Words Matter

~ Laci ~ Leave a comment

“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.

– Maya Angelou

A person’s words can tell you a lot about them. Their actions, or lack thereof, will tell you even more.

Search #ErinCondren on Instagram and you will find a lot of people who are pissed off and refusing to spend one more dime with the planner community’s most recognizable brand. Including me.

Basically – her kids didn’t get to have the graduation celebration they wanted due to, you know, the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed more than 100,000 people in the U.S, so they decided to have a march along the beach… because if the Black Lives Matter protesters could do it, they could too. Distractify has a great article summarizing everything.

No. You don’t get to use your rich white woman privilege to skirt the rules and put thousands of people at risk unnecessarily… especially by trying to co-opt an important movement. COVID sucks. But it’s going to suck even more when someone gets sick and possibly dies because of your poor decisions.

The apologies have been trash. I, I, I, me, me, me. A lot of words to say absolutely nothing. Definitely not taking any kind of responsibility. It’s the media’s fault. Okay Trump.

This isn’t the first time Erin Condren has done some shady shit. @KelliPlansItAll broke it down quite well.

I haven’t used one of Erin’s overpriced planners in years… but I have made other purchases. Hell, her dual-tip markers are some of my favorites. Well, they were. I hate that I gave her SO MUCH money over the past five years. That’s over and done with. Ms. Affluenza won’t get one more dime from me.

There are too many amazing planner companies and actual small businesses out there to settle for pandering words and empty promises. Erin Condren may be the best known name in the planner community, but she’s not the only option.

I was actually considering buying an EC Daily Duo planner this year to supplement my bullet journal. I almost hit checkout on her website so many times, but didn’t. Thank God.

I did make a big planner purchase in wake of all of this… from a company that’s actually paying attention to what is happening in the community and putting actions behind their words and making meaningful changes. I ordered a Simplified Weekly planner from Emily Ley. 

I may not be rich, but my skin is as white as Erin’s. I KNOW that gives me privilege. When I got pulled over by police earlier this year, I didn’t worry one bit about my safety. My Black and brown friends don’t have that luxury. Civil rights is not something I will ever compromise on. EVER. Don’t come at me with some all lives matter bullshit. All lives will matter when Black lives matter. It’s abundantly clear that right now, they do not.

People are watching. We are paying attention to what brands are saying and doing… and what they’re not. And we are reacting accordingly.

I will still be using any products I have from EC. I worked hard for the money I spent on them… but I refuse to promote the company any longer. I’ll save those dollars and words for brands who deserve it.

Celebrating 10 Years of Krissyanne Designs

~ Laci ~ 3 Comments

(this post contains an affiliate link that will earn me a small commission)

I found the planner community five years ago and it really did change my life. I have made some amazing friends and found something so much more than a way to get my shit together.

There are a lot of amazing and creative people in the community including my friend Kristin. She has a little shop named Krissyanne Designs. If you’re in the community, there’s a good chance you own some of her amazing products. This week, she’s celebrating the shop’s 10th anniversary. Ten years is a big damn deal… a lifetime in the planner world. I’m thrilled to be able to help her celebrate.

Specials have been happening all week long and all stickers are 15% off through Sunday (no code required!). What excites me the most every year during the anniversary celebration is the launch of the anniversary binder and bundle. Kristin was kind enough to send me a few of the new products in the bundle to share with you before the launch.

The thing I’m most excited about is the binder itself. Yes, I have a few KAD binders. Okay probably more than a few. So what’s so special about this binder? What makes it different than the signature Krissyanne Design binders?

Look. At. That Spine.

Yes, that’s a 1 inch binder.

It’s still a mini binder and will fit the KAD sticker sheets perfectly – it will just hold more!

Kristin told me that eventually they will be available for purchase on the site, but right now, the larger binders are available only in the anniversary bundle.

The cover – embossed with silver foil. I’m not a foil girl typically, but this is gorgeous.

Kristin also sent me a few other items that are part of the bundle, including a sheet of transparent stickers with silver foil, a page lifter to keep sheets from bending while in the binder, and a branded Microperm pen, which writes beautifully on all KAD stickers. All of it has the KAD quality and care we have come to expect from Kristin, Damian, and their team.

The full bundle will be released at 2pm Eastern today (Friday, May 22nd) and will have limited quantities. The price is $75 plus shipping (the entire bundle has a value of over $110). Here’s what all you get:

  • The brand new  1″ Krissyanne Designs Binder with silver accents and silver embossing on the cover⁣
  • Silver Embossed Page Lifter⁣
  • 3 Sampler Sheets (one #10YearsofKAD Exclusive sampler and two KAD Binder Samplers)⁣
  • Exclusive #10YearsofKAD Silver Embossed Mini Sampler⁣
  • 5-Page Weekly Kit⁣
  • Exclusive Keychain⁣
  • Exclusive Ruler⁣
  • Exclusive Flexible Bookmark⁣
  • Exclusive #10YearsofKAD Decal Set⁣
  • Exclusive #10YearsofKAD Microperm

The theme of “Throw Kindness Around Confetti” carries through the whole anniversary bundle. I can’t wait to get my hands on the full set.

Congratulations on ten amazing years Kristin! I’m so proud of everything you have accomplished. It couldn’t have happened to a better person. ❤️

Thanks again to Kristin for sending this to me to review!

Sigh

~ Laci ~ 4 Comments

More COVID-19 meme levity reveals y'all are losing it, cabin fever ...

Long time, no talk. I know it has been awhile and I’m not going to lie – I’m having a bit of a tough time. I know I’m not alone.

I’m an introvert. I always have been. While it has been kind of nice staying home with my mom and the cat, I miss my friends and my co-workers. One of my closest friends at work is about to have a baby and I haven’t been able to see her in two months and probably won’t until after she gets back from maternity leave.

I haven’t touched my planner since my last full day in the office. That was March 13th. I miss it, but I have zero motivation. I’ve been to the office once since then to pick up a few things and I have been getting out about once a week to run to Walmart or Kroger to pick up my grocery order. That’s pretty much it. I’m just glad that I have a cat and not kids. I don’t know how you parents are doing it. For real.

I haven’t been motivated to do much of anything except work and playing the Sims. That is one thing I did for myself – I used my stimulus money (and some Amazon rewards) to buy a new laptop specifically to play the Sims… and of course the game and some packs (well, most of them *shrug*). I’m okay with that. Mostly. Most days, I don’t even want to open Instagram – and that’s unheard of for me.

I’m struggling.

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Kentucky is starting to re-open next week, but it’s likely that I won’t go back to the office until the end of the month at the earliest. (Happy birthday to me? Maybe?)

Until then, I’m going to get the work done that I need to get done, play Sims, and soak up the Sephora cuddles… whenever she gives them. She’s a cat after all.

How are you doing? Are you hanging in there? If you ever need to talk, don’t hesitate to reach out.

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P.S. I know many states have put orders into place that you have to wear a face covering when you’re out in public. If you’re looking for some, hit up my friend Beth at Woodland Cottage Farm on Etsy and support a small business. She has some that are cute as hell. She just released some that have neck straps vs. ear straps so I had to grab a few of those up.

Note: I don’t get anything for posting this – I just want to help a friend.

This Could Be a Game Changer for Me

~ Laci ~ 6 Comments


This box showed up at my door about a month ago… and the contents didn’t disappoint.

A few days before the package arrived, I had a message from Ashley at Sunshine Sticker Co. saying to keep an eye on my mailbox. Color me intrigued… especially since Ashley makes some of my favorite bullet journaling products.

This is what I found inside.

Yes, that is a DOT GRID notebook in the Hobonichi/Print Pression Weeks size! Ashley calls it the Dot Grid Slim.

The Weeks size has always intrigued me just because of the portability… but I knew that neither the Hobonichi nor the Print Pression would work for me. Why? Because I’m a bullet journal girl.

I love the freedom the dot grid provides. I love being able to change up my layout every week to meet the needs of that week. I have been in a bullet journal for two years now; it is planner peace for me. However, there are times when the A5 I use is just too big. That’s why the Dot Grid Slim could be a game changer for me.

But wait. There’s more.

Ashley has also created a stencil to use with the Dot Grid Slim. I have a similar one from another company and it is a tool that I use every week, mainly for the grid counts.

What I really appreciate about the stencil for the Dot Grid Slim is that the count boxes are for the exact number of boxes that the notebook has. I totally get why other companies aren’t exact – because different A5 notebooks have different grid counts – but I really like that this takes the guessing game out of the layout process.

The Dot Grid Slim has 16 boxes across and 34 down and are the standard 5mm size. That’s a huge selling point of this notebook for me. Having a standard size dot grid makes it easy to find stickers, adapt layouts, etc.

There are 192 pages/96 sheets – all of which are blank dot grid. The notebook has a stitched binding and lays flat with no problems. The paper is nice and thick at 120gsm. There is minimal shadowing, if any, with some of my favorite pens and the only thing that bleeds is the Pilot permanent pen I use for stickers (no big surprise there).

The notebook doesn’t have an index or page numbers, but it does have a small pocket in the back for stickers, pictures, die cuts, etc. Because the stencil is the same size as the notebook, it’s a tiny bit too big to fit in the pocket, but it does tuck nicely into the back.

The Sunshine Sticker Co. Bullet Bundle is the only planner subscription that I have (it is $20 plus shipping every other month – enrollment for the next one opens February 15th). Ashley loves to include personalized vinyls in the bundles so I couldn’t resist adding one to the front of my notebook as soon as I got it. Once I get my cover that I ordered from Imperfectly Perfekt, I will be good to go!

As tempting as it is to switch my setup right now, I’m going to try and wait until my current A5 notebook runs out in June to start using the Dot Grid Slim every week but that doesn’t mean I won’t be using it in the meantime. I have big projects for work happening in July/August/September so I will be setting up collections for those in this new notebook.

The Sunshine Sticker Co. Dot Grid Slim notebook will be available on February 14th. It is available in two colors – black and gray. Mine is gray. The notebook will cost $14.99 and the stencil will be $4.99.

Will you be trying the Dot Grid Slim? Is the Weeks size your planner peace or do you need something bigger or smaller? Leave me a comment below.

Thank you to Ashley for sending me the Dot Grid Slim notebook and stencil to try!

It Was a Good Run

~ Laci ~ 2 Comments

I’m 40 years old and I just got my first speeding ticket. 🙈

Yeah. So that was fun. At least I had a kind officer who made it much easier on me than it could have been.

I was on my way home from work when I looked behind me and saw an unmarked car with police lights on the dashboard. They weren’t on when I saw him behind me, but as soon as I got over and he followed I knew I was fucked.

But. It’s not as bad as it could have been. For real.

$179 and a 2-hour online traffic class and I’ll be able to dismiss the ticket and not have it reported to insurance. Honestly, I’m super lucky it hasn’t happened before now.

24 years of driving without a ticket. The streak had to end some time.

New Year, Who Dis?

~ Laci ~ 2 Comments

2020? How the hell did that happen?

As I laid in bed watching Friends on Netflix last night waiting for the ball to drop, I realized that I’m now in my sixth decade on Earth… even though I turned 40 in May. 😳😳😳 That really got me thinking about the year ahead.

I know a lot of you may have set some resolutions for the new year, and the new decade, but I decided to do something a little differently. I set myself a few goals, one of which is to keep up with this blog on a regular basis.

Another goal I have for this year is to pay off some debts and actually budget. That means being purposeful with each dollar I spend. That’s why I chose purpose as my word of the year.

I’ve been part of the planner community going on five years now and I have accumulated A LOT of stuff. More than I will ever use. Purposeful spending means that I won’t buy every shiny new thing that comes along… because I know what works for me and what doesn’t. That doesn’t mean I’m putting myself on a strict no spend. I know myself and I know that a no spend will fail pretty quickly. So I’m planning a low spend. We’ll see how that goes.

Do you have a word of the year for 2020? Share it in the comments below!

Thanks to Laura Saxton from The Amber Locket for the customized word of the year graphic!

Krissyanne Designs 2020 Celebrations Collection

~ Laci ~ 7 Comments

(this post contains affiliate links that will earn me a small commission)

This is one of my favorite times of the year – the release of the Krissyanne Designs Celebrations Collection. Featuring artwork and lettering from Cindy Guentert-Baldo, the Celebrations Collection is a set of stickers that is designed to celebrate your life all year long.

The 2020 Collection launches Friday, December 27th and will be available just a limited time (it will be re-released some time in 2020). Kristin reached out and asked me to share my thoughts on the 2020 Collection ahead of its release and sent me a pre-release copy at no cost.

It’s no secret that Krissyanne Designs is one of my favorite places to shop for stickers and the Celebrations Collection is one of the best planner-related purchases I make each year. Why? It makes holiday and seasonal planning so easy!

The Celebrations Collection comes in an exclusive binder and contains 22 sheets. The sheets in the binder are not available separately, but they can be purchased as a set without the binder. The artwork for all 1,072 stickers are hand-drawn by Cindy exclusively for this collection.

The first Celebrations Collection was released toward the end of 2016 and I have purchased all three previous releases. This is absolutely my favorite one yet.

The sheets have been reformatted and just *fit* with the way I plan in my bullet journal. You can see how the format has changed each year. The sheets this year include more event stickers, half boxes, and full boxes than previous years, which is something I’m really excited about. Kristin always releases coordinating kits and with this format, I think I will only have to grab one extra sheet to make a complete spread.

Here’s how I used the Christmas add-on sheet for the 2019 collection along with the Hobonichi Cousin kit.

I’m also really enjoying the colors Kristin chose for the collection this year. They fit the holiday or season while being different than a lot of the kits that are released each year. Hello Fall and St. Patrick’s Day (pictured below) are two of my favorites.

Besides the format of the sheet and the new colors, there are two big changes this year. The first is that the dated holidays are all in chronological order instead of separating holidays like Valentine’s Day, Halloween, and Christmas from fun holidays like National Sticker Day, Star Wars Day, and (my favorite) Cat Day.

The second change is that there is no sheet for America’s Independence Day as in past years. Even though I’m sure most KAD customers are in the United States, this makes the Celebrations Collection more useful for those who live outside of the U.S. I also really appreciate how Kristin includes different holidays in the dated holidays sheets — Christian holidays are represented, but so are Jewish, Muslim, and Pagan holidays.

The 2020 Celebrations Collection includes 22 sheets:

  • 2 Exclusive Samplers
  • Celebration Doodles
  • Celebrate with Steve
  • Dated 2020 Holidays (5 sheets)
  • Hello Winter
  • Hello Spring
  • Hello Summer
  • Hello Fall
  • Happy Birthday
  • Happy Valentine’s Day
  • Happy St. Patrick’s Day
  • Happy Halloween
  • Happy Thanksgiving
  • Seasonal Numbers 1-31
  • Months and Functional Accents

The price for the 2020 Celebrations Collection is $129 plus shipping (value: $183). A refill kit (no binder) will also be available for purchase for $115 plus shipping.

Add-on sheets for holidays like Easter, Hanukkah, and Christmas will be released at a later date.

Click through the slideshow below to check out all 22 sheets that are included and leave a comment letting me know what you think!

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Thanks again to Kristin for sending this to me to review!

Well Hi!

~ Laci ~ 2 Comments

*blows dust off of WordPress*

Well hello there! It’s been awhile for sure… but heading into a new year – heck a new decade – I wanted a place to sit and write. It is what I love to do. Blogging has brought me such joy in the past so here we are.

You may find a little bit of everything here – especially planners. My bullet journal is what keeps my life together.

Here’s to an amazing 2020!