7 Beautiful Planners For 2015

1. Erin Condren  ♥  2. Lilly Pulitzer  ♥  3. The Simplified Planner

4. Kate Spade  ♥  5. Hobonichi Planner  ♥  6. Kikki K  ♥  7. Filo Fax

I LOVE paper goods, washi tapes, agendas, planning, and stationery. They give me a chance to breathe in my semi-circus life of work, mommy-hood, and being a domestic goddess. ha ha. Also, I'm a planner and design addict.

Before I purchased my 2015 planner/agenda, I did major research. I watched videos, read reviews, and looked at many instagram hashtags on each organizer. The above goods were the top 7 people loved and adored. The most popular being the, Erin Condren Life Planner, and the Filo Fax. Each one is detailed below.

♥ 1. Erin Condren {$50-$75}

IG Image @wishi.washi.love

I love the Erin Condren line, especially the Foil and the Quotes version. It has a lot to offer and it is versatile. The Life Planner has tabs for every month, weekly pages are laid out vertically, additional notes to the side, stickers for planning, cards, gift tags, folder, zip lock pouch, and much much more. Also comes in a Teacher Planner (horizontal layout), and a Wedding Planner versions. I love how people decorate their Erin Condren planners on Instagram. So creative. Watch the video on the website for additional features.

♥ 2. Lilly Pulitzer {$17-34}

The Lilly Pulitzer Agenda was what I ended up purchasing in size large for the last quarter of this year and the whole 2015. The preppiness, water color art, built in elastic closure, and the chic stickers suited my fancy. The layout allowed me to jot at least 20-30 things to do in one day (similar layout to my 2014 planner). With my work schedule, my to do list is rather vast. A few cons: it has an extra yearly tabbed calendar at the front (redundant), and it can be a bit noisy with the watercolor graphics. Since I like to stuff my planner with important documents and inserted card stock, I had to take out the extra calendar at the front (for more space) and placed it in my other wire bound journal. Although I wish it had more to offer, I still adore this agenda.

♥ 3. The Simplified Planner {$58.00}

This is a VERY nice UTILITARIAN planner. I should have gotten this one instead. It has laminated monthly tabs and each date gets its own page with a to do list, day planner, notes, dinner, and inspirational quotes. It is designed for productivity, not so much to over-design. Still, I like having a blank canvas to play and over-design. ☺ Visit the link for the product video.

♥ 4. Kate Spade {$36.00}

Not exactly sure what happened to Kate Spade's leather agendas. It seems like they were discontinued and no longer being sold at KateSpade.com. I preferred those with its refillable pages than this spiral bound. The quotes, interior pocket, and elastic closure are nice. 

♥  5. Hobonichi Planner {$27.98 converted from yen}

Image by FiloFax Love

This planner is new to me and apparently popular in Japan. It's unique: graph paper, book mark charm, Japanese dates and quotes, no spiral or wire binding, and it is shipped from Japan. Many people swear by this planner. "I can not live a day without my Hobonichi," said one Instagrammer. It appears that people use the Hobonichi Planner more as a doodling journal. It makes sense! The only caveat are its thin pages (bleed through) and shipping that could be slow and costly since it's coming from overseas.

♥  6. Kikki K {$39.95-$79.95}  

♥L♥O♥V♥E♥ this planner. I'm starting to warm up to the idea of getting a planner in a binder. It is  easier to take the pages out to write on, than to have uneven pages and a spiral or wire bound in the way. I love the design, the tabs, and how much can be put inside its storage and divider tabs. My gripe is the perpetual calendar. Filling in the dates in monthly and weekly calendars frustrates me. Also, this planner can get a bit pricey since the weekly calendar refills are purchased separately along with other refillable pages, such as addresses and etc. Whenever purchasing, read the description for what comes with each planner. This will be my planner for 2016 - I. CAN. NOT. WAIT. I love the accessories and the stationery the website offers - huge bonus.

♥  7. Filo Fax {$41.00-$152.00}

IG Image @SaraZorel

The other most popular planner. The Filo Fax is similar to the Kikki-K but has a lot more to offer in its refillable page layouts. Many planner addicts maintain multiple Filo-Fax organizers for different purposes: art/doodling journal, diary, diet/fitness log, and list challenges are among other uses. It's versatile and cute. Should I purchase a Filo Fax in the future, it would have to be the bigger ones.  

+ www.erincondren.com/accessories

+ www.kikki-k.com/stationery

+ www.studiol2e.com (planner stamps)

+ www.shopkawaii.com

+ www.hobbylobby.com

+ www.michaels.com

+ www.jetpens.com

+ Target (dollar section)

12 Steps To Self Care

The previous two weeks had been particularly challenging. Owning your own company with your husband isn't exactly the ideal dream life. In such a case, all means of normalcy ceases to exist. Between catching deadlines, running errands, working 15 hour days, business calls, wanting to smash your smart mobile across the room, taking care of reality, making everyone happy, feeling guilty for not spending enough time with our son and pets, and not getting quality time together in a married life - life gets pretty hectic. In such the environment, the only normal is to be bitter, cynical, and negative.

I stumbled upon the image above in facebook. I read it and let it sink in. Within minutes, I was transformed. Hope and motivation suddenly emerged from all the negative energy.

• How often do we let circumstance control our lives? 
• How often do we become the worst versions of ourselves because we can't manage everything that is thrown at us? 
• How often do we put ourselves in our own world of hell because we're too hard on ourselves?

It's quite important to take care of ourselves - not only physically, but mentally. It's a different form of detox that I like to call, bliss. I encourage you to look at the list above and see what you need to improve to love and take care of yourself from the inside. 

Favourite Fonts

I have over 450 fonts in my computer - I just can't have enough.  Enough said.

How to install fonts - click here.

Download the Fonts (Alphabetical Order - Free):
Baroque Antique - Billabong - Budmo - Century Gothic - Champagne & Limousines - Coffee - Comic Zine - Easy Open Face - European Underground - Green Pillows - Impact Label - Jamaistevie - Lobster - Made With B - Maybe Maybe Not - Monbijoux - Rough Draft - Signerica - Snoopy Dings - The King and Queen

Favourite Restaurants

I stumbled upon a food blog called, Food Stories the other day while searching for a recipe.  The blog is awesome - I love the writing.  It's maintained by a food addict (such as myself) from London.  She's pretty awesome and if we knew each other, life would be all the more a fantastic riot.  I am enamoured and smitten with her blog of colorful exotic food escapades.  My biggest regret is forfeiting to document my tryst with food throughout my travels - because looking back, it was utterly fantastic.

But I digress, her blog inspired me to make a list of my favourite chain restaurants, with the exception of the Trattoria Tiramisu Cucina Italiana, which is locally owned.

There are so many restaurants I've dined in that are far better than the ones listed above.  There was one charming little café in the thriving downtown district of Nikolaev, Ukraine where we ate al fresco.   The food was delicious.  They made the ordinary extraordinary.  For instance, their croissant was so damn good that it makes the fresh croissants here taste stale in comparison. There were also some street vendors (yes I'm that brave) in the Philippines that I've eaten at and the foods were bursting with flavoure.  And passing through certain states in the U.S.A. were some unforgettable experiences, like our run in run out of the Waffle House, or the ever exciting island food in Hawaii.  Good times.  I wish I wrote about all the experiences.  Darn those missed opportunities.

Below are some pictures from that little café in Nikolaev mentioned above.  They photos are from my brother's collection.  I'm glad he took pictures of the food.

My brother, Izzy, ordering from the gigantic picture book menu.

I think he is drinking a caffé latte here.

Mushroom soup - unlike any other canned mushroom soup I've ever tasted.

Their version of french toast.  YUM!!!

Caffé Mocha - unsweetened.

The best croissant I've ever tasted.

Evolution of Scent

Picked up my Miracle perfume by Lancome a few weeks ago, sprayed it on and was immediately taken back go my grad school days when tears, sweat, and blood was shed and spilled over my MBA text books.  Ah... those were the days when I finally proved to myself that I achieve a high GPA.

So the scent took me back to the time I first cared about how I smelled like and thinking what would lure the boys to me... ha ha.  Just kidding.  But it took me back to 5th grade - my middle school years to be exact - when I asked my parents to get me Malibu Musk.  During that era, I also wore Charlie, White Musk, and Exclamation.  Oh the good old days of innocence.  By 7th and 8th grade, I wore mens cologne because it was so hip hop and I wanted to be one of the fly girls from In Living Colors with the big hoop earrings, high bangs, and permed hair.  I don't know... it was a phase.  In high school I became more feminine and toned it down.  By college, I became obsessed with many other scents that didn't make the list.  Grad school was a whole new story since I got a full time job and could purchase the latest scents.  Now, I'm a little more reserved with my spending and actually just wear the scents I've purchased in the past or scents that have been given to me.  Having a child truly changes a person.

Saturday's List: Things You Lose

From left to right:
keys, handbags, hair ties, rings, wallet, bobby pins,
wrist watch, mobile smart phone, CDs, DVDs.

I'm notorious when it comes to losing the items above.  It happens only at home though, so that's a relief.  As organized as I am, there are moments when my mind escapes to Arcadia and reality is diminished into the oblivion.  That's what happens when one has multiple neurosis accompanied with schizophrenia a lot on their mind.  But in all sincerity, who would commit to inscribe the locations of some of these things to long term memory?  For instance, the hair ties and the bobby pins?

In our house, there are three locations I usually set my handbag and my rings and things... but there are times when they're not there and I panic with jargon escaping out of my mouth.  Also, we don't have a land line so our smart phones can be anywhere.  Once again, they're not committed to one location - which is the problem.  But as frustrating as it is to lose these things inside our house,  I'm happy with the way things are - because somehow, I always find them.

Saturday's List: Medicine Cabinet

It's amazing how much stuff we can accumulate through the years.  Even I'm surprised that our medicine cabinet holds items of cumulative value greater than $400.  WOAH is right.  The list above doesn't even include all the other colognes and perfumes cached in there either.  It's embarrassing how much money we I inadvertently spent on products often used.  I'm scared to list the dollar worth of what is inside my purse - and then adding the value of that purse on top of that.  (Don't even get me started on my makeup collection) So much for being a disciple of the, "Less Is More" mantra.  It's pretty disturbing... and humbling. 

I'm sure we're not the only ones who have an extraordinary stash of items in our medicine cabinet.  But at least now there is no reason to complain about money.  Live and learn.  Live and learn.

? ? ?  Question  ? ? ?

Have you looked at your medicine cabinet and assessed the cash value?

Saturday's List

Magazines, magazines, magazines - I adore them.  Above are the magazines we subscribe to.  Some of these are subscribed gifts from my sister-in-law.  She's great!

Anyhoo, I prefer tangible magazines over the intangible digital versions.  I like the thought of snipping pages, making collages, putting together a color palette, and sniffing the pages (weird but admit it, you've done it too).  One of my favorite things to do in the world is going to a bookstore, getting coffee, and reading stacks of magazine ranging from domestic, food, technology, entertainment, and fashion.  My ultimate ME time.

One bad experience with magazines - a little girl knocked on our door raising money for a school fundraiser, we subscribed to the Home and Garden magazine that never made it in our mailbox.  Never again will we be suckered by DTD (door-to-door) sales people... I don't care how cute they are.

My Happy Places

Lovely Things Etsy Wish List

Above are my favourite things from etsy.com. They're so lovely. I envy those little shops in etsy. Someday I hope to create stuff and have my own tiny little online boutique there. There's a problem though, I have no idea where the creative arts side of my brain went so I must revive it somehow.

So I'm taking a half day off today... it is after all Sunday. I might even head over to the flea market and the antique store. I'm pretty excited about that because as much as I want to, I don't really get out much.

So I got this new mobile that takes decent pictures and lets me share them in social networks. Here's one,   a picture of Jean-the-Cat and I hanging out yesterday evening (taken by my new mobile).  He can be the sweetest cat ever when he wants to, other times he's just a mean-old-smug cat. lol. Gotta love him.

xoxo,

Jean-the-Cat & Ella

Wednesday's List: Spoil Your Lips

Wednesday's List Happy Birthday Dad!!! Awesome Things About You

Happy Birthday to my awesome, awesome Dad. Yes, he is that awesome x infinity. Wish I had a picture of him alone but he likes taking pictures with Mom. Nonetheless, if I had half of my dad's intelligence, personality, and outlook in life, I would probably be doing something that makes a significant difference in the world. There's still hope, I am after all his daughter waiting for the intelligent gene to kick in. Anyway...

Happy Birthday Dad!!!

I Love You!!!!

Wednesday's List Fads Embraced While Growing Up

Wednesday's List: A Few Of My Favorite Things

I couldn't get that Sound of Music Song, A Few Of My Favorite Things, out of my head today so I decided to make a list of my current top favorite things.

Artistic photography and design have been my obsession lately. I've been voracious for anything I could get my hands on. On Valentine's Day, the hubby took me to the Camera shop and being there made me feel so dang good. Who knew? He got me a Wireless Remote Control for my Nikon - which means we can take more pictures of us this spring with just a click of a button. Excitement running through my veins.

Nonetheless, life is still good... can't complain except for a few things looming over my head that I can't wait to get done... hopefully soon because it's starting to get to me.

Wednesday's List: Happy Birthday Mom!Wonderful Things About You

I LOVE YOU MOM

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Wednesday's List - Letter To My 20 Year Old Self

 Dear 20 Year Old Eleanor,

I'm writing to you as your 30 year old self who has a heightened sense of common sense, experience, maturity, wisdom, vision and 20/20 insight to life and all the exciting things up ahead. First of all, I wish I could go back in time to hug you and to let you know that despite all the crap that 20 something's go through, everything is going to be okay. Below is a list of 20 things I really want to tell you. Please take this letter to heart because it is extremely important.

So go out there and conquer the world. You are a strong, intelligent, beautiful, woman who has a voice to be heard. No one is stopping you. And one last thing, from one Eleanor to the next:

No one can make you feel 

inferior without your consent.
- Eleanor Roosevelt -

Always, 

Eleanor A.

I wish that my mom kept a diary of her life. It would have been a wonderful read to learn about her generation and the challenges she faced growing up... and then on to marriage and what she would advice. I could have learned so much from it and perhaps understand her more. So blogging about this letter to my 20 year old self is another way for my future kids to get to know me. I can not wait to meet them... someday...

Wednesday's List - Thoughts Before Falling Asleep

Finally went on a date with my husband after a long hiatus due to the realities of owning a business. Nonetheless, there were these two coeds sitting over yonder from us. They were college aged, and oh so so young. It was apparent that it was a budding romance, the beginning of a new relationship evident through their body language, the glitter in the eyes, the smiles on their faces, and their repressed desire to turn up the heat of uninhibited flirtation. It was kind of cute but then got overly annoying after a while.

So now here I am, finished with that phase in my life, onto a happy marriage, on to an exciting career, and on to the pain that all home owners dread... the simultaneous breakdown of major appliances and other pain in the neck "things that need to be fixed". First it was the washing machine, then the stove/oven, and then came the dishwasher early this morning. !%$$^$%&%$#%!@##$%#$. Exactly!! I was on the phone all morning with our warranty company and finally got frustrated enough to cancel it all together. They were like greedy insurance companies that give reasons (loopholes) to avoid covering the expense of such unfortunate circumstance.

After all had been said and done, my GENIUS husband fixed the dishwasher. Now... on to the oven. Once it starts working again, I'm going to bake a million cup cakes! Hhhmmm... and I was looking forward to purchasing new appliances -but glad to have remained economical. Add all that to what I'll think about before bed tonight.

Wednesday's List - Favourite Smells

Decided to take the afternoon off -- it feels great. I even went to McDonald's to break my "No Fast Food" streak (90+ days) and then watched a whole slew of Spin City episodes. That show is so witty, I love it. What's awesome is that I persuaded my husband to take the afternoon off with me. I was about to throw myself out the window when he said, "I think I will." Nonetheless, I love lazy afternoons leaving all the stress and care of the fast paced life behind. Sometimes that's all a person needs. Oh... and to sniff stuff. lol.

Wednesday's List: Regular Routines I Wish I Didn't Have To Do

New Year's Resolution 2011

It's that time of year to make New Year's Resolutions once more! Looking back to 2010's resolution is a huge blur, but what's awesome is that I didn't do anything too wicked, so to speak, this past year. There were hush-hush mischievous times of cheap thrill foolishness (loved it) but none of which were severe enough to ruin anything.

But I love the start of anything new because it's like a fresh start and it gives a sense of hope and happiness. This year is going to be great, I can feel it.

Here's something from the book, 2,000 Ways to Cheer Yourself Up. It's cute and it made me smile.