2016 Planners Lovers Retreat in Pasadena, California | Event Review

If you love planning and want to be inspired by other planner lovers, then attending a planner meet up, planner conventions or planner con type of events is a fun way to meet other people who share your love of planning.  The events can very from an all day event to a two hour planner meet up where you just join a group of fellow planners and work on your planners.  The Marion Smith 2016 Planner Lovers Retreat retreat was an all day event that was held in Pasadena at the Convention Center which is located right in the middle a fun shopping area that is rich with restaurants, museums, and other fun things to see.

This retreat had a fun selection of vendors present who offered a great assortment of planner goodies. I was on the hunt for a new planner for 2017 was happy to find the "Green and Lyme" planner booth.

Jessica Lam is the founder of Green and Lyme and was a delight to meet.

The Green and Lyme vegan leather planners have so many helpful features for anyone with a busy work and family activity schedule.  The planners feature ultra thick paper that can handle most pens.


I haven't tried a fountain pen on it yet, but will in a future review. The planners comes in four beautiful colors which are the Mermaid (Teal), Ballerina (pink) which you see above),

Midas (gold)

and Luster (silver).

I really loved the pebbled texture of this faux leather planner and you can really see the quality of the stitching in this photo.

Jessica did not have any planners available to take home that day but she was taking advance orders on those planners (she now has them in stock on her website).  I purchased the silver Planner and will do a future review on it. Additionally she sold some really cute planner clips in a variety of shapes like a camera, coffee cup, the diamond below and others.  Jessica also sponsored a give away at her booth for one lucky winner.

Another booth that I shopped at was "The Delightful Deer" where I got a chance to meet Betsy who designs all the wonderful pieces she had on display.  She also has some great planner inserts on Etsy that you may want to take a peek at.

I purchased a really fun metal star planner charm from her. She is constantly updating her Etsy store, so you never know what fun planner goodies she has to offer.

Theresa D.  (Instagram @mydocumentedlife) had a Travelers Notebook Workshop available where for a small fee she provided the Travelers Insert and the supplies to decorate the Insert.

I really enjoyed stopping by this table.  She had some beautiful layouts in her Travelers Notebooks.

Theresa is a great teacher and is currently offering on online travelers notebook class through the Big Picture Classes website.

She was had some fun wood Die Cuts (Wanderlust) that could be add to our Travelers Journal insert,

planners or for card making. These are really thin wood die cuts (thinner than most puffy stickers).

Theresa also sponsored a give away which I won.  She gave me a Webster Pages Travelers Notebook in a beautiful brown color and a Xyron Sticker Maker which was so unexpected and so appreciated.

This blog post has started to get a bit long so I will continue on another post but at least you are able to get an idea on what this retreat had to offer.

Note: This is not a sponsored post, I paid for my tickets just like everyone else did.

My Scarlet Lime Planner Society Kit Review - August 2016 Box

Scarlet Lime Planner Society Box August 2016

If you like decorating your planner, traveler's notebook or journal with beautiful colorful unique scrapbooking papers, then you might want to consider subscribing to the Scarlet Lime  "Planner Society Kit" which is created and curated by Christy Tomlinson.  She is such a talented artist and designs the papers and many of the other elements included in each monthly planner kit.

I just got my August planner kit and was happily surprised with the quality of planning materials that my kit had.  Below is a list of what came in my box which was the basic Scarlet Lime Planner Society Kit for August 2016:

• 6 Sheets of two sided papers
• 1 package of puffy stickers
• 2 sheets of regular stickers
• 1 pad of sticky notes
• 1 set of page flags
• 1 pen
• 3 ribbon paper clips
• 1 large blue and white ribbon with charms attached (Planner or purse Charm) with burlap storage bag
• 1 pencil or makeup bag (size works for both)
• 1 bonus item (wood die cuts)

The August Scarlet Lime Planner Society Box was a nautical theme.  I really loved how she incorporated that with some floral prints in the papers, washi tape, and other accessories.

Scarlet Lime Planner Society Papers - August 2016 Kit

The kit also included a cute selection of stickers that work beautifully with the papers.

Also included are a darling pad of sticky notes, some nautical themed page flags and a pen that matched the theme of the kit.

Scarlet Lime Planner Society Kit Contents - Sticky Notes - August 2016 Kit

The Scarlet Lime Planner Society Kit also included these cute Paper Tabs with Preprinted Labels in

complimentary patterns that worked beautifully with the papers in the August 2016 kit.

Scarlet Lime Planner Society Kit Page Clips and Charm - August 2016

Each month the kit also includes a selection of planner related items which can vary.  Above is a picture of the Ribbon charm, burlap bag and Ribbon Page Paper Clips that were included in the August 2016 kit.  These are so cute and were a perfect match to my personal size planner.

Now the larger bow charm did have a hook that got caught on things so I removed it and replaced it with a different charm so that  I would not have to worry about getting it caught on my clothing.  The hook was turned into an earring for my older daughter's pirate costume, which she really loved.  Christy also included the cool bag below,  that I am using as a planner to go bag.  It holds enough supplies that  I take it with me so that I can plan while waiting for my daughter at her dentist appointments, doctor appointments, school, etc.  I temporarily attached the bow charm to the bag because they went so well together.

Scarlet Lime Planner Society Box Contents - Pencil bag - August 2016 

The kit also included some themed stamps and a roll of washi.  I thought it was great that the stamps have images that compliment the other elements in the kit.  As I stated before, Christy does a wonderful job in making sure the kit has a theme that is reflected in all the elements included.

This month we also got a bonus item, these really cool wood die cuts with embossed sayings.

Scarlet Lime now offers some add-on kits for those who want more stickers or washi.  These vary in price and can be seen on the website.  I am quite happy with the basic kit and find that Christy really offers a very generous selection of items in each kit.  The kit arrives in a well constructed box and are packaged in pretty bags that can be repurposed into other craft projects.

Now I am sure you are aware that there is a huge selection of monthly subscription plans available that are tailored to meet different needs.  Over time, I have subscribed to a variety of them.  There are some that have a cutesy themes, some that have animae or kawaii themes, and even some tailored for specific types of planners (Personal Size, A5, Travelers Notebooks, Erin Condren, etc.).  If you like beautiful papers with great design elements that also incorporate the same theme throughout the included accessories, then you may want to check out her website and see some of the other themes that she has included in past boxes.

Kate Spade Personal Size Planner

One of the things that I like about the Scarlet Lime Planner Society kits is that I can use the kit contents in both my personal sized Kate Spade planner and my Midori travelers notebooks.  Another reason I was attracted to these kits is that she does not do any holidays themes in her subscription kits.  That is really great because I am a bit picky about what stickers and papers I like to use for holiday themes.  I did find out that Christy does design and sell some holiday kits, like her 2016 Halloween kit which is available on her site (until it is sold out). However, these are a offered separately from the monthly kit and anyone can order them (you do not have to subscribe to get the holiday kits).

Note:  I am not affiliated with the Scarlet Lime Planner Box, I am just a happy customer. Also I pay for my monthly subscription and really enjoy the items I get each month.

My Review of the Yoobi Stamp Rollers

If you love stamping on cards, paper, journals and planners then you are going to enjoy the Yoobi
Stamp Rollers.  The Yoobi Stamp Rollers are marketed mostly towards back to school crafting supplies. However, I love using the Yoobi Stamp Rollers in my travelers journal.  I recently signed up for a fun 30 Day Bullet Journaling Challenge and was looking for something easy to use to decorate my bullet journal.  I came across the Yoobi Stamp Rollers when I saw them displayed at the Yoobi store in Arcadia, California.  I was intrigued with their company motto:

 "For every Yoobi item you purchase, a Yoobi item will be donated to a
classroom in need, right here in the U.S. It's that simple."

Pennant Flags in Red Ink

The single ink color stamp rollers sell for $4.99 and the three ink color stamp sells for $6.99.  According to the website, the inks are refillable. However, I did not find the refills on the site.  The stamp rollers come with covers that fit fairly securely and that helps keep the ink from drying out.  These rollers are very smooth and I had no trouble using them on my journal pages. I even tried them on my pocket travelers journal pages.

The Yoobi Stamp Roller dimensions are 1.14" x 1.1" x 2.28.  This is a great size for small hands to use to create some great kids crafts.  I lent them to my neighbors kids and they decorated some gift tags with them. 

3 ink color - Winter Stamp Roller

My favorite Yoobi Stamp Roller is the Winter Stamp Roller.  This is a 3 ink colored stamp that leaves the cutest winter Design.  I think it is perfect for creating fun holiday cards.  I am going to use it for an easy kid craft at church.  The rollers area really easy for kids to use. Here is a close up of the stamped image which is so cute!

Winter Stamp Roller

I stamped each roller onto one of my travelers notebook pages.  I love decorating my planner pages with fun designs and these worked perfectly.  The ink is pretty pigmented and does show a little through my Travelers Notebook paper.

The back side of my TN Notebook paper.

Yoobi Stamp Roller on Hobonichi Page.

I tested it on my Hobonichi Planner Page and it rolled very smoothly.  The Hobonichi Paper is very thin so I did get some shadowing on the back side of the stamped paged.

Yoobi Stamp Roller Ghosting on back of stamped Hobonichi page.

I also tested it on the paper of my Happy Planner which is a much thicker paper.  Once again, the stamp roller worked great.

Yoobi Stamp Roller Tested on a Happy Planner Page.

The Yoobi Stamp Roller did not leave any ghosting or show through on the back of the stamped page.

Back side of the stamped Happy Planner Page.

The Yoobi company did a great job with the patterns they are offering in the single ink stamps too.

As you can see, each roller shows the image in the ink color on the actual roller which makes it easy to tell which roller image you are working with.  I have used others that were not as easy to see and that makes me very appreciative that Yoobi took the time to do this for their customers.

Cupcakes in Pink (Magenta) Ink

The four designs and colors are:
Pennant Flags in Red Ink
Trees with Birds in Green Ink
Flowers in Orange Ink
Cupcakes in Pink (Magenta) Ink

I am really happy with my purchase and love that these stamps are kid friendly.  I plan on using them of for some fun kids crafts in this upcoming holiday season.  My family loves all the items we purchased for back to school from the Yoobi store and look forward to their new releases.

Note: I was not paid for this review. I purchased all the items with my own money at the Yoobi store.

Review of the Recollections Water Resist Cubes with Folk Art Ultra Dyes

If you are fan of word art and colorful wall decor then you should look into the easy fun craft projects supplies offered by Michaels stores through their new Recollections Water Resist Cubes.  These are really easy to do craft projects that require minimal paper craft supplies and time.  Michaels offers several different sizes in the Recollections Water Resist Cubes, as well as different sayings. So those of you who love word art will find some fun quick word art projects to do with that line.

Beyond the different sayings, I also love the decorative motifs that each cube offers.  The cubes are made from paper and do not weigh very much.  Keep this in  mind when working on the cubes because if you decide to work with water color crayons, you don't want to use too much water at one time.  The paper cube will buckle a little if you do that.

The Recollections Water Resist Cubes and papers are pretty easy to use, you just paint or spritz watercolor, the recollections spray ink, or your favorite a watercolor product.  I thought they were the perfect project to test out my new Folk Art Ultra Dyes.

So I pulled out a selection of colors which I color tested on some wood to figure which colors I wanted to use.

Once I decided on the colors, I started to brush the  Folk Art Ultra Dyes onto the canvas. I found that the Folk Art Ultra Dyes worked beautifully on the  Recollections Water Resist Cubes.

The colors were bright and they dried very quickly.  I was really happy with the great results I got with Folk Art Ultra Dyes onto the Recollections Water Resist Cubes.

After you brush or lightly spray the color onto the canvas, use a clean damp paper towel to dab off the excess color from the resist pattern.

My Michaels Craft Store had a good selection of this product line which included the Recollections Resist Patterned Canvases, Recollections Color Splash paper flowers (both painted and unpainted), Recollections Resist Color Splash Die Cuts, Recollections Resist Color Splash Paper Pads and the Recollections Color Splash Crayons.  I decided to just purchase a few pieces and test them out with materials I already had at home.

The Recollections Water Resist Paper Flowers

If you like to add to the painting, then the Recollections line also offers some fun "Color Splash" paper flowers which are great to use as accents on your project.  The store sold both the painted and unpainted flowers.  I liked the way the painted one's looked and bought a package of those, as well as the unpainted ones. These are such versatile paper art supplies that can be use for scrapbooking, card making and so much more.

I wanted to mention that while painting my Recollections Water Resist Cube, I noticed a that regardless of how gently I patted and/or brushed the color on, I ended up with quite a bit of pilling on the canvas.

You can see the pilling on the canvas here.

To fix that I found that if I just waited for it to dry a little, then I could gently sweep them off the canvas. So if it happens to you, know that you are not alone and it may be some part of the resist that is coming off when put in contact with the painting medium.

If you have always wanted to create your own wall art and let your crafty self shine, you may want to check out this new line at Michaels.  I think they would make a great base for altered wall art, that you could build on with other ephemera.

Have you tried these Recollections Water Resist Cubes and papers? What type of experience have you had with them?  Leave a comment below and share your experience.

Note: I was not paid to do this review. I purchased my cubes at Michaels and wanted to share my experience with you.

How to Save Money on Amazon's Kindle Unlimited Reading Program Membership

If you have always wanted to know how to save money on Amazon's Kindle Unlimited Reading Membership then you need to pay a visit to Amazon on July 5 - 12, 2016 for their yearly Amazon Prime day. It is like a summer "Black Friday" in the digital world of Amazon. There will be a lot of different deals but the best one is:

Membership to the Kindle Unlimited Reading Program where you can read as many digital books as you want for less than the normal $9.95 monthly Fee.  I figured out that I spend an average of $50 to 75 dollars a month on digital books, so even at the $9.95 monthly fee, I can save a lot of money.  However, right now is the best time to get your membership if you want to save some money on it.

Below is a direct link to the Kindle Unlimited Special Offer.  To get an idea of the savings value, you would normally spend $236.76 for a two year membership on Kindle Unlimited. However, on Amazon Prime Day, you can purchase a two year program for 143.86 which is a significant savings (below is a direct link to the great deal):

Countdown to Prime Day - Save up to 40% on kindle unlimited

For those who are unfamiliar with Amazon's Cart discounts, you will see the regular price in the cart. However, when you go to pay you will see the discounted price.  This only applies to purchases made July 5, through July 12th.  If you don't see the discount, contact customer service before you press "Confirm Order" so that you don't get overcharged.  If you miss the sale, the regular $9.95 monthly price is still pretty good.

If you just want to save money on other Amazon merchandise, like electronic specials







or even a discounted Amazon Prime Membership,  then try the link below and go to the daily special button on the website:

Happy Amazon Prime Day July 12 - Exclusive Deals for Prime Members - Start Free 30-Day Trial