There’s no doubt that I’m officially hooked in to the traveler’s notebook world. So much so that I spend a good chuck of time every day poking around the Chic Sparrow and Foxy Fix websites seeing if anything new has popped up. Newsletters have been followed, Facebook groups joined. I’ve dived in deep and my wallet isn’t too keen on the whole relationship.

Although I have a number of Etsy orders open for even more supplies, I had to figure out something quick to keep my expanding collection of traveler’s notebook items. So here’s what I’ve come up with so far.

A trinket jar has done wonders at keeping all my magnetic bookmarks and plain paperclips in place. Plus it’s making a lovely addition to the top of my BRAND NEW DESK ALEX BUILT ME. I’m one lucky girl. I have a lot of small bits and bobs and keeping them in this jar just makes it a lot easier than having them flop all over the place and get caught in Gallifrey’s grasps to disappear to the great beyond.

I do find that the little jar is already full and it’s too small to hold my decorative paper clips. Yup. Decorative paperclips. If you would have asked me a month ago what I thought about them I would have said no way. But I’m a convert because I hadn’t the foggiest clue that there were more than just cardstock options. The paper ones still don’t make a lot of sense because they easily get damaged by using them, but yarn and fabric ones?! Game changers. These are the bulk of my current Etsy orders and I’m too dang excited.

I went a little scrapbook paper crazy at Michael’s the other day and needed a good place to store all the cut-to-size dashboard inserts. Oh, Hello Sticker Organizer to the rescue. It’s the perfect size for all my A6 sized papers and I even filled a few pages with my growing die cut sticker collection. This organizer solved a ton of my problems in one fell swoop. Plus they’re on sale. Win!

All my extra dashboard inserts, notebooks, the sticker organizer full of papers, and my larger paperclips get tucked away in an old PR sample box from Urban Decay on the tv stand in our bedroom. I’d love to find a more flashy way to organize everything, but for now tucked away is working perfectly. 

I’d love to hear how you store all your supplies! Whether it’s sticker storage or a nice collection of traveler’s notebook goodies. What do you do with all of it?!

With October just around the corner, it’s definitely time to start talking about 2018 planners. I’m already prepping for my “What Planner to Choose for 2018” series, but when this beauty landed on my doorstep it felt only right to give it its own feature on the site. 

I’ve always loved the simplicity of the Ashley Shelly planner* while still having a ton of really clever, well thought out features. There are so many little details that really make this planner interesting. It’s designed with working women in mind and there are a lot of elements throughout that reflect that inspiration.

The thick, hard cover seems capable of standing up against a year’s worth of wear and tear. The entire planner measures about 7.25×9.25 so it’s a fairly standard size. On the inside cover there’s a handy pocket to store papers and important documents. A pocket is a must for me in a planner. It’s when you don’t have one that you realize how often you need to tuck a small piece of paper somewhere so you don’t lose it. There’s also a sheet of icon stickers in the planner’s color scheme. A nice touch, but I do wish they gave a bit more thought to the icon choices or created a more “fun” sheet. 

There’s also a clear PVC pocket in the front that I somehow neglected to photograph. What a professional operation I’m running over here.

The edges of the cover are reinforced with metal so they won’t get dinged up easily over time. But my absolute favorite feature of Ashley Shelly planners is such a small detail. The corners are perforated so you can rip them off when you’re done with a section. Every page has one so over the year you’ll be able to quickly find your spot without the need of a bookmark. Clever.

The planner has the standard features you begin to expect in agendas. There’s a yearly overview page so you can stare at how fast time is passing while trying to figure out the best day for a dentist appointment in a future you have no clue about.

The monthly view is simple, but there are convenient lines to make jotting things down easy and fuss free. 

Before each weekly page is a motivational spread to help you reset your mind and gear up for the next month ahead. I love this addition because it makes the planner seem more personal and interested in the user (without being creepy). 

It reminds me a lot of the Erin Condren note pages while being more guided and exact. Although I love the freedom of the EC pages to do whatever I want, this helps to focus on certain areas without having to come up with them on my own. It’s a hub of sorts for all the information you need for the month ahead.

The weekly pages tie in the monthly word at the top of each page so you can keep it in mind as the month progresses. Each day there are eight slots for meetings and event information with a place to write in the time. The right side of each day has six to do list spots, a due today section, and a dinner section. I personally love the limited to do slots because it really makes you think about what’s most important for the day without overloading yourself with random to do items. 

For a working gal planner, this layout makes a lot of sense. Plenty of room to jot down meetings and appointments with space for a few important items to get done. It’s thoughtful without having unnecessary bells and whistles you just don’t need in a work planner.

My biggest concern with this planner has always been the price. It’s $49.95 before shipping on the website and that leaves me a bit worried about just how simple it really is. Erin Condren planners start off in that range as well, but you can customize their covers and add more of a personal element. Although I really think this planner would work great for a lot of working women or people looking for a more simplistic planner, I don’t think the price really matches up with the product. $30 seems much more reasonable. 

But I’ve been known to shell out my fair share of cash for planning supplies I know are just perfect for me. So if this planner is going to make you more organized with deadlines at work, it’s definitely worth it. Planning is such a personal experience and I know countless working gals that this planner would suit immensely.

What do you think about the Ashley Shelly planners? Worth the price? 

When I decided to finally take the plunge into the world of traveler’s notebooks, I had no idea the jumbled, confusing mess I was getting myself into. Traveler’s notebooks are so customizable that it’s hard to really get a grasp on the what’s what of it all if you’re just getting started. So in today’s video (at the bottom of this post) I’m trying to tackle the basics and I’ll hash it out here if you want even more goodness.

So first things first, sizing. It feels like there’s literally every size under the sun that you can choose from, but it’s definitely best to poke around and see what’s available in sizes you’re interested in. Some sizes have a lot more inserts and products available for them than others so if you want to save yourself headaches later, stick to some of the popular ones. I used Foxy Fix’s and Chic Sparrow’s guide references to help me decide which one to go with. Honestly I really recommend the A6 size. It’s not too small or too big, has tons of inserts available, and fits in all sorts of purses. Plus we make seriously adorable notebooks for them so I’m totally biased.

Picking a size is difficult, but deciding on a cover is probably the hardest part. There are so many shops out there to choose from. There are fabric cover shops as well as leather ones. And the prices can vary drastically. So if you aren’t sure whether or not this is just a planner phase, don’t splurge for any of the bells and whistles and stick to the basics. This is the one I went for.

Once you get size and cover out of the way things get a lot easier and more fun. Now it’s all about the inserts and dashboards. I’ve been eyeing Sew Much Crafting and Yellow Paper House for actual planner inserts, but for now I’m sticking to dot grid notebooks for to do lists and such. It all depends on what you want to use your notebook for. As for dashboards, it’s all about the DIY. I snagged some of these dashboard inserts from Chic Sparrow so I can change out scrapbooking paper to suit my mood and the season.

I also finally understand the true purpose of die cut stickers. My extensive collection of The Novel Coffee die cuts are making themselves right at home in my dashboards and on my notebooks. A super easy way to add even more of a personal touch to things. LOVE IT.

I’m still getting the hang of this whole traveler’s notebook thing, but this is what I’ve uncovered so far. Definitely leave recommendations and suggestions in the comments!

I’m pretty much a grandma when it comes to most things. I rarely update phone apps out of fear of change, I like things the way I’ve always done them, and I’m awful at new things. So diving into the world of traveler’s notebooks was a pretty huge step for me (I’m still patting myself on the back). Of course now I’m completely lost and haven’t a clue what I’m doing, but I figured it’s worth documenting the journey for any other grandma’s out there wanting to try something new.

So first and foremost, you have to figure out what size you want. There are literal tons of different sizes. Plus you can choose between leather or cloth, pockets or no pockets, and the price starts to get a little nutso. Since Oh, Hello’s notebook inserts are 4×5.75 inches I decided the logical size for me was A6 so they’d fit inside and I wouldn’t have to fuss too much with finding inserts at least. I chose a middle-of-the-range leather notebook cover from Chic Sparrow (this one) without any pockets or extra accessories to keep the price down. Already if I were to purchase another one I would get pockets in the front. So worth it and I’m already saving up for my next purchase to get some. 

Inserts aren’t too complicated if you aren’t using your traveler’s notebook for an actual planner. I’m using mine to replace my Rifle Paper Co planner for daily to do lists, house to do lists, and just general stuff I need to write down that I don’t want muddling up my main planner. I’m still going to explore planner inserts a bit more to save you all the trouble of doing it yourself. I’ll report back once I figure out what the hell is going on with it all. At the very least, know your planner size and cling to that for all you’re worth.

As for the extra stuff, I’ve already gone a little crazy with a recent trip to Michael’s for supplies. I filmed my first “Come Shopping with Me” video to document the occasion if you fancy a watch to see what I picked up. I’m excited to try and take all the bits and turn them into actual themes. Wish me luck.

I’ve been using mine for a handful of days and have discovered a few things. I love having all my various to do lists in one place, it’s portable and can fit in all my bags, and convenient. I do however find myself fussing over every scuff and ding in the leather although I’m told “that’s what leather does.” Also, pockets are a must and I’m currently trying to figure out a way around them so I have a place to store all my adorable die cuts without having to actually use them. If that’s not a grandma thing to do I’m not sure what is. 

If you’re a traveler’s notebook pro, leave any advice and shop recommendations in the comments as I continue exploring! Any newbies have any questions I can try and sleuth out answers for? I’m on it.

If you’re subscribed to the Microscope Beauty newsletter then it’s pretty obvious just how much I find myself getting into on the internet. Currently I’m actively running three YouTube channels, trying to keep up with this blog, and then everything that goes along with running your own business. It’s a lot, but it’s also totally doable.

The biggest advice I can give anyone trying to squeeze the most out of their week is to have a consistent schedule. Not just when you’re posting things online, but for getting them done too. My weeks always take the same general form. Mondays I work on orders and get caught up from whatever happened over the weekend. Tuesdays are devoted to filming anything and everything I want to post that week. Wednesdays are for Oh, Hello. The rest of the week I leave open to balance out the front half but tend to be filled with more orders, new releases, and editing videos and blog posts.

Schedules are key, but I also avoid pointless down time. Sure I take breaks and enjoy a bath every once and a while, but I also don’t binge watch Netflix as my laptop sits closed next to me. I’m always working on something or another when the television is on or I’m in a long car ride. That “useless” time is only as useless as you let it be. Even brainstorming new content is a great use of time if you’re waiting for an appointment or between classes. 

It also helps that my planner is surgically attached to me. It does the remembering so I don’t have to and that makes the world of difference. So many non-planners in my life are constantly feeling overwhelmed or like they’re forgetting things. Nothing a hefty to do list and a few adorable stickers can’t solve. 

But no matter what, I try not to be too hard on myself if I can’t get everything I want done in a day. Sometimes I’ll take the week off of filming videos to focus on new releases. Other days I’ll devote to writing tons of blog posts rather than making new releases. I allow myself to find a balance and forgive myself if some days it just doesn’t work out. There’s always tomorrow!

Take a look at how you spend your days and weeks. There’s definitely some time in there somewhere that you can set aside for that YouTube channel or getting your blog back up and running. Maybe watch a few less cat videos? That definitely did the trick for me.

On the rare occasion that I do leave the comfort of my bed for any extended period of time, I can’t go anywhere without my planner. I’m the type of person that wouldn’t know where I am going or what I am doing without my trusty sidekick. I manage to refrain from bringing every planner supply I own by sticking to a basic formula and focusing on the must-haves. 

No matter what I bring with me, I always carry it in my Oh, Hello Stationery Planner Case. They’re way more affordable than the Erin Condren ones and are literally identical apart from the Oh, Hello ones being an inch or so bigger. I use that extra inch to pop in some back up pens just in case I lose any or they die. Plus the case acts as a guide to how much I can bring. If it can’t fit inside the case, it’s too much.

My planner pops right in there and then on to the more rotational bits.

I like to use the Erin Condren Planny-Pack to hold any colored pens I’m using or random bits so they’re not flying around inside the larger planner case. Then I collect only the stickers I’ll be likely to use depending on where I’m going. It’s usually whatever kit I’m using that week and some coordinating colors for the next few monthly view months.

Lately I haven’t been without one of the new Oh, Hello Traveler’s Notebooks. They’re the perfect size to pop literally anywhere. I’ve been using mine for all sorts of different notes from daily to do lists to shopping lists. They’ll be live on the Oh, Hello website Sunday, September 10th in limited design quantities.

And that’s it. Just a few things all zipped up nice and neat in a planner case. No fuss and no frills. Things change a bit if I’m travelling or going on a longer trip, but daily adventures don’t require too much in the planning department.

What planning supplies do you bring with you on a daily basis?