Hello everyone! Leah here again, ready to show you how I have decorated my planner for July using the Hero Simple Set! The Fourth of July is one of my FAVORITE holidays. I try to remember to be grateful every day, but on this holiday especially, I am reminded of the strong appreciation I have for how far we have come as a nation, for all the people who have brought us here, and the heroes that continue to protect our freedom every day. I love all the traditions we have to celebrate this holiday… spending time with family, enjoying the summer weather, the fireworks and sparklers, the cookouts! The sense of celebration and patriotism really brings the American people closer together, even during times when the nation has felt the most divided. Because the month of July always makes me feel extra Patriotic, I decided to use the Hero Simple Set to add some U.S.A. themed décor to my planner!

One of my favorite papers in the Hero collection kit is the one titled “Brave.” I love the shadow of the Continental U.S. map in the background. I wanted to find a way to incorporate this page into my planner so I decided to cut it in half and create a two-page decorative “dashboard” for the month of July. I chose to highlight the map by tracing all the states with a stitched white line, using a white Uni-Ball Signo gel pen. I really love the sewn effect it created!

To dress up the left page, I started with a red watercolor cardstock tag that I picked up in a pack at Michaels awhile back. I layered different colored paper strips and word phrases from the Hero 12x12 papers (using the title strips that many people trim off and throw away). I added a chipboard sticker from the Sunshine and Happiness collection (the girl with sunglasses) to make the page feel more fun and summery. I also added a gold glitter chipboard star I had in my stash (from Michaels), and used the white gel pen to draw in more of the white stitched lines.

At the top of the page, I added a title using a few more items from my craft stash. The yellow frames around the words are cut out of a card from the Life in Color SN@P! Pack. The letter stickers that spell out “America the Beautiful” are from the Sunshine and Happiness 12x12 Expressions cardstock sticker sheet. I added a couple small pieces of gold glitter washi tape, red-and-white string, and a sticker from the Hero 6x12 Fundamental Stickers sheet.

On the right side of my July dashboard, I used a blue watercolor tag as a base and added strips of yellow and gold glitter washi tape. I cut out the words from a 12x12 Elements sheet and arranged them how I wanted on the tag. I added some star stickers from the Fundamentals Sticker sheet and tied red-and-white string to the tag. I laid out the string how I wanted it on the page and then glued it in place.

The “July 2016” at the top of the page was created using more letter and number stickers from the Sunshine and Happiness 12x12 Expressions Sticker sheet. I also added more star stickers from the Hero sticker sheet and a wood veneer star from my stash (from the Life and Color collection).

For my July monthly layout, I used a 3-inch circle punch and banner punch to cut out a few shapes from the 12x12 papers in the Kit. All of the other pieces are cut out of the 12x12 Elements sheets or are stickers from the 6x12 sticker sheets.

Some more layered paper strips and words are in the center – I arranged them in a way that reminds me of a firework.  In the bottom right corner, I used another blue watercolor tag and added a red United States sticker from the Fundamentals sticker sheet, blue glitter washi tape and some words printed using my label maker. I put the white star sticker over VA since that’s my home! I used a marker to draw a stitched line around the edge of the tag and added some red string for a finishing touch.

My favorite part of this whole layout is the part with the red plane sticker. I got the idea to use the red-and-white string to create a flight path that ends with a blue star sticker, which is supposed to represent a “destination.” Using my label maker, I typed out the words “My love spans across the miles.” This part of the layout has special meaning to me because it reminds me of all the love my dad expressed across the miles during his many deployments as I was growing up.

I loved making my planner Patriotic for July! It can be so fun to let yourself run away with a theme in your layouts! I may have also gone a little crazy in the Target dollar spot and bought a few red, white and blue sticky notes and pens to use in my planner as well…

Happy Independence Day everyone!

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Good morning! Brenda Smith here with you today and I am so excited because I have in my hot little hands a gorgeous ballerina pink Carpe Diem planner. First, look at the new pocket set up (for The Reset Girl planners only)!

The window is perfectly-sized for peek-a-boo 3x4 cards. This card came included with The Reset Girl boxed set but any 3x4 card you have in your stash (or one you make yourself) will work. 

Because The Reset girl dashboards and dividers and accessories are all very motivational and encouraging toward achieving goals, I decided to set up this planner as my creative goals planner. I used this monthly log page to set myself some very basic goals that I can check off as the month goes by. When the month is over, I'll fill out that circle with a pie chart of how I spent my time. 

On my goal tracker (one included in TRG boxed set for each month of the year), I set up a more broad goal and am keeping track of how often I achieve that goal throughout the month. 

Not many know this about me, but I did some graphic design stuff several years ago when I first started college. I've been yearning to get back to designing, so I am setting goals to make myself get back into it. This is a pocket insert that I'm using to hold some little bits and pieces that I've found on Pinterest and elsewhere. 

I have a theme in mind and chose a color scheme and then imagery or composition that sparked an idea. I also found some simple sayings or phrases that would fit well with my theme. 

I tried out the new 140 GSM vertical weekly inserts and they are AMAZING! They are relatively colorless with only a light grey and black so they can be fully customizable to your needs. And the paper weight is just everything I had hoped for and more. The past CD inserts had some ghosting problems, but I am happy to report that my trusty old Versafine Onyx Black does not show through on the other side of the insert! And do you spy those peach floral and black WASHI TAPES?! Hooray! 

The sheer number of coordinating sticker packs for this line had me so excited to add more and more and more to this page. I think The Reset Girl and the Planner Essentials roller stamps have quickly gone to top the list of my favorite roller stamps. They're just so versatile and usable and exactly the right size for planners and pocket pages, my two favorites. 

Hello there! Allie here today, and I have two new layouts to share with you today, using the two newest collections--Sunshine & Happiness and Bloom & Grow.

For the first layout, I used Bloom & Grow to create a quilt pattern across the page. I was inspired by this image on Pinterest!
 

To create the quilt pieces, I used a square punch and cut them in half from corner to corner. I started in the middle, and just copied the quilt design until my background was complete. I stitched the triangles down to add to the quilt look, and give dimension to my page. Once I was done with the background, I added my photos, title, and embellishments!
 

For my second layout, my goal was to mix Sunshine & Happiness with You Are Here!
 

I cut strips from the patterned papers of both collections, and varied them in size and length. I arranged them on my page, and then sewed them down. I left the ends of the thread dangling for a messier look. The theme of the page was Disneyland, so I kept the colors bright and cheery. I used the You Are Here! frames for my photos, as well as a cute phrase from Sunshine & Happiness.
 

 I loved the travel themed wood veneers, and added them to my page. The colors from the two collections coordinate so well!