Floral Notes

Happy new week everyone! I hope you had a restful weekend. Mine started with a cold, followed by allergies {extremely blah}, but I'm better now, ready for some crafting.

There's a lovely stationery shop called Rifle Paper Co. and I'm smitten by all their paper goods and storybook artwork. Here are a few samples:

The artist and shop owner is the talented Anna Bond. You can read more about her here and here.

It's this set of notebooks that serves as inspiration for my blah to TADA! make-overs this week. Let's begin, shall we?

blah: kraft paper-covered notebooks

that I found at Muji

There are three notebooks in each pack.

I drew my design freehand. 

Then tinted with watercolor.

TADA!: A new notebook for plans and

dreams for the new year.

More ideas tomorrow!

Birthday Calendars

Don't you love it when someone remembers your birthday? And in the same light, do you feel a little guilt when you've forgotten someone else's? Oh so blah.

Here's a TADA! solution -- birthday calendars found on Etsy:

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All you need to do is write the person's name on the specific date {maybe include wedding anniversaries of your favorite couples as well}, take a look at the calendar everyday, and you'll never miss a birthday!

Here are two more that can be used in the office or classroom:

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Pretty neat ideas that you can buy or DIY.

Have an awesome weekend!

Write, Erase, Repeat

We're still on the subject of calendars and look what I found in Etsy! Calendars for the wall that can be used every month and even every year.

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No. 1 and No.2 are adhered to an empty wall and entries are added with an ink pen. When a new month arrives, just erase and reuse the calendar all over again. No. 3 is similar with a more old fashioned twist: it's a chalk board.

The following ride on the same idea but are geared towards smaller spaces:

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The end of the year doesn't make these calendars extinct. They can be used many times over and the use of paper is totally eliminated. I think that's blah to TADA! 

One Sentence Journals

How do you keep a memory of your days? Do you have journal entries or take daily photos and post them on Instagram? I discovered these notebooks at the shops and I'm falling in love with the routine required:

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These are memory books that record five years of one's life. All you have to do is write the year and one line that defines that day: a plan {ex. I'm seriously considering going to culinary school}, a wish {ex. I claim good health for Auntie Em}, or a quote {ex. "Where your talents and the needs of the world cross, their lies your vocation." - Aristotle}

For busy moms, "Mom's one line a day" to jot down your child's milestones like taking a first step, losing a tooth or saying "I love you, Mama" for the first time.

If you're more of an artist, why not a visual journal where you draw "one sketch a day"?

These books are tiny {smaller than a paperback} so you can take it everywhere. And every year, it's a thoughtful way to keep tabs of what you've achieved.

Datebooks with a Nostalgic Touch

Do you still use a datebook? Now that it's the start of a new year, what does yours look like?

Mine is this metallic gold that works as a daily planner and gratitude journal. I even have this little case for business cards to match. Why not? Go for gold in 2013!

Before I got this one, I was considering these:

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Special editions of the simple yet functional Moleskine datebooks. But I couldn't choose! The Little Prince, The Peanuts Gang and Star Wars are all very close to my heart.

Whether or not you still use one, may they days and nights of your 2013 be always TADA!

A New Calendar for a New Year

Happy New Year my dear friends! I hope your holidays were fun and memorable. Mine were absolutely TADA!

As we begin a new year, we turn a new leaf and quite literally, that's the theme of today's post -- calendars. Even if we've got built-in calendars in our computers and mobile phones, I still feel the need to have the old fashioned kind: a wall calendar which I keep in the kitchen {scribbled with appointments and dates to remember}, and a desk calendar {for a quick reference when remembering deadlines and planning meetings or a get together}. 

The calendars I have are usually freebies from a bank or airline, but if I were to spend some money, these would be on top of my list: 

via Paper Source

A calendar that's wild and colorful. And with double purpose, too. When the month is over, simply tear off the page and turn this into gift boxes, a file folder or a bookmark {instructions included}. How's that for blah to TADA!

via Paper Source

Desk calendars that can be used year after year. One is made of magnets, and the other, made of puzzle bricks. A fair warning: assembly required at the beginning of each month.

via Paper Source

The prints on these wall calendars are adorable. The first is a little bit retro, and the second one whisks us away to dreamy destinations. At the end of the year, I'd pick my favorite pages and put these in picture frames...a lovely way to dress up an office or playroom.

Happy New Year!

 Wishing you all a beautiful beginning!

I'm taking a short holiday break. 

I'll see you soon!