Good morning all! Brenda Smith with you today to share something a little different. I've been asked to share my memory planner spreads in my Carpe Diem here on the blog in addition to my pocket pages.

For those of you who might not know, memory planning is part journal, part planner. Instead of filling up a planner with to-do's, you fill it up with stories and memories. Because I do pocket pages as well, I use my memory planning as an aid in helping me remember the stories that go along with the pictures.

This planner spread was made using Life in Color.  I used one of the 12x12 papers and cut two strips to go down the sides. Then I used the labels from the Stickers and the phrase stickers with the days of the week on them because I covered up part of my days titles with the paper. I like to combine stamps from my stash because I find it the perfect opportunity to use all those cute phrase stamps I never seem to use anywhere else.

One of the most important things to note about me as a planner girl is that I'm a scrapbooker first. I approach my planner pages in the same manner I approach my pocket pages or my layouts: heavy on the die cut embellishments like those from the Bits and Pieces sets and clean and balanced. I've realized that I do not have to reinvent the wheel with planning. I can do what I've always done in my crafting.

This spread was made using the new Sunshine & Happiness line. This was the week of my daughter's 6th birthday so I knew I wanted there to be a focal point with something to do with her birthday. These big letters spelling "Happy" from the embellishments in the Sn@p pack worked out great despite their monstrous size. Don't be afraid to work in larger embellishments onto a smaller canvas like a planner spread. Big things can work on a small canvas when good design balance is kept in mind. 

I use a typewriter because I like the clean, crisp look. I don't particularly care for my handwriting to be honest. I make sure to put enough of my handwriting elsewhere in our albums but I'm allowing myself to do this planner thing exactly how I want, not necessarily how I see others doing it.

When journaling in my memory planner, I try to keep the pressure off myself. There's not a lot of space to write so I can't write everything. My stories get told through my layouts and pocket pages and I use this memory planner as an aid in helping me remember some of the small details of that week.

This spread was made with the new line Bloom & Grow. You may have noticed my go-to's when it comes to making planner spreads: Strips of paper (or in this case, strips cut from journal cards from the Sn@p pack), Bits and Pieces (die cut ephemera), enamel dots, phrase stickers, alphas, and stamps.