My Polkadot Whimsy Weekend Experience | Event Review

The owner of Polkadot Whimsy offers a unique experience in her Whimsy Weekends which are listed 

as a 3-day crop type of event that not only offers a space to create in and but also offers a fun atmosphere.  Additionally, you have the opportunity to get creative input from fellow attendees and Michelle that make it a special experience and can enhance your projects.

The weekend includes some lunches, snacks, and dinners that are prepared by Michelle.  You are not limited to what is offered, there are various restaurants and stores in the area where you can pick up your own meals if you like.  Since I do not cook, it was rather cool to eat the delicious homemade meals that were prepared for us instead of having to order fast food.  I have posted some pics of some of the meals so that you can get an idea of what type of food was served.

Michelle did a beautiful job of making everything easy to serve and to create a fun family style atmosphere for us to enjoy.

Michelle (owner of Polkadot Whimsy)

For those who are unfamiliar with the Whimsy Meetups and/or the Whimsy Weekends, Michelle (owner of Polkadot Whimsy) has been working in the creative industry for years.  She has taught scrapbooking, card making and planner workshops.  She has also attended the Creative Hobby and Industry  (now called the AFCI ) trade shows to keep on top of the newest trends for her customers at Polkadot Whimsy.

Haley and I having fun at the Whimsy Weekend Event.

She offers these Whimsy Weekend 3-day crops several times a year and they tend to sell out fairly quickly.

Haley and Michelle

She limits the event to 16 people so that each person can have the space they need to work on their project. Each person had an assigned seat that included a special paper pack, stickers, die cuts and a cute pair of socks with their own personalized skate name tag.

The Whimsy Weekends are not limited to scrapbooking.  Several of the ladies attending brought their

sewing machines to use to work on various projects and designs.  One person had a cool Beginner Style Janome Sewing machine that so cute.  I love that you can get a sewing machine in a variety of colors and styles.  I especially liked Keely Reichman's black sewing machine.  It is made of heavy metal and can sew a variety of materials.  It look pretty sturdy.

Keely Richman makes some very cool leather travelers notebooks. She also made the very cool fabric one in this picture and the two leathers ones in the photo above. She also designs stickers, travelers notebook pouches and more. You can see more on her Etsy store.

Odd Girl Journals

Below is a picture of my friend Haley working on one of her planners.

I worked on several projects which included a no-sew blanket, my junk journal, and some time planning in my hobonichi planners.

Michelle has all types of crafting supplies available for use during her event

 (she will specify what items are available for guest use during the event).

For a crafter, her craft supplies were sheer eye candy.

Below is picture of one half of the room set up. As you can see each person has a nice area to hold their supplies and work in.

She also had an outside area set up in a tent that had different machines available to use during the event.  This included a sewing machine, iron, glue gun, Cameo, paper cutters and other fun items.

We  also did two fun "Make & Take" projects that Michelle prepared for us to make.  The first one was a really cute DIY Easter Rabbit Frame project.  Michelle provided all the materials and each person was invited to make the project adding their own personal touch to it.  It was a success.

All the bunny's were different and yet they all looked so festive together.

The second project we had a choice of making a "DIY Junk Journal",

a memory journal,

or a travelers notebook insert.  I choose to work on the junk journal and gathered my supplies to start this project.

There was also a variety of raffle prizes that were given out throughout the crop event. Below is a pic of the grand prize which had some fun supplies in it.

The Whimsy Weekends are a lot of fun.  Michelle is a wonderful host who really works hard at making sure her guests have a fun time.  We enjoyed the wonderful meals she prepared, the fun projects we got to make.  The whole weekend is just a fun atmosphere that it just seemed to fly by too quickly.  My friends and I had a great time there and hope to go back again soon.

I forgot to add that this cute little dog (that Shawnie is holding) came to visit us for



a little bit on Sunday.

Note: I recommend that you get a hotel that is not close to the freeway so that you can get some sleep during the weekend.  I made the bad choice of booking our hotel right off the 5 freeway and it was loud.  The hotel was only a mile away from the event location so it was certainly quick to get back and forth. However, I think to truly enjoy the weekend, you need a bit of sleep.  We stayed at the Day's Inn and it was so loud. I was fortunate enough to pack some really good earphones and play my music all night to cover the noise.  However, if you don't have noise cancelling earphones, you may not get much sleep.

My Prima Planner Leather Personal Size Travelers Journal in Warm Stone | Product Review

The My Prima Planner Leather Personal Size Traveler's Journal in "Warm Stone" product review. The Prima Marketing “Genuine Leather Personal Sized Travelers Journal” is a beautiful leather 

cover that features a wash of grey that can easily be distressed and personalized.  The light grey 

stone color of this leather journal along with the natural imperfections of the leather makes it very 

visually appealing. I placed my Midori Traveler's Notebook (Travelers Company) and my 

Hobonichi Techo on each side of the My Prima Planner travelers notebook to give you an idea 

of the actual size of the leather travelers journal.

Now the leather journal itself comes in a nice plastic box that protects it a bit from the elements 
during the shipping process.

The Prima Marketing leather personal-sized traveler’s notebook in warm stone that I purchased 
includes:

• 1 Genuine Leather Travelers Journal Cover (5"x7.25")
• 4 Interior Elastic Bands
• 1 Exterior Elastic Bands
• 1 Zippered Pocket

Unlike past travelers journals that Prima Marketing has released.  The leather personal sized travelers journals do not come with inserts.  You can purchase a set of four from the "My Prima Planner" site or from any retailer who carries the personal size inserts.  This leather travelers journal in the color warm slate has a couple of inner pockets within the interior ofthis travelers notebook.  

When you open it up flat there is a secretarial pocket and one larger pocket behind it that can 
be used to hold documents or receipts. On the right side of the leather travelers journal, is a 
slightly deeper pocket. One of the best features of the new leather travelers journals in the 
leather pen holder which is big enough to fit my new favorite pen. I have used clips in the past 
to hold pens but it is always nice when a manufacturer includes them in the design. As you 
can see there is also a zipper pocket located on the right side of the Prima Marketing Leather 
Travelers Journal. It has a nice heavy duty zipper that works perfectly for me.

You can purchase personal sized notebook inserts from Prima which are sold in sets.  I got the Pastels notebook set which includes 4 inserts.  I really like the quality of the paper used in the Prima Marketing Travelers Notebook inserts and will be ordering more to use as refills.

The leather Prima travelers journal itself measures 5 x 7.25” when folded. Because this cover is leather there is a bit of stretch to it.   I was able to stuff it with my Hobonichi Techo and two inserts and it stretched to 2 inches and has held up very well.  The leather Prima travelers journal in personal size sells for $39.99 on the My Prima Planner site and does not come with inserts, so don't forget to order some.  Anyway, I was able to stuff my Hobonich Techo and three inserts into it. Here is a side view of that.

You can see that is is a bit bulky, which worked but I was not happy with the look. So I took out one of the inserts so that it still closed comfortably.

The elastic is nice and thick and is well chosen and works very well to hold everything in. I like the thicker elastics because they last longer than the thinner variety.

Another great feature on these is that they are so easy to personalize.

I personalized my journal with a simple rhinestone initial. I loved how the warm stone leather travelers journal looked new. However, I really prefer the distressed well-used look on my travelers' notebooks. So I decided to distress it by using my jeans to rub different parts of the cover to give a more aged look. 

I also dropped it on some rocks. It even survived being borrowed by my dog who chewed a small bit of it. It still looks great and now it has that rugged well-loved look.  

I then added some of the cute swap items that were given to me at the Prima Magical Event and a decorative elastic that I got from the pop-up Etsy event in Santa Ana, California.

My friend purchased the peach colored leather personal travelers journal and I really like it too.  I may order one of those so I can switch between the two journals.  Between the excellent quality of the "My Prima Planner" products, the ease of daily use and being able to switch between the various planners, my Prima collection seems to just keep growing.  Also, for those who may not know it, Prima Marketing also offers some really cool cling stamps that are great for using in their new traveler's notebooks, along with some fun planner sticker collections. You can see more at their website or blog.

Note: I do not work for Prima Marketing.  I paid for these products with my own money. The opinions and experiences I had with these products are my own and may vary from other individuals.

Thank you for stopping by!

SaveSaveSaveSave

Prima Marketing - Leather Travelers Notebook Release & Magical Wonderland Meet Up Event

Prima Marketing who is known for creating beautiful papers, stickers, and planners have finally come out with leather travelers notebooks in the Personal size (5" x & 7.25").  These new leather travelers notebooks are really beautiful.  I found that since they are genuine leather, that each one is slightly different which I really like.  According to the "My Prima Planner Website, depending on the color and dye used on each notebook, there may be texture marks, wrinkles, blemishes and scratches that occur in shipping.  I love the weathered leather look so I ordered the Warm Stone PTJ Leather Essential Travelers Notebook for the Prima Marketing new product release party called the Magical Wonderland Planner Meet Up Event on December 1, 2017.

The Prima Marketing Leather Travelers Journal in warm stone has four interior elastics to hold inserts, an exterior zippered pocket and some inner pockets.

Below is a picture that I took of the Prima Marketing Leather Travelers Notebook in Warm Stone next to one of my standard size Travelers Company Notebook and my Hobonichi Techo so you can get a better idea of the size of this particular travelers journal.  I am currently using it to hold my Hobonichi Techo and it fits inside of the leather journal well, along with a few inserts.  If you want to read more details about the travelers notebook just click on the following My Prima Planner Travelers Journal in Warm Stone Review to get more information .

Prima Marketing had a fun "Meet Up Event" for their new product release last year when they released their new line of planners that was amazing.  So I was really happy to find out that they were going to have one for the new line of Prima Marketing Leather Travelers Journals at their Prima Marketing house in Temecula, California.

For those who are unfamiliar with this location, Temecula is wine country and many of the homes and estates there are really beautiful.

The Prima Marketing Estate does not disappoint.  It is beautiful.  The interior of the house has been decorating using products and accents from the Prima Marketing Mixed Media line. I really thought the menu planning wall was such a fabulous idea. I think I may do something similar in my kitchen.

The Prima Marketing new release events are a fun way to meet other people who appreciate their beautiful product lines.  I have been a fan of their scrapbooking and multi-media supplies for years and enjoy taking advantage of the opportunity to see new releases in person.  Plus, they usually have a pop-up shop at these events where you can purchase items at a discount.  The "Magical Wonderland Meet Up Event" was held in the picnic area around the front side of the house which was beautifully decorated with a Christmas holiday theme.

As each person checked in, they were handed a box and a swag bag that contained not only the pre-ordered leather travelers journal but also some adorable papers, stickers, and other ephemera. 

The box also had some holiday themed Prima Marketing Scrapbooking and planner materials.  I got a darling Frank Garcia "Sweet Peppermint" chipboard and more set in my box.  This set is darling and has some beautiful holiday pieces in it.  The chipboard is not too thick so it will work well in both my travelers notebooks and my planners.  

Prima also included a set of inserts to fit my traveler's journal. In addition to that, the box also contained a red flocked sticker alphabet, a green sticker alphabet set, a glue pen, a 46 piece sweet peperment ephemera set (that matches the sweet pepermint chipboard set), and an assortment of holiday-themed scrapbooking paper that is beautiful. 

The swag bag contained a set of Leeza Gibbons paper frames 3" x 4" and 2" by 2" (180 piece set), Leeza Gibbons Pocket pad,  Leeza Gibbons paper frames in 4'x4" (180 piece set), a set of chipboard frames ((6 piece set), Two Leeza Gibbons Wishes & Dreams cling stamp sets, and a  Leeza Gibbons Washi Tape.  

The bag also contained a darling planner clip from "Green & Lyme" and some refill sheets that fit my "Green & Lyme" planner (plus a coupon code for 15% off my next purchase).  I also received a cute gift from Lhey Ralston (@mommylhey on Instagram).  Lhey Ralston has a monthly subscription box called the "Little Bits" box which I subscribed to.  It does not disappoint and her kawaii style items are so adorable.  I have done a review of one of her "Little Bits" boxes which you can check out if you want to see what types of items can be included.  Lhey Ralston also posts preview pics on her Instagram throughout each month.  Below you can see the cute Cactus planner clips, cactus charm (for our new journals), die cuts, washi tape, stickers and other cute items from her box.

Gift from Lhey Ralston @mommylhey

With so many planner addicts in one place, it was so much fun to talk to everyone and work on out travelers notebooks. Most meet ups offer attendees the opportunity to participate in swaps.  It is a lot of fun to trade with other planners and see some of the darling items they people make to swap with. 

Below are some more photos of only a few swap items and their creators.  

We also had time to shoot some fun photos at the Christmas tree 

and do a gift exchange. 

The snack tables were also adorably decorated to reflect the festive holiday theme.

They offered some "Make & Take" projects and even had materials on hand for us to use to work on our journals.

There were some of the traditional meet up icebreaker games, like the one where you find someone to match each square until you fill out your sheet.  It is a fun way to meet new people.  

Later they also had the candy cane washi game.  That one was pretty fun.  It is a spin-off of the traditional bobbing for apples game.  You put the plastic wrapped candy cane in your mouth and use the hook part to pick up rolls of washi from the bowl.  This was so fun to do and everyone just kept laughing and participating in the fun.  Below are some pictures from the event of some of the amazing people I got to meet.

The pop-up shop has some great deals.  I purchased some inserts for my traveler's journal, a beaded planner charm, some Julie Nutting planner stickers, Julie Nutting ephemera sets,  dimensional stickers, positive words planner stickers, washi tape, and some of the My Prima Planner Inspiration Goodie Packs. These items are hard to find and I was so glad that they had them available for purchase.

Disclaimer:  I am not associated with Prima Marketing. I paid for my traveler's journal and event ticket with my own funds.  These opinions are mine and while I had a fabulous time at the event, it is possible that someone else may not have had as good a time as I did.  Therefore their experience would vary from my own.  Thank you for stopping by! 

Tuesday Morning Scrapbooking Supplies Haul

The Tuesday Morning Stores are a great resource for buying scrapbooking supplies at a discount.  I recently did another $30 shopping challenge with my friend to see what items I could purchase at the store without exceeding the budget.  The one rule we have is that we do not purchase anything that we truly will not use.

The first items that I found were two rolls of adhesive vinyl which I needed for a project that I am doign using my Cricut machine. I am fairly new to using the Cricut machine and prefer to purchase inexpensive vinyl until I really get the hang of it.  The price for each roll is $2.99 so if I make a mistake, it is not a budget breaker.

The second set of items that I needed was scrapbooking paper to use in my travelers notebook project.  I was so lucky to find that they had a pretty good selection of Echo Park Scrapbooking Paper with Stickers Kits.

I selected the Echo Park Paper Company Victoria Gardens Kit (Designed by Cassandra Cooper) and the Echo Park Paper Company For The Record Kit  with stickers (Designed by Lori Whittlock) for $5.99 each.  If you are not familiar with their fabulous paper kits, you may want to visit the Echo Park Paper Company blog or website to see some of their collections.

The third item was a clear sticker set by Jillibean (Hampton Art) of various phrases that I really liked.  This set was .99 cents.

The fourth item I was searching for was some double sided tape.  I have purchased the Home & Hobby brand of double sided tape before on Amazon, so I knew it was a pretty good brand.  I go through this stuff so quickly, so I always keep an eye out for good deals on it.  This on was $1.99 for 65 feet.

The last item that I am always on the look out for is pretty washi tape.  I was lucky enough to find three different washi tapes for  .99 cents.  Two were from Little B and the third roll was from Echo Park Paper Company. The Echo Park Paper Company Washi is a really cool partical clock face washi tape that is printed on a light grey washi tape.

I did not find anything else that I needed or wanted.  The total with tax came out to $26.24 which was below the $30 budget we had set for the day.  I think it was a pretty good haul for the amount I had to spend.  If you want to see another past haul I did at Tuesday Morning, then just click here to go to that post.

Note: This is not a sponsored post, I paid for everything with my own funds.




SaveSave