Move over Martha....

I might have mentioned my love for calendar's before on this blog, but I'm too lazy to go back and find the link right now.  I love calendars though-- they represent fresh, new beginnings.  I used to use Back-to-School as a time for new things- new school supplies, new clothes and usually, a new planner to keep myself update on all these new beginnings.  Now that I'm no longer in school, I still love a good planner.  I love keeping organized, or at least, the appearance of organization.  Its so fun and inspiring- I can imagine myself eating lunch with friends and pulling out my calendar to schedule our next Girls Night Out.  Or being at some important community meeting and whipping out my trusy planner, with its fun colors and weathered pages, showing how on top of things I am.  Everyone would be impressed and would know that I was someone who had it all together- someone with mad organization skills, someone who was fun and trustworthy and ready to plan the next big event.

Instead, my reality is more along the lines of the fact that I've left me planner in the car, or in another purse, or at the office, and I'm just trying to remember if I've got something planned for Monday or not?  Seems like there was something I'm forgetting, but I don't know, so, um, yeah, let's plan for Monday and I'll write it in my planner later.  When I find it.

I used to have a fantastic Kate Spade planner- I bought it in Birmingham while I was in law school.  Loved that thing.  It was perfect.  Right after I moved to Cleveland and my car got broken into, the planner was stolen along with the purse it was in.  I eventually got both back, but not before they spend a rainy weekend in the bushes of my neighbors yard.  The rain ruined the leather and I've never been able to find a decent planner since.  Not for lack of trying.

A few months ago, I ran across a website about organization (probably via a Pinterest link) and saw this really pretty, pale blue Martha Stewart for Staples planner.  The blogger showed some of her organization tips and how she'd made her planner even prettier.  Last week I decided I could no longer live without a planner so I bought one from Staples on-line and bought some accessories to match.  I cannot take all credit for this because I got a lot of inspiration from the blog, I Heart Organizing.

So, don't take organizing tips from me.  I'm still not organized and never will be.  But now I have a really pretty planner to use and so far, I love it so much that I've pretty much used it daily.  Even when its not necessary.  Like someone asks me "Hey are you going to watch the Oscar's Sunday night?" and I'm all like, "hmmm, I don't know, let me get out my PLANNER and see what my schedule is for Sunday night."  Its gotten a lot of funny looks because I've been just carrying it around in my arms, but its just so darn fun! 

I used some scrapbooking tape to make this front page a little prettier. 

Its important to stay organized or you might miss a big event!  Like a baseball game. 

The plastic flap in front hold lots of stickers and post-it notes that I can use.  I'm not sure why I'd ever need to use any of these things since I have the actual calendar pages I can write on, but it looks super fun, right?

My label maker (which I found in my beside table) and some clear labels.  My labelmaker is better than my mom's labelmaker because I don't use it to abuse people but rather to uplift and organize them.