Category: Planning and journaling

Posted in Business branding, creativity, Planning and journaling, Selling on Etsy

I made a vision board for my Etsy shop: my brand and its core values in photographs

Posted on by Laura

I don’t know about you, but I love looking at inspirational images and spend many hours each week perusing Pinterest, Google Images and pretty pictures in magazines. I also love using glossy photographs to create my vision board for the year. You can see my board for 2019 which I shared in a previous post here.

A while ago, I spent several days considering brand identity and core values for my Etsy business. My shop has been open for over two and a half years now but I wanted to make sure that my products reflected what my brand was all about. I worked on developing a list of adjectives which describe what I want to be at the core of my business. Then, alongside this, I chose a range of images which reflected my beliefs about what LJ Designs NE is all about. Below is a list of what I came up with (in no particular order of importance!) and a photo story of how I went about making my vision board some weeks later.

  • nature inspired
  • fun
  • fresh
  • creative
  • reflective
  • organised
  • delightful
  • peaceful
  • colourful
  • productive
  • playful
  • simple
  • compassionate
  • efficient
  • friendly
Over 40 images printed on photograph paper. Colour themes, ideas and inspirational messages included.

After spending a good while cutting the above out I had a very sore wrist and a big pile of gorgeous images.

When I’d finished cutting out all of my images, I laid them all out on the floor to see how much room they would need to be displayed. I then popped to The Range and bought an A1 piece of mounting board in a lovely charcoal grey colour and a large Perspex clip frame. I chose a Perspex frame as I’ve had issues with clip frames getting broken in the past and didn’t want a recurrence of this.

To ensure I was happy with the placement of the pics, I started by placing them onto the board with small pieces of Blu-Tak so I could play with the arrangement a little.

I did have the intention of using double sided tape to adhere the images permanently but in the end, I glued them on with Pritt Stick so that if I put them on a little wonky I could sort them out!

The finished board with all of the images glued on and the Perspex frame clipped in place.

I’m so pleased with how my brand vision board turned out and can’t wait to put it on display in my craft room / office. I hope you find it visually appealing too and agree that it reflects my key ideas about my little Etsy shop.

Have you ever tried a similar process for your handmade business? If not, I thoroughly recommend it. I had great fun and I now have a board full of beautiful pictures to remind me of what’s at the heart of my brand and to inspire me when I’m working in my craft room each day.

Posted in Planning and journaling, wellbeing, wellness

BuJo love!

Posted on by Laura

Hi all, hope you’re having a lovely Summer and that those of you who have kids are making the most of having some extra family time. Over the last few months, I’ve been falling in love with getting creative in my bullet journal all over again. So much so that I’m already on p.79 of my Scribbles That Matter notebook and have 16 pages at the end of the notebook filled too!

I can’t share every page or this blog post will take you the whole of the holidays to read but here’s some of my favourite spreads. I’ll keep it photo heavy so you can just see rather than spend ages reading and digesting! Of course, if you have any questions about the layouts or my supplies, I’ll be happy to answer them in the comments.

Also, I’ve just read an email about adding columns to your WordPress blog posts so hopefully I’ll be able to apply what I’ve learnt below!

Enjoy x

Just a little reminder for those days when my mental health isn’t as good and I’m on a bit of a downer.

My cover page for August using a combination of stickers, hand lettering free hand drawing and colouring

I like to make a packing list for each time we go away. This time it was a visit to family. The great thing about putting it in my bullet journal is that in years to come, I can refer back to it to make it quicker and easier next time.

I’ve now started adding any leaflets or information on local events or exhibits to my BuJo so I have a handy reminder or ideas for places to go and things to see. This information is a combination of cuttings from The Crack magazine, screenshots from my phone and extra info which I’ve found online.

I’ve uplevelled my reading log and just love this layout which includes space to give hearts out of 5 for how much I loved reading a particular book.

As much as I’m loving drinking Summer drinks such as pineapple, orange and lemon squash and Mixed berries cider, I still need at least 3 cups of coffee to function on busy days!

I have lots of frames ideas pinned to one of my bullet journal Pinterest boards but as someone who needs a little reminder at hand (I’ve just turned 42 and need things right there and in multiple places!!!!) creating a spread in the back of my bullet journal has been really helpful. As you can see, this is ideas bank 1 as I’ve had to go on to a separate double page for yet more ideas.

This spread is a work in progress but I love it so far. And if you’re wondering what’s with the stickers and the black and brown paper – they’re hiding mistakes better than Tippex! (lol)

Well, I hope you’ve enjoyed looking at the spreads I’ve shared. If they’ve given you some inspiration or got your creative juices flowing, don’t forget to leave me a comment and maybe even attach some photos of your own bullet journal spreads.

Much love,

Laura xx

Posted in mental health, Mindfulness, Planning and journaling, wellbeing, wellness

Currently… a little update on what’s going on for me in July 2019

Posted on by Laura
It was so hot, we needed lots of sun cream and had to stroll round slowly looking at all of the tiny ducklings.

I’ve been absent from my blog for a while due to some personal issues that I needed to focus on but I’m now back, and getting fully on top of my game. So, I thought I’d post a little update on me now I’m in productive mode and enjoying life.

currently loving:

… our new wildlife pond. My husband, Michael, has done a great job on it and even though it is only dinky, we already have some resident water snails! The birds love it too and can regularly be seen drinking from it after hopping around our wonderfully bright and colourful garden. It’s very much a work in progress but we’re hoping to get some frogs in there soon (especially as next door have a similar pond and they might come visit ours!).

currently reading:

… a wonderful self care book from The Blurt Foundation founder, Jane Hardy. I’m using it as my current Miracle Morning text and using one of my Mildliners to highlight key points and ideas to help me improve my mental health by looking after myself better. I can already list the positive effects it’s had and there’s so many ideas for bullet journal spreads and things to implement.

The Self-Care Project is for those who have been feeling off-kilter for a while but have not been able to put the finger on the ‘why’. It is a no-nonsense, practical journey to help you do just that. It’ll walk you through the case for self-care (why it’s so darn important), why it isn’t selfish at all, help you explore what self-care means for you, what your obstacles might be and provide advice on how to chisel out daily space for self-care in a practical, achievable and realistic way.

Jane HARDY, founder and CEO of THE blurt foundation
Lots of great information in here if you’re interested in improving your self care habits

currently making:

projects from Daphne’s Diary magazine. This bird décor has been on my to go list for a few weeks now and I finally got it made. Couldn’t decide where to hang it so it’s currently attached to the knob of our under stairs cupboard where it get lots of light from our front door.

So cute!

currently celebrating:

… completing my two classes at The Recovery College. I did a course on Emotional Resilience in the Spring Term and then did a Beginners Tai Chi class in the Summer Term. The college is for anyone who is living with mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.

The Recovery College leaflet resting on my new Scribbles bullet journal notebook!

currently planning:

… how my niece Lexi and I will celebrate our birthdays next month. She was born on the same day as me (3rd August) and she will be turning 8, whereas I will be turning slightly older! Hopefully we’ll have glorious sunshine like today.

currently feeling:

… extremely motivated and as though I want to do it all in order to make up for lost time when I was unwell. This totally goes against the teachings of the self care book so I’m trying really hard to stick to a routine in which I plan some shop work, some household chores, a bit of gardening and at least 30 mins of relaxation.

Over to you…

I’d love it if you dropped me a comment about what you’re currently up to this month or what you have planned for August 2019. And don’t forget to raise a glass on the 3rd of next month (I’m sure you don’t need an excuse but I’m giving you one anyway!).

Posted in Planning and journaling, Setting goals and intentions

My bullet journal: Word of the year, vision board for 2019 and goal setting for the month of January

Posted on by Laura

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you’re all well and excited to see what 2019 brings. My husband is at work doing some overtime today so I’ve finally found some time to take photographs of my bujo spreads and share with you how I’ve created my vision board for the year and set some goals for this month.

I started a new Scribbles That Matter bullet journal last month in December 2018, so I’m not starting a fresh notebook but I am changing up a few things from last year and making some new plans in order to increase my time working on developing myself both professionally and personally in line with the recommendations from my favourite new book The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod.

My word for 2019

I thought long and hard about what I want for myself and my handmade business for 2019 and after coming up with lots of ideas, the word which resonated with me the most was RESILIENCE.

Life is full of so challenges and pressures and it’s important to develop our capacity to deal with the various stresses and strains that are thrown at us and stay well physically, but also mentally. Wellbeing has been a big focus for my self care for a while now following some huge changes to my lifestyle.

Last year my word for the year was BALANCE as I felt I needed to work on ensuring I focused on dividing my time better so that I was able to balance my business and personal commitments much better. At the beginning of the year, I set lots of goals and thought really carefully about what I wanted but, I’m disappointed to admit that I didn’t spend anywhere near as much time following through on my intentions as I would have liked.

This year, I’m in a much more positive frame of mind and more determined to work on myself, ensure that all of things that get in the way of my good intentions do not hold me back. I want to develop my ability to deal with stress brought on by life’s challenges and maintain a stable mental wellbeing whatever life brings.

This is positioned right at the front of my 2019 bujo entries and will be looked at every day!

I’m really pleased with how the page turned out and hope it provides the inspiration for me to embody my word each and every day of 2019.

Be sure to share your word of the year and why you chose it in the comments below. I would love to hear what you’re going to focus on for 2019. Also what are your tips for making sure you keep your word at the forefront of your mind?

Creating my vision board

A page I made about vision boards and their use

In 2018, my vision board was poster sized, tacked to the wall of my craft room and was very inspirational, when I looked at it (which I really, really did for at least a few months!!!). This year, I decided to put my vision board in my bujo and look at it every day as part of my Miracle Morning visualisation exercises. I also decided to get my images from Pinterest so that I wasn’t limited to magazine bits and pieces from my collection.

I spent a long time perusing Pinterest, typing in pertinent words and looking for inspirational images. I then printed them on photo paper and trimmed them ready to paste into my bujo. I also collected words and phrases to accompany the images. You can see my finished double page board below.

Simple, and I hope, effective!
Close up of page 1
And a close up of page 2

What my vision board represents

  • the desire for a well stocked, tidy craft room
  • productivity in terms of my business
  • commitment to my Miracle Morning practise for the 30 day challenge and beyond
  • quality time with my husband
  • a focus on getting little birds in our garden and wildlife photography
  • a well structured and beautiful garden
  • exercise which works on improving my core strength (and hopefully ridding me of the dreadful sciatica I’m currently suffering from)
  • getting my nails in good condition and being able to paint them
  • learning more about flat lay photography and sharing more planner and journal spreads on social media.

What does your vision board for the year look like? I’d love it if you shared in the comments below.

Setting goals for this month…

To begin my journey of a happy and successful 2019, I set myself a number of goals for January. I split them into business and personal goals. I’m pleased to say, I’ve achieved some of them already and it’s only 6th Jan!

Ambitious goals for January

That’s all for now. I hope this post has inspired you to think about your intentions for 2019 and maybe try out a few of the spreads. Don’t forget to share your own ideas for the year. I look forward to hearing from you.

Much love,

Posted in Planning and journaling

A little update from me…

Posted on by Laura

Hi all, I know, it’s been ages since I did a new blog post but what can I say, I’ve been super busy with my growing Etsy Shop. I’ve been getting creative (mainly with my shop photos) and I’m still very much a bujo and creative journaling addict but, I’ve let my blogging slide. What can I say, something had to give and unfortunately, this was it… sorry!

But, I’m back and I would so love to hear from each and every one of you with a mini update of your creative / plannery life and what your priorities are right now.

new supplies for November
Treat to myself for being a good girl (you can still be a girl when you’re in your 40s right?)

So, here’s some of my (best) reasons for being AWOL, AKA what I have been dedicating my precious time to:

  • Planning and having a creative Monday – two or 3 hours, most Mondays when I shift focus from my shop to getting messy. I’m talking brush lettering (I’m a leftie so I always get covered in ink!), colouring in, drawing (I’m getting better, slowly), painting, cutting and sticking (AKA collage) and anything else which takes my fancy and can be crammed in to my time.
  • Making daily plans. I’ve discovered I work best if I sit and create a daily timetable each and every day. This is drawn up in my bujo during my quiet, focused time that I dedicate to planning and preparation before I start work on my Etsy shop.
  • Putting into place ideas from my two favourite (and newly discovered) books on productivity. (see below – one is on my Kindle so I’m making notes in my bulging bujo as I like to record most of my learning so I don’t forget!)
  • Reaching out to other planning and journaling addicts both IRL (Bev, that’s you my lovely!) and virtually (UKPA you are an amazing, wonderous group – where would I be without you!).

That’s it for now, but I (pinkie) promise, I will be back with another post very shortly (you can berate me in the comments if I don’t!).

Much love and best wishes to you and your loved ones for the Christmassy period.

xx