It's All About The Layers! | Blog Post by Connie

Recently I bought myself another Traveler’s notebook from a planner sale. I know I already own a couple, but the sale was just too good to walk by! So I bought a navy one for my husband and a tan for myself. They came with the 2019 vertical weekly planner, which is not something I would normally use, as I use Bujo and Hobonichi for all my work and daily planning. I always see a weekly planner as too small and restrictive. Anyway, since it was there, I decided to give it go for a week as a personal planner and to document moments in life! I am a long time fan of Pooi Chin’s minimalist journaling style and I admire the way she uses simple materials and layers them in her spread.  So, using her work as an inspiration, I worked on my new TN day after day, building layers upon layers of notes, photos, prints, stickers etc. By the end of the week, I ended up with a spread that truly celebrated every moment of my daily life. It is organic and it’s exciting - something I didn’t quite expect!

The idea of playing with textures and layers using simple materials really added an extra level of authenticity and a lot of character to the spread. It is something that takes some practice to do well, but it’s worth it. Here are some layering tips/ideas using simple materials:

Idea #1

Layering your writing

This is a lovely way to create a heading by layering markers and pens. I enjoyed using a black pen over a marker (showing here the Zebra Clickart Marker and Delfonics Ball Point Pen together!)  I also love overlapping writing ink writing with a pencil - a great way to reflecting on your previous thoughts!

Idea # 2

Make use of receipts and scrap paper

I see any scrap paper and old receipts as providing an excellent note-taking opportunity - I just love decorating these receipts and paper with stamps and stickers for the spread. (You know I have a vast collection of stamps!) I made use of a scrap piece of paper for colour swatches – which was a fun idea!

Idea #3

Pressed leaves and flowers

I started collecting leaves and flowers on my daily walk with the girls (my two Whippets!) after seeing Petra @mnemekix use them in her spread. It is simply the most magical thing to include in a spread. It’s autumn here in Melbourne. All the trees are turning orange and red on the street. This is a leaf I collected at the beginning of the week. It only required a few days of pressing as it was already slightly dry. I used a Kokuyo dot liner to secure it on the spread. You can see I wrote on it with a gel pen, stamped it with the lovely Shiny Mini Dater  and layered stickers on top. It certainly add a sense of warmth and harmony to the page, it brings a smile to my face each time I see it on my journal.

Idea #4

Instax with writing and stickers

Photos are great way to capture a precious moment. I like to add to them by writing down my thoughts then decorating them with stickers. It really helps to narrate the story for the week.  The Bande Washi Roll stickers are just the perfect fit for this autumn theme spread.

Idea #5.

Bundle up all the bits and pieces with a paper clip and a ribbon!

We receive and collect various notes, cards, letters, wrapping and receipts every day.  Most of them are of no value to us and get tossed into the bin right away, but some of them you feel the need to keep, but are unsure of what to do with them. Here is my solution to keep these misfit bits and pieces - just simply bundle them up with a ribbon/string and paper clip it to your weekly spread at the end of the week! They are a good memory keep-sake and a sometimes a reminder of what’s life is all about!

So that’s it! I think after this test-run of my weekly TN planner, I am going to stick with it for the rest of the year. I will see how I go. I think it is possible that I might be converted to a permanent TN planner user XD!

Do you use a TN planner? We would like to hear some good ideas from you (particularly me as a newbie! Hehe). Please share with us on IG with #thestationeryselection.

Connie @pepperconarts