Planning in a Traveler's Notebook: Planner Struggle & March Setup.

If you follow me closely on my other social media like instagram or youtube, the things I am going to tell you now, might be old news to you. But if not, here it goes.

For the past several weeks I have been struggling to use my planner, I didn't have enough room to actually make it work as a functional planner, add some pretty embellishments and at the same time be still pleasing to the eye. I also used to carry my planner everywhere but had started to leave it at home because it was too bulky and heavy. Add to that the fact that some of my additional traveler's notebook covers didn't work as planned. It was time to face the inevitable: the way I had sought out to plan in 2017 in the beginning of January needs to be changed. I filmed a lengthy video about my planner struggles, please check it out here.



My idea is to switch things up completely by using a personal size traveler's notebook starting in April, this should help with the weight and bulkyness. For the month of March, I decided to go back to my Cocoa Daisy insert, the DaisyDori in standard size and try to use one whole page for daily planning. This should address the issue of roominess. Again, I filmed a process and setup for my March DaisyDori, what I didn't expect was that I was completely stumped when it came to the layout of the daily pages. So I decided to take it one step at a time and only prepare the first couple of days and then move forward from there.

And finally, the last thing I wanted to share is by far the most exciting: I have been chosen to be on the Cocoa Daisy Day Planner Team for 2017. Alongside other lovely ladies I will be sharing my planning and memory keeping process with their products and hope to be inspiring to you all!

April Lilli Design Team: Geschwisterplüsch.

For my April Lilli Design Team projects, I have been digging deep into my stash of photos that are on my computer but have never been printed. This photo was taken by a preschool photographer and I loved it ever since I got it. The hurdle: it was only given to me in digital format and somehow I never ended up printing it. When I saw that photo with the flowers in the foreground I knew I had found the perfect match for the "Adore you" paper by Crate Paper.



I fussy cut the flowers but needed something for the background. I didn't want to go the same route, however, of using gesso and the packaging technique as I did with the XOXO Layout. I know now, I can do that kind of mixed media and I will definitely do more in the future but not this time. So I tried to enlarge one of the flowers on a scrap piece of paper and then used this as a template for piercing holes and embroidered the outline of the flower. I then dug out my oil pastels from Faber-Castell and lightly shaded the flower to easily distinguish the flower from the white background.



When it came to putting the layout together, I felt the boxed shape of the photo to be very disturbing, none of the other shapes were linear and so I bravely cut into the photo and cut their silhouettes. To further embellish I used the flowers that were cut from the paper, some pieces from the ephemera pack and the floral shape that was on the chipboard sheet. The title literally translates to "sibling plush" and perfectly nestles in between the flowers underneath the photo. I added in tile stickers from Studio Calico for the first part of the title.

Lastly, I added splatters. Well, I shouldn't have done that because they went all wrong, I wanted them to be big and they were only resembling tiny, misty drops. And worst of all, one of them landed on a strand of embroidery floss and dyed it black. After some mourning, I decided to add the heart embellishment clusters and I really like the way they finish off the layout. So the accident wasn't that bad after all.

If you read all the way up to here: thank you! Go check out the Crate Paper "Heart Day" collection in April Lilli's shop which is still 20% off until the end of February 2017.

Journaling in a Traveler's Notebook: January Journal

Just in case you haven't seen me sharing photos and videos of this project, I wanted to collect them all here, so that it is easy to check them out. I stopped doing Project Life in the traditional style in a 12x12 album for 2017. Instead I am now journaling in a Traveler's Notebook insert, specifically a DaisyDori from Cocoa Daisy in the standard size. I didn't know where I was going with this in the beginning of January and just started with what was on my mind at that time.

The first part of the journal is reflecting on goals and things I want to achieve in 2017 and then went on to journal about all the events and moments, big and small that I wanted to remember. I specifically made sure to journal from my point of view and only talk about things that are important to me.

This journal is stuffed full with stickers, cards, washi tape and stamps. I still try to balance the page but I enjoy the messy look, it reminds me of the way people used to fill their smashbooks when they were still popular. I love the way this complements my scrapbooking layouts, which are so different but no less fun to make.

Here are all the videos for my January Daisy Dori.

• Introduction: flip through first part
• Journal with me #01
• Journal with me #02
• Journal with me #03
• Complete Journal flip through - January 2017

I am already working on my journal for February and can't wait to share the videos and process with you!

April Lilli Design Team: XOXO.

Here is my second project with the Crate Paper Heart Day collection which is still 20% off in the April Lilli Shop. This layout is another mixed media layout. I really enjoy exploring all of these new options and simply play. I try not to go out and buy new products, but instead use what I already have and try to incorporate it into my scrapbooking. There is a process video on my youtube channel for this layout, so go and check it out!

I primed my background with gesso, then used Neocolor II and the heart stamps that are from the Heart Day stamp set to create the background for my photos. I used the chipboard XOXO for my title and added a couple of die cuts from the ephemera pack.

The enamel dots are just the interior parts of the wood buttons from the dimensional embellishments, I love this little trick. Because my title ended up being very close to the left edge I decided to add a patterned paper strip to the left so that the title would move more towards the center. The grey cardstock helped to distinguish between the two pattern papers, this way I was able to use them side by side.

If you want to know more about my decisions and why you shouldn't erase pencil on gesso, simply watch the whole Scrapbooking Process: XOXO Layout.

April Lilli Design Team: Easy Valentine Cards for Mass Production

Last year for our first Valentine's Day in the US, we knew little about the significance this day had in the school year and that children exchanged little gifts. So my sons were ill prepared and we ran to Target the day before the class party to get the last cards that were left on the shelf. I really hate buying those little plasticky toys that get thrown away immediately and was so annoyed about the crap my sons brought to school. I love to give things that can be used up, so this year I am better prepared. I reused an idea from a card that one of my sons received last year and made it work for us.

I searched the silhouette design store for cut files with fish and finally settled on this very basic shape. In the software I deleted the heart and resized and multiplied the shapes to fit on a 8.5x11 sheet of paper since I have a Silhouette Portrait. I ended up with eight fish on one paper.

If you do not have a printer like me, this might be interesting for you: it is "print and cut" vintage style. I then took white cardstock, traced one of the outlines where I punched out my fish and typed the sentence into the shapes of the eight fish using my old typewriter. Then I went to Staples and had them copy my text several times on cardstock, which I then also ran through my Silhouette Portrait.

I then glued one patterned fish and one white fish together, added wiggly eyes to both sides using my Glossy Accents and punched a hole into the fishtail to attach a snack size Goldfish package.

Now we are all set for Valentine's Day! If you still need an idea, this is a fun and quick project that you can create with your kids. Have fun! If you still need pretty paper for your cards, head on over to the April Lilli shop, where you can get this collection for 20% off the original price during February 2017. There is also a video on youtube where you can have a closer look at the Crate Paper "Heart Day" collection.

April Lilli Design Team: Crate Paper "Heart Day"

Can you believe it is already February?

For this month April chose the Valentine's line "Heart Day" by crate paper to be the featured collection in her shop. For the whole month of February 2017 it will be 20% off the original price. I have filmed an unboxing for you where I show you the papers and tell you my ideas and thoughts on the collection. I have already been working with the papers and embellishments and can't wait to show you my ideas. Since I am most active on instagram make sure you follow me there so you won't miss any sneaks and closeups of my projects. a talk about my ideas for this wintery collection.