It’s Planner Season….

And that means that I’m already in the market for next year’s planner.

Ever since I’ve entered the corporate world, I’ve listed all my activities and schedules in a planner because I can’t afford to miss a deadline. Time management is the key to surviving. All the more, I need to be better at it because I’m also in school.

I use a planner for work, school and sometimes blog activities and I’ve learned a thing or two about balancing all my activities.

It’s sort of become my standard procedure to look at planners that work for me at the end of the year and to scout and save up for the ones that I want to buy. It’s sort of my year-round companion so it’s worth the purchase. For this year, I went with the Best Things Are Yet To Come Mini Happy Planner. Because I also used it for brain dump and as a budget planner (occasionally a travel planner), I also write my thoughts on filler paper that I ordered online from Saffy Tenten. Because it became bulky, I also got the rose gold expander discs and that served me well throughout the year.

And as 2019 comes closer, I’m slowly going through my Mini Happy Planner and I’m also finishing its pages. Later on, it will sit on my shelf and join the other planners that have kept me company in the years prior.

It also means that I’m hunting for next year’s planner as early as now.

I’ve narrowed down the choices to two: the DYL Planner which I think will be helpful for school, and the MAMBI Classic which will be useful for work and other commitments, especially travel plans and budget. Other planners made it to the shortlist, but I’ll discuss the details later on.

Photo from Design Your Life Planner 2019

DYL Planner for School (Php 650)

I thought that I might give the DYL Planner a chance for next year. I was drawn into it because of the fun design, and because it has travel planner pages. Not only that, there are a bunch of helpful sections there as well, like finances and goals. As an added bonus, there’s a bunch of new accessories to match it with too. 

Accessories to match it with:

sticker book (Php 450)

coffee dessert clear stamps (Php 725)

gold foil leaves wide washi (Php 190)

vaporwave sticker flakes (Php 120) 

Classic MAMBI Planner for Work

I’ve used the Mini Happy Planner and I thought of giving the Classic size a try because of the bigger writing spaces and because I write a lot. I have this habit of dumping all my thoughts all at once in a given day, and because with what I do, details matter all the time.

I’m torn between the Mermaidesque and New Adventure in Classic size because I tend to gravitate towards mermaid designs and of course, anything that is travel inspired will definitely get my attention and keep me fantasizing for the next destination to visit.

Photo from Michaels Stores 

Mermaidesque

The Mermaidesque design is all about foiled details on a lovely color scheme of blue, purple and pink. I’m not sure though it the vertical layout will work for me as I’m used to the horizontal layout. So I went and searched some more in Michaels and found the pretty design in blues and violets. 

Photo from Michaels Stores

New Adventure

This design is for those bitten by the travel bug and I’ve thought of settling on this design to make use of all the travel-inspired stickers that I’ve received this year, while planning for the next escape. I thought of filling it up with filler paper for all those diary entries and then some project pages as well. The tricky part is checking and comparing rates and how to get the best deals from sellers here. 

Accessories to match it with:

Puncher (Php 920)

Sticker books (Php 850)

Happy Notes Fill Paper (Php 320)

Dot Grid Fill Paper (Php 320) 

Photo from Sheila Mae Ruiz on Facebook 

Starbucks 2019 Japan Planner

The 2019 Starbucks Japan version also caught my eye, because you know me, if anything has anything to do with mermaid, I’m down. I see that it can be a good school planner, besides school for me is all about preparing outputs and reports for class discussions and complying with requirements, so I don’t need that much extra pages for a school planner. However, I wouldn’t want to spend for drinks and collect stickers just to claim a planner because there’s no Starbucks branch in Zamboanga City and I’m lactose intolerant (LOL #sorrynotsorry) hahaha. Also, I know that there are people who hoard planners and price them insanely high as New Year comes closer. So I won’t be caught in the rush though.

So there, yeah. I’m going to save for my choice planners and then make the plunge before the year ends and so that I can set it up before officially welcoming 2019.

How about you? What are your planner picks for 2019? 

Trudy Lauren Diamond Pen in Rose Gold and Planner Charm Review

Because rose gold is the craze for planner girls this season, who can resist a rose gold Trudy Lauren Diamond pen and planner charm for a quick pick me up? Here’s my two cents on the diamond pen and charm that I got from Excelite Liwag.

The color is gorgeous! And yes, because it’s rose gold. The diamond detail is a bit flashy but isn’t that what lady bosses are after? LOL not that I am one, but it’s good for those insta-snapshots. The ink is on and off and made of the regular ballpoint pen and not gel ink pen. It’s a regular twist barrel with no clip holder on the side whatsoever. I thought that it will suit my Forever New Pearlised Blush Planner in A5 but I have to be careful that it does not slip off the pen holder. It does feel a little heavy to write with so it’s really more of a decorative pen rather than a functional one. 

The planner charm is another story. The charms included in this gold (yep, not rose gold chain) are an acrylic high heel shoe, (the other pair must be with Cinderella right now), a transparent heart gem and tiny gold coin with a stamped message that says live, laugh, love. The combination suits my planner because these charms are uber girly. But again, I thought that the chain would at least be rose gold to match the diamond pen.

And then there’s its durability. It’s gotten detached from the clasp midway in my bag twice. I just had to stop re-linking them together and something tells me that it should just stay at home on my desk. But it’s a planner charm and has to hold together!

Have you tried any of the Trudy Lauren stationery? They’re cute I must say, but you have to personally evaluate which ones are truly functional for your planning and desk activities. Don’t be shy to leave me a comment! 

Unboxing Crafts Unltd January 2016 Planner Kit, Inspiring A Nautical Journey, Let’s Sail Away!

Who doesn’t want to spend a day at the beach and then just feel those worries melt away? January started the pull of saying “hey, come back here, don’t let your mind wander off just yet”. I felt the same way when I started work again. But it doesn’t always have to be like that. Good thing, Crafts Unltd came up with a Nautical themed Planner Kit this month that’s a must-grab for some nautical aficionados on the horizon.

So what do I think of the Crafts Unltd January 2016 Planner Kit? Let’s take a look at the items one by one.

There's the anchor plushie that I think makes this planner kit more of a goodie box, but it makes a good gift on its own also. I'm not sure if it drives home the concept of a planner kit for me. 

I'm happy to see a set of stickers with a nautical theme and the color palette is gorgeous, this goes well with a whole lot of planner themes, the hand-drawn effect makes it so unique. I wish that there were more of these stickers though. Some pieces here have to be cut though because they aren't pre-cut. There's also a small and handy card holder. It's not your usual card holder so that makes it a fun piece to bring around. It's also a nice card holder to bring around during relaxed business meetings, especially if it involves travel. 

Paper clips in a bottle. It seems like a good twist to the usual "message in a bottle" approach. I saw that there's a sailboat, anchor and something that I haven't figured out yet, but it's nice to display on am all too-formal desk and it's useful, talk about form over function. This is a keeper!

 

Here's something nice. There's a ribbon decorated paper clip, a magnet, Out to Sea postcard which I really like, and a quoted dashboard (?) 

They're really what you can see from the usual planner kit, but I like the postcard very much and I used it already in my Instagram album that houses my pink sand beach visit. 

The paper clip and magnet and dashboard (?) are nice to have items but not really a necessity. Just nice to have and share. 

There's also a pocket notebook (quite handy for travel) and a regular mini planner with a silver ribbon bookmark. The lines are large and makes a good gift for a colleague at work. The red pen resembles a piece of a turbine, must be because of its plastic make and flat handle. 

The flat bookmarks are a part of the kit, so are the wooden colored veneers and anchor eraser. The hot air balloon bookmarks are sold separately and you can choose your colors from their Instagram feed, and I think complements the overall dream nautical and journey theme for the month. 

The pouch is larger than expected. I was hoping this could serve as a pencil case but it can carry a wallet and smartphone just like a clutch. The strap makes a good use of the pouch like a wristlet, so yeah, it's a multi-purpose pouch with lots of space in it for just pens. It can carry the other planner goodies in it too. It's not a part of the monthly planner kit but can be bought from Crafts Unltd just the same. 

So what do I think of the whole planner kit in general?

There are some items that I appreciate, like the eraser, postcard, paperclips, stickers and plushies. But I think this is already a good deal for the monthly subscription fee of Php 540. It's also enough to encourage a regular planner girl to dream and plan of beach and island trips throughout the year. 

I still think that more stickers and some washi could have hit the mark though, especially if they have subtle gilded details and whatnot, but maybe that's for another planner theme kit altogether. 

Follow Crafts Unltd on Instagram and check out their goodies for your planners and don't hesitate to send them a message if there's something you like! Ms. Jona is really a nice seller. Also, if you don't mind, while you're in Insta, you can also follow me as @raisiespeaks  and see what I'm up to. 

Are you into planners and stationery? Share your thoughts with me! Have a great weekend! Why not visit the beach or go on an island trip while you're at it!