I have been waiting for you for a long time, little one. Before you arrived, I dreamt of all the wonderful experiences we would have together. I pictured dressing you up in shades of petal pink and lavender. Happy little goosebumps prickled up my arms when I thought of taking you with me to the park, to the store, or wherever life would lead us. And then finally, you were here, swooping in on a blistery morning to brighten my day! Oh, how I will cherish you. And I shall name you.....Stella.
This is a box. Inside this box is some wrapping paper.
Inside this wrapping paper is........
Stella! Welcome to the family, my love.
This is an Erin Condren Life Planner. Isn't she gorgeous?! You'll see that my name is scrawled on the cover there. This is just one of the many things that make this planner so much fun and so unique. I chose this cover because it spoke to me and said, "see how 'whimsydaisical' I am?" There are so many different designs and color variations that you can choose from to customize your life planner. Want to know why you should get one of these, and why they are worth every penny that Dame (I'm pretty sure she has never been knighted, but she should be) Erin Condren charges? Let's dive in, then!
Throughout the planner there are quotes, beautiful color schemes, and luscious graphics that make it exciting to gaze upon every time you open it. I won't spoil all of them because it's half the fun of getting to know your planner :)
What do I use it for?
Planning things. The End.
Just kidding; that would be the understatement of the year. This planner is not just for planning things. Its for dreaming things, scrap booking things, listing things, stickering things, sparkling things, and more!
There is a monthly calendar view at the beginning of every month's section (which each have their own nifty little tab). This is the place where I put all of our appointments so I can see them at a glance. I like to add stickers that show what the appointment is for because everyone knows that pictures are easier to read :)
Then there is a weekly spread that fully utilizes the page space. Many planners don't even tack on a little notes section let alone give you multiple spaces in the sidebars for them, so the "Goals & Notes" section along with the lines at the bottom are a boon.
You'll also notice that the page is split up into various blocks. This is the best part of the whole planner in my opinion. There are so many different ways that you can block out your goals and to dos. You don't even have to follow the rules and write stuff that happens in morning, day, and night. You can instead put some cute washi tape over the headings and write in the names of each person in your household so they each have a section, or mark the boxes as home, work, and personal. The options are endless! The squares also make the planner very easy to decorate since you can make your own pictures and things that fit right in the 1.5" x 1.9" box. I'll show you how to do all that in another post :)
Why this planner and not something less expensive?
This is the same question I asked myself before forking out the $50. Do I REALLY need a planner that costs that much? I will be the first one to admit that my frugal little heart cringed when I saw that price tag. After I learned about the planner, I even tried a couple other planners that were much less expensive to try and prove that I could make my life work without said $50 planner. I used the less expensive ones for a couple of weeks before deciding that it just wasn't the same. What Erin Condren offers in her planners that other planners don't is loads of flavor. Each month has a different color scheme and every page is exploding with different fonts, pictures, colors, oh my! Yes, you could make your own planner and add your own spices, but sometimes you just want someone else to cook it up for you. Here is an example of how you can make that "flavor" work to your advantage......I need to stop being metaphorical, it's making me hungry.....
I would suggest watching some YouTube videos and looking at Pinterest (I've pinned all of my favorite planner goodies
here) to
make sure that this planner is the right fit for you. I certainly did.
There are many planners out there and we all have different needs. The
point is, I truly believe you get what you pay for with this planner.
It packs a lot of punch and I think you will agree once it's arrived on
your doorstep. I think it's important to note I love this planner so much that I named her......just sayin'.
This was just an overview and sneak peak into my little slice of planner heaven. Come back later and I will show you how I decorate it, customize it, add things to it, and basically just Nikki-fy it as much as possible!
And one other thing; if you're enticed, just head on over to Erin Condren's website and check out these bad boys for yourself. While you're there, help yourself to $10 off your first purchase, courtesy of being my friend :) Just click this link and once you've signed up for an account you will receive your $10 off coupon in your email.
https://www.erincondren.com/referral/invite/nicoleschwab0531