I have a confession to make… I am a sticker, planner and colorful pen junkie. There. I said it!

(Couldn’t find the source to credit – if you know the source, or are the source contact me!)

How it started

Being a generally crafty person and ex-scrapbooker, the concept of “Glam Planning” (at least that’s what I hear they’re calling it these days!) came pretty naturally to me. About a year and a half ago I purchased a cute Me and My Big Ideas (MAMBI) Happy Planner in the classic size on sale at Michaels – which was mid-way through the year, so it was pretty odd – but it was for some reason perfectly setup to handle July through December the following year. For those of you who are not familiar with this type of planner, it comes setup with 18 months, each having a month view and a weekly view. I absolutely love it because of how absolutely functional and flexible it is – you can add pages, remove pages without damaging the pages, and can even create your own with the special punch!

Here are some of the reasons that I’ve kept up my Glam Planning habit:

• It helps me be less stressed because when I write things down, I feel less anxious about remembering it all.
• It keeps me on task when I have the “what should I be doing right now” feels at work.
• It helps me be creative, and enjoy my creativity every single day.
• It helps me remember things, like my mother in law’s birthday, dates and commitments I’ve made.
• It helps me plan for the future, and know what to expect for upcoming weeks and months.
• It is literally “my brain” at this point. I think if I lost it, I’d loose more than a book of paper and notes!

When I first started Glam Planning, I really had no idea what I was doing. I had a few stickers here and there, and a bunch of colorful pens…But I hadn’t really “figured it out” – you know, the feeling when it finally “clicks” and you get into the groove. Here’s an example:

Messy, huh?! All the pretty colors sure made me happy though!

Fast forward a few months, and I got into the groove with some really awesome sticker packs. Here’s a list of the ones I’ve used (you’ll see in-action soon!)

• Create 365® The Happy Planner® Mini Sticker Sheets, Productivity
• Create 365™ The Happy Planner™ Productivity Value Pack Stickers
• Create 365™ The Happy Planner™ Quotes Value Pack Stickers
• Create 365™ The Happy Planner™ Seasonal Value Pack Stickers
• I also use a pretty sweet collection of washi tapes I have found all over the place.

Here’s my planner now:

And I use this beautiful quilted black hard cover with it:

Here’s what my current “now that I’ve figured it out” spreads look like:

Some things I’ve learned that helped me along the way:

• Pick a theme, but you don’t have to stick to it, just start with it.
• Use washi tape to “set the stage” – I use it to break up the timing for each day on my weekly spreads.
• Choose a sticker or two that you’d like to use, and plan around it.
• Don’t be afraid to “break the lines and borders” – you can have fun with arrows and dots pointing to times you’ve covered up if needed.
• Layer, layer, layer! Several sticker packs come with cute patterned squares and rectangles. Use these to create fun depth. You can do this with washi tape as well.

I’ll start posting my weekly spreads in hopes of creating some inspiration for you!