Organising in the New Year

I definitely don't like to get too sucked into the "New Year, New You" mentality. I don't think it's particularly healthy to feel like you can only change or do things differently once a new year starts - or that you have to. If you want to create change in your life you can do it any time - do it right now if it's something you want to do. No time like the present and all that. I also don't like the inevitable guilt a lot of people put themselves through when they don't achieve their often unrealistic goals (or maybe the goals aren't unrealistic but there are too many of them at once).

But I still can't help feeling some sense that it's a good time for regrouping, refocusing and reevaluating when I open the fresh blank pages of the new year's diary. I'm a huge stationery addict so I am always excited to start a new diary and calendar each year.

I am really picky when it comes to diaries, planners and calendars. I actually tend to spend a lot of time going from stationery store to stationery store every January wishing I'd chosen one sooner and spending a ridiculous amount of time comparing and umming and ahhing about which one to get. You're stuck with it for a whole year, right!? It's an important investment and the success of your organisation and planning for the year all hinges on which planner you choose! Ok, maybe not exactly, but I still search for the nearest to perfect planner and calendar that I can find.

This year was no exception. I should have found one sooner, maybe online. I was actually prepared to spend a bit of money on a nice planner this year, but as I went around the stationery stores and department stores I really struggled to find even an expensive planner that suited me. I actually ended up with a $10 Molli & Mimi one from Target because it was the closest thing I could find to ticking all my boxes.

Here is what I look for in a planner:

+ It has to be a week to an opening. I want to see my week laid out in front of me so I know what I'm doing at a glance and can plan easily. I don't need to write down a million appointments a day at this point in my life, so I don't need a whole page to write an essay about my day.
+ It has to be able to lay flat. Who wants a planner that just flops closed when you're trying to... well, plan?
+ It has to be stylish. I have to love the look of it - inside and out. I am sick of planners with beautiful covers and horrible pages with ugly font and some hideous brown-green header on every page. WHY.
+ It has to have a monthly view as well - preferably at the start of each month. So  I can my head around the month, ya know.
+ I like lined pages - and the lines can't be really far apart. This is where I get really picky about the layout of the actual pages. I write tiny and I like to fit a lot into a small space. To keep that tiny writing neat, I like small thin lines.
+ Simple, minimalist layout. I don't like too much going on on the page before I even start writing. That way I can just have information relevant to me on each page. And it looks beautiful.
+ I prefer Saturday and Sunday to be the same size as the other days of the week. I have just as many weekend plans as weekday plans, if not more.

Mostly I like a simple stylish and slightly clever diary layout. Something that is actually designed to be used easily and efficiently, to make organising fun. I always think, "will I get sick of this design quickly?"

This is the monthly view in my planner. They actually put all the months together at the front instead of at the start of each month throughout the year, so I'll see how this works out for me this year.

The week to an opening layout is really simple and clean, there isn't too much going on, it's simple grey instead of some horrible green, and the font is modern. Unfortunately Saturday and Sunday are shrunk down to fit, but I dealt with that last year so I don't mind too much.

As for calendars I couldn't find a single one in stores that I liked. Again, I just wanted something really simple. Almost like a monthly desk pad planner, but for the wall. I didn't want a big picture at the top of each month and all that - I'd prefer more room to actually write. I ended up downloading a printable calendar which matches the dot theme of the diary (unintentionally), but in a nice green. It doesn't have a huge amount of space to write but at least it's minimal and simple.

This is how I am using my planner so far this year:
+ I'm planning all my things ahead on the lefthand side of each day.
+ I'm using different coloured highlighters to categorise my activities. For example each day I have work, I highlight "work 6am to 3pm" or whatever my hours are, in orange highlighter. I highlight my workouts and health related things in green, in the hope I can better track my progress.
+ I'm using the right hand side of each day to write a short summary of what actually happened that day after the day's over. I don't do this every day, but I like to have a little reminder of what I've been doing. And it's good to keep track of what my plans were, and what I actually got done. It's good to be flexible, don't you think? For example I planned to get a lot of things done one day last week, but my bestie was free so we decided to go on a beach and shopping trip down the coast! There was no way I was going to stick to my to-do list and miss out on Zara and the beach on a 36°C summers day. 
Last year I used different coloured pens for things I had planned ahead in my planner, and past tense reflection of the days in the same diary. I also kept them to separate sides of the page like I am doing this year.

What do you look for in a planner and calendar?
How do you organise your planner or diary?

Hope everyone is having a great year so far!

Nina xo

Christmas Gift Wrapping, Merry Christmas!

I usually (secretly) love Christmas, but for the last two years it seemed to come around so fast I barely had time to get into the spirit of things! But this year, just in time I found my festiveness and have really enjoyed preparing for Christmas day. Right now I can smell the gingerbread cookies I'm baking, I have last minute Christmas cards and stickers next to me, our Christmas tree and lights look glorious, and I put the last of my presents under the tree this morning. 

I had so much fun wrapping this year. I picked a theme and just really went with it after finding this gorgeous teal, red and white wrapping paper set at Typo. One paper is a teal background with adorable owls wearing hats and scarves, one is a slightly darker/bluer teal with white snowflakes and hedgehogs and deer, and the last is a simple polka dot in matching colours. What a gorgeous combination! I already had some plain bright red wrapping paper, white and red washi tape, teal washi tape, and these cute mini Christmas cards from the supermarket which matched in colour! I also got some various red and white ribbons to finish it off.

I made these bow decorations with off-cuts of the wrapping paper. They are super easy to make - just cut a rectangle to whatever size you'd like, fold in a concertina back and forth to the end, and then secure the middle with tape and fan out both ends to make it look pretty. You can secure them with tape or tie them on with ribbon. I first heard of this idea a long time ago from the wonderful Hello Sandwich, go check out her amazing wrapping ideas.

I can't believe how well these mini Christmas cards matched the wrapping theme! What a happy fluke. 

Blue wrapping with a big red paper bow...

Or with a white ribbon and polar bear gift card...

Or with a matching blue paper bow as well as white satin ribbon!

Contrast this simple paper with a bright red paper bow...

Or decorate with a thick red ribbon...

Or put both together for a big pop of colour!

For a different set of presents, I also re-used this old gift bag, alongside some of last year's wrapping paper, and a piece of a clear Christmas wrapping. I put the clear bow together with some gold and white striped washi tape, which I also used to wrap the present. It definitely jazzed up some pretty ordinary wrapping paper, and I'm always for re-using and up-cyling things where you can!

 I hope everyone who celebrates Christmas has a fantastic day, and happy holiday season to everyone! My favourite things about Christmas are the pretty lights everywhere, and all the gorgeous decorations, the food, and of course giving gifts. I'll be seeing family tomorrow, eating a huge spread of delicious food, and having a swim. Can't wait! I'm so happy to have a few extra days off. I had better go and ice these gingerbread cookies... ;) Merry Christmas!

Nina xo

Morning Office: My Current Desk and Workspace

This is my current desk and workspace set-up! It's in our sunroom, which my bedroom leads into, so I absolutely love the amount of natural light in this space, especially in the morning. 

The desk is a small old writing desk - I'd like to get a large spacious one without the cubby-hole style storage built in. A clean empty tabletop would be really refreshing, but I do like this desk and I am sentimentally attached to it as a letter-writing desk.

The stool is actually from my drum kit! I had a proper office chair, but the cat always likes to steal it, so I started using this stool instead of disturbing her! Haha. Cat owners all know what I'm talking about. Anyway I ended up quite liking the stool, it's less in the way and still pretty comfortable.

I used to play the drums, and this is my beloved drum kit. Isn't she beautiful? I don't play anymore, but I haven't been able to bring myself to get rid of the kit. I guess I should at some point so she can be actually used by someone who would love and appreciate her.

Recently I got this old pin board out of our shed and spray-painted it white. It was a ugly grey. It's really nice to have a pin board above my desk to personalise my space more and add some inspiration and prettiness, since we can't hang pictures and put posters on the walls. I had a lot of fun making the bright pink washi tape diamond. My poor little skeleton guy fell over and I didn't even notice when I was taking these pictures! :P

The storage either side of my desk leaves a lot to be desired really. The rainbow drawer craft trolley thing on the right is on its last legs I think. I'd love to invest in some nicer office storage when I get the chance to. But it does the job alright for now. ;) What are your favourite office storage items or furniture pieces? I'm a big Ikea fan.

The chest on the right was given to me by my grandparents for my 21st. It's absolutely incredible! It's Chinese, and carved with ships and a garden/lake scene. It's one of my favourite things. It's filled with keepsakes at the moment.

What does your workspace look like? Do you have a small desk or a large one? Do you have a minimalistic approach to your desktop or do you like to have all your relevant items at hand on your desk?

I'm feeling positive and on track and excited for the future at the moment! I'm actively being productive, positive, healthy, and moving toward my goals! Hope I can pass on some positive vibes, and I hope that everyone is having an excellent week!

Nina xo

Styling Product Displays

Working in retail isn't my dream job. But I do enjoy a bit of visual merchandising, and at my job I've recently been lucky enough to be able to create product displays in our store. It's my favourite part of the job, and I was given free reign to make these tabletop displays my own. (Yay!) I love the challenge of using what you have at hand and working with whatever space you've got to make an effective display even when you can't open certain packaging, or the shelves above the table are very low, etc. Mostly I just love being creative with it and trying to think outside the box!

I apologise about the photo quality. I had to take these on my phone quickly on my breaks. It was hard to get a good picture because of the background and lighting etc., but I still wanted to share them. :)

This black, white and kraft brown stationery display is my favourite so far! I had so much fun setting it up, and it didn't take me long at all because I had a clear idea in my mind. My favourite part of this one is the skull, candle and fake pothos combo. I was so happy we had some fake pothos in stock (real live pothos is one of my favourite indoor plants!). And yes, I've always been pretty skull-obsessed, as you can probably tell.

Here are my first couple of displays. I had a lot of fun with this eclectic polka dot breakfast table setting! I love the cow salt and pepper shakers and the tomato jar. Although I think I tried to fit too much into it, because I was so excited about it. I was like a kid in a candy shop choosing everything to display.

Unfortunately, I didn't take a photo of the actual finished product of this desk space display. Everything was neatened up when it was finished, and the photo frame was propped up so you could see the whole picture. My favourite part of coming up with this one was the pretend pin board with the little memos and gold scarf thrown over the corner.

It was so much fun working on these, hope I can do something similar on a larger scale sometime in the future. ;) I love styling, decorating and interior design, so it's something I'm working towards!

I hope everyone has had an amazing start to their weeks!

Nina xo

Art, Mail, and Staying Positive!

Hello! I'm really trying to boost my positivity at the moment. I've been focusing on eating really healthy, exercising more, working toward my goals, and trying to enjoy the little things along the way. It's been really important lately to remind myself to stay positive and optimistic and remember what I'm working toward when I'm working 6 days a week and don't have much time for fun stuff!

Anyway something I always enjoy is writing letters and putting together mail for my pen pals! I made this little handmade "business card" for my blog to let one of my friends know about it haha.

That's the back of the business card at the front there. And how amazing is the cat memo paper? I got the memo pad in a cat-themed swap quite a long time ago (my first package swap, actually!).

Washi tape, stickers and pink card make a nice address label. ^_^

Putting mail together and drawing and doodling makes me happy. What do you do to unwind when you're busy, or to help you stay positive when things are hectic?

Little Pink Cactus xo

Art and Outgoing Mail

Here are a couple of recent sketches in my sketch book! I've been working on a different style, and I've been really enjoying playing with my Sailor fountain pen from Japan. I haven't done much drawing with it before now! What do you guys think of this style?

I've had a couple of splotchy problems with the fountain pen :P. I wish I hadn't blobbed ink on this poor kitty! I had a lot of fun painting him and inking the lines. I'd like to do a bigger painting like this! What do you think?

I love gouache paints! And I had a lot of fun mixing this pastel palette.

Here's some outgoing mail to a pen pal in Japan. She kindly asked me to draw her some fruits and vegetables. She likes a simple style of art. :) I think it goes nicely with the herb themed letter set!

I love writing cute letters on San-X stationery. And my clipboard is so handy for writing a letter out in the garden, or the lounge room, etc.! ;) 

I hope everyone's had a fantastic week!

Little Pink Cactus xo

New

I finally got myself a little 'mail centre' type tray organiser. It's a gorgeous teal colour and has two trays or shelves. I'm going to use one for incoming and one for outgoing mail/documents. I also bought this super cute gold skull ornament!

I've been replying to some of my recent letters today. I love mail and pen palling so much, and hopefully this will help keep track of what I need to reply to!

The skull has little diamond eyes which I think is cool. Right now I'm using it as a paperweight, but it also has space in the top for a tea light candle!

I have it on top of my stack of drawers rather than my desk, which frees up desk space. I can't stand clutter on my desk when I'm trying to create something or write a letter. I got both the tray organiser and the skull from Daiso, where I work, so they were cheap too!

P.S. Currently reading Peppermint magazine! ;)

Little Pink Cactus xo