11.22.2016

Trend Tuesday // Give the Gift of Origami Owl

I made the announcement a little bit ago - and even unboxed my starter kit on my YouTube channel - but I'm now an Origami Owl Designer!  I am so excited to share this with you.

If you're unsure about Origami Owl, it is a jewelry line featuring the Living Locket that allows you to create a custom piece with charms, plates, dangles, and more.  Create a custom look to tell your story.  One of the things I've noticed is that if you're new to O2 you may be a bit overwhelmed with all the options.  Whether you're looking for a gift for yourself (who isn't) or you want to introduce someone to Origami Owl there is a gift set to start out on the right foot.  Here are some of my favorites from the Holiday Gift guide.  Shop any of the links below for these uniqu gifts!
Happy Holidays Gift Set - Perfect for the friend or coworker who just loves Christmas!  Do they sing Christmas carols all year long?  Do they decorate their desk for the holidays?  If the answer is yes to either of these questions, they will love this traditional yet whimsical holiday look.  Features the Seasonal Exclusive Candy Cane Twist Living Locket as well as a few of the exclusive charms on a 16-18" silver cable chain. 

A Charmoji'ed Life Set - This set is my personal favorite because I am all about the emojis.  If you have a sister or girlfriend who speak emoji fluently, this gift will suit them wonderfully.  Featuring the three charmoji charms (plus they are reversible - so its really like six charms!) in a medium brushed silver Living Locket on a 16-18" heart link chain, she'll get a kick out of wearing her emotions in a trendy way.

Gold Wrap Snowflake Gift Set - This classic yet unique look is perfect for a chic friend or neighbor who loves adding something trendy to her outfits.  It captures the essence of the season with the Seasonal Exclusive Medium Silver Snowflake Window in a stunning locket on a Gold Wrap bracelet.  This will look super classy for any Christmas party or event.

Bad Day Be Gone Gold Necklace Gift Set - The Moodology line is another one of my favorites from Origami Owl.  This gift set is perfect for someone who needs to keep their mind even during and after the holidays.  Featuring a medium locket with a gold filigree design, the mood disk will diffuse a lovely scent from a 100% pure essential oil throughout the day.  The vintage design is a beautiful addition to any jewelry collection.

Black Friday Deals - This is where you don't want to miss ANYTHING!  Select styles & pieces are $10 and under.  Create super affordable looks & great gifts to introduce friends, family, and coworkers to Origami Owl.  Mix with some current locket bases and charms too to create a unique look.  The Black Friday stock is limited - so hurry, hurry, hurry!  Here are some looks to check out.


The best part of these gift sets is that each of these looks can also be customized with a dangle, engraved plate, or additional charms.  You can even change the chain or add or remove charms, etc once any of these looks is in your cart!  These are one click looks to give you a start, then let your creativity take over from there!

And, if you's like to get the inside scoop on the Origami Owl Black Friday exclusives, please join my VIP group to find out more.  You won't want to miss this...really!!

What are your favorite gifts from the gift guide?  Are you making your own wishlist now?

xoxo, Moe

11.18.2016

Free Sticker Friday // Santamoji Stickers

If you haven't started your Christmas shopping yet, what the heck are you waiting for?!?! Christmas is only over a month away!! In all seriousness I am loving doing my holiday shopping online because Ebates rocks.  If you haven't signed up for Ebates, check out one of my posts on saving money on high end make up here!  but head over to this link and sign up to get cash back on your holiday shopping.  The best thing?  When there is a sale you can get an additional percentage back!  I also love to use it on Etsy - especially if there are any great Black Friday sales.  It won't take any hard earned moolah from the Etsy owner and usually it is 1% cash back..but every penny counts, right? (Seriously, sign up here.  It is 100% legit!  I promise.  Plus if you invite friends, you get moolah too!)
(this post contains affiliate links, please read my full disclosure here)

Anyway, this post is about some free Santamoji stickers great to mark any and all frustrations with holiday shopping.  Or holiday cooking, holiday planning, or holiday fails & successes.  These little dudes will help you keep track of all the holiday emotions you may be feeling in this crazy, crazy time.
Included in the download is a PNG file to cut with your Cricut Explore, a PDF file to cut by hand or with this tool I hear awesome things about, and a Silhouette file to cut with your Silhouette Portrait or Cameo.  If you haven't already, head over to my new Cricut Ready Planner Stickers group on Facebook to find some inspiration, ask questions, and some free basic printables.

DOWNLOAD SANTAMOJIS HERE


As always, the printables and freebies offered on this blog are for personal use only.  Do not claim any work as your own, sell the printed or digital copy of the file, or share the file itself.  If you would like to link to or Pin this free printable, please link to this post.  Do not print and disseminate in mass quantities.  Thanks for playing nice.

I can't wait to see what my Ebates check will look like after the holidays!  Maybe I can spoil myself.....

Looking for more Christmas pintables? Here is a printable + DIY personal size countdown & here are printable count down stickers.  Find all planner printable posts here.

xoxo, Moe

11.11.2016

Free Sticker Friday // Birthday Countdown

You think its just time to countdown for Thanksgiving or for Christmas?  You're wrong...because it is time to countdown to my birthday!  My birthday is 10 days before Christmas and one day after my mother's birthday.  Fun fact right there.  I've always thought that was super unique - though I'm sure a lot of people share that same sort of thing, too.   
(this post contains affiliate links, please read my full disclosure here.)
Today's free sticker set is a color your own birthday countdown printable.  I didn't want to do anything that had a specific color theme for two reasons:
  1. You'll be using these over the course of a few weeks so you may want to have stickers that match your colors
  2. Color your own stickers seem like a super fun idea!
There are even some fun deco stickers too!


This download includes a PNG file for use with your Cricut Explore machine, a Silhouette studio file for use with your Silhouette Portrait or Cameo, and a PDF in case you like to fussy cut or want to use this tool to try your hand at kiss cutting.
As always, all printables on the blog are for personal use only.  Do not claim any artwork as yours, do not claim this printable as your own.  Do not sell this printable - digital or physical.  Do not print and disseminate in mass quantities.  If you would like to share or link to this post, please Pin or link this blog post and not the digital file.  Thank you for always playing nice.

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me!  Happy birthday to meeee-eeeee.  Happy birthday to me!  

xoxo, Moe

11.09.2016

My Favorite Apps for Memory Keeping

The holiday season always gives me the warm and fuzzies.  It is a time for family, a time for coming together, and a time for forgetting our troubles.  It is a time to be kind, to help others, to see the good in others.  Something we shouldn't forget when January 1st rolls around.  Today I want to share with you some apps that I love for memory keeping all year round, not just for the warm and fuzzy times.
(this post contains affiliate links, please read my full disclosure here.)

Ever since I started my memory planner I've loved the instant access to memory keeping that my phone provides.  You no longer have to worry about the 24 exposures on your camera roll, you can fill up your phone with as many memories as you'd like.  But the key is to participate in the memories too.  Don't just stand behind the camera get out there and make the memories too!

Collecting Photos and Memories
There are a few apps to help you collect the memories you're making if you're going to transfer them to paper later.  If you're into scrapbooking, memory planning, or journaling, the apps Collect and Penzu will really help you keep track of your daily happenings to reflect on at a later time.  Collect will help you create a daily snapshot of your life by adding photos by date into albums then allowing you to tag those photos and add a little note.  This is perfect for memory planning and scrapbooking.  Penzu is a journaling app that allows you to keep a secure diary on your phone.  If you like to spend more time reflecting on your day to day life, you can keep detailed notes of thought and happenings to reflect on later.  This app allows you to add photos from your camera roll into your logs and is more of a traditional diary format.  Best of all?  Both of these apps are free!  They do require and upgrade for some features but the free versions of the apps are still very, very useful.
Collecting all these memories may clog up your phone.  I love having Google Drive, Dropbox, and my SanDisk iXpand app on my phone.  With your Gmail address, you get 15GB free storage through Google Drive.  The app is great for organizing photos and sharing with friends. Create albums to access on your desktop or to share with those you choose.  Dropbox works about the same way.  If you're traveling where you may not have access to wifi to back up your photos to Google Drive or Dropbox, the SanDisk IXpand Flash Drive is a great back up device.  I use this when I travel with Zach (mentioned in this post here).  

Editing Photos and Adding Text
Sometimes the photos you take need a little bit of editing.  Use the tips in this post to take the best pictures possible and check out my past photo app recommendations here.  My current favorite photo editing app is A Color Story. This app is great for giving your photos that unedited look.  Add subtle effects to enhance your photos without going over board.  Plus the free filters are perfect for creating a natural look.  No need to purchase any of the other packs for everyday editing.  I find the filters Light Bright and Everyday are the best for adding the right about of brightness and the right amount of sharpness and contrast to the photos.  Two other apps I love for subtle edits are Afterlight (review here) and Snapseed.
If you like to get creative with your photos, there are quite a few apps to add text and overlays - here is a list of 8 overlay apps for iPhone users.  My favorite app for adding basic text is Phonto.  Choose from a crazy array of fonts and it is so simple to add text, change color, etc.  Even save some of your most use text/phrases as presets so you don't have to type it every time.  Check out the review here.  You can also use this app to create journaling cards!
A great app for overlays & text is Rhonna Designs.  While the app is free (check out the suite on iTunes here) there are some stickers, overlays, and fonts that do require purchase. However you can create a lot with the free edition.  This is my favorite app for making graphics and journaling cards.  See this tutorial on making a planner dashboard for some creative inspiration.  Plus, if you follow the Rhonna Instagram account she often posts links to free backgrounds for the app!
Another app for simple overlays and creativity is the PicMonkey app.  Finally, PicMonkey has an app!!  The best part of the app is if you're a Royale member you can save your creations to Hub - PicMonkey's cloud based platform to use your photos and edits between multiple devices.  Great if you want to edit something later.

Creating Collages
My favorite collage app that has been my ride or die for ages is PicFrame.  PicFrame is not free but it's been the best investment since the dawn of my iPhone usage!  It is so simple and so easy to use. There is a very in depth review here.
Another fun collage app is the A Beautiful Mess app.  This allows you to create fun and unique collages perfect for larger pocket pages.  Add stickers, emojis, and text through this app too.  See more about that app here.

Printing your Memories
Finally, in order to preserve your memories you probably want to print them. Two specific mobile printers are the Cannon Selphy and the Polaroid Zip printer.  I use the Polaroid Zip printer to print 2x3 inch photos.  This is great for on the go memory keeping - if your traveling or if you're journaling as you go.  The Cannon Selphy prints photos on 4x6 inch paper and is much bigger than the Zip printer.  Each have apps that can help you create collages and edit photos for printing.
image source
Before I had my Zip printer, I  used the app Print to Size to print to my wireless printer.  I love this app because I can choose the exact size I want the photo to print.  Change the size to fit in a pocket page or even print the journaling cards you've made using the apps above.  Print to Size creates an 8.5x11 inch page that you send to your wireless printer.  You can also save the page as a PDF to your phone to print later.  Email it to yourself and print it at a place like Staples or Office Max.

Phew! That was a crazy comprehensive list of memory keeping apps!  Everyday my smart phone blows my mind with the stuff it can do.  Did you ever think you'd be carrying around such a powerful machine in your pocket?

I hope you have a fun time memory keeping around this time of year. But remember to keep that warm and fuzzy feeling going all year round, too!

xoxo, Moe

11.08.2016

Trend Tuesday // How to Build a Living Locket with Origami Owl

The newest adventure I've embarked upon is launching my own Origami Owl business!  Origami Owl is a jewelry brand that helps you tell your story through the Living Locket.  I've loved O2 for a while now and can't wait to share the creative brand with you.
The reason I decided to join the Origami Owl family is that I saw how creative the brand is.  Create and tell your story, a story personal to you, but curating charms into a perfectly sized vessel (the Living Locket) to create a keepsake that is special to you or to a loved one.  Curate hundreds of looks with just a few key pieces and be a fashionable memory keeper in the process!  If you'd like to learn more about the company, check out Bella's story here.

Today I want to share with you how to create a Living Locket.  I glazed over the process in this post but I wanted to go more in depth with the process to show you how personalized this process can be.
First, pick your charms.  Browse the charms on the website here or flip through your Take out Menu.  Think about the hobbies that move you, the sports teams you root for, the causes your fight for, the colors you love, and the person you are.  Pick charms that move you or have special meaning.  If you're browsing online, add the charms that move you to your cart.  This will help you to see all the charms you love in one place in order to better form your story.  If you're browsing the TOM, circle the charms you love in order to form your story.
Second, pick your Living Locket.  This is the vessel and the unique keepsake to hold your story.  There are a ton of faces, bases, and styles to choose from.  The large Living Locket is about the size of a quarter and will hold 7-10 charms.  The Medium Living Locket - available for the leather wrap bracelet too - is the size about a nickel and holds 4-6 charms.  The Mini Living Locket is about the size of a dime & holds about 1-2 charms depending on size.  Depending on the story you'd like to tell you may need to decide on the locket size you'd like.  There are even different shapes - round, heritage, teardrop, and heart shaped.  And there are different styles - faces with Swarovski crystals, filigre on the Sentiments collection, or even just brushed metal.  Choose between a variety of metals colors - silver, black, gold, and rose gold - as well.
Third, chose the chain to compliment your locket.  Again there are a variety of metal colors to choose from, but this time you should also think of the length you'd like to wear your locket.  The larger faces look great on the longer chain lengths.  My current favorite length is the ______ inch chain and my current favorite chain is the flat oval link custom chain.  I find this chain and length look great with the large and medium lockets.
Fourth, personalize your look with a plate or other inscription.  I love mixing metals at this step.  Put a gold plate in a silver locket or add a sliver plaque or slider to a rose gold leather wrap.  Metal mixing is one of my favorite ways to create a custom look.  The Inscription line is a great way to add a personal date, quote, or sentiment to your keepsake.
Finally, accessorize!  There is a wide array of dangles, earrings, & plates to add something extra to your locket.  I love adding extra dangles to my necklaces with larger lockets.  There is even a piece called the dangle collector - available in gold or silver - to organize multiple dangles on your large Living Locket.  Earrings compliment your Living Locket look too.  Choose a set in the same metal color as your chain and locket or choose a to match the Swarovski crystal color on the face of the locket.

Building a Living Locket is a relaxing experience that taps into your creative side.  It is an active way to memory keep and create a keepsake for you or for a loved one.  I have fun pairing charms and creating looks that inspire me everyday.  Find some of my creative looks on my O2 Instagram, here @O2plannergirl.

I would love to help you build a locket to tell your special story.  Please shoot me an email here to let me know how I can help you tell a story special to your heart.

xoxo, Moe.

11.04.2016

Free Sticker Friday // Hand Drawn Planner Doodles

A little bit (well, a lot bit) late on the free sticker train this week.....but none the less here they are!  These are some fun little planner doodles I doodled up for you all!  I have a bunch of planner related doodle stickers I want to share here on the blog, so this is just the start.
(this post contains affiliate links, please read my full disclosure here.)

There are some spiral bound planners, fauxdori style planners, and binder style planners (like Filofax or Webster's Pages) featured on this sticker set.  I love the hand drawn look of these and the fauxdori has to be my favorite.

Included in the file is a PNG to cut with your Cricut Explore, a Studio file for use with you Silhouette, and a PDF file if you've just got your good ol scissors.  If you're looking for a way to kiss cut your stickers by hand, I hear great things about this tool.
Additionally - if you haven't heard I've created a Facebook group just for Cricut Ready printable stickers!  Go ahead and join up right here!  If you have any questions about cutting these files with your Cricut Explore, I've made a video right here for some tips!  Be sure to size the PNG to 5.5 inches wide once you've uploaded it to Design Space

DOWNLOAD PLANNER DOODLES HERE


Also, have you seen the new version of the Cricut Explore -  the Cricut Explore Air 2?  They now come in 3 super cute colors!  Any 'ol Cricut Explore will work with this tutorial but the three new colors really make me want one just because!

As always, these stickers are for personal use only.  Please to not claim the design as your own.  Do not print and disseminate the stickers in mass quantities.  Do not sell the file, design, or end product.  If you'd like to share these stickers with others, please link or Pin this blog post - not the download.  If you have any questions please let me know.  And thank you for playing nice!

If you'd like to find more Cricut Ready stickers on the blog click here.  Find all Free Sticker Friday Posts here.

xoxo, Moe