Bullet Journal - planning for 2017

Bullet journalling has helped me a lot this year.

I started my bullet journal in May and I found it much more useful to me than a traditional diary or journal.

Being able to add things in whenever I need or think of them has helped me clarify what is important to me. Being able to drop items that I don't use frees me to focus on other areas. Having the space and option to journal in the midst of planning means everything stays together and I can track what works and how I'm doing in a simpler way.

As I only started the journal in May I still have space in my current notebook so spent some time deciding if I wanted to start a new one or keep going and how I would use my daily spaces.

I've decided to start a fresh book in my new Fantastic Beasts notebook. I've checked through my collections a page options and decided what I want to continue and focus on.

I've setup a year at a glance page to help me check up coming dates and I've also setup a future log to help with forward planning.

A Goals page will help me focus on things I'd like to achieve this year and the Wishlist will help me keep track of things I see or think of that I would like or need.
As my first Goal is weight loss I've setup a weight log to keep track of downs and ups :)

 I'm wanting to keep track of TV shows, movies and books I'd like to watch or read and these tracker pages may help.

Fun things is to help me remember to take time for other fun things in life like visits to friends.

 My monthly page list is for regular monthly shopping lists to help me with menu planning and eating properly.

Project 333 is for my clothing challenge I follow with 33 items of clothing for 3 months.

Next comes my regular monthly pages with a calendar list and tracker, my gratitude pages and then I'd like to continue using the photo challenges and my existing daily log pages. 

I'll see how I go with these pages and the beauty of the Bullet Journal system is if I don't find a page useful I can change it any time and add new pages as I need them.

Half Term Report

Ok February and most of March seem to have got away from me.

I have managed to scrap some more of the Vegas trip photos but not any of 2015 yet.

• I’ve manage to get in a couple of walks but not managed to get for a run or a swim.
• I’ve taken some photos but not managed to keep to one a day.
• I didn’t make any cards but have found the Easter ones from last year so will make sure they go out this year.
• I have done a bit more cooking, still loving the slow cooker but remembered how much I love the simplicity of stir fries and made scotch broth (ish) for church.
• I’ve not managed any baking but have been playing games with the Youth club and decorating cakes.
• I have managed to declutter more of the living room and the bedroom cupboards so another pile of bags for Cancer Research.  However the craft room is still a chaos zone.
• Not visited anyone since the new year but have had regular dinners with Dad and calls with Mum and occasional chats with Brother.
• Shortly going on holiday to visit family and friends take in a trip to the beach and sing my heart out at Spring Harvest.   

So half term report, not a complete disaster but could do better :) 

Thinking of my holiday I'm trying to work out a capsule wardrobe

5 vest tops, 4 t-shirts, 3 bottoms, 2 long sleeved tops, 1 dress and 1 skirt for 14 days to include travelling, sightseeing, working, poss beach and church induction. 

Any thoughts?

Starting well..

January has started well.

I have been taking time for me, going for walks, taking photographs and even started a plan for scrapbooking again.

I'm trying a photo a day challenge from #theidearoom and 9 days in still going.

I've also bought a project life kit from Create and Craft and am starting to work on my Vegas holiday picutres. Just 4 years late :) I'm really liking the simplicity of how pages can come together.

I'll probably use this method to deal with my photo challenge photos as well as recording things I'm thankful for or positive about throughout the year.

Things still to do this year!

Things still to do this year (in no particular order)

• Update craft blog
• Update family tree blog
• Update family tree website
• Tidy and organise craft room
• Organise and tidy family tree files
• Defrag PC and delete the bad digi photos
• Start craft class
• Find time to craft and sew and research family tree
• Find the other 12 hours a day I would like to have to do the above
• Turn my spare room into a Hogwarts(ish) room of requirement that i can use for crafting, sewing, genealogy and occasional visitors
• Take more photos
• Get back to running
• Record more stories
• Spend more time with friends
• Get a new mobile phone

Its July!!!

Ok I know I said I'd be back in a week but its been a busy month :)

I had to make up some time at work so have worked the past 3 Saturdays and that really eats into your creative and organising time. So much for working to live!

I have manged to get some things done though - I got out for a run, only two miles but I'm back at it. I had a play with my Bigshot and I scrapped! I'm quite proud of myself.

Its been a while since I did any scrapbooking. I keep meaning to get started and I read lots of blogs and forums and look at lots of ideas and then think - I'll do it later.

Well at last later caught up with me. I'd seen a sketch on Shimelles blog and immediately thought of one of the photos I'd bought on my recent trip to Las Vegas so here is my oversized picture layout of my trip to the Shark Reef Aquarium at the Mandalay Bay.

I dipped into my stash of cardstock and designer paper mixing in a bit of pink with the blues to match my top and the coral. I used my new Top Note and Fun Flowers Dies for the Bigshot and some embossing folders to add some texture. Then I had great fun making my Shark lettering with chipboard letters, various shades of blue inks, crystal effects and lots of time and patience :) Crystal Effects advises 30-60 mins to dry if using a thick layer but don't believe it. I always leave mine overnight. Just to be sure :)

I'm please with the final result and glad to be back scrapping. Hopefully more holiday layouts to follow soon.

I've also treated myself by ordering all my holiday photos from Las Vegas and the Cruise in 09 from photobox they arrived yesterday and make a huge pile.

May need to browse for inspiration.

Belated 10 things on the tenth!

It's half way through 2011 and all my good intentions have fallen off the wagon and well by the wayside.

I took Shimelle's Blogging for Scrapbookers a couple of years ago and this year I signed up for her new class Beyond Blogging for Scrapbookers but life has got in the way and I've not managed to do more than read the prompts and tech bits so far although they have got my imagination fired up and raring to go. My new problem is: Where to start?

Originally this blog was just a place to keep things I wanted to remember, then to share my love of crafting and more recently, ok last year, my tentative steps into running. As my crafting changed to demoing I set up a craft blog and to keep track of my family tree stuff I setup a family tree blog and website. Result - to much stuff in to many places and none of it co-ordinated or organised and so I forget to update or cant decide what should go where.

So my belated 10 things on the tenth are 10 things to do

1: Start with a post a week on each site

2: Decide what goes where

3: Possibly merge my blogs into one to cover everything

4: Pick a look that is me as I am

5: Find or make a template or theme to match the look

6: Make time to craft, run, blog and live

7: Take more day to day photos

8: Try to be on time more.

9: Have a plan of action

10: Work to live not live to work

I'll let you know next week how I'm getting on :)

Saturdays Run

Whew! Completed W3D3 Run on Saturday still amazed I can run 3mins, but felt really hard then I remembered I hadn't had any lunch. oops! Must remember to eat properly before running in future.

On the plus side got new trainers and did a layout for my Book of Me