This blog post explains one way you can approach creating your planner from a Secretly Scrapbooking Printable Design. This article presumes that you have all the appropriate essential elements including a printer, a trimmer / guillotine and sufficient paper.

Test Page Printing

Secretly Scrapbooking printable designs are provided in the PDF format and are typically configured for printing using standard A4 paper. You should download the appropriate Test Print Page to allow you to confirm how to flip your paper to do double sided printing and also to check alignment when manually double sided printing. You should ensure that clean sacrificial paper is loaded into your printer such as regaular printer paper with at least 4 pages available as it can sometimes take a few attempts to align the pages.

This example presumes you are using Adobe Acrobat Reader DC to open the printable design.  Proceed to print and you should be presented with the following prompt:

First ensure that the Page Size & Handling "Actual Size" setting is set and "Print on both sides of paper" is unchecked. Next select Properties and ensure that your printer is configured for a standard quality print if this is an option, this will vary from printer to printer so this cannot be shown. You should ensure that Pages To Print is set to Odd Pages Only to print the front page. Once printed flip the page / reinsert the page into the tray the way you think it should be done and change the Pages To Print is set to Even Pages Only to print the back page. Assuming this has printed front and back so that the page text is on opposite side and facing the same way up. Explained another way, with the page "Front" facing you and the text "Top" at the top, flip the page on the short edge or left to right and the text on the back should be facing the same way once the page is flipped. You can now confirm alignment which requires you to hold the page up to the light and the crop lines and lines on the page edges should align / be hidden by the lines on the front.

If the pages are out of alignment then this requires you to investigate alignment options which may or may not exist for your printer. Often these settings only apply to the print session and must be configured every time you need to print, also it is possible to approach this by adjusting only one side but I prefer to make it so that both pages are adjusted as this allows me to save it as a print profile on my printer. Once you are confortable with you print alignment settings and how they work you should take notes about your ideal configuration so you can refer back to them.

Printable Design Printing

Open your Secretly Scrapbooking printable design PDF and ensure the correct A4 paper is loaded for the final product. You should ensure that the appropriate paper is loaded into your printer with a sufficient quantity to print the total number of pages in the PDF divided by two (2) as you will be printing the designs double sided, this is approximately 80 pages total or 40 A4 pages. You should adjust Printer Properties to ensure printing is set to High print quality and alignment settings are set appropriately. Confirm the following before printing:

• Page Size & Handling set to "Actual Size"
• "Print on both sides of paper" is unchecked
• Pages To Print set to Odd Pages Only

Once this print session is completed, flip the pages in line with your Test Page Print.

Confirm the following before printing:

• Page Size & Handling set to "Actual Size"
• "Print on both sides of paper" is unchecked
• Pages To Print set to Even Pages Only

Once completed printing is now complete.

Trim And Punch

Assuming you have successfully printed off your printable design you must now trim the end product to size. You will notice on my printable designs have what is called crop lines which are horizontal and vertical lines which are designed to show you where the page edges are which should allow you to cut straighter and at the correct locations. This is a combination of black lines away from the page edges and grey corner marking on pages that don't have colour on the page to demarc page edges. It is recommended that you cut in a consistent way so that any characteristics of your printer or trimmer are maintained for all pages such as all facing the same way up and cutting in the same edge sequence. Before cutting any pages, confirm that all pages have sufficient markings to cut in the sequence you intend to use. For minimum cuts it is suggested that you cut both long edges and then all short edges if this will work. Once you pages have been trimmed they should be stacked and confirm that the pages are the correct size and do not require further trimming.

Once all pages have been trimmed appropriately, you can now stack and confirm all pages are in the correct order and oriented so that all margins are on the correct side. Remember, confirm twice...punch once because reprinting and trimming is a mission. Align and punch your pages ready to be add to your planner!

Congratulations on your new planner!!!

I hope this guide helped you in creating your planner and I welcome any feedback or information that could help people in future. As always I am happy to chat with you about your needs so if you find yourself needing more information about the products on my store or custom made needs I am only a message or email away. Hopefully you enjoy my online store and what it has to offer and, as mentioned previously, any feedback is always appreciated. Thanks for reading my post and please feel free to leave me a comment. Now it's time for me to go back to Secretly Scrapbooking.

Stella Xx
Bunbury, WA
Shop | Custom Orders | Candle Product List | Secretly Scrapbooking Facebook

Secretly Scrapbooking Home

Outbound Links:

Mini Test Print Page

This blog post explains one way you can approach creating your planner from a Secretly Scrapbooking Printable Design. This article presumes that you have all the appropriate essential elements including a printer, a trimmer / guillotine and sufficient paper.

Test Page Printing

Secretly Scrapbooking printable designs are provided in the PDF format and are typically configured for printing using standard A4 paper. You should download the appropriate Test Print Page to allow you to confirm how to flip your paper to do double sided printing and also to check alignment when manually double sided printing. You should ensure that clean sacrificial paper is loaded into your printer such as regaular printer paper with at least 4 pages available as it can sometimes take a few attempts to align the pages.

This example presumes you are using Adobe Acrobat Reader DC to open the printable design.  Proceed to print and you should be presented with the following prompt:

First ensure that the Page Size & Handling "Actual Size" setting is set and "Print on both sides of paper" is unchecked. Next select Properties and ensure that your printer is configured for a standard quality print if this is an option, this will vary from printer to printer so this cannot be shown. You should ensure that Pages To Print is set to Odd Pages Only to print the front page. Once printed flip the page / reinsert the page into the tray the way you think it should be done and change the Pages To Print is set to Even Pages Only to print the back page. Assuming this has printed front and back so that the page text is on opposite side and facing the same way up. Explained another way, with the page "Front" facing you and the text "Top" at the top, flip the page on the short edge or left to right and the text on the back should be facing the same way once the page is flipped. You can now confirm alignment which requires you to hold the page up to the light and the crop lines and lines on the page edges should align / be hidden by the lines on the front.

If the pages are out of alignment then this requires you to investigate alignment options which may or may not exist for your printer. Often these settings only apply to the print session and must be configured every time you need to print, also it is possible to approach this by adjusting only one side but I prefer to make it so that both pages are adjusted as this allows me to save it as a print profile on my printer. Once you are confortable with you print alignment settings and how they work you should take notes about your ideal configuration so you can refer back to them.

Printable Design Printing

Open your Secretly Scrapbooking printable design PDF and ensure the correct A4 paper is loaded for the final product. You should ensure that the appropriate paper is loaded into your printer with a sufficient quantity to print the total number of pages in the PDF divided by two (2) as you will be printing the designs double sided, this is approximately 80 pages total or 40 A4 pages. You should adjust Printer Properties to ensure printing is set to High print quality and alignment settings are set appropriately. Confirm the following before printing:

• Page Size & Handling set to "Actual Size"
• "Print on both sides of paper" is unchecked
• Pages To Print set to Odd Pages Only

Once this print session is completed, flip the pages in line with your Test Page Print.

Confirm the following before printing:

• Page Size & Handling set to "Actual Size"
• "Print on both sides of paper" is unchecked
• Pages To Print set to Even Pages Only

Once completed printing is now complete.

Trim And Punch

Assuming you have successfully printed off your printable design you must now trim the end product to size. You will notice on my printable designs have what is called crop lines which are horizontal and vertical lines which are designed to show you where the page edges are which should allow you to cut straighter and at the correct locations. This is a combination of black lines away from the page edges and grey corner marking on pages that don't have colour on the page to demarc page edges. It is recommended that you cut in a consistent way so that any characteristics of your printer or trimmer are maintained for all pages such as all facing the same way up and cutting in the same edge sequence. Before cutting any pages, confirm that all pages have sufficient markings to cut in the sequence you intend to use. For minimum cuts it is suggested that you cut both long edges and then all short edges if this will work. Once you pages have been trimmed they should be stacked and confirm that the pages are the correct size and do not require further trimming.

Once all pages have been trimmed appropriately, you can now stack and confirm all pages are in the correct order and oriented so that all margins are on the correct side. Remember, confirm twice...punch once because reprinting and trimming is a mission. Align and punch your pages ready to be add to your planner!

Congratulations on your new planner!!!

I hope this guide helped you in creating your planner and I welcome any feedback or information that could help people in future. As always I am happy to chat with you about your needs so if you find yourself needing more information about the products on my store or custom made needs I am only a message or email away. Hopefully you enjoy my online store and what it has to offer and, as mentioned previously, any feedback is always appreciated. Thanks for reading my post and please feel free to leave me a comment. Now it's time for me to go back to Secretly Scrapbooking.

Stella Xx
Bunbury, WA
Shop | Custom Orders | Candle Product List | Secretly Scrapbooking Facebook

Secretly Scrapbooking Home

Outbound Links:

Mini Test Print Page

This blog post is for those who have never made a printable planner or have and want to know more about the basics. First and foremost this post is oriented around the key things you need and not the process for creating a complete planner.

What You Need - Essential:

• Printer (Inkjet / Laser)
• Trimmer / Guillotine
• A4 Paper (Amount to suit number of pages)

Printers (Inkjet / Laser)

The printer and printing process has the greatest impact on the quality of the end product and so this is the most essential things to get right. Many people have an opinion on what printer you need and there are many who are forgiving of the performance of a cheap printer but in the end the printer you choose should reflect your expectations for the quality print you are after.

When selecting a printer most companies, reviews etc tell you about a number of properties but I find that there are a couple of things they don't really talk about which are also important to ensure you understand what impacts on print quality. When selecting a printer skip all the sales speal and go straight for the specifications which is where all the information you need is. Here is what to look for with inkjet printers:

• Print Resolution (Most Important): horizontal x vertical DPI (dots per inch), this indicates how fine the end image can be printed.
• Nozzle Configuration: More nozzles typically indicates that a finer ink droplet can be placed on the paper or that the printing process can be completed more rapidly;
• Minimum Ink Droplet (Not Always Shown): 3 picolitres is typical of a decent quality printer, 1.5 or better is indicative of a premium grade printer.
• Ink Quality: Typically includes "Photo" in the type of ink when referring to premium inks.
• Feeder Type: This is typically not talked about but if a feeder is aggressive, more vertical, has less rollers or only an offset roller (one side) then this can cause skew feeding and while this isn't a massive issue it can have an impact on whether 2-sided printing aligns back and front. This is where the print is not "square" with the left and / or right hand side or in other words looks like it printed on an angle.

In terms of laser printers there is less to consider and essentially you should look for:

• Colour Print Resolution (Most Important): horizontal x vertical DPI (dots per inch), this indicates how fine the end image can be printed in colour and is generally less or the same as black but is your limiting factor. Keep in mind that Laser Printer technology is going to be far less impressive with the majority no better than 2400 x 600 DPI or half that of an inkjet.

The printer I selected for my business is not a premium printer but is designed to print large volumes of pages without refilling the ink, has a fairly smooth, non-aggressive feeder with a print resolution of 5760 x 1440 DPI. This printer is definitely not cheap but I have been told that cheaper printers, most notably the Canon brand are just as reasonable and you should aim for an inkjet printer with a resolution at or above 4800 x 1200 DPI or a laser printer with a resolution at or above 2400 x 600 DPI. Do your research before you buy and don't be afraid to ask people you know to do a test print if you are thinking of buying one that someone else already has.

Now you might be asking why would you buy a laser printer if the resolution is so low? Well the answer is not really what you might expect, essentially most people buy monochrome laser printers for their speed, economy (cheaper) and for their ability to be used for craft oriented purposes. Laser printers use heat to activate a powder ink which bonds with the material they are being printed on and this process allows you to print on surfaces which inkjets can't. It also allows for secondary bonding which can be accomplished with certain glues and by using heat which is the fundamental behind applying foil to printed designs. The print quality generally is inferior to inkjets but if you are hoping to use foil for example than you may want a laser instead or in addition to an inkjet.

Another key point is that automatic duplex (double sided) printing is not required for printing planner pages, in fact this feature is actually discouraged due to misalignment issues that are common with this feature. The reality is that when a printer prints left to right, it is very difficult on non-commercial grade printers to get perfect alignment front and back for automatic duplex printing. When printing single sided and manually flipping the pages over to print this creates a common "origin" or point of reference which increases the repeatability of printing accurately with reference to the top left hand corner...in other words you have a much better chance of front and back lining up. Essentially when you print your printable you will print all odd pages first followed by all even, flipping your pages over based on your printer needs. To check which way to flip your page you will need to print a planner test page which I provide for download. One last thing to note is if back to back printing doesn't fully align you should investigate extended settings for print alignment options specific to your printer and note that this may only apply to your print session (i.e. every time you print).

Trimmer / Guillotine

Assuming you have successfully printed off your printable design you must now trim the end product to size. The next most important aspect of printables is the cut quality which will determine how everything looks, where punchholes end up and whether your pages get damaged easily will come down to what you use to cut. You can use either a trimmer or a guillotine which have their own purposes, tolerances and their ability to cut different amounts of pages. You will notice on my printable designs that they have what is called crop lines which are horizontal and vertical lines which are designed to show you where the page edges are which should allow you to cut straighter and at the correct locations.

The crop lines are perfect for guillotines / bypass trimmers which are generally less precise but can cut large volumes of paper compared to a rotary / blade trimmer. They use a long blade hinged at one end which allows you to cut a straight line end to end but generally needs a mark on the paper stack edge to align the cut which should be at a steady medium pace with a focus on a smooth action to get a clean cut. Guillotines are generally not good for cutting fine corrections so typically expect a cut once scenario depending on the guillotine or paper stack size and corrections will likely be required with a trimmer depending on your circumstance.

Trimmers come in a few different types but most are either knife blade or rotary. Typically the rotary is the best style for cutting planner printables as they self sharpen, they can be lined up easily and can usually cut several pages at once without much of an issue. The Rotary style is usually less susceptible to twisting / wobbling and a number of designs are now available to counteract this as well. The blade style is still acceptable but they are susceptible to catching or jamming as the blade gets dull or if the depth of the paper is too much. Trimmers are great for fine cutting but the blade style is limited in how fine a cut it can do while keeping the cut clean which also comes down to blade sharpness. I recommend testing your trimmer with scrap to determine how much paper it can cut at once and whether you are likely to experience any issues with catching / jamming or clean cutting. Trimmers generally require a cut from start and finish in one smooth action with constant pressure and speed along the cut to get a clean edge. If you try to cut too quickly and the paper isn't thick enough you may experience ripping or in the case of knife blades, twisting.

A4 Paper

This element is subjective and really comes down to what you are willing to accept in terms of print quality, feel and visibility from the backing page. I have been told by many people that normal printer paper (80 gsm / 21 lb bond / 54 lb text) is perfectly fine for planner printables. Saying that, the paper weight used in commercial planners such as the Happy Planner product is typically higher at around 120 gsm / 32 lb bond / 80 lb text. Personally I prefer the 120 gsm paper for my planners as I find the weight and texture to be pleasant with minimal visibility from the backing page which I don't find is good enough in the 80 gsm paper. Ultimately, it also comes down to the whiteness factor as well which I prefer around the 170 CIE mark which means the paper is brighter outside / natural light but less bright indoors. I typically use Reflex 80 gsm paper which has a 165 CIE and J.Burrows 120gsm paper which has a 170 CIE which are both available in Australia from Officeworks.

The Process

Once you have all the elements required to print and cut your planner you are on your way to building your amazing planner from a printable design. I will discuss the process with you in another post to keep the information to the point and easy to follow.

Refer to: Create Your Planner From A Printable Design

As always I am happy to chat with you about your needs so if you find yourself needing more information about the products on my store or custom made needs I am only a message or email away. Hopefully you enjoy my online store and what it has to offer and, as mentioned previously, any feedback is always appreciated. Thanks for reading my post and please feel free to leave me a comment. Now it's time for me to go back to Secretly Scrapbooking.

Stella Xx
Bunbury, WA
Shop | Custom Orders | Candle Product List | Secretly Scrapbooking Facebook

Secretly Scrapbooking Home

Outbound Links:

Mini Test Print Page

This blog post is for those who have never made a printable planner or have and want to know more about the basics. First and foremost this post is oriented around the key things you need and not the process for creating a complete planner.

What You Need - Essential:

• Printer (Inkjet / Laser)
• Trimmer / Guillotine
• A4 Paper (Amount to suit number of pages)

Printers (Inkjet / Laser)

The printer and printing process has the greatest impact on the quality of the end product and so this is the most essential things to get right. Many people have an opinion on what printer you need and there are many who are forgiving of the performance of a cheap printer but in the end the printer you choose should reflect your expectations for the quality print you are after.

When selecting a printer most companies, reviews etc tell you about a number of properties but I find that there are a couple of things they don't really talk about which are also important to ensure you understand what impacts on print quality. When selecting a printer skip all the sales speal and go straight for the specifications which is where all the information you need is. Here is what to look for with inkjet printers:

• Print Resolution (Most Important): horizontal x vertical DPI (dots per inch), this indicates how fine the end image can be printed.
• Nozzle Configuration: More nozzles typically indicates that a finer ink droplet can be placed on the paper or that the printing process can be completed more rapidly;
• Minimum Ink Droplet (Not Always Shown): 3 picolitres is typical of a decent quality printer, 1.5 or better is indicative of a premium grade printer.
• Ink Quality: Typically includes "Photo" in the type of ink when referring to premium inks.
• Feeder Type: This is typically not talked about but if a feeder is aggressive, more vertical, has less rollers or only an offset roller (one side) then this can cause skew feeding and while this isn't a massive issue it can have an impact on whether 2-sided printing aligns back and front. This is where the print is not "square" with the left and / or right hand side or in other words looks like it printed on an angle.

In terms of laser printers there is less to consider and essentially you should look for:

• Colour Print Resolution (Most Important): horizontal x vertical DPI (dots per inch), this indicates how fine the end image can be printed in colour and is generally less or the same as black but is your limiting factor. Keep in mind that Laser Printer technology is going to be far less impressive with the majority no better than 2400 x 600 DPI or half that of an inkjet.

The printer I selected for my business is not a premium printer but is designed to print large volumes of pages without refilling the ink, has a fairly smooth, non-aggressive feeder with a print resolution of 5760 x 1440 DPI. This printer is definitely not cheap but I have been told that cheaper printers, most notably the Canon brand are just as reasonable and you should aim for an inkjet printer with a resolution at or above 4800 x 1200 DPI or a laser printer with a resolution at or above 2400 x 600 DPI. Do your research before you buy and don't be afraid to ask people you know to do a test print if you are thinking of buying one that someone else already has.

Now you might be asking why would you buy a laser printer if the resolution is so low? Well the answer is not really what you might expect, essentially most people buy monochrome laser printers for their speed, economy (cheaper) and for their ability to be used for craft oriented purposes. Laser printers use heat to activate a powder ink which bonds with the material they are being printed on and this process allows you to print on surfaces which inkjets can't. It also allows for secondary bonding which can be accomplished with certain glues and by using heat which is the fundamental behind applying foil to printed designs. The print quality generally is inferior to inkjets but if you are hoping to use foil for example than you may want a laser instead or in addition to an inkjet.

Another key point is that automatic duplex (double sided) printing is not required for printing planner pages, in fact this feature is actually discouraged due to misalignment issues that are common with this feature. The reality is that when a printer prints left to right, it is very difficult on non-commercial grade printers to get perfect alignment front and back for automatic duplex printing. When printing single sided and manually flipping the pages over to print this creates a common "origin" or point of reference which increases the repeatability of printing accurately with reference to the top left hand corner...in other words you have a much better chance of front and back lining up. Essentially when you print your printable you will print all odd pages first followed by all even, flipping your pages over based on your printer needs. To check which way to flip your page you will need to print a planner test page which I provide for download. One last thing to note is if back to back printing doesn't fully align you should investigate extended settings for print alignment options specific to your printer and note that this may only apply to your print session (i.e. every time you print).

Trimmer / Guillotine

Assuming you have successfully printed off your printable design you must now trim the end product to size. The next most important aspect of printables is the cut quality which will determine how everything looks, where punchholes end up and whether your pages get damaged easily will come down to what you use to cut. You can use either a trimmer or a guillotine which have their own purposes, tolerances and their ability to cut different amounts of pages. You will notice on my printable designs that they have what is called crop lines which are horizontal and vertical lines which are designed to show you where the page edges are which should allow you to cut straighter and at the correct locations.

The crop lines are perfect for guillotines / bypass trimmers which are generally less precise but can cut large volumes of paper compared to a rotary / blade trimmer. They use a long blade hinged at one end which allows you to cut a straight line end to end but generally needs a mark on the paper stack edge to align the cut which should be at a steady medium pace with a focus on a smooth action to get a clean cut. Guillotines are generally not good for cutting fine corrections so typically expect a cut once scenario depending on the guillotine or paper stack size and corrections will likely be required with a trimmer depending on your circumstance.

Trimmers come in a few different types but most are either knife blade or rotary. Typically the rotary is the best style for cutting planner printables as they self sharpen, they can be lined up easily and can usually cut several pages at once without much of an issue. The Rotary style is usually less susceptible to twisting / wobbling and a number of designs are now available to counteract this as well. The blade style is still acceptable but they are susceptible to catching or jamming as the blade gets dull or if the depth of the paper is too much. Trimmers are great for fine cutting but the blade style is limited in how fine a cut it can do while keeping the cut clean which also comes down to blade sharpness. I recommend testing your trimmer with scrap to determine how much paper it can cut at once and whether you are likely to experience any issues with catching / jamming or clean cutting. Trimmers generally require a cut from start and finish in one smooth action with constant pressure and speed along the cut to get a clean edge. If you try to cut too quickly and the paper isn't thick enough you may experience ripping or in the case of knife blades, twisting.

A4 Paper

This element is subjective and really comes down to what you are willing to accept in terms of print quality, feel and visibility from the backing page. I have been told by many people that normal printer paper (80 gsm / 21 lb bond / 54 lb text) is perfectly fine for planner printables. Saying that, the paper weight used in commercial planners such as the Happy Planner product is typically higher at around 120 gsm / 32 lb bond / 80 lb text. Personally I prefer the 120 gsm paper for my planners as I find the weight and texture to be pleasant with minimal visibility from the backing page which I don't find is good enough in the 80 gsm paper. Ultimately, it also comes down to the whiteness factor as well which I prefer around the 170 CIE mark which means the paper is brighter outside / natural light but less bright indoors. I typically use Reflex 80 gsm paper which has a 165 CIE and J.Burrows 120gsm paper which has a 170 CIE which are both available in Australia from Officeworks.

The Process

Once you have all the elements required to print and cut your planner you are on your way to building your amazing planner from a printable design. I will discuss the process with you in another post to keep the information to the point and easy to follow.

Refer to: Create Your Planner From A Printable Design

As always I am happy to chat with you about your needs so if you find yourself needing more information about the products on my store or custom made needs I am only a message or email away. Hopefully you enjoy my online store and what it has to offer and, as mentioned previously, any feedback is always appreciated. Thanks for reading my post and please feel free to leave me a comment. Now it's time for me to go back to Secretly Scrapbooking.

Stella Xx
Bunbury, WA
Shop | Custom Orders | Candle Product List | Secretly Scrapbooking Facebook

Secretly Scrapbooking Home

Outbound Links:

Mini Test Print Page

As mentioned in our 2019 - 2020 Financial Year Announcement (Refer Outbound Links) we have been looking at various options for our customers to remain competitive and provide our customers with the products they want. Taking into account the costs involved in stocking the MAMBI Happy Planner products, the rising costs to our customers and the costs of creating competing designs we found a happy medium. As a result we are launching a second shop which will host and allow purchase of digital designs by customers including planner printable designs for customers to print and use. We may also generate other related and unrelated products down the track so keep posted for the release of these products.

We will be generating planner insert designs which will be made available in 12 month annual, 12 month financial and 18 month full designs with partial products also available such as quarterly products. We will not be creating much in the way of decorated / custom planner covers and dividers at this time as we feel that these are relatively easy to create and are really more of a personal feature. With this in mind we will develop cut files to make this process a little easier for those who are looking for them. This is a new area for us and as such we will likely start small and build over time but we have a number of ideas in mind which we hope you will love. To start with we will begin with designs in the mini size with designs to follow for tiny, classic and BIG planner category to follow.

We understand that there are lots of competing ideas, concepts and expectations in this area but we do not intend on following any particular trend. We have looked at a number of designs and considered what we feel the gaps are for products which we seek to fill. If you have ever looked at the planners out there and settled with a sigh and said "this will do" then maybe we are worth keeping an eye on to make that sigh a little less or to cause a giggle of delight as you find that perfect fit. To make the experience complete we will look to write posts to help you get the best product on your end and to give you great ideas for making the perfect planner end to end.

You'll find our cut files, graphic designs and planner designs at:

Secretly Scrapbooking Designs

If you'd like some information about printables you can check out:

Printable Planner Essentials

Create Your Planner From A Printable Design

As always I am happy to chat with you about your needs so if you find yourself needing more information about the products on my store or custom made needs I am only a message or email away. Hopefully you enjoy my current and new online stores and what they have to offer and, as mentioned previously, any feedback is always appreciated. Thanks for reading my post and please feel free to leave me a comment. Now it's time for me to go back to Secretly Scrapbooking.

Stella Xx
Bunbury, WA
Shop | Custom Orders | Candle Product List | Secretly Scrapbooking Facebook

Secretly Scrapbooking Home

Outbound Links:

1. Secretly Scrapbooking - 2019 - 2020 Financial Year Announcement

As mentioned in our 2019 - 2020 Financial Year Announcement (Refer Outbound Links) we have been looking at various options for our customers to remain competitive and provide our customers with the products they want. Taking into account the costs involved in stocking the MAMBI Happy Planner products, the rising costs to our customers and the costs of creating competing designs we found a happy medium. As a result we are launching a second shop which will host and allow purchase of digital designs by customers including planner printable designs for customers to print and use. We may also generate other related and unrelated products down the track so keep posted for the release of these products.

We will be generating planner insert designs which will be made available in 12 month annual, 12 month financial and 18 month full designs with partial products also available such as quarterly products. We will not be creating much in the way of decorated / custom planner covers and dividers at this time as we feel that these are relatively easy to create and are really more of a personal feature. With this in mind we will develop cut files to make this process a little easier for those who are looking for them. This is a new area for us and as such we will likely start small and build over time but we have a number of ideas in mind which we hope you will love. To start with we will begin with designs in the mini size with designs to follow for tiny, classic and BIG planner category to follow.

We understand that there are lots of competing ideas, concepts and expectations in this area but we do not intend on following any particular trend. We have looked at a number of designs and considered what we feel the gaps are for products which we seek to fill. If you have ever looked at the planners out there and settled with a sigh and said "this will do" then maybe we are worth keeping an eye on to make that sigh a little less or to cause a giggle of delight as you find that perfect fit. To make the experience complete we will look to write posts to help you get the best product on your end and to give you great ideas for making the perfect planner end to end.

You'll find our cut files, graphic designs and planner designs at:

Secretly Scrapbooking Designs

If you'd like some information about printables you can check out:

Printable Planner Essentials

Create Your Planner From A Printable Design

As always I am happy to chat with you about your needs so if you find yourself needing more information about the products on my store or custom made needs I am only a message or email away. Hopefully you enjoy my current and new online stores and what they have to offer and, as mentioned previously, any feedback is always appreciated. Thanks for reading my post and please feel free to leave me a comment. Now it's time for me to go back to Secretly Scrapbooking.

Stella Xx
Bunbury, WA
Shop | Custom Orders | Candle Product List | Secretly Scrapbooking Facebook

Secretly Scrapbooking Home

Outbound Links:

1. Secretly Scrapbooking - 2019 - 2020 Financial Year Announcement

This year has been a great year for Secretly Scrapbooking, we have grown, we have seen new customers and we are being followed by many who use our custom creations and online shop. It is from your support, encouragement and repeat business that we continue to exist, expand and have the ability to offer you more and more, so for this we thank you deeply.

With the new financial year approaching it is always interesting to see what is planned or changing with businesses like my own and this year brings about changes retail businesses dread. At the start of July the US Government brings into effect their various tariffs on China which has a dramatic effect on those who supply, distribute and end customers as much of the paper and materials we use actually originate in China. What does this mean for customers? It means price increases unfortunately and you will see increases from businesses like my own to much larger companies like Spotlight and online businesses as in order to remain profitable costs must be passed on. In terms of how this affects Australian customers? Well for distributors like myself this means that tariffs of 25% are applied in the US when they import from China which we then wear as a distributor which is impacted by rising exchange rates, and again taxed another 5% by Australian duties / tariffs and 10% GST applied. This multiplication means more than a mere 25% increase and so expect to see costs rise well above this for anything oriented around craft. In terms of Happy Planner products we anticipate price increases ranging from AUD$0.50 to AUD$5.00 as a rough estimate.

At Secretly Scrapbooking we are doing our best to minimise the impact to our customers but this will be outside our control once we need to restock our inventory. Rest assured that we will be seeking to remain competitive with other distributors for our various products and where possible we will explore options to provide alternatives that are more viable if costs become too high going forward. We are also investigating expanding our online shop this year to include product lines which will be of special interest to my fellow planner addicts. I will also continue to offer my custom services this year in conjunction with my existing retail product lines.

In terms of what is happening leading up to the End Of Financial Year there is nothing new on offer. The current sales will remain in effect until the 30th June after which these items will be retired. So if you are still looking for or intending to buy a 2019 Annual Year planner from me then I suggest you get in before End Of Financial Year as I will be removing them from my store. It is also a great time to buy a new Financial Year / 18 Month planner while stocks last at their current prices.

However your Financial Year went and no matter the challenges we face this year we have each other to lean on to get us through. I was once told that we grow from adversity and so it is that I shall grow, evolve and adapt to meet the challenges we now face. Goodluck and good fortune to you all.

As always I am happy to chat with you about your needs so if you find yourself needing more information about the products on my store or custom made needs I am only a message or email away. Hopefully you enjoy my online store and what it has to offer and, as mentioned previously, any feedback is always appreciated. Thanks for reading my post and please feel free to leave me a comment. Now it's time for me to go back to Secretly Scrapbooking.

Stella Xx
Bunbury, WA
Shop | Custom Orders | Candle Product List | Secretly Scrapbooking Facebook

Secretly Scrapbooking Home

This year has been a great year for Secretly Scrapbooking, we have grown, we have seen new customers and we are being followed by many who use our custom creations and online shop. It is from your support, encouragement and repeat business that we continue to exist, expand and have the ability to offer you more and more, so for this we thank you deeply.

With the new financial year approaching it is always interesting to see what is planned or changing with businesses like my own and this year brings about changes retail businesses dread. At the start of July the US Government brings into effect their various tariffs on China which has a dramatic effect on those who supply, distribute and end customers as much of the paper and materials we use actually originate in China. What does this mean for customers? It means price increases unfortunately and you will see increases from businesses like my own to much larger companies like Spotlight and online businesses as in order to remain profitable costs must be passed on. In terms of how this affects Australian customers? Well for distributors like myself this means that tariffs of 25% are applied in the US when they import from China which we then wear as a distributor which is impacted by rising exchange rates, and again taxed another 5% by Australian duties / tariffs and 10% GST applied. This multiplication means more than a mere 25% increase and so expect to see costs rise well above this for anything oriented around craft. In terms of Happy Planner products we anticipate price increases ranging from AUD$0.50 to AUD$5.00 as a rough estimate.

At Secretly Scrapbooking we are doing our best to minimise the impact to our customers but this will be outside our control once we need to restock our inventory. Rest assured that we will be seeking to remain competitive with other distributors for our various products and where possible we will explore options to provide alternatives that are more viable if costs become too high going forward. We are also investigating expanding our online shop this year to include product lines which will be of special interest to my fellow planner addicts. I will also continue to offer my custom services this year in conjunction with my existing retail product lines.

In terms of what is happening leading up to the End Of Financial Year there is nothing new on offer. The current sales will remain in effect until the 30th June after which these items will be retired. So if you are still looking for or intending to buy a 2019 Annual Year planner from me then I suggest you get in before End Of Financial Year as I will be removing them from my store. It is also a great time to buy a new Financial Year / 18 Month planner while stocks last at their current prices.

However your Financial Year went and no matter the challenges we face this year we have each other to lean on to get us through. I was once told that we grow from adversity and so it is that I shall grow, evolve and adapt to meet the challenges we now face. Goodluck and good fortune to you all.

As always I am happy to chat with you about your needs so if you find yourself needing more information about the products on my store or custom made needs I am only a message or email away. Hopefully you enjoy my online store and what it has to offer and, as mentioned previously, any feedback is always appreciated. Thanks for reading my post and please feel free to leave me a comment. Now it's time for me to go back to Secretly Scrapbooking.

Stella Xx
Bunbury, WA
Shop | Custom Orders | Candle Product List | Secretly Scrapbooking Facebook

Secretly Scrapbooking Home

That's right Australia, I have received new stock from the 2019 Happy Planner product list which features a range of products inclusive of 18 months planners. Me & My Big Ideas (MAMBI) has released a number of new and different items in this catalog including classic half sheet notebooks and journal oriented items, not to mention the popular recipe oriented items.

It is always hard to decide what I will stock but rest assured I have used the feedback from my local happy planners as a guide to what was most sought after and generally includes:

• Mini 12 Month Planners;
• Classic 18 Month Planners (Including Deluxe);
• BIG 18 Month Planners;
• Classic & Mini Recipe Planners;
• Classic Half Sheet Notebooks;
• Classic & Mini Happy Journal;
• BIG, Classic & Mini Happy Notes;
• Classic & Mini Extension Packs;
• Half Sheet, Full & Embellished Fill Paper
• Plastic Envelopes;
• Sticky Tabs;
• Snap In Tabs;
• Multi Packs;
• Discs;
• Stamps;
• Snap In Stickers; and
• Sticker Packs.

If you have not heard of me before it is because I am new to online retail, I started in late 2018 as an extension of my existing growing small business oriented around making custom items for a number of years now. I am part of a very small group of people in the South West of Western Australia who, like me, are planner addicts and found that locally, inclusive of Perth, that we didn't really have anyone who catered to our needs. Since opening my online store I have seen the conversion of people from other planner brands and helped people find this fun and social addiction which is growing in our community. Planning is often thought of as a function, something we do, but I also see it as a social function, something that brings people together and allows us to celebrate who we are.

You may have noticed that most of the large distributors are based out of New South Wales with postage adding extra cost (and time) which essentially meant you had to buy everything from one place to justify the cost. To combat this I have opened my online business in Bunbury allowing me to ship nationally but also provide a place in Western Australia where people can pick up items if they choose or offer people who are interested a chance to see products in person. If postage is your only option then you should know that I often try to post items the same day for weekday orders because I know that you can't wait another second to get your hands on your package.

As I custom make other products as well don't be afraid to ask if you can have your planner monogrammed which I can happily do with vinyl. No matter where you are from or your level of planner addiction I am hoping to be your new planner retailer and remember to check the full price including postage on our store as you might just find we are cheaper too. See my shop below:

https://shop.secretlyscrapbooking.com.au

As always I am happy to chat with you about your needs so if you find yourself needing more information about the products on my store or custom made needs I am only a message or email away. Hopefully you enjoy my online store and what it has to offer and, as mentioned previously, any feedback is always appreciated. Thanks for reading my post and please feel free to leave me a comment. Now it's time for me to go back to Secretly Scrapbooking.

Stella Xx
Bunbury, WA
Shop | Custom Orders | Candle Product List | Secretly Scrapbooking Facebook

Secretly Scrapbooking Home

That's right Australia, I have received new stock from the 2019 Happy Planner product list which features a range of products inclusive of 18 months planners. Me & My Big Ideas (MAMBI) has released a number of new and different items in this catalog including classic half sheet notebooks and journal oriented items, not to mention the popular recipe oriented items.

It is always hard to decide what I will stock but rest assured I have used the feedback from my local happy planners as a guide to what was most sought after and generally includes:

• Mini 12 Month Planners;
• Classic 18 Month Planners (Including Deluxe);
• BIG 18 Month Planners;
• Classic & Mini Recipe Planners;
• Classic Half Sheet Notebooks;
• Classic & Mini Happy Journal;
• BIG, Classic & Mini Happy Notes;
• Classic & Mini Extension Packs;
• Half Sheet, Full & Embellished Fill Paper
• Plastic Envelopes;
• Sticky Tabs;
• Snap In Tabs;
• Multi Packs;
• Discs;
• Stamps;
• Snap In Stickers; and
• Sticker Packs.

If you have not heard of me before it is because I am new to online retail, I started in late 2018 as an extension of my existing growing small business oriented around making custom items for a number of years now. I am part of a very small group of people in the South West of Western Australia who, like me, are planner addicts and found that locally, inclusive of Perth, that we didn't really have anyone who catered to our needs. Since opening my online store I have seen the conversion of people from other planner brands and helped people find this fun and social addiction which is growing in our community. Planning is often thought of as a function, something we do, but I also see it as a social function, something that brings people together and allows us to celebrate who we are.

You may have noticed that most of the large distributors are based out of New South Wales with postage adding extra cost (and time) which essentially meant you had to buy everything from one place to justify the cost. To combat this I have opened my online business in Bunbury allowing me to ship nationally but also provide a place in Western Australia where people can pick up items if they choose or offer people who are interested a chance to see products in person. If postage is your only option then you should know that I often try to post items the same day for weekday orders because I know that you can't wait another second to get your hands on your package.

As I custom make other products as well don't be afraid to ask if you can have your planner monogrammed which I can happily do with vinyl. No matter where you are from or your level of planner addiction I am hoping to be your new planner retailer and remember to check the full price including postage on our store as you might just find we are cheaper too. See my shop below:

https://shop.secretlyscrapbooking.com.au

As always I am happy to chat with you about your needs so if you find yourself needing more information about the products on my store or custom made needs I am only a message or email away. Hopefully you enjoy my online store and what it has to offer and, as mentioned previously, any feedback is always appreciated. Thanks for reading my post and please feel free to leave me a comment. Now it's time for me to go back to Secretly Scrapbooking.

Stella Xx
Bunbury, WA
Shop | Custom Orders | Candle Product List | Secretly Scrapbooking Facebook

Secretly Scrapbooking Home

Have you ever found yourself wandering aimlessly through the baby isles in various shops frustrated because you can't find the perfect gift? Over the years I've had many friends and family give birth only to have me discover that I can never find exactly what I am looking for. Recently I have made a number of gifts for friends, family and clients which I thought I should share with you to make you aware of some of the things I can make to fill that "perfect gift" void.

Often when people think about gifts for expecting mothers or to buy for your own little bub we often stick to what we know. This can often include consumables, essential items, clothing, toys and the big ticket items which aren't really unique. Our options are generally limited to what our local retailers are willing to stock (what's left of it on their shelves) and what we can manage to track down online. I have found that often what is missing is the inability to find items that match our own personal brand of unique and cute... such as my love of penguins. Below are some examples of gifts I have made, which in some cases, have been personalised for the new bub or at request of a client.

This set was made for a friend expecting a new boy bub which I wanted to fit with their own personal brand which I gifted them for their baby shower event.

As it was a boy I primarily used blues and whites which contrast well and the set includes a onesie, a baby wrap and a bib. The words "Mullets & Moes" on the little onesie were requested while the remaining designs were decided on by myself. All the designs shown above have been custom designed and colour coordinated. The bib features a twist on the Fat Boy Slim Song "Eat, Sleep, Rave Repeat" with a baby theme using the sequence "Eat, Sleep, Poop, Repeat" accented by related images. The wrap features a quote "The Snuggle Is Real" accented by a banner, a couple of hearts and a moe to tie in with the onsie. Check out the cute little bubba showing off his onesie below...he hasn't mastered any poses yet but he'll get there.

This yellow onesie below was selected as the babies gender wasn't known when it was made and the design was selected to align with the family name. In this case the design theme was an ant and an appropriate image and text was selected to suit. The image is of an ant sitting down on some grass eating a piece of watermelon which I thought was quite cute and added a bit of colour to the design.

The little matching set below was a gift that was done after the baby was born so I thought I would personalise the onesie with the bubs name underneath the fox and who doesn't love a matching gift? The bib in this set has #Milk, #Snuggle, #Nap and #Repeat written inside the star with shooting stars around it. The baby wrap features a cloud with "Be Brave Little One" written inside of it and a mixture of hearts, stars and an arrow.

This last clothing set is made up of a personalised onesie and a pair of pants that are unmodified. The recipient of these gifts was a Harry Potter fan and so the outfit was tailored to fit this theme. The onsie was sized for a 1 year old and reads "Snuggle This Cute Muggle" with the name of the child cut out of a heart in the center.

As with many gifts, many people also tend to want cards to go with them which I can also make. Over the years I have made many different card styles but this is an example of a card I have made for someone expecting a new baby. This style of card is called a trifold and is one of many different fancy fold style cards I have made.

If you were looking for something different as a gift then I have definitely tried to work outside the box such as with this cushion I made for a customer to give as a gift. This cushion has all the details of the new baby including name, birthdate, time, weight and length. It is a nice alternative to clothing as it can live on well after the baby has grown and can be put anywhere in the house.

Another idea is to blend a standard gift such as clothing with another small gift that can be used after the baby grows. In this gift set idea it mixes a onesie and a small money box to make a nice balanced gift.  The outfit has all the details of the new baby including name, birthdate, time, weight and length while the money box is decorated with "My First Money Box".

Last but not least I made this cute little money box for a gift that traveled all the way to Japan for a special little man. The person giving the gift wanted something animal themed and wanted to incorporate the child's name into the label on the glass. The end result is quite cute and can be used for storing other things other than money as the whole backing piece comes off.

As you can see I have made a diverse range of personalised items and I can customise designs to suit different needs. This is only a small sample of the various items I have made for baby oriented themes but unfortunately some designs had to be withheld due to announcements. If you would like something made or personalised for someone expecting, for your bub or for any other reason please feel free to contact me and I will do my best to help you realise your design.

Thanks for reading my post and if you are interested in finding out more about what we can do for you then please feel free to contact us. It would be great if you feel the need to share or like our articles via facebook, my facebook alias is @KristelRimmerSecretlyScrapbooking if you need it. Now it's time for me to go back to Secretly Scrapbooking!

Stella Xx
Bunbury, WA
Shop | Custom Orders | Candle Product List

Secretly Scrapbooking Home

Have you ever found yourself wandering aimlessly through the baby isles in various shops frustrated because you can't find the perfect gift? Over the years I've had many friends and family give birth only to have me discover that I can never find exactly what I am looking for. Recently I have made a number of gifts for friends, family and clients which I thought I should share with you to make you aware of some of the things I can make to fill that "perfect gift" void.

Often when people think about gifts for expecting mothers or to buy for your own little bub we often stick to what we know. This can often include consumables, essential items, clothing, toys and the big ticket items which aren't really unique. Our options are generally limited to what our local retailers are willing to stock (what's left of it on their shelves) and what we can manage to track down online. I have found that often what is missing is the inability to find items that match our own personal brand of unique and cute... such as my love of penguins. Below are some examples of gifts I have made, which in some cases, have been personalised for the new bub or at request of a client.

This set was made for a friend expecting a new boy bub which I wanted to fit with their own personal brand which I gifted them for their baby shower event.

As it was a boy I primarily used blues and whites which contrast well and the set includes a onesie, a baby wrap and a bib. The words "Mullets & Moes" on the little onesie were requested while the remaining designs were decided on by myself. All the designs shown above have been custom designed and colour coordinated. The bib features a twist on the Fat Boy Slim Song "Eat, Sleep, Rave Repeat" with a baby theme using the sequence "Eat, Sleep, Poop, Repeat" accented by related images. The wrap features a quote "The Snuggle Is Real" accented by a banner, a couple of hearts and a moe to tie in with the onsie. Check out the cute little bubba showing off his onesie below...he hasn't mastered any poses yet but he'll get there.

This yellow onesie below was selected as the babies gender wasn't known when it was made and the design was selected to align with the family name. In this case the design theme was an ant and an appropriate image and text was selected to suit. The image is of an ant sitting down on some grass eating a piece of watermelon which I thought was quite cute and added a bit of colour to the design.

The little matching set below was a gift that was done after the baby was born so I thought I would personalise the onesie with the bubs name underneath the fox and who doesn't love a matching gift? The bib in this set has #Milk, #Snuggle, #Nap and #Repeat written inside the star with shooting stars around it. The baby wrap features a cloud with "Be Brave Little One" written inside of it and a mixture of hearts, stars and an arrow.

This last clothing set is made up of a personalised onesie and a pair of pants that are unmodified. The recipient of these gifts was a Harry Potter fan and so the outfit was tailored to fit this theme. The onsie was sized for a 1 year old and reads "Snuggle This Cute Muggle" with the name of the child cut out of a heart in the center.

As with many gifts, many people also tend to want cards to go with them which I can also make. Over the years I have made many different card styles but this is an example of a card I have made for someone expecting a new baby. This style of card is called a trifold and is one of many different fancy fold style cards I have made.

If you were looking for something different as a gift then I have definitely tried to work outside the box such as with this cushion I made for a customer to give as a gift. This cushion has all the details of the new baby including name, birthdate, time, weight and length. It is a nice alternative to clothing as it can live on well after the baby has grown and can be put anywhere in the house.

Another idea is to blend a standard gift such as clothing with another small gift that can be used after the baby grows. In this gift set idea it mixes a onesie and a small money box to make a nice balanced gift.  The outfit has all the details of the new baby including name, birthdate, time, weight and length while the money box is decorated with "My First Money Box".

Last but not least I made this cute little money box for a gift that traveled all the way to Japan for a special little man. The person giving the gift wanted something animal themed and wanted to incorporate the child's name into the label on the glass. The end result is quite cute and can be used for storing other things other than money as the whole backing piece comes off.

As you can see I have made a diverse range of personalised items and I can customise designs to suit different needs. This is only a small sample of the various items I have made for baby oriented themes but unfortunately some designs had to be withheld due to announcements. If you would like something made or personalised for someone expecting, for your bub or for any other reason please feel free to contact me and I will do my best to help you realise your design.

Thanks for reading my post and if you are interested in finding out more about what we can do for you then please feel free to contact us. It would be great if you feel the need to share or like our articles via facebook, my facebook alias is @KristelRimmerSecretlyScrapbooking if you need it. Now it's time for me to go back to Secretly Scrapbooking!

Stella Xx
Bunbury, WA
Shop | Custom Orders | Candle Product List

Secretly Scrapbooking Home

With the new year commencing our minds turn to our goals, what we have achieved and what we hope to achieve. For many, this is a time when we look to our health, our wellness and our wellbeing. In the case of the planner addict we look to our planners to align with our lives, to embed our goals, to track our progress and inspire us to continue. In 2018, MAMBI released a series of Limited Edition Happy Planner Girl Healthy Hero Deluxe Planners and planner accessories for 2019 which are aimed specifically at Health and Wellbeing planning. In this blog I will be showing off the mini version of the Healthy Hero series planners which is called the Mini Deluxe Happy Planner® - Healthy Hero (2019) and has the SKU PLNM-98.

Happy Planner describes the Healthy Hero as follows:

"Who is Healthy Hero? She’s the health nut, the girl who loves her body  and loves taking care of it. Her favorite accessory is her hair tie and  considers a gym bag her purse. Loves starting the day with avocado toast  and a yoga session."

The Healthy Hero Planners are similar in both the Mini and Classic series with a few key differences. Both the mini and classic version are very focused on Goals, Mind, Body and Yourself and they bring these together how they style the planner monthly focus pages and in how they structure the weekly pages. The monthly focus or goals page is styled into a single page and includes the following headers:

• Goals (Three (3) per month)
• What Inspires Me (Grid)
• How I'm Strengthening My Mind
• How I'm Strengthening My Body
• What I'm Loving About Myself
• Key Dates

I feel that having this style of monthly focus page is great for those wanting to keep on top of their health and wellbeing by giving you alot of targeted space for each aspect. It is nice that goals and inspiration make up a significant portion of this page in that it helps remind you that motivation is the majority of the battle in keeping on top of your health and wellbeing journey...well it is for me at least. While this is a goals page it is also a great place to begin reflection on what you are doing well and what is working or not working for you. In any great plan, reflection is the key to making it better in the future and remember that a plan is an ideal commitment but it is not reality. Remember, reality is more fluid and chaotic than a plan suggests so it is important to forgive yourself if they don't align.

We are then presented with a monthly view which is fairly simplistic but it does help split goals from priorities where it provides space to define your priorities aside your month outlook using a grid of days. This is great in that it helps you define what you need to achieve Vs what you hope to achieve which belongs on your goals page.

As you can see in the image, your monthly view spreads over two pages and the left hand side page contains the "Top Priorities" section which has room for three (3) priorities. The use of a dot grid is not my preference but it is certainly better for those intending to use stickers or who prefer to free write or draw. What you may also notice is that MAMBI includes US Holidays in their Happy Planners, I tend to take a bit of time when I first get a planner to overlay stickers over the holidays and put the Western Australian holidays in with writing or stickers if I have them..each to their own. The Monthly View boxes are a reasonable size measuring approximately 0.9in wide x 1.2in high (2.4cm wide x 3cm high) and you would require a sticker at least 4mm high to cover the US holiday text.

The Weekly View offers a special vertical layout, only available in the Healthy Hero planners which is made up of sections:

• Weekly Goal (Left Side Top)
• Water Tracker (Left Side Bottom)
• Today
• Focus
• Food Log
• Exercise

The Weekly Goal as I've called it, is actually a dot grid section that doesn't have a header in the Mini version but is called this in the Classic version. The Weekly Goal helps you keep on top of what you want to achieve that week and allows you to be creative about how you use this space. The water tracker is something that seems to have entered into most health and wellbeing platforms and essentially lets you track water in increments that you decide i.e. 250ml or 1L or whatever...it is up to you. From here you have a section dedicated to focus, it is my assumption that this is used to allow you to identify what is important to you that day such as the type of exercise, mind, body, myself, task or however you choose to use this section. The page then breaks into a Food Log and Exercise section which is used to track what you consume or energy intake on any given day Vs the exercise you did or the energy you used. At the end of the month you will be presented with a Notes page which is lined and can be used as you choose.

The Weekly View boxes are a reasonable size measuring approximately:

• Today - 0.9in wide x 1.9in high (2.4cm wide x 5cm high)
• Focus - 0.9in wide x 0.89in high (2.4cm wide x 2.3cm high)
• Food Log - 0.9in wide x 2.25in high (2.4cm wide x 5.7cm high)
• Exercise - 0.9in wide x 0.9in high (2.4cm wide x 2.4cm high)

Note: Sundays have a rounded edge with a 4mm radius (i.e. 2cm wide before the curve starts)

While I like the structure of the Weekly View, it begs the question as to whether the classic version is a bit big to suit someone on a health and wellbeing journey. You would likely need to have your planner handy in order to update it as you consume water, food or after exercise unless you kept track of it elsewhere and update it when you were able to access your planner, to me the mini would appear to be the best fit but each to their own.

At the end of the Weekly View sections is another section which is a section split into two:

• 30 Day Self Care Challenge
• Take Time To Reflect

The 30 Day Self Care Challenge is an interesting addition and has a list of 30 challenges for you to choose from and is followed by five (5) 30 day challenge pages which encourage you to focus on one or more challenges for 30 days each page. By my count this is 6 challenges per page to do all of them so I encourage you to think about splitting the pages into two somehow to allow you to use each one at least twice giving you ten months.

The Take Time To Reflect section is a set of six (6) pages suggesting that this be done every two months...normally I would think that this would be an every month thing but again...not enough pages. It is broken up into:

• Date
• Best Moments To Remember (Room For Four (4))
• Grateful For (Recommend Three (3))
• What Inspires Me (Recommend Three (3))
• How To Spend Time Unplugged
• Favourite Way To Practice Self-Care
• Grid Paper (Back Of Page)

I like the Best Moments To Remember, Grateful For and What Inspires Me sections but to be honest I am a little confused about the last two sections. What initially confuses me is that their tense is incorrect and should be How I Spent Time Unplugged and Favourite Ways I Practiced Self-Care and even so I am not sure that these really fit with the concept of wellbeing reflection. In my eyes, wellbeing reflection should encompass what was good and/or successful in the past, personally I see myself changing the headings with stickers to promote celebration of success instead of things that don't motivate me or give me a sense of achievement.

If you are on a health and wellbeing journey this year I wish you goodluck and I hope I have helped you decide if the Healthy Hero is the planner for you. While many people choose this journey and find that they can't sustain it I feel that often this is the case because they lose their motivation and inspiration. For me, using a planner helps me keep excited and on track and gives me a creative outlet to keep me excited about filling it with all the wonderful things I want to do as well as reminding me of how far I've come. If you are inspired and feel that this planner is right for you then please check out my store to get your hands on one and all the lovely accessories for them while they last...they are Limited Edition after all.

You can find the Mini Deluxe Happy Planner® - Healthy Hero (2019) at:

https://shop.secretlyscrapbooking.com.au/product/mini-deluxe-happy-planner-healthy-hero-2019-429217

Thanks for reading my post and if you found this post helpful maybe Like my Facebook page or leave a comment on Facebook for me to read. Now it's time for me to go back to Secretly Scrapbooking!

Stella Xx
Bunbury, WA
Shop | Custom Orders | Candle Product List

Secretly Scrapbooking Home

With the new year commencing our minds turn to our goals, what we have achieved and what we hope to achieve. For many, this is a time when we look to our health, our wellness and our wellbeing. In the case of the planner addict we look to our planners to align with our lives, to embed our goals, to track our progress and inspire us to continue. In 2018, MAMBI released a series of Limited Edition Happy Planner Girl Healthy Hero Deluxe Planners and planner accessories for 2019 which are aimed specifically at Health and Wellbeing planning. In this blog I will be showing off the mini version of the Healthy Hero series planners which is called the Mini Deluxe Happy Planner® - Healthy Hero (2019) and has the SKU PLNM-98.

Happy Planner describes the Healthy Hero as follows:

"Who is Healthy Hero? She’s the health nut, the girl who loves her body  and loves taking care of it. Her favorite accessory is her hair tie and  considers a gym bag her purse. Loves starting the day with avocado toast  and a yoga session."

The Healthy Hero Planners are similar in both the Mini and Classic series with a few key differences. Both the mini and classic version are very focused on Goals, Mind, Body and Yourself and they bring these together how they style the planner monthly focus pages and in how they structure the weekly pages. The monthly focus or goals page is styled into a single page and includes the following headers:

• Goals (Three (3) per month)
• What Inspires Me (Grid)
• How I'm Strengthening My Mind
• How I'm Strengthening My Body
• What I'm Loving About Myself
• Key Dates

I feel that having this style of monthly focus page is great for those wanting to keep on top of their health and wellbeing by giving you alot of targeted space for each aspect. It is nice that goals and inspiration make up a significant portion of this page in that it helps remind you that motivation is the majority of the battle in keeping on top of your health and wellbeing journey...well it is for me at least. While this is a goals page it is also a great place to begin reflection on what you are doing well and what is working or not working for you. In any great plan, reflection is the key to making it better in the future and remember that a plan is an ideal commitment but it is not reality. Remember, reality is more fluid and chaotic than a plan suggests so it is important to forgive yourself if they don't align.

We are then presented with a monthly view which is fairly simplistic but it does help split goals from priorities where it provides space to define your priorities aside your month outlook using a grid of days. This is great in that it helps you define what you need to achieve Vs what you hope to achieve which belongs on your goals page.

As you can see in the image, your monthly view spreads over two pages and the left hand side page contains the "Top Priorities" section which has room for three (3) priorities. The use of a dot grid is not my preference but it is certainly better for those intending to use stickers or who prefer to free write or draw. What you may also notice is that MAMBI includes US Holidays in their Happy Planners, I tend to take a bit of time when I first get a planner to overlay stickers over the holidays and put the Western Australian holidays in with writing or stickers if I have them..each to their own. The Monthly View boxes are a reasonable size measuring approximately 0.9in wide x 1.2in high (2.4cm wide x 3cm high) and you would require a sticker at least 4mm high to cover the US holiday text.

The Weekly View offers a special vertical layout, only available in the Healthy Hero planners which is made up of sections:

• Weekly Goal (Left Side Top)
• Water Tracker (Left Side Bottom)
• Today
• Focus
• Food Log
• Exercise

The Weekly Goal as I've called it, is actually a dot grid section that doesn't have a header in the Mini version but is called this in the Classic version. The Weekly Goal helps you keep on top of what you want to achieve that week and allows you to be creative about how you use this space. The water tracker is something that seems to have entered into most health and wellbeing platforms and essentially lets you track water in increments that you decide i.e. 250ml or 1L or whatever...it is up to you. From here you have a section dedicated to focus, it is my assumption that this is used to allow you to identify what is important to you that day such as the type of exercise, mind, body, myself, task or however you choose to use this section. The page then breaks into a Food Log and Exercise section which is used to track what you consume or energy intake on any given day Vs the exercise you did or the energy you used. At the end of the month you will be presented with a Notes page which is lined and can be used as you choose.

The Weekly View boxes are a reasonable size measuring approximately:

• Today - 0.9in wide x 1.9in high (2.4cm wide x 5cm high)
• Focus - 0.9in wide x 0.89in high (2.4cm wide x 2.3cm high)
• Food Log - 0.9in wide x 2.25in high (2.4cm wide x 5.7cm high)
• Exercise - 0.9in wide x 0.9in high (2.4cm wide x 2.4cm high)

Note: Sundays have a rounded edge with a 4mm radius (i.e. 2cm wide before the curve starts)

While I like the structure of the Weekly View, it begs the question as to whether the classic version is a bit big to suit someone on a health and wellbeing journey. You would likely need to have your planner handy in order to update it as you consume water, food or after exercise unless you kept track of it elsewhere and update it when you were able to access your planner, to me the mini would appear to be the best fit but each to their own.

At the end of the Weekly View sections is another section which is a section split into two:

• 30 Day Self Care Challenge
• Take Time To Reflect

The 30 Day Self Care Challenge is an interesting addition and has a list of 30 challenges for you to choose from and is followed by five (5) 30 day challenge pages which encourage you to focus on one or more challenges for 30 days each page. By my count this is 6 challenges per page to do all of them so I encourage you to think about splitting the pages into two somehow to allow you to use each one at least twice giving you ten months.

The Take Time To Reflect section is a set of six (6) pages suggesting that this be done every two months...normally I would think that this would be an every month thing but again...not enough pages. It is broken up into:

• Date
• Best Moments To Remember (Room For Four (4))
• Grateful For (Recommend Three (3))
• What Inspires Me (Recommend Three (3))
• How To Spend Time Unplugged
• Favourite Way To Practice Self-Care
• Grid Paper (Back Of Page)

I like the Best Moments To Remember, Grateful For and What Inspires Me sections but to be honest I am a little confused about the last two sections. What initially confuses me is that their tense is incorrect and should be How I Spent Time Unplugged and Favourite Ways I Practiced Self-Care and even so I am not sure that these really fit with the concept of wellbeing reflection. In my eyes, wellbeing reflection should encompass what was good and/or successful in the past, personally I see myself changing the headings with stickers to promote celebration of success instead of things that don't motivate me or give me a sense of achievement.

If you are on a health and wellbeing journey this year I wish you goodluck and I hope I have helped you decide if the Healthy Hero is the planner for you. While many people choose this journey and find that they can't sustain it I feel that often this is the case because they lose their motivation and inspiration. For me, using a planner helps me keep excited and on track and gives me a creative outlet to keep me excited about filling it with all the wonderful things I want to do as well as reminding me of how far I've come. If you are inspired and feel that this planner is right for you then please check out my store to get your hands on one and all the lovely accessories for them while they last...they are Limited Edition after all.

You can find the Mini Deluxe Happy Planner® - Healthy Hero (2019) at:

https://shop.secretlyscrapbooking.com.au/product/mini-deluxe-happy-planner-healthy-hero-2019-429217

Thanks for reading my post and if you found this post helpful maybe Like my Facebook page or leave a comment on Facebook for me to read. Now it's time for me to go back to Secretly Scrapbooking!

Stella Xx
Bunbury, WA
Shop | Custom Orders | Candle Product List

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Hi and welcome to my Who Says Work Attire Can't Be Artistic blog post! I would like to share some work attire that I did for a customer for their business. The business that approached me is Squigzy's Lawn & Maintenance who wanted some work pants and singlets done with images and text that related to his business.

As I offer customers the option to supply their own clothing or I supply the clothing, this provides a level of flexibility within reason. Typically I prefer to work with 100% cotton as this bonds best with the materials I use however, I'm also able to work with fabrics with portions of polyester and elastine. If you have fabrics with different materials feel free to check with me about whether I'm able to work with the materials you have.

For these items I was given typical text fonts I needed to match and images that needed to be modified so I could work with them. You will notice that the lawnmower on the customers singlet is slightly different to their facebook page as I need images without gradients. I'm happy to work with images you have or to create something if necessary to complete an order, I can also convert images to different formats if you need them for your business.

If you're interested in someone to help out with your lawn and maintenance needs, Squigzy's Lawn & Maintenance has a 5 star rating on facebook with a number of followers. If you are curious or wanting to contact Squigzy's Lawn & Maintenance then you can do so via their facebook page:

Squigzy's Lawn & Maintenance

Thanks for reading my post if you would like something custom made for your business please feel free to contact me on facebook, email or by phone . Now it's time for me to go back to Secretly Scrapbooking!

Stella Xx
Bunbury, WA
Shop | Custom Orders | Candle Product List

Secretly Scrapbooking Home