popular gold initial decal from Hobby Lobby found its way to the front of my first dashboard; and I absolutely love it!  The ribbon clips; on the other hand, look really nice, ...

Now this isn't just any regular Hobby Lobby haul...it is the haul where I purchased most of what I plan on using for my One Book July set up.  July is also my birthday month, so I wanted to go all out and do something really special.  I plan on pulling out all the stops, taking a trip out of my comfort zone; and creating something that will truly reflect my style and personality.  I'm even switching up my planner size from A6 to Personal! #gobigorgohome The great thing about this trip to Hobby Lobby is that it cost me less than $20.00.  Thankfully the paper pack was 50% off and I had a 40% off coupon.  Who else has the Hobby Lobby app and makes good use of those 40% off coupons on a regular basis?  I plan on using the paper pack to make all my dashboards and insert covers.  I love that the patterns are foiled, but still look very clean and conservative. This would be my first time using planner clips with ribbon and adding embellishmen...