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Planner Dependence

I guess I'm just old fashioned, but I just can't find a virtual replacement for my Moleskine. A quick Google search will reveal that I'm not the only one who can't seem to make the switch to digital. I've been working on my planner for 2013 and thought I'd share since I like getting peeks into OPP.  That's "Other People's Planners".

 

I've been keeping some form of diary/journal/planner for years. I dug out the old ones that I could find this morning to see what kinds of things I used to record. Not much has changed about the things I record in my planner, but I did figure out why I'm so tired all the time. I was working 70 hour work weeks in 1997!

I did realize that most the years I kept a planner, I didn't keep a personal journal/diary. That stack of Moleskines contains years of daily journals. Some years, like in 2007, I wrote almost a full page every day of the year. Other years, like 2010, I hardly wrote anything in the entire journal. (Maybe it's because I bought a red Moleskine in 2010; I think I need to stick to classic black.)

In the past couple of years, I've been having more fun with my planners. I figure if I'm going to be looking at something multiple times a day, it should be fun to look at. This year, I used a Moleskine XL Monthly Planner with a soft cover and I'm in love!

Not only does it contain my calendar, but I've used it to journal, take notes, record ideas, sketch, make lists (gift lists, shopping lists, to-do lists, books I want to read lists, wish lists, etc.), copy scriptures and quotes, remember passwords, write down recipes, and log my freelance work hours to name a few. 

It's also a good place to doodle.

For 2013, I'm going with a completely blank XL Moleskine with a soft cover. With the blank pages, I can customize it to be exactly what I want. I spent some time yesterday thinking about how I wanted to organize it and drawing in the monthly calendars. I've never used a system (like GTD or the Action method), but I made myself some "action stickers" and printed out a GTD work-flow to see if I like using them. I love that paper/washi tapes are getting so easy to find, because it's a fun way to add some color and pattern to your planner. I also bought some really neat paper tapes at Daiso in San Francisco like Post-It notes on a tape roll. (I wish I'd bought more!) My favorite pens for my Moleskines are Pigma Microns. 

I've got an iPhone and an iPad, but I still can't give up my paper planner, I've tried. I've got organization/productivity apps like Evernote, Notability, OneNote, Toodledo, UPad, Time Optimizer, the Moleskine app, Errands, and Mindjet in addition to the calendar and reminders on the iPad, and I don't like any of them.

So far, the only things I can't get my paper planner to do is make a noise to remind me to do something and back itself up. Other than that, the battery never dies, it boots up instantly, and requires no wi-fi connection. I think I remember things better when I've gone through the act of physically writing them down. 

So, who else can't seem to break their paper habit? 

Inspiration from Quilt Market!

For the second year in a row, I had the pleasure of making the short trip down to Houston to attend International Quilt Market. I rode with my friend, Michelle, who owns and operates a fabulous sewing lounge in Dallas called Urban Spools. This trip to market was focused on finding inspiration for new classes to teach at our studios. I got some great ideas, met a number of lovely people, brought home a large stack of new reading material and some lovely fabrics, and had a great time hanging out with Michelle.

Michelle at the Moda booth

One of the highlights of the weekend was meeting the king of color himself, Kaffe Fassett! Long before I started quilting, I was an avid knitter. Back in the 90's, I drooled over (and knitted) some of his gorgeous knitting patterns. If you aren't familiar with Kaffe's knitting patterns for Rowan, they are as fun and colorful as his quilts. He was actually knitting in his booth at market that day and showed me the scarf he was working on with some new ombre wool.

Brandon Mably and Kaffe Fassett at Schoolhouse

I hadn't splurged on a copy of his new autobiography yet, and I'm glad I waited because now I have my very own autographed copy! His other new book, Kaffe Quilts Again, is a feast for the eyes. In it, he revisits his favorite patterns from the past and updates them with new fabrics giving them a completely new twist. Both of this new books are must-haves for the Kaffe fan.

       
Book images will take you to Amazon.com.

Amy's beautiful booth

If meeting Kaffe wasn't enough, I was also thrilled to talk with Amy Butler herself. She's so sweet! And so tall. Very tall. At her schoolhouse lecture, she presented the new free online magazine she and her husband are launching this fall/winter called Blossom. The preview we saw was just beautiful and I can't wait for it to launch.

Me and Amy.

We took our badges off so it would look like we were just  hanging out.  ;-)


Have you seen Anna Maria Horner's new book, Anna Maria's Needleworks Notebook?

Amazon.com link (left) and my copy (right)

This book makes me wish there were 36 hours in the day so I could find the time to make every project in it! The photographs and illustrations are lovely and it covers the basics for the four most common types of needlework: cross stitch, needlepoint, embroidery, and my favorite, crewel.

 

Embroidery from Anna Maria's book (l) and Anna Maria at Schoolhouse (r) 

I don't know how she does it all. Busy mother, beautiful wife, talented and successful business woman who still finds the time to pose with dorky fans! Anna Maria was as kind and gracious in person as she is on her blog. She's the real thing!

One of my favorite booths at market is Seven Islands, who distributes Echino and Kokka in the U.S. in addition to many other amazing fabric lines. Their booth is so colorful and fun. That stack on the right above, that's the delicious stack of the new Echino that I brought home from Sample Spree! I think I want to use it to make a quilt. I'll have to think of a pattern that really focuses on the fabric and works well with the large scale prints. I've got half yards of 20 patterns, so I may have enough to make a quilt and some other fun stuff.

So how to you top off a weekend as exciting as this one?

You ride to and from Houston in Michelle's new Mini!

Cutest. License. Plate. Ever.

Too much fun too blog.

That's my excuse. I've been having too much fun to blog. Why spend time on the computer when you have a fun place like this to play all day...

This is my new sewing studio! I finally did it; I leased a space and opened a sewing studio where I teach sewing to kids and adults! The studio is very near my home in an office suite. The building I'm in is actually an old church building and all of the classrooms have been converted to office suites. I signed the lease in the middle of May and started teaching the first week of June.

The studio is set-up for four students at a time and I have two large cutting tables and two ironing areas. This summer I put together sewing camps for kids and created all the patterns and curriculum myself. I had seven camp sessions of four days each. There were a lot of kiddos in here this summer and I had a great time teaching them.

Now that school is back in session, I've got some adult classes going during the day and a kids class after school one day a week. Marketing is not my thing, so I'm still just operating via word-of-mouth or simply by people who search for sewing classes in the area online. It's been enough to keep me busy and pay the rent, so I'm thrilled! By moving the sewing classroom out of my home, I got my sewing room back to myself and I've been working on some changes in there as well. I've got more organizing to do, but I'll share some photos soon. 

So, I haven't been blogging, but I've been sewing. Constantly! I've even been doing some draping and pattern drafting to make garments for myself. All this in addition to my Master Gardener certification hours and I've had a busy summer. I'll try to blog again soon, but right now, I'm ready to go home.  I had three classes today and a meeting about making quilts for a school auction. This workin' girl is tired!