NEXT WEEK'S PAINT SPLATTER LAYOUT

I particularly love this upcoming week's layout. It took me around 10mins to do and I'm ecstatic about the outcome.

The tools used in this spread included:
1- Versamagic inks - these are great for thin papers as the ink doesn't show or bleed through
2- Kaisercraft sticker sheet for the cute little books
3- Paint splatter washi tape from washitapeaustralia

Three tools to create a perfect little spread in minutes. What more can someone ask for?

FILOFAX ORIGINAL PATENT BLACK REVIEW

Oh it has been a while, hasn't it? Filofaxshop had a sale recently and apart from their usual ones which are always on sale, they added this shiny black Original too. So despite the fact that I probably could have survived without it, for the price, I thought: why not. I can always sell it. But before that, there will always be the usual walk through of pictures and little thoughts on it.

Personal Black Patent Original

The Originals have more or less been a love or hate collection. Love the simplicity, but hate the pockets. But I think I've grown to love the Originals (although I barely use them!). I love that they're made from a full thick piece of leather, and the colours they come in. I currently own just one other (Personal Yellow Original), but have owned both A5 and Personal sizes in Green, Nude, Orange, Red, and Aqua. They've all found better, more lovable homes (I think), but I can never seem to part with my yellow (because yknow, it's rare and it is such a lovely bright colour!). This black might just be passing through my household too

But anyway, here are the pictures of the sleek little fellow:

Inside

The Original Seal

Right (back) Pockets

The first thing I thought of when I took it out from it's plastic is: it's shiny. Heat fingerprints are present when you hold it, and this may actually annoy some people, and I've found myself wiping away my fingerprints after every hold, but oh my, it is just so sleek! I guess some people might not mind the fingerprints, and I really don't mind them, but I guess it's something not quite preferable.

The inside pockets on the left (front) cover are the usual full length vertical pocket, two slits for cards and the elastic to hold... whatever fits. The right holds a slit for a slim notebook and a full length vertical pocket like the left (front) cover.

The rings were great, and it came with a 2015 diary, pouch and ruler like they all do.

Overall thoughts: I love it, probably won't use, has an annoying talent with withholding fingerprints, but its sleekness conquers all.

Original Yellow and Original Black

Till the next review (whenever that might be!)

STUDIO CALICO EVERYDAY TRAVELER SNEAKS

I've been working on my SC Traveler assignment for a few days and it's been really fun trying out different things and utilising different ideas to form a page. I've still yet to find my definite 'style' but I'm loving the process along the way. In the mean time, here are some sneaks to the pages I've been working on:

I haven't yet decided which spreads I would like to share in the upcoming Studio Calico class (read about it here!), so till then, all my spreads will be just sneaks ;)

GET MESSY ART JOURNAL CHALLENGE

I recently signed up for a little challenge called the 'Get Messy' Art Journal Challenge. It's run by Caylee Grey and Lauren Hooper with contributors by some of the most talented ladies. This month is all about simplicity and going out of my comfort zone. I know for a fact that although the beginning 2 weeks of June will be relatively free, the second two weeks will be full of other commitments such as work and assignments. So in order to keep my creative mojo up, I've decided to do this challenge along with my own called the #3toolschallenge. Here, I have to use just 3 tools to complete a page. This can include washi, patterned paper, stamps, paint chips etc. It's so I don't get overwhelmed with ideas and end up not producing anything at all. I think it's a healthy way to challenge yourself, yet utilise what you have.

So this is my first page of the challenge:

The first Get Messy journal prompt is about adventure and my recent trip to Geelong was more than suitable for that. Everything in the picture is homemade and easily available. The list of tools used included:

1- Blue paint chips - available from any hardware store
2- Canon Selphy CP910 - it really does print amazzing quality pictures for the price!
3- Micron 005 pen - for the lines and writing
4- Transform Your Life sticker from Kaisercraft
5- Patterned paper from Kaisercraft

Ok, so maybe I didn't use just 3 tools, but I'm willing to omit the Canon Selphy and pen as a 'tool' as they're basically necessary in every page...

I love the emptiness and simplicity of the page. Don't get me wrong, I still love compacting my pages to the brim, but I guess it's nice to embrace the space too.

LAST WEEK'S FLORAL LAYOUT

Last week was my last week of uni, so I managed to go all out with my Filofax layout knowing that my schedule would be fairly light.

Last week's layout in my Personal Ochre Malden

And a few close-up shots:

Here are some of the items I used in the layout:
1- Birds: Kaisercraft rub-ons
2- Washi tape: Washi Tape Australia
3- Project Life card
4- Stickers: Kaisercraft and Typo

Floral washi tape and Typo stickers!

The lovely floral washi tapes are from Washi Tape Australia. Their rolls are only AUS$2 each and they offer FREE shipping for 10 rolls or more in Australia. They do ship worldwide too, so do check them out! Also, I'm not too sure when the code runs out, but put in TEDDI15 and you'll also get 10% off your order. Pretty sweet if you ask me!

STUDIO CALICO 'EVERYDAY TRAVELER'

I was approached a few days ago by the lovely Kelly Noel from Studio Calico to contribute for an exciting new upcoming class called 'Everyday Traveler'. The class has opened for registration and will be taught by the crazy talented Sam (@happiscrappie) with contributions from a range of other amazing ladies including Amy Tan! The class will begin on the 6th of July and every registered used will receive a FREE stamp set from Hello Forever (@helloforeverpaperco)!

All you have to do is head down over to the Studio Calico website, register into the Everyday Traveler class and Sam will teach you how to record your daily journey using your Traveler's Notebook, whether it be Midori or a fauxdori!

Everyday Traveler is enrolling now through June 30th at 11:59pm EST! Go go register! I'll see you there!

MIDORI PAGES #1

Going to start a trail of completed pages in my Midori which will hopefully spring some ideas into others. Today I did this coffee layout using the bare minimum materials:

Midori Page

The background was made with actual coffee. All you need is your cup of coffee, make sure the edges of the cup is coated with spilled coffee then stamp it onto your pages. Do make sure that your paper will be able to hold up to wet mediums though. I'm using the official Midori plan refill and I know that it can take wet medium to some degree. Just make sure you don't flood your paper as it will end up showing through at the back!

So here's a list of items used:

1- Versafine onyx black unload

2- Sweet Stamp Shop Coffee stamps

3- Canon Selphy CP910 (for the photo)

4- Coffee and your coffee cup

5- Aged book paper (in my case, it was an aged music sheet)

There really is an abundant of ways to do this layout and nothing is of course, set in stone. I like to use whatever I have around the house and edit as I go. The main aim is to always have fun and experiment!

MAKING A MIDORI FELT INSERT

Today I attempted to make a Midori insert for cards and miscellaneous items from felt material. It wasn't hard and once you got the measurements right and cut to perfection using a rotary cutter, the sewing part was a breeze. Or so I thought. This was the end product:

Handmade Midori Felt Insert!

It doesn't look bad, and it really wasn't that hard... except for the fact that I kept getting the strings tangled up creating this massive blob of knotted strings at the back of the material (oops). But if you weigh up the costs to what you might find on etsy etc. going handmade maybe isn't so bad.. especially if you're trying it out for the first time, and aren't too sure if a professionally made item is right for you.

Here's a list of the materials I used, from where I purchased and the total costs:
1- Navy blue felt from Lincraft x 2 - $0.98
2- Scissors
3- Sewing machine

Seeing that I already had the last two items at home (and I'm sure you would too), the total cost of this project was less than $2. Pretty cheap if you asked me. And if things don't work out, I won't even feel bad for leaving it in a corner to collect dust. Hah

BLOG LAYOUT REVAMPING

Just a little update: as you can see, I've been doing a little revamping of my blog layout. Going to try for a clean and simple layout this time, and hopefully, it'll give me more incentive to flood my posts with pictures to compensate. Starting with:

I've been trying to mix crafting with food lately, trying to get into grips with using my camera (mostly that provided on an iPhone 6), and trying to make the most of editing softwares. I'm hoping for a more diverse blog too, so ways to edit your photos, programs I use, etc would start to flow into here in the future. Besides, now that I'm almost a year and a half into planning, the planner craze has died down a little for me and now I'm using it purely for what it is meant to be used for: planning. I've taken more of a liking to my Midori due to its versatility and leather goodness (and its photogenic properties, of course), so you'll definitely see more of that to come.

Times are changing friends, and hopefully that'll be a good thing for you, me and this blog!

WEEKEND INSPIRATION

I was meant to post this a while ago for the #listersgottalist challenge but time got the better of me. But I guess better late than never, no?

Friday: My Phobias

As I was rushed for time, needing to help mum in the kitchen and needing to study for upcoming exams, I decided to do a simple layout for day 10, using scrap paper I had lying around for it all. The resources used in this layout included:

1- Flower: Maggie Holmes Open Book Ephemera
2- Project Life cards: Maggie Holmes
3- Newspaper print: Pebbles Happy Day paper pad
4- Dotted washi
5- Brown number paper: Kaisercraft
6- Black paper

Done!


Saturday: Best Things about Being a Kid

Confession: I actually already had this page pre-made from a previous 'art journal' but was left unused. So since I was rushed for time, I decided to reuse it and it worked perfectly for this prompt! Items used in this layout included:

1- Scrapbook paper: unknown - I've been hoarding these for years
2- World Globe & Paint palette sticker: unknown - it came in a pack with the scrapbook papers
3- Ruled paper sticky note: Little B from Officeworks
4- Black and white striped washi
5- Ruler: Kaisercraft paper pad
6- 'Bam!' sticky note: Typo
7- Vintage brown clip; MT washi tape
8- Timetable (top right: my actual uni timetable for a little added personalisation. Hee

Hope this has given some inspiration to you lovelies out there!

THIS WEEK'S KRAFTY LAYOUT

I'm back to being busy as a bee with my final exams coming up, but I took a little break in between and drew up this lovely simple kraft layout made with washi tape and kraft set stickers. A full list of items used are listed below the picture:

1- 'Vintage film roll' washi: Kaisercraft
2- Crosses (+) washi: Kmart Australia
3- Kraft speech bubble stickers: Typo
4- Bicycle picture: Type
5- Owl sticker: Typo

Clean and simple, yet productive.
Brilliant

MY PLANNERS FOR 2015: UPDATE

So now that we're almost half way through the year (I can't believe it either), I decided to write a little update post on what has changed (a lot), and what I still use from the initial list I posted here:

What I'm Using Currently:
1- Ochre Malden Personal Planner:
As autumn has arrived in Australia and the days are getting colder, I decided to swap from my Kikki K Dark Mint (which served me well), to my old love. And honestly, I've found myself staring at it during periods of studying, just admiring its simple beauty. And smelling it too, because I'm weird that way. It currently only holds the necessities so the smaller rings (compared to the 30mm Kikki K rings) don't explode. This includes my monthly & weekly diary, personal notes, bf notes and expenses. I'm currently using the plain cardboard 5 tabbed divider I got from Muji in Singapore and I love the minimal setup

2- Midori Traveler's Notebook: Brown & Blue:
This is currently my notebook - which I swap between the blue and brown Midori because I can't decide which to use (they're both just so lovely in their own way!). This can hold anything from shopping lists to doodles to ... anything that jumps to mind, really.

3- Midori Traveler's Notebook: Black:
This is my journal, of sort. I use the Midori 2015 week on a page refill to quickly document my day, as let's be honest, my life's too dull for a full page diary. Hah.

4- Kikki K Sentence a Day:
Yes, I still use this! It's simple to keep up with as it only requires a sentence a day (thus the name), so I'm loving it and is still up to date! Yay!

5- Kikki K Large Cute 215 Diary
I bought this in Singapore when I went back in February and instead of leaving it empty (as it's just so darn pretty!), I decided to use it to document my BF. The Aldi daily diary was great, but as it was plain, needed daily decorations, and I wasn't really writing much, I decided to give the Kikki K diary a chance, and so far, I'm loving it. I have just enough space to write what I need, and the weekly decorations keep it cute as ever with no extra work. Hurrah!

6- Moleskine Extra Large Plain Softcover Notebook
My drawing book, for now. As I intend to use regular pencil mostly and as I'm going for a 'messy' approach, the thin pages and the fact that it can bend 360 degrees, works for me.

7- Hobonichi A5 Diary:
I was using this studiously in the beginning of the year as a planner for uni but slacked off halfway through and ended up with a tonne of blank pages *cringe*. So I decided to utilise it again once I started writing notes to study for my upcoming exams and has thus been revived!

What Has Been Discarded:
1- Hobonichi A6 Diary:
Yup, it unfortunately has been set back to my shelf and no longer loved. I might bring it out in the future to take part in listing challenges such as the #listersgottalist challenge I currently am taking part in, but it has taken the backseat for now.

2- Aldi Daily Diary:
As mentioned before, this has been put aside to make way for the Kikki K Large Weekly diary

3- Pinetti Pocket Notebook:
Been long discarded for my regular sized blue / brown Midori. As much as I liked the portability, it was too small for my needs, and I somehow tend to always go back to my Midori...

So there you go! I thought I discarded more than that, but I'm glad I didn't!

LETTERS IN NOVEMBER REVAMP

So I know I've been slacking on my posts recently, and trust me, I do feel bad for leaving my lovely readers out in the cold, so instead of continuously writing planner reviews (which I must admit, have been declining as I have started to control myself over my planner purchases), I've decided to incorporate other arty farty aspects of my daily life as well.

For starters, if you follow me on Instagram (which I update every one or two days), you'll know that I've been taking part in the #ListersGottaList challenge by the lovely ResetGirl (@theresetgirl, check her out!). So in order to keep this blog alive, I'll post some of my entries on here to keep you guys up to date with what I've been doing and to allow those that doesn't have an instagram account, to view and read about it here. I'll even throw in some details of the entry that won't be posted up on Instagram (because really, ain't nobody got time to read a full entry post on IG).

But before I start on that, here's a few snapshots to get the ball rolling. These are a few of the things I've been working on recently (apart from my assignments and studies, ie):

1- The #ListersGottaList challenge from Day 8 and 9:

Day 8 & 9 #ListersGottaLIst challenge!

If you've been following me on Instagram, you'll notice that I tend to go all scrapbook-y for all my layouts. Trust me, I've tried to tone it down a little and keep it as simple as possible, but whenever I try, I think to myself: "ooh, that looks like something that should be included, and that too, and this and definitely that", and well, yknow... So these two days was an attempt to keep it 'simple'. Day 8 was to document your favourite washis, and so... I ended up covering the whole page... and Day 9 was to write down your past and present favourite expressions. I used Typo kraft speech bubble stickers which came in handy for the phrases, washi to give it some colour, and ephemera I cut from a Project Life card. Simple.

2- The Blue MTN:

The Blue MTN

Brown, Blue and Black Midori TN - love!

I received this gorgeous limited edition Blue MTN yesterday after waiting a month or so for it, and it is absolutely lovely! I managed to get it on preorder from Bookbinders Online, with the accessories coming next week.

3- Drawing Days:

Fox Studies (& my lovely MTNs)!

It always seems as though that whenever exams are around the corner, I find myself doing things I tend to slack off when I'm free; drawing being one of them. I've recently been fascinated with wolves, foxes and the 4 legged loves, and so decided to draw them. I must say, I'm rusty, but once I get into it and know the anatomy of these lovely thangs, it does get better. So there you go people, practice practice practice! And just so you know, all I'm using is a pencil and a Large Plain Notebook from Moleskine. Nothing special!

Anyway, I can't really write lengthy posts currently as I need to study for my final exams for the semester (and my degree!), so till next time!

Study Planner Review

So a little something different today:

I was given the privilege to test a little study planner by Cool Pencil Case out this week and I must say, I am quite impressed. Here's how the planner looks like:

Study Planner!

On the inside, however, is where the magic happens. The planner begins with this title page already exploding in colour:

Inside

Then comes a timetable to remind you of the classes you ought not to miss (but still do):

Timetable

There is a school term plan on the next page, which isn't pictured as well. Next comes some weekend (and secret time) clock scheduling, which I must admit, is pretty darn cool:

Weekend Scheduling

Thereafter comes the weekly scheduling:

Weekly view

There is an undated month-on-two page view before every weekly planning, too, but isn't imaged. The weekly goes over 4 pages, and reminds me of the Erin Condren layout. It's highly decorated and varies in colour and pattern for each month. Unfortunately, the planner only accommodates 6 months worth of planning...

Monthly Appraisals

At the end of the month, there are monthly appraisals allowing to reflect on what you've done well and all the things you need to improve on.

At the end of the planner, there is an entire section dedicated to exam planning. They hold exam timetables, subjects you're taking and scores you'd like to achieve, a 2 week (cramming) plan leading up to the exam and a scoreboard to log your final marks:

Exam Timetable

The end of the planner holds a few note pages for scribbles, etc

Quotes at the start of every month

Overall, this planner would be great if I were in school. It's something a parent would get their kids to teach them to be more organised. With the variety of colours, motivational quotes, planning section, exam timetable etc, I can see it appealing to the young (or the young at heart)! And right now, for purchases of $30 or more at the Cool Pencil Case store, you can use the code SPRINGWITHCPC to get 10% off your order! Hooray! They have some other cool stuff on there as well, so do check them out!


Disclaimer: I was given the planner free of charge to test it out, but this has not swayed my opinions of the item whatsoever. Just thought you should know!

Liebster Award Nomination!

Hi there,

I was recently (sorry for taking so long!) awarded a pretty little Liebster Award from Lyn of Planner Bug and I have to admit, I was a tad bit excited over it. It's safe to say that I have never been awarded any awards for my blog, so this was a little milestone for me. The Liebster award is a little incentive to get to know a blogger better, and is thus passed around the blogger community.

The rules are as follows:

1. Post 11 random facts about yourself
2. Answer 11 questions asked by the person who nominated you
3. Nominate 11 bloggers to do the same
4. Let the bloggers you have nominated know that they have been nominated

So here goes!

11 Random Facts:

1. I own two phones: a Samsung and an iPhone. (Because one is too mainstream... I'm kidding!)
2. I need inspiration to fuel my creativity. Once it stops, so does my ideas.
3. I love traveling but hate flying to get there. Someone invent a teleporter already!
4. I'm a compulsive buyer. (Shocker.)
5. I was born in Singapore and raised in Australia
6. I don't like tomatoes
7. I'm a hoarder. (Another shocker.)
8. I don't in fact like my Radiography course, currently. I'm just doing it as a means to an end (sshh don't tell my future employers)... I'm hoping my next focus of study will actually have my whole heart
9. I think I love my Midori more than my Filofax
10. I want to be a creative designer - someone like Dear Lizzy or Amy Tangerine. I want to get there
11. Privacy is everything. That's why I don't choose to let anyone know how I look like.. Just imagine me as Superman. Only a woman. And crazy with paper. Supercrazypaper lady?

Answers to Lyn:
1. What's your drink of choice?
Majority of the time, I go with cold water. It's refreshing and quenches my thirst every time. Of course I wouldn't mind the occasional sweet soft drinks, but I must admit, after a while of drinking it, I always go back to water.

2. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Cheesy but anywhere where I can be with my future husband. But if not, Ireland. Or London. Or Paris. Or Hawaii. Or any of the countless places I want to travel to...

3. Who inspires you the most?
I've always found myself stuck on this question, but when it comes to a creative point of view, it will have to be anyone which fuels my creativity and gives me a sort of spark to start my own design from theirs, such as some of the IGers I currently follow. Check out who I follow on IG to know them!

4. Which historical event would you have liked to witness in person?
Lol these probably aren't 'historical' as such, but I wouldn't actually mind living a few of my memories again. I've had some of the greatest memories anyone could ask for, and I would love to feel the emotions I felt and the scenes I witnessed all over again

5. What is your favourite food?
Oh, questions like these boggles my mind! I sure don't mind a lot of food, and I know the foods I don't quite like, but favourite food always stumps me. Fish and chips maybe? A home cooked meal? Prata? I know the list would probably encompass a lot of Asian foods though... hahah

6. What kind of music do you listen to?
Old school boybands - Westlife, Backstreet Boys, Boyzone, New Kids on the Block, Savage Garden etc. I don't mind today's music, but don't quite like the way they're going. I miss the 90s where music actually held meaningful words (not words that were repeated over and over again and yet needed to be written by 4 songwriters...)

7. What is your favourite tv show, past or present?
Too many! I reckon the old time favourite would be FRIENDS, but currently, I have so many I think I've lost count. They would include: Vampire Diaries, The Mentalist, The Big Bang Theory, Gossip Girl, Merlin, The Flash, Pretty Little Liars, The Originals, Scorpion, Suits, Simpsons, Once Upon a Time, Marvel's Agents of Shield, and the list goes on...

8. What is your favourite pastime when you're alone?
Playing with paper, being creative and more. Or shopping for craft supplies. As long as pretty paper and embellishments are involved, I can go for hours and not get bored.

9. What is your favourite dessert?
Ice cream. Mmm

10. If you could travel back in time to a particular decade in the 20th century, when would it be and why?
I was born in the 20th century and I wouldn't mind reliving all of my 90s years again! It was a time of great music, innocence and fun!

11. What was the last thing you bought?
That might be a problem... I was in Singapore a week ago and I bought too many things to remember. Hah. I know I bought Midori supplies, ink, stickers, paper pads, pencil case, batteries, instax film, copics and more though. It was a great 10 days.


That's it! I was meant to nominate another 11 blogs and 11 questions for them, but unfortunately, I don't quite follow too many blogs to nominate any... I hope that's ok (>.<)

Kikki K 'Life is Sweet' Dark Mint Planner Review!

Ok, I'm particularly excited about this one. Kikki K recently stocked their new collection called 'Life is Sweet' online (and in some stores!), and because I have itchy hands and loved the pictures they had on this planner, I decided to purchase it the morning it was released. And being in Australia, and particularly in Melbourne, where their warehouse is located, I'm probably one of the first few to get my hands on it. And I can tell you, it is divine in so many ways (and definitely worth much more than the A5 Stockholm!)

So here it is:

Kikki K Medium / Personal Dark Mint Planner!

Back

Inside:

Inside

30 mm rings!

Polka dot dividers with separate tabs!

Back - notepad

All moved in - with next week's inserts!

Overall, there are a few things I love about this planner:
1- The colour - unlike the previous mint they had, like the textured mint they brought out recently, this mint isn't as bright. It's more towards a pastel blue, and easy on the eyes. I must admit, the hexagonal gold might take a little getting used to, but I guess it works. The inside is also a nice shade of dark blue and light blue dots. Overall, great colour combination.
2- The rings - guess how big they are! 30mm! Yes, 30mm. They included some chunky as rings in this one to hold their big stack of note paper that came along with it. Now I know not everyone might like this as it does add to the bulkiness of things, but now you can store a whole lot more. I for one, think it's a good change as there are rarely any 30mm personal sized binders out in the market that look this good.
3- The dividers - they're decorated with yummy little polka dots! Unlike the previous where it's just a plain shade of colour, their dividers are absolutely beautiful, and so is the colour combination. Not to mention, unlike previous dividers where the tabs 'continue' on to the next, the divider tabs provided in this Dark Mint planner are separated. I know it's not a big deal, but I've always preferred the separated tabs.
4- The clasp - I'm so glad they decided to go for a clasp model rather than an elastic. I very much prefer the button closure as it makes the planner look... neat.

And if anyone was interested, here's a little comparison of the Kikki K planner with a pink Filofax Personal size Finsbury:

Top: Kikki K Dark Mint Medium Planner
Bottom: Filofax Pink Personal Finsbury

So if you're thinking about purchasing one, I suggest you do! It is absolutely lovely and I can actually see this model running out faster than any of their previous ones! Also, since it's above $60, use the code DIARYLOVEFEB to get $10 off! Hurray!

Enjoy, my lovelies!

PS. I'm selling two brand new Kikki K Gold Pocket Planners for US$45 each shipped worldwide. They both won't come with inserts. First come, first served! Email me or use my contact form to get in touch with me for more pictures if interested :)

Last Week's Vintage Layout

In order to keep this blog alive, if my week's layout has been ... appropriate, I shall blog about it here to give some of my readers how to quickly and easily turn boring white pages, into a somewhat colourful yet functional layout.

Last week's layout was vintaged theme, so I went with browns and a touch of gold. I used supplies I had lying around the house and were begging to be used:

Items used:
- Brown flower Washi tape from Spotlight
- Brown lace sticker border from Kmart
- Gold washi from Little B (bought from Officeworks)
- Clock, butterfly and 'memories' stickers from Kmart
- Stamps from Sweet Stamp Shop
- Silver 'clip' from mt washi
- Pen: Mitsubishi Uni Style Fit - brown and black

Easy peasy.