Where the obsession started and where I am at now in my "adult-like" planner journey. Get a look at where I have been and where I am now and a peek at where I am going on this journey.
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Do you see it? Those dollar store composition books I've used for years for scheduling. Let me tell you, I have so many of these around my house it's ridiculous. I have been using these books since I was a middle schooler. Making to do list, study list and wish list. That's right I have been listing since I was about 12. Younger, if you include all the Christmas & Birthday list. Back then it didn't matter what cheap pen I was using or what "book" I was using to write in. But now I am on this journey for Planner Peace and I am so happy you have joined me.
Currently using
Right now I am using a Scribbles That Matter (STM for short) A5 grid journal that I LOVE!!! I like the ease of dot journaling and I really do not remember why I got the grid instead. Doesn't even matter because I love this journal. So, If I love it so much why am I looking for planner peace elsewhere? Well, because you never know what your missing until you have it. So, I'm trying some new things. And let me tell you I am learning a lot about myself and what is important (ie. stickers) in my planner journey.
The specs: The 201 number pages measure 8.25" x 5.75", which is considered a true A5 page. The pre-printed pages include: 1 page key, 3 page index and 2 pen test pages. The pages are 100 GSM, so not a lot of ghosting or bleeding, and are Ivory. I didn't realize the ivory would bother me as much as it does now that I am using a lot more stickers. There is also a back pocket and 2 page markers in this journal. It is my favorite and I am looking at the next one in pink (always pink, LOL)
There is not much that I have bad to say about this journal. Only thing that I gripe about is the ivory pages. Which is 100% my fault for not reading that detail. Or, I may have read it and it didn't matter at the time. But i am still team STM and will be for a long time. Even if my planner journey takes me elsewhere I will probably keep one around. And also the inability to move pages around (ie. habit trackers). But that is to be expected with a hardbound journal, and is 100% why I started making inserts.
I have a pen fetish (ooo, big shocker there right?) as most planners do. But, I also have my live for pens. For everyday ballpoint pen quick notes and paperwork I use a Papermate Inkjoy 0.07 Gel Pen. This pen has my heart. Every once in a while it does skip but for the most part this pen is smoothing writing with the function of a ballpoint but with gel ink. I love the fact that these pens come in a pretty wide array of colors. I also can not live without My BIC Intensity Fineliners. When it comes to drawing out my spreads in my BUJO I will use this fineliner every time. They also come in a pretty wide array of colors and different thicknesses. I have a pretty wide array of pens that I will do a seperate post on but those are my main ones.
I actually don't have a lot of coloring. I have Crayola Super Tips, which are my go to for pretty much everything. Crayola Color pencils & Crayons. All of which are amazing for what they are used for, coloring . Altho I am learning hand lettering with the Super Tips. It is a slow process (read: I have bad handwriting lol).
I actually don't have a lot of coloring tools, I use mostly fine liners. But, I have Crayola Super Tips, which are my go to for pretty much everything. Crayola Color pencils & Crayons. All of which are amazing for what they are used for, coloring. And since I do not do a lot of coloring these days, I stick to the basics.
I have The Happy Notes, the cover is 5.125" x 7.5" and the actual pages are 4.5" x 7" which is good for me. If I have too much room to plan things start to look interesting. Shortly after purchasing the base notebook I realized I needed bigger Disc to hold all the inserts I wanted. So, I got them (because completely customizable *happy dance*) There is quite a few inserts to choose from. I am currently using the monthly, project and budget inserts but because the notebook itself is so small I don't mind it being rather thick. I can change out the covers, dashboards, dividers and I have the option of lined, grid or dotted pages for fillers. Now, while I have started adding extension packs and making inserts and doing pen test. I have not actually started using the planner yet. So expect more on this in a future post.
Now let's talk about these stickers, all the stickers. Blossoms, I have a serious addiction to these cute things all over the place. I live fairly close to a Hobby Lobby (HL) and let me tell you, I give that 40% off coupon a workout. I think I have purchased a new book of stickers every week in the past 3 weeks. I am developing a serious problem, tho I don't feel like its a bad one. They provide function and cuteness, so I am all for it!
I also recently purchased a small dated hardbound Erin Condren Life Planner (ECLP) horizontal format. I haven't even begun to use it. Not a mark yet. But so far I love the horizontal layout, I am a list writer so it gives me the most room. I may need special stickers because of the size of the boxes. I really like the monthly color coding and the fancy edges. I will update you on this as I start to use this planner, most likely as a social media / business planner.
Conclusion
I will probably always be a bullet journal kinda girl. I adore my STM and it will always have a special place in my heart. HOWEVER, the ability to customize my pages and planner to the extent that the happy planner allows. Including being able to purchase a hole punch and make my own printables, which I actually do, and will talk about in another post. I do think I may try a bigger Happy Planner, Just to see if it is something that I like. I have always used notebooks and notebook sized journals.
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