Planner Organisation: Part One

I've always loved stationery and as I get older and busier I decided its time that I needed a diary. I've never kept your typical "dear diary" type of journal but I wanted my planner to combine functionality along with memories and creativity.

My planner has appeared in a few photos on my blog and Instagram and I've had several emails and comments asking me to show more of it. So I thought I would write a few posts about my planner; how I arrange things, how to keep it pretty and practical, supplies, the essentials that I carry around with me also some inspiration for both myself and you peeps.

So, lets start with the planner essentials that I carry with me.
One of the most useful planner accessories you can get are the little plastic seal wallets that are made to fit Filofax (you can pick them up in Paperchase for £2-3). I keep one of these in the front of my planner to store all my useful bits and pieces. Below is what I carry.

As you can see, the little pouches store quite a bit actually (the pouch I use is size "personal"and fits all personal sized planners)
I always carry a ruler, pencil and several different pens. I started using erasable pens a couple of years ago after finding them in Muji and have never turned back. They are great for diaries and planners as there is no need to cross things out-just use the end of the pen to rub things away and write over the top. I seem to use the Sharpie all the time for various things so that lives in there as well.
The paper clips are a little cumbersome to be honest so don't get left in the planner pages for long, but I do use them to keep lists secured or to keep important receipts, notes or vouchers from falling out whilst I'm on the move.
You never know when you might need a stamp or a safety pin, so I keep both in here so that I can always find one if I need it.
The little heart stickers are there...just because they are really :)

The only thing that I like to carry that doesn't fit in one of the little pouches is a single hole punch. You can get hole punches designed specifically for planners but I find that they don't work very well so I prefer to use a single punch that I know will work on card as well as paper. I picked up the little bunny hole punch in the top photo for £4 and cannot fault it...or it's cuteness :)

Do you keep a planner? What are the essentials that you always carry with you? Is there anything in particular that you would like to know or see about designing and keeping a planner?

Annie xx

My Beauty Weakness- Makeup that is just too Pretty

I've been doing a lot of re-organising and de-cluttering over the last few days. Yesterday I tackled my vast makeup collection and realised just how much of a beauty hoarder I am. I have a set of Ikea Helmer drawers that are full to brimming with makeup. I use a lot of it fairly regularly and some occasionally, however, it was only as I sorted through that I noticed a third type; makeup that I have bought but simply cannot bring myself to use because it is just too pretty.

All of the makeup above falls into this category. Take the Holika Holika Midnight Owl palette for example, I fell in love with this because of my owl addiction, the gentle colours, the originality of the entire thing, yet have only used it once because I don't want to blur the pattern. The same is the case with the Physicians Formula Cashmere Wear blusher, I just cannot bring myself to wear down at the beautiful textured top which gives the product its individuality.
 Although I've only just realised it, beauty brands have turned me into a hoarder by appealing to my desire to own something beautiful. I even have lipsticks swirled with pretty colours and with the bullet shaped into hearts. All designed to be looked at and cooed over rather than used.
And that is exactly the point. I have realised that by making products look beautiful, brands have found a way to ensure that, even if I do not need a new pink toned blusher, or eye shadow palette, by making a product look so special and exclusive, people are always going to lust after it.

I figure though that everyone has their weaknesses, I guess this is mine and I am a fickle person. I'm fine with that ...however, I do wish it didn't mean that I need to find room for my personal gallery of pretty things :P

What are your beauty weaknesses? Do you fall for overly pretty products like I do?

Annie xx

PS. thank you for all of the lovely feedback on my last post, they made me smile. I have received a few emails asking about my planner including how I use it and how I have organised it so I'm thinking about doing a post or two about that and how to create a pretty planner. Let me know if that's something you would be interested in seeing :) x

NOTD- Seaside Inspired Shimmers

After a lovely weekend at the seaside enjoying the sunshine in Weymouth I came home and fancied some pretty blue nails to remind me of the beach.
I am loving blue at the moment so there was little excuse required to whip out some of my favourite blue nail polishes and create some shimmering sea nails.

I started off by applying two coats of the lovely lilac toned blue Bluebell polish by Nails Inc which gave a soft and even base colour before topping with one coat of the oh so popular Indian Ocean from Models Own which is formulated to give a shimmer reminiscent of when the sun catches calm, clear sea water as it washes onto the beach. Finally, I created a focal nail using Barry M shade 340 Aqua Glitter which contains various sized glitter chunks and gives a very pretty and glitter packed finish with just one coat.

I had forgotten just what a beautiful finish Indian Ocean gives. In the light you can see that it contains a pink toned glitter which gives any blue polish a lovely depth that looks really special in the sunlight.
I go through stages with painting my nails and recently I've had them painted continually so expect to see more nail art posts in the near future :)
What colours have you been loving recently? Have you tried any of these polishes?
Annie xx

A Little New Phone Bling

My phone is one of my favourite possessions. Its the (rather large) Samsung Galaxy Note II and I've had it since november now. I was only recently though that I got around to giving it a shiny, blingtastic coat.

So here it is, my pretty new case. I am in love with it :)
My pretty case was made by a lovely lady who I found through the beauty swaps group that I am part of on facebook *she has a page you can find her portfolio on here* She makes the majority of her cases to order and each one is totally unique which I really love. It feels like I'm carrying around a piece of art in my hand :)

For my case I asked for pots of pink, purple and pearly bits and pieces and I wasn't disappointed! There is a lovely mix of big and smaller pieces all set in a whipped cream like fixing and Samantha is happy to let you choose the type of decorations you would like. Because of the size of my phone we decided to go for nothing too chunky. He's hiding in my photos above, but in Samantha's photo of the case below you can see my favourite decoration; the gingerbread man peeping out :)

I really do love my phone case and can't recommend Samantha's work enough- like I say, they're like your own little piece of art in your hand.
What do you think of my phone case? Is it something you'd like for your phone? Which is your favourite decoration from my case?
Annie xx

This Beauty Blogger Loves...

Big earrings!

I'm not in the most fab of moods today for a mixture of reasons so instead of writing a moany, mopey post I thought I'd share a few photos of something that does make me very happy indeed. Bold lips and big earrings are how I role these days so here's a little look at one of my favourite collections of mine :)

Doesn't the shiny, sparkleyness just make you smile? It does me.
Hopefully tomorrow will be a happier day.
Annie x

ps. come find me on instagram and shopcade, I'm addicted to both and always follow back :)

Resolutions

I've never been one for making new years resolutions. If I haven't wanted it badly enough to achieve it for the rest of the year, why would I magically be able to because it's 2013 rather than 2012?
I have a lot of admiration for people who decide that this is the year I will give up smoking, or lose that 2 stone and manage it, but the way I see things is that if I was that unhappy with something then I will change it asap rather than waiting for January to roll round.
For that reason I haven't made any resolutions as such this new year. Not that I don't think there are some aspects of my life that I could do with working on, but over all I think I'm a pretty nice, and contented person.
One thing that I am constantly battling though is my fight with depression which has been going on for nearly 5 years now. It isn't that I can't be happy, but when I'm on a downer I find it near impossible to see it. That is where this little book that my lovely auntie bought me for christmas comes in, and I guess, to an extent, my one small resolution.

Like I say, it isn't that I am an unhappy person in general, but due to my depression, if I am having a rough time I find it very hard to find anything to smile about. So in my pretty little book, I resolve to write down one thing each day that has made me smile. Simple things. The little things that I forget about when everything seems to be full of doom and gloom. Hopefully this way I will remember to appreciate the small things that brighten life up and learn to worry less about the things that do get me down :)

This is the first three days worth of my Making Me Smile book :) Happy things in a pretty little book, definitely one of happy little pleasures on its own!

What resolutions have you made this January? How are they going so far? Good luck with them all!
Annie xx