Categories
Blog Lifestyle

Erin Condren Life Planner | Review

This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here

I’m so excited to do this first impression/review for the 2014 Erin Condren Life Planner!!

I use my phone’s calendar and reminders to help me keep track of everything, but I find that I’m more organized when I’m writing things down. It helps me remember things and it’s nice to be able to see everything all mapped out.

I’d been looking for a cute planner that I could be excited about writing in and considered getting one of the Kate Spade agendas like my sister has. KateSpade.com was only selling the filofax-style refills and not the actual agenda to use with them. I was a little bummed and checked around on amazon and ebay with nothing I was looking for.

But in my search, I started hearing more about the Erin Condren Life Planners and I thought I’d give it a try. I went to the website and clicked the Life Planner section (there’s all sorts of stationary, wedding planners, and teacher planners too!). There was a choice of “Classic Edition” or the “Gold Edition” and I chose Classic. There are so many fun, bright covers to choose from and you can even customize and add pictures, change colors, or fonts.

Planners are usually $50, but since it’s later in the year, they’re only $30 now! If that still seems like a lot for a planner, you can get an extra $10 off by creating an account through my referral. This is a great way to try out the Life Planners and see if it’ll work for you!

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I chose the Charcoal Party Pops Life Planner and customized it to say MuffinChanel. I selected to have my Planner start in April since I knew I wouldn’t be using the months past. I ordered the planner on March 17 and it arrived on March 25. The waiting was the hardest part because I was very excited to start using it!

*UPDATE: The new 2014/2015 Life Planners are out. Check out my review & comparison.

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erin condren life planner review coupon code muffinchanel 6The planner arrived bubble wrapped in this cute box with bright pink tissue paper and some fun sample stickers. I also ordered the three pack of elastic bands to keep the planner closed + they look extra fun.

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erin condren life planner review coupon code muffinchanelI love the way the customization turned out. The cover is laminated and it feels pretty thick which is great. The spiral binding feels super strong and won’t bend like normal notebook binding. The planner measures 7.25″ x 9.25″ and can fit nicely in my purse.

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The inside of the Life Planner is standard for any style cover you choose. There is a ruler/bookmark that you can pop in and out of the spiral binding to mark your place. erin condren life planner review coupon code muffinchanel 2

I really like the way the planner is laid out. You can look at the month view at the start of each new month and then a weekly view after that. The week view starts on a Monday and each day is mapped out vertically into “morning”, “day”, and “night” sections. There is space on the side for notes and goals and space on the bottom for anything from lists to meal plans, to exercise, thoughts/inspiration, or whatever you want.

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There are laminated tabs for each month and section,

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and a cute folder pocket in the back as well as a thick, large zip lock pouch.

There are twenty pages in the back for notes and colorful stickers (blank and labeled with things like “date night”, “doctor’s appt”, and “birthday”) to help you stay organized. It’s just a super fun planner that encourages you to use it with its intuitive layout and beautiful design.

I absolutely love mine! The only thing I would like to see improve in the planner is the paper thickness. Since you’re using both sides of the paper, you will be able to see the writing through to the next page. I usually use the fine point Sharpie felt tipped pens, and I don’t have any bleed through, but I would prefer not to see through to the other side. ❤

Definitely check out erincondren.com if you’re looking for a new planner. And don’t forget to use this link to make your account for $10 off 🙂

**UPDATE** May 4, 2014: Planners are only $20 now! And with the link, ^ you’ll get $10 off! So awesome!! Check it out!

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Categories
Blog Creativity

Quick & Easy Valentine’s Day DIY Gift

This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and if you’re looking for a quick and easy DIY gift, look no further. I found this simple Valentine’s Day themed candy jar idea through Pinterest from thefrugalgirls.com, so I thought I’d re-create it as a perfect gift for friends and family.

muffinchanel-valentines-day-diy-gift-materials-1024x661I love the Valentine’s Day themed M&M’s! Even though they taste the same, all Pink’s and Red’s seem magical. ❤ Anyway, it’s pretty straight forward — separate your M&M’s by color and layer them into your mason jar.




muffinchanel-valentines-day-2014-diy-craft-gift-ideas-1024x768Then, to make it a little extra special, I cut out a few hearts out of the red construction paper and wrote some fun Valentine’s Day themed notes — “I love you” & “You’re sweet”. I slid the hearts into the side of the jar so that they’ll show through the glass.

muffinchanel-valentines-day-2014-gift-guide-diy-1024x768As an extra detail, I cut a circle out of the construction paper to cover the lid of the mason jar. Then I cut a ‘tag’ out of the construction paper as a To: label and attached it to the jar with some red yarn. Super easy! Just make sure to get a smaller/cuter sized mason jar so the M&M’s can fill it all the way. 🙂




muffinchanel-mms-valentines-day-gift-guide-2014-diy1-1024x893I’ve been wanting to get more into Pinterest, so if you have an account, I’d love to start following you. Post your links in the comments! ❤

Categories
Blog Lifestyle

The First Star Dash of 2014 | Starbucks Rewards

This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here

It’s that time again — Star Dash time at Starbucks that is. This Winter Star Dash is a little different than the ones we’ve seen in the past. Rather than earning a $5 or $10 gift card upon reaching your star goal, this time you’ll just earn more stars.

starbucks star dash muffinchanelCheck your email or your Starbucks app to see if you’ve been selected to participate in this offer. If you don’t have a registered Starbucks card, you can sign up here and start earning stars for your purchases.

The Winter Star Dash is running from now until February 9th 11th. If you earn 25 stars, you’ll receive 10 bonus stars, and if you earn 40 stars, you’ll receive 20 bonus stars.

What do you think of this Star Dash? Do you prefer a gift card or bonus stars?

UPDATE: The Star Dash ends on February 11th. And Rewards will be distributed by February 18th.

I am nowhere near completing my Star Dash goal! Hopefully, I get an easier offer next time. How are you doing with your Star Dash? Check where you are by logging into your account. Did you reach your goal?