the plan.

it's looking like a Heidi Swapp, Mint & Gold kinda year...

working on my december daily gave me the bug.

i thought i was cured.
from shopping for every single piece of everything that i knew i didn't need,
but still wanted, because the instagram pix made them look extra pretty.

but i'm not.
i'm hooked again.

and as i browsed the online shops, just because...
and the aisles of target and michael's,
i kept coming across yummy goodies that i couldn't live without.

*click pix to enlarge*

so i started to collect.
it's a collection that began a month ago.

i finally came to the conclusion that i would continue my photo documenting, but on a lesser scale.
i would not become overly obsessed with getting every single washi or ephemera that's out there.
i would not shop for supplies, and then have to shop for storage to keep up with the supplies i'm shopping for.  i did a great deal of cutting back this year and i don't  plan on going back to being a shopaholic/hoarder.  i don't judge anyone who is that way, i'm just over myself buying so much stuff that i never have enough time to use anyway.
i came to the conclusion that i don't have to completely seclude myself from what i enjoy doing, (like i did for a good chunk of this year), but to do what i love in moderation.

my december daily has helped me realize 3 things.

1.  i really enjoy pocket pages.
2.  i really missed taking photos and documenting them.
3.  i really like the 6x8 album size.

so i decided that i would start out documenting 2015 on a monthly level and if i miss it all too much, then i would do bimonthly.

i don't want to be online at all hours searching for exclusive stamps, or exclusive veneers.
i don't want to browse the stores every week.
i just want to receive a kit in the mail once a month and use that for my monthly scrapbooking.

once in a while if i see something i really need to have, i will treat myself to that extra, but i think for now i have all i need (minus the Heidi Swapp "DREAMY" PL kit).

i also decided that i won't be using my filofax, and have downgraded to a different planner.

i'm going to be documenting 365 days of thanksgiving or "365 DOT".  i like the idea of using the gold HS album for that because it comes equipped with calendar pages, pockets, and extra journaling sheets.  i will be able to add my fav photo of the month or the photo that best captures the feeling of that month.

as you can see, i've already begun to decorate my monthly pages.  each square will hold what I'm thankful for that day, and in the consecutive page (where there's a little more space), i'll journal what's the most impacting thing that happened that month, with a photo or meaningful bible verse.

i used to do something similar to this when i was in high school / college, in a hello kitty planner... it wasn't as "pretty", but it held a lot of my events and thoughts.  i'm excited to get back to this type of documenting; right in a planner.

to save myself the embarrassment, i didn't snap a pic, but after i was done labeling the dates i realized they were wrong.  i started the 1st of January on Friday instead of Thursday.
happy accident, because that made me get out my thinking hat...
(yes, at 1am),
and redo the entire layout.
i was lucky enough to find a stampin' up tiny label punch and use that as a base to create tiny date banners.
worked out great.

i used hero arts gold ink to stamp out the flutes, but the ink looked more grayish/dull than a bright glittery gold... so i pulled out my gold wink of stella brush and carefully went over the flute.
you can see the difference in the side by side above.

with the help of Miss HS herself, dear lizzy, simple stories and other popular craft companies, i was able to completely transform the monthly layout and make it pretty.  i plan to do this for every month.  it takes time, but the outcome is so worth it.

for my photo documenting, i wasn't sure what binder i wanted to use so i picked up a simple stories one at michael's with a coupon, but wasn't too happy with it.  not sure if i'll keep it or return for goodies, but all i know is that as soon as I saw black and white script with a touch of aqua, i knew i had to change my album.  especially if it's a compact version of project life scrapbooking... something i can actually keep up with.  i went a little crazy sharing the photo on social media, but it was well worth spending an hour of my morning searching for it.

i'm going to be using the studio calico brighton pier handbook to document my monthly/bimonthly events; that, (thanks to the EVER FAB CASSIE **owner of Paper Issues**), i was able to purchase the last one in this country *apparently* and will have it in my hands as soon as the NYE countdown is over and i open my eyes - because that's how quickly she ships.
and incase you are interested in what she has to sell, just click here.

my planner for now is just one, by "sugar sugar" (i call it, hehe), from target.  it's pink and stripey and cute and everything i need to keep me organized when it comes to design teams, church, personal appointments, etc.

i'd like to purchase the gold polka dot one also, but only if this one gets cluttered; but if i want to also get the HS black and white striped planner that comes out next month, then i'll have to really think about what i'll be using that one for.

my goal in 2015 is to simplify my life,
get even more creative,
inspire people,
and be a better version of me...

one with shorter to-do lists,
one with a deeper connection to God,
one whose surrounded with lots of mint and gold,
and
one who only uses capital letters, when it's ABSOLUTELY necessary.

i challenge myself to use only lowercase in 2015.
because they're the underdog.
and i can relate.