I am relatively new to the planning community. I happened upon it completely by chance. I only have one kind of social media: Instagram. (Click here to go to my instagram page) I started it 2 years ago as a way to connect with other teachers, especially bilingual teachers, and with family. You can find so many ideas and peers to connect with. The teaching community definitely received me with open arms! I like to enter giveaways (what teacher doesn't like freebies!?) and one of them had a huge prize with lots of different resources. I actually won and one of the products was a Create 365 The Happy Planner from Me & My Big Ideas or Mambi as we call it. I had been on the hunt for a great planner, but so many of them were so expensive and the one I had was one you had to print so it can go through a lot of ink. I found fellow happy planners on instagram and that's where my love for Mambi really began.
 |
| Click here to purchase this planner on Amazon |
I have the "My Life" 2015-2016 18 month planner (this planner is no longer sold on their shop because of the new 2016-2017 planners). I really liked the design of the planner and that it runs from July 2015-Decemeber 2016. When I went to their online shop, I found all the accessories that can go with it. Of course, I really fell in love with it when I saw how affordable it all was. Not to mention that they really LISTEN to their customers. They are active on all social media and really interact with their customers. The sneak peeks on Periscope have me addicted. Yes, I watched the whole hour of their latest reveal! I follow the owner Stephanie Fleming on instagram and a few of the designers for the shop. They post so many cute ideas for you to try out. Teachers were begging for a teacher planner so in April they released the Teacher Big Happy Planner for only $29.99. I purchased it for the fall and can't wait to use it! I purchased the teacher accessory pack for only 9.99 and it included checklists, 2 pocket folders, and stickers. It's perfect for teachers who like to do paper based lesson planning. I also liked that you can get expander rings or the mini rings if you want to add more to your planner or maybe you don't want to carry the entire thing and want to take your planner apart. To add your own things to the planner, you can purchase the The Happy Punch. I found this to be a great investment and if you have a Big Happy Planner, they just released The Happy Planner Big Punch this week! They have all new products on their shop this week like the collection sets in black and white, rose gold, neon, and brights, plus box kits, and accessories. They also sell a recipe, wedding, and fitness extension pack you can add to your planner. Not to mention all the other cute things from previous releases this year such as stamps, washi tape, pocket cards, pens, pencils, markers, clips, magnet clips, dashboards, covers and much more. Michael's (Don't forget your teacher discount), Hobby Lobby, Amazon, Ebay, and Blitsy all carry The Happy Planner line of products (Blitsy recently had the NEW planners for close to 50% off!).
 |
| Currently out of stock on Mambi Shop. Search at Michael's, Hobby Lobby or Amazon. |
Owner:
Design Team:
Their blog also includes lots of free printables that you can use in your planner. This month, they have brought back The Happy Planner IG Challenge for the 3rd time. It's a fun challenge you can do to post pictures of your planner. And guess what? They're doing the challenge for July, too! You can print it out, cut it and punch it right into your planner. They also post easy DIY crafts to go with their planners and scrapbooking line. It's a fun way to connect with other planners who love planning as much as you. I do suggest printing on a paper a little thicker than regular copy paper. Regular copy paper is a little too thin especially if you want to write on it or if you use glue to assemble.
 |
| Click to go to the Mambi free printables page |
Ok, so you've got your planner and you ask yourself "Now what?" Well, this is where social media becomes your ally. Search the hashtags #plannerbabe #plannergirl #plannercommunity #happyplanner or #mambi and you will find so many ideas on instagram, twitter, facebook, youtube or pintrest. I have actually started following several woman who love to plan. Some are teachers, some are not, and some are even planner accessory sellers, and we all love to plan. We post our monthly or weekly layouts, ideas and even Michael's, Hobby Lobby, and Target hauls! Some even have blogs of their own and offer free planner printables. Two blogs that I love are My Planner Life and Amber Downs. I like to download their files and print out to use in my planner. I love that everyone has their own style of planning, there is no right or wrong way. Plus we can always "steal" each other's ideas and these woman are always more than willing to share. If you want to connect with planners near you, Michael's craft stores even hold Planner Classes for you to meet with fellow planners. I went to "Planning with Michael's" this weekend with my daughters and best friend. We had lots of fun and met some fellow planners who were very nice. I even got to use the coupons they gave us to finally buy stamps for my planner. I've never used stamps in my planner before so I'm very excited to try them out. On top of the coupons, I was able to use my teacher discount! All you have to show is your School ID/tag.
A few supplies you should probably invest in are a portable paper cutter, glue dot runner (much better than glue or glue sticks), sticker paper to make your own layouts or decorative stickers, and a Gyro-Cut cutting tool. I've bought most of my supplies from Amazon. Many planners even invest in a die-cut machine such as a Cricut or Silhouette to design and make their own stickers or if you want to by pass that all together, you can find plenty of planner sticker shops on Etsy.
I hope that you decide to jump into the planner community. You'll find that these women come from all over the country, some even from across the globe, and are so uplifting and friendly. I hope that I've been able to answer any questions you may have about planning or maybe gotten curious about it. If you have anymore questions, feel free to leave a comment below. I hope you have a restful weekend and Happy Fourth of July!
*Me and My Big Ideas in no way endorsed or paid me for this blog post. I am strictly writing this because I love their product line and use it almost every day.
No comments:
Post a Comment