adapted by kimmie d

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the best pens in the whole wide world

Disclaimer: I was given a set of these pens in exchange for doing a blog post about them.

Further disclaimer: I have owned a set of these pens for over two months and I love them. They're my favorite pens ever. So writing a blog post is something I likely would have done anyway.

Now, let me introduce you to PaperMate Ink Joy Gel Pens.

Available in a rainbow of colors, as well as black (and brown, not pictured here because it didn't go with the aesthetic).

If you're not typically a gel pen user, as I was not, you've got to try these. According to Papermate, the gel dries 3x faster than a typical gel pen. What that means to me is that I have no smudging when I write in my planner. I hate smudges.

Seriously. The colors. I love to write in complementary colors in my planner, and it's not a hardship to use colors when I'm taking notes at inservices, either. The 14 colors of Ink Joy gel are vivid and gorgeous and just make my heart happy.

The grip on these pens is amazing for those of us who love to write and need a good grip for extended writing. You can get .5 mm tip or .7 mm tip. I tend to go for the .7 because I like my lines a little thicker. It looks better with my handwriting.

Speaking of my handwriting, I wrote the lyrics to some of my favorite songs.

PaperMate Ink Joy Gel Pens are available at Amazon, Target, Walmart and other office supply stores. Make sure your package says "gel pens" on the right side as there are just regular Ink Joy ball points (which are great for your teen to use to take notes in high school) but you want to pamper yourself with the gels. Average retail is around $20 for the full pack. 

a fond farewell

I have preserved all my blog posts in pdf form and will be closing my blog in about 24 hours. It was a fun thing for me to do, practice my writing skills,and tell the stories... but it's become a chore and no longer brings me joy. If you're interested in keeping up with me, my family and my craft projects, you can follow me on Instagram here: kimberlydlund

Thanks for eleven -- yes 11! -- great years!

planner nerd: July 15 memory journal

I feel pretty strongly that writing a few sentences at the end of the day is one way to keep my mind strong and my mental health... well, healthy. And most weeks, decorating in my memory journal also brings me creative joy. Last week I used some older Bella Blvd scrapbook supplies that I got in a warehouse box sale the company held a year ago. They were perfect for the week of Independence Day.

And the details...

And as a bonus, here's my Get to Work Book last week. This summer I'm using it to keep track of product I create and list in my Teachers Pay Teachers shop... last week was pretty productive.

Interested in purchasing a planner? I use Erin Condren horizontal and vertical planners for most of my personal planning and memory journaling. First time buyers can receive $10 off a first purchase by signing up for account using this link: Erin Condren referral link I also use a Get to Work Book for business planning. You can purchase one of these planners here.

happy birthday to me

Today is birthday number 46. It's just a number, people. And I shall celebrate with One Direction cupcakes this weekend. 

My first birthday, with my grandmother's handwriting at the top. A treasure. 

9th birthday. I was a summer baby and back then we used tanning oil, not sunscreen. And my sister apparently used turtlenecks. In mid-July.

And my favorite birthday in recent history, number 40.

I just have so much love when I look at this picture... family, friends, and my favorite place in the world. 

Did I mention 1D cupcakes this year?

planner nerd: July 13 traditional planner

Hi friends! Today I'm sharing my second week back in an Erin Condren vertical for daily planning. The constants I have this year are tracking our meals and writing down what we watched on TV (we watch a lot of TV during the summer.. much less during the school year). Here's how the whole week looked:

I used a kit from Soda Pop Studio Shop to decorate this week.

And the details:

And that's how it looked. Loving using the vertical again!

 

Interested in purchasing a planner? I use Erin Condren horizontal and vertical planners for most of my personal planning and memory journaling. First time buyers can receive $10 off a first purchase by signing up for account using this link: Erin Condren referral link I also use a Get to Work Book for business planning. You can purchase one of these planners here.

 

monthly layouts: June

My priority when I'm on the computer right now is to get product made for my Teachers Pay Teachers store, but I did make time this week to finally get the month of June put into layouts so I wouldn't get too far behind. Here's how they look:

I used the Project 52 2016 Full Collection to complete my layouts as well as the Life Basics line from Cathy Zielske at Designer Digitals. Six months done and going strong!

doodlebug share: kitten smitten

Our latest Doodlebug challenge was to use the Kitten Smitten Collection. Even though my family has two cats, I am most decidedly NOT a cat person. If one jumps up on the same piece of furniture as me, I move as quickly as possible. There was a time when I might have become a cat person, but then we got a dog... and I'm quite happy being a dog person. (That dog was Hayden, who passed earlier this year, and now we have Jake. One of our cats tolerates Jake and the other just ignores him completely. Jake is a bit more of a puppy than Hayden ever was, though.)

Anyway, not a cat person, so I challenged myself to use this very cat-oriented collection without making a planner spread that looked like it was about cats. Here's how it looked:

I love the play of pink and black in this collection. Such an interesting color palette with the dark contrasting the pastels.

And here are some details of all the adorable Doodlebug products I used on this project:

Challenging myself to do a non-themed layout with a themed collection really pushes me to be think outside the box and flex some creative muscles that needed exercise. And in the end, I have memories on paper and that will last a lifetime.

Have a great week! 

planner nerd: July 7 memory journal

I also moved into a new Erin Condren Horizontal planner last week. My old one was very, very full and I love the new neutral color scheme option. I used an older scrapbook kit from Bella Blvd to decorate and loved how it turned out.

And the details:

Interested in purchasing a planner? I use Erin Condren horizontal and vertical planners for most of my personal planning and memory journaling. First time buyers can receive $10 off a first purchase by signing up for account using this link: Erin Condren referral link I also use a Get to Work Book for business planning. You can purchase one of these planners here.

planner nerd: July 6 traditional planner

I had my first full week back in an Erin Condren vertical planner for my traditional planning and it was so nice to be back. EC Vertical is just what works for me. Here's how it looks:

I used a sticker kit from Let's Make it Sparkle to decorate this week. I bought the kit the day of the Orlando murders and wanted to start out my planner with good vibes. Love those rainbows. 

And the details.

Interested in purchasing a planner? I use Erin Condren horizontal and vertical planners for most of my personal planning and memory journaling. First time buyers can receive $10 off a first purchase by signing up for account using this link: Erin Condren referral link I also use a Get to Work Book for business planning. You can purchase one of these planners here.