Erin Condren Life Planner Review

Erin Condren Life Planner from www.erincondren.com 

I know I've been away from my blog for a long time, but now I'm back!  My first post is about my new Life Planner from Erin Condren.  Like Erin Condren, the creator of  these planners, I consider myself pretty tech savvy... well, at least as far as being able to use several different types of digital calendars... but I still feel drawn to the paper planner.

I have an iPad that is synched to my Google Calendar and everything, but, for me, nothing beats writing down appointments, birthdays, anniversaries, and other special days in my own handwriting.  It's even more fun in this customized life planner.  I got to chose the cover design and colors (this one is a stock design), and I uploaded a favorite photo of my husband and me on a recent camping trip.  I also ordered a set of colored ball point pens, because we all know planners have to be color-coded!

The planner comes with several personalized gift labels.  Some of them are at the bottom of the photo top photo.  They are just too cute, and I can't wait to use them.  I was also able to choose the starting month of my planner.  At any time, you can order a 15 or 12 month calendar starting in the current month, or choose a 12 month calendar starting with January.  I chose a 15-month, starting with this October, which will end with next December and I'll be on track for a 12-month next January.

The life planner also comes with great calendar stickers pre-printed with common things like Pay-Day, Birthday, and Hair appt and also some blank ones to really personalize your schedule.

These are a little bit pricier than I usually spend for a planner, but now that I have it, I think it's totally worth it.  Sign up for Erin Condren's Newsletter or follow her on Facebook for periodic discounts!  She also does personalized Holiday cards and lots of other fun stuff!  Hope you enjoy!

Perfect quote for a planner... lots of quotes throughout!

Laminated Monthly Tabs

A double page for each week.
Days are divided into Morning, Day, and Night

A double page for each month.

The Stickers!!

Blank note pages with various designs

More personalized gift labels in the clear pocket int he back of the planner

Photo Frame Project

For Father's Day, I got inspired to decorate a photo of my husband's kids and surprise him with it.  This is my first attempt at anything like this, so it's not super fancy, but I'm happy with how it turned out and he loves it!  (photo taken by Rojeana at Passionate Photography:  See her facebook: HERE)

The project itself was really easy.  I bought an 8x10 glass shadow box type frame with an inner frame to fit a 5x7 photo, along with some scrapbooking embellishments and two types of glue.  I used a gel adhesive to stick the little flowers onto the rear piece of glass.  Then I used a decoupage type adhesive and brushed it onto the front of the waves and the palm leaves and then stuck them to the inside of the front piece of glass facing outward.  I used a very thin layer of the decoupage and it is almost invisible when dry.

Thirty-one June Customer Special

Awesome June Special!

Large Utility Totes for just $10
Save more than 70% on one of our most popular styles!
Valid June 1 – June 30, 2012

For every $35 you spend in June, you can get one of our classic Large Utility Totes for only $10! That means you’ll be saving $25 on a style that has been a customer favorite for years. Choose from any of the 17 prints offered in the Summer Catalog, or — as a special offer this month — get it in a brand new exclusive print, available this month only - Pink Lotsa Dots!

Also available this month is our new Top-A-Tote, which fits perfectly over your Large Utility Tote and acts as a lid to keep items neatly and safely secured inside. For only $10, you can get a Top-A-Tote in Black, Brown or Grey — one of which will coordinate beautifully with every print we offer.

Don’t forget, you can personalize many Thirty-One items as well!!   And the new Solid Color Spirit Collection is perfect for guys too!

What are you waiting for? Get shopping at my website:

Karen's Thirty-One Gifts Page

Large Utility Tote in Black Parisian Pop with a Pink Circle Spirals Scarf

Large Utility Tote and Picnic Thermal in Spirit Black

One way to take advantage of the Special:  Pair a Picnic Thermal ($35) with the Large Utility Tote and you are all set for a ball game or day at the pool, beach or park!Or choose a $25 item, and a $10 Top-A-Tote Lid with your Large Utility Tote

 

Or choose a $25 item and a $10 Top-A-Tote Lid
for your Large Utility Tote

Picnic Thermal, Large Utility Tote, and Cinch Thermal in Aqua Circle Spirals with a Mini  Utility Bin in Flutter

Large Utility Tote in Spirit Maroon

This is a video of me opening up my Summer Enrollment Kit for Thirty-one Gifts.  I just became a consultant last month and so far, I am really having fun with this company.  The best part is the $433 I earned in commissions right away, but I love the products and coming up with imaginative ways to use them to create Simple Solutions for organizing, traveling, decorating, or just accessorizing.  Check out my webpage see the full line!  Karen's Thirty-one page

If you like it, place an order...   If you love it, host a party...  If you WANT IT ALL, become a consultant like me!

20 Secrets of Really Fit People (from Team Beachbody)

I like to tell myself that I like fitness and that I live a healthy lifestyle, but more often than not, I'm just reading about a new workout or meal plan and not actually DOING IT!  I just read this great article on Team Beachbody's website and I feel motivated to get back on track with some small changes.  They do all add up!!

What are some of the ways you work on your health and fitness?  

1. Keep a water bottle with you at all times and drink from it often. Water should always be your drink of choice. To kick things up every once in a while, try adding lemon, lime, cucumber, or a few berries to liven up the flavor without adding significant calories.
2. Look at exercise as a pleasure and a privilege, not a burden or chore. Think positively about the changes regular exercise will produce. Rather than obsessing about your next meal, get excited about your next workout!
3. Eat well-balanced meals and remember that excess calories, even if they're from food that's fat free and high in protein, will turn to excess weight. No matter what the latest fad diet says, extra calories equal extra weight!
4. Limit caffeine and exposure to even secondhand smoke.
5. Focus on short-term fitness goals with an emphasis on completing daily exercise.
6. Keep a daily log of what you're actually eating. This includes every time you grab a handful of chips here or eat the crust of your kid's sandwich there, and ALL of your snacking.
7. Enjoy an occasional (once a week) "unhealthy" treat, but never an unhealthy week or unhealthy vacation.
8. Enjoy contributing to the health of others by having a partner or friends to exercise with, as well as recruiting others who want to feel better and have more energy. Have a neighbor who's sitting on the porch every morning when you walk by? Ask him or her to join you on your walk!
9. Avoid monotony by taking up new forms of exercising, or using things that keep you motivated and inspired, like new shoes or great music.
10. Subscribe to fitness magazines to keep focused on health as an overall way of life.
11. Invest in the right tools—good shoes, a portable MP3 player or iPod®, fitness equipment, a new series of tapes, etc.
12. Make it your goal to do some form of exercise 6 or 7 days a week. If some days you exercise once in the morning and once in the evening, even better! If you're eating right, exercise will fuel your energy level!
13. Don't compare your body to others'. Instead, work to be your personal best.
14. If your diet is unbalanced, take daily vitamin and mineral supplements for total health.
15. Work to take your exercise to new levels of intensity.
16. Create an exercise schedule the day before instead of leaving it to chance or waiting to "find" the time. If our last three Presidents of the United States can make time to work out every day, you can make time too!
17. Move beyond the boundaries of weight loss and into total fitness. Measure success by the way your clothes fit, not some number on a scale.
18. Stick with eating plans you can maintain indefinitely. Remember that no matter how hard you're working out, if you're consuming too many calories, you'll never see the muscles that lie beneath layers of fatty tissue.
19. Get adequate amounts of sleep, but remember that people who exercise regularly fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly.
20. Limit alcohol intake to special occasions.