A new planner

 Happy New Year

For many people January 1st is a day when they set resolutions and so often these don't last long.   For the last few years I have chosen a Word of the Year.  Last year's was Intentional.  News on my word for 2022 to come!

Throughout 2021 I followed along with Valerie Sjodin's Plan With Me premium version, although I did do my own version of it.  I'm pleased to say that I've almost completed the journal - just a few gaps to fill in for December.

I had planned to carry on in this journal for 2022 doing a version of what I've been doing the last few months.  However I looked into trying something else.  I wanted to do something creative but easy!

Before I settled on using the Happy Planner for 2022, I binged watched YouTube videos showing ideas on how to use one.  There are 26 HP Squad members and 5 Mentors and eventaully I decided to settle on three ladies: Heather, MaryEllen and Elisa.

I already had some Happy Planner stickers from visits to the US so I knew what standard the products are but hadn't ever invested in a planner.

I decided to buy the Neutral Watercolor themed Planner and the matching stickers.  I also bought Watercolor Recovery theme stickers.

After watching numerous videos I started on pages in the planner.  I started by stamping 2022 over January 1st & 2nd.   I may decide to colour these.

Then I did a little collage of our evening out on December 27th using photos I took at SYmphony Hall and the Cosy Club where we had dinner.

I added lots of stickers.  It was ready to use.  It took me most of a morning to do these pages.  I really need to speed up - but I expect that, as with most things, that will come with practice.

I have also bought other sticker sets and some extension packs.  I think this is a particularly expensive hobby here in the UK.  In the US where there are discount coupons to use at Michaels, JoAnns or Hobby Lobby it is probably somewhat cheaper.

I am looking forward to using the planner during the year.  I hope to make into a record of my year rather than just an apointments book.

More on my Word of the Year next week.

Thanks for joining me today.
Bernice

November pages

I'm still keeping up with journal.  In the past I've often given up around June or July so I'm pleased I'm still going.

Valerie's theme for November was music and so I used my music washi tape to decorate the page.  I also found some scrapbook cardstock with music on for the backgound for month square.

I like having weekly to do lists as it makes me feel as though I've achieved something when I tick them off.

The theme for this month is Joy.  Valerie provided a PDF of the music and 'borrowed' her wreath artwork from the devotional PDF she also provided.

My word for 2021 was Intentional.  I haven't started investigating a word for next year yet.  Have you?

Thanks for joining me today.
Bernice

October

October has been a month of collages.  You may have picked that up if you are a regular reader.  So it's not a surprise that my October journal pages are full of collages too.  Photos of the collages I've made rather than new collages.

I had to start a new journal as January to September completely filled the first one.  I am hoping to not only put the last 3 months of 2021 in this journal but to get the whole of 2022 into it too. I've cut back on some of the pages that Valerie includes in Plan With Me so I can do this.

As you can see the journal is quite colourful.

Thanks for joining me today
Bernice

August already!

Can you believe that it's August tomorrow?

As you know I am following along with Valerie Sjodin's Plan With Me.  My pages are ready for August.

I love the washi tape I bought.

I may add some stencilling later in the month.

Thanks for joining me today
Bernice

Journal Update

My last update was at the beginning of May.  Here are a few of my pages since then.

A completed May calendar

A gratitude page

Weekly to-do lists.  I love ticking the things I've completed

The June title page

Inside the monthly cover.  Words of encouragement that were sent to me

An unfinished June calendar

Can you believe it's going to be July in two days?  I haven't completed most of my June pages and I haven't started on preparing July's.  I'd better get a move on!

So much for being intentional!!!!!!!

Thanks for joining me today
Bernice

Journal 2021

Four months of the year has gone already.  Most of which I have spent indoors!  This time last year we were walking 2-3 miles each day.  Apart from appointments I haven't been out of the house.

I have kept up with my 2021 journal.

 

Looking back I see I haven't shared the pages with you.  I've been enjoying the inspiration that Valerie provides in the Plan With Me Premium some of which can be found for free on her website.  However, I have tended to stick to a colour scheme and a design that suits me.

I've used stencils and stamps.  Plus I'm trying to use up my washi tape - I have a lot!

This month's theme is Beauty using flowers as a motif.  However I don't have any flowery washi tape or flower stencils.  So I'm using a leaf motif.  Plus the only flower stamp I own.

 

Have you kept a journal or a diary this year?

Thanks for joining me today
Bernice

Journal Update

I shared about setting up my 2021 Journal in January.  Today I'm sharing some of the pages starting with a vision board.

My word of the year is Intentional.

I'm following along with Valerie Sjodin's Plan-with-me.  She uses the Dutch door for her word of the month but I am using it as the month divider.

Here's the calendar for February

 

 

And on to March.

And the March calendar.  As you can see this month's theme is butterflies.

I'm hoping that by the time we get to April's calendar there will actually be things to put in there.  I have tended to fill in the calendar at the end of each month which to be honest generally is a record of zoom calls!

Thanks for joining me today
Bernice

Saturday Story

We've visited 'A' and 'P' so far.  As tomorrow is Valentine's Day I thought we would look at V stories.

Of course, the obvious V is Venice.  If you put Venice into the search box to the right of this post, lots of posts will come up. Several pieces of my textile work is inspired by Venice.

V is for voice.  There are several posts here about finding my voice, including the previous post this week.

V is for values.  Mary wrote about Personal Values and I used that as the inspiration behind this page in my 2021 Word of the Year journal.

So what other things beginning with V feature in my story?

From the age of 8 to 18 I lived in a house in Verstone Croft.  At some point in our life there we had central heating fitted!  My parents moved from there when I had left for college.  They sold it to a cousin of my mother.  The next time we visited we weren't allowed to walk on the lawn.  Isn't it funny the things you remember?

Next V:  I drive a Vauxhall Astra.  This is third or fourth one, I think.  I wrote one off on a drive home from Pembrokeshire in the early hours of the morning.  I was the only person on the road and as I came out of the tunnel at Monmouth I hit the barrier at the side of the road and did a spectacular drive with two wheels going along the top of the barrier at an angle to the road.  Just like the stuntmen do it in the films!  And fortunately when I got to the end of the barrier the car landed the right way up!  I can't find the original pictures but here are the pages from my Learn Something New journal.

I think I came off lightly, with just a bruised arm.  The car didn't fare so well.

V is for Victory. 
Did you know that my name, Bernice, comes from Berenike which means Bringer of Victory. It's also where Nike, the footwear company, gets its name from. Valerie Sjodin made this piece of artwork for me.

At the beginning I said I had chosen V for today's Saturday story as tomorrow is Valentine's day.  So I will finish with a photo of part of the card I am giving Roger tomorrow.  I chose it so I can cut it up and put it in my journal!!!!  The theme for February in Valerie's Plan With Me is hearts.

Thanks for joining me today.
Bernice

Journal 2021

For 2021 I have chosen to follow along with Valerie Sjodin's Plan with me in 2021.  There are free tutorials on Valerie's blog, but I have signed up for the Premium version.

I am taking inspiration from Valerie's tutorials and as far as possible making her ideas my own.  If you are a regular reader you might remember that I said in this post that I wanted this year's journal to be less rigid.  That's all well and good but when I really thought about it,  I really like working in squares.  Lots of my textiles are squares.  My last two sketchbooks are squares.  So guess what!  Instead of circles that Valerie is using, I'm using squares.  And as much as I love the new layout Mary Brack has been trying out, I decided to stick with the squares and the rigid.

I am using squares as a symbol throughout my journal.

One of the things I want to learn this year is how to take decent pictures of my journal and sketchbooks!

My Word of the Year is Intentional.  On this definition page I also included synonyms, antonyms and a quote.

I have no idea why I included a future log.  More in hope than anticipation I think!

I've written the workshops in pencil because there's still the likelihood they may be cancelled.  Especially the January ones as we recently went into tier 4 lockdown.

Intentional isn't a word that you see in the Bible but fortunately I found a list online of suitable verses.

Quotes were easier to find, although not many of them actually include the word Intentional.

One of Valerie's design ideas is to use the Dutch door as a divider.  I am using the winter symbols of raindrops and snowflakes.  Valerie suggested doing doodles, but I don't doodle, so  I used a stamp that has this lovely garland of snowflakes.

This page is reserved for a private thoughts based on a three day study on Lectio365 - a daily devotional app.  Valerie provides a montly devotional in the premium version of Plan With Me.

For most of 2020 I wrote what I actually did in the month at the end of a month rather than use it as a guide to what I was going to do.  Who knows how this will get used!

I wrote the areas I want to intentionally focus on this year.  I wrote them inside squares of course!   And finally the start of the journal for recording to do lists, gratitude lists and what I did each day.

Valerie, Mary & I have archived the Living Your Word of the Year group on Facebook as we feel led to doing other things.  However you can still follow along with us as we continue in our own ways to live out our word of the year.

Valerie: https://www.valeriesjodin.com/

Mary: https://www.foundonbrighton.com/

Thanks for joining me today
Bernice

PS:  While you are here check out Simply Create