My Free Erin Condren Covers

Heya Aspiring Gurus!

Erin Condren was recently having an October/Halloween sale, where if you bought one cover, you got the second cover for free. I had a free cover code expiring at the end of September, so I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to get two covers for free and only pay 9.95 USD to ship them. Each of these custom covers retail for 10.95 USD, so I got a steal for the price. They also included a sticker and a post card, which were a nice touch.

The first cover that I bought is a holiday themed one. It was cute and I like the saying on it. I used my first and middle name on the cover. “Selena” is more of a nickname for this blog, sorry to shatter the image. I like the hot pink against the chalkboard background.

I thought that this one would be fun for summer and to incorporate the whole family. I keep everyone’s schedules and appointments, so it is only natural to have a family cover. It will be fun to use during the summer months or whenever I want it to feel like summer. Again, I love the hot pink background. I’ve been really feeling the pink lately.

I might be having a sticker haul later this month from Erin Condren as well, since I do have a coupon for it. I love the interchangeable covers. I can have a cover for every season and mood.

With Love,

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Erin Condren Week 4

Heya Aspiring Gurus!

Here is a quick post on how my planner looks like this week.

I don’t have a lot of time today for a long post. My head is killing me and I’m just going to drink some caffeine and go to sleep. Maybe even a cold pack on my forehead. Anyone know any good headache remedies?

With Love,

EC Planner Spread #3

Heya Aspiring Gurus!

I have another spread for you this week and I’ll do my best to let you in on how I planned out my spread. I just love planning in my Erin Condren planner. I love the way the boxes are organized and that I have enough room for all on my stuff. I even have to add decoration during the week boxes, because I work most of the day and don’t have anything to plan during then. I could see really getting more stuff planned/done during my maternity leave and vacations.

I start by cutting out the stickers that I made that I want to use in my spread like the blogging stickers and the icon stickers. I then plan my week going from Monday through Sunday. I stick my stickers and write what I need as I go along. I used the side bar this time for my cleaning schedule, which I really liked. I then add the decorative washi on the top at the end. Planning for me is very simple. I just know what I want to do as I go along and I figure out the rest as I go.

With Love,

Plan With Me: Week 2

Heya Aspiring Gurus!

Here I am again with last week’s spread. Some sudden things did come up like remembering a hairdressing appointment for my dad and having to get my blood work done for the second part of the maternal blood screen. Those two were the only things that came up though. I also got paid this week, so that meant that a few bills needed to get paid as well.

So, I used the side column this week for my cleaning schedule and things that I need to keep in mind to buy. I also reminded myself that it is week 16-17 of my pregnancy this week. I turn 17 on Saturday. I work a regular job during the week, so I like to add some decoration to fill up space. I remind myself in the mornings when I have to get up earlier or later. I keep track of my nightly routines as well. I like to remind myself in the middle of the week to stay hydrated, which is really important to me and my health.

I have Thursdays meals outlined. The extra space on the bottom I like to have for my dinners and anything that suddenly comes up that I need to do like write a letter or get gas for the car. Things like that I like to have the extra room for. Friday is payday, so it is just filled with all of the bills that I need to check off as I pay them. Saturday is a blogging day and I need to get a few errands done. Sunday, I have more things that I need to take car of in the morning, blogging, and probably going out to eat or seeing a movie.

What were you up to last week?

With Love,

ECLP: Week #1

Heya Aspiring Gurus!

I was so excited today that I was able to plan my first official week in my Erin Condren Life Planner! I used a ton of stickers, which is just the way that I like to plan. I am looking forward to ordering a small 20 USD haul from Erin Condren to get more stickers. I really like the Do-It-All Dots and the blank event stickers. I might buy the sticker book, but I am not sure that it is actually worth it. You know? Or should I go with an Etsy haul for 20 USD and save the Erin coupon for later (it doesn’t expire)? Let me know your thoughts. I have a hard time deciding.

Okay, so I will go from the left to the right. I covered up the “Thankful Thoughts” and put in important reminders of the week like my doctor appointment and Danielle coming over. Underneath that I decided to do meal tracking for the week like all of the suppers that I am making. I didn’t really decide for the week yet. I usually go buy what I feel that day and what we have on hand. I also decorated underneath the boxes and down the side to separate the week from the extra space to write. I just love washi. I have the week’s work scheduled and a little to do list for after work for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

For Friday, I have my blog list out. I only know one post that I’m doing. I’ll just write the rest in as I go along. I’m trying to stay ahead of  Julamorous. I already have the first week completed, so I am working on the second and third. There are five weeks in the month this year. I then have my little chores like exercising, laundry, and taking care of my pets. In the last box, I have the shows I want to watch, getting in some reading time, and watching the Fireworks. They always start at a different time!

For Saturday, I just decorated it for spending the day with my best friend at my place. It is pretty low key. We gossip, eat lunch, and watch a movie. We don’t really care what we do as long as we are together. We get so little time! Our schedules are so busy, but since Dani is out of school, we might be able to squeeze in more visits with each other. And you better visit me at home Dani after the baby is born! It would be nice to have you come over while I’m stuck on bedrest.

Sunday is a busier day for me, because I have a lot to do. I go grocery shopping early in the morning and I like to walk the dogs after lunch. I have to do my workout that is pregnancy safe. Basically, I can do almost any workout as long as I do a short one (20 minutes) and cut down the amount of reps to 5-10. I cannot get out of breath or really sweat. That would be overdoing it. I also do my blogging on Sunday and like Friday, I will add more posts as I get the ideas for them. I also plan for the following week on Sunday and make a special meal and dessert. I also make sure to have at least two pamper night a week. Making special time for me is very important in pregnancy.

Well, that is it until Wednesday, the start of Julamorous! I have a Happy rest of your Sunday and a Good Monday!

With Love,

My Attempt @ Sticker Making

Heya Aspiring Gurus!

I am busy planning posts for July and scheduling them to post on certain days. I decided to upload all of my posts at noon time, so you can look forward to weekday noon posts. I’m not sure about the weekend ones. So far, I’m just planning the week ones and using my EC Planner to help me keep track of what days are done and which ones still need to be done. I have already decorated my July monthly spread, but you know it will look different when the month is over. There are always last minute things that you need to add that come up or things that get rescheduled.

Anyways, I decided to attempt to make stickers using my printer, label printing sheets, and free online templates. Here are the results!

My first attempt ended up in black and white, which I actually think is pretty to go along with September’s grey/purple theme.

I think that these look so pretty and will go along great with the July blue/red spread, which is a bit more orange than red. These will look great in the weekly spread and I’m so excited to use them! They are so cute!

I printed out a sheet for my dogs. They are little flags that say walk the dog, groomers, bath, meds, and other little things. This is great for me to keep track of meds that I need to order and the monthly baths. I am also going to be taking them to the groomers to get their nails done, since I cannot file them myself anymore. It’s not safe even with a mask. You could still inhale particles. So, twenty dollars every two months or so will keep both doggies nails in tiptop shape. That’s including a 6 dollar tip, too! It’s only 7 dollars for a nail trim. Serena could be 5, because she is so small. The second sheet is for things like bills and groceries, reading, keeping track of internet usage, and how many days I spend outside.

I really love the stickers that I made and I will make more as time goes on. I think that I will print monthly stickers that go with the theme like the first two and then print other stickers based on what I do in real life. I can go to Michaels for thee decorate stickers, plus I have a lot of decorative stickers already from my scrap-booking days.

Aren’t they adorable on wash day? They love the warm blankets and sweaters!

With Love,

My Own Erin

Heya Aspiring Gurus!

I cannot believe that Julamorous will soon be upon us! I have a few ideas for posts, but I don’t have the whole thing planned out. I am thinking that starting next week. I will start to schedule posts for July that way it won’t be a big thing the week before. So, from this week forward until July, I will only have two posts to go up on the week ends, but I will have at least one weekly update during the week. Unless, work gets me to be too busy, then it will just be two posts that week. July will be a new post everyday and in August, I will schedule it so that it is two posts on the weekend and two posts during the week. I think spreading them out is a bit better than having four posts coming out every weekend, because I put all four in one day sometimes. Sorry for plugging up your news feed. lol.

Anyways, you came here to see my new Erin Condren 2015-2016 Life Planner. I bought the 18 month planner in the regular edition. It was a hard decision to make to get one, since I put off buying one last year. I bought a Filofax instead, but I feel like I like it better just to write down my blog posts in. I don’t like the way the weeks are done at all. I like the EC format much better. Also with being pregnant and having a child, my life is going to be so much busier and I need a planner to plan out every week. Not to every minute detail, but to keep track of what needs cleaning, my spa night, honoring the Lord’s Day, reading, blogging, baths for the baby, my million appointments, and quite possibly a college course or two. I have a lot to keep track of, even though I work 5 days a week, I still plan 15 minute cleaning tasks, cooking a dinner, and other things. I think that the days that I work will be more decorated and the weekend will be filled with tasks. It will make me feel good to plan my week and have things to look forward to.

The box is a lot pinker in real life than the salmon color in this picture. It’s a bit beat up, but it protected the goodies inside!

The planner came with some goodies on top in their Welcome package for 1st time buyers, which I think is a very nice touch. I thought that the stickers were so pretty and inspirational. The gift stickers are very useful for me and I am sure that I will use all of them. They are so unique that I am sure whoever is receiving them will like them as well. I think that I will stick them on the envelopes to cards, because I know that I save all of my cards in their envelopes. I also love that they give you a 10 USD off code for your next purchase. I will be using this to get that cute sticker book, coil clips, and possibly a few more stickers. The notebooks and notepads are too expensive for me. I would only consider the notebook for when I take a college online course next Fall to keep track of when assignments are due, tests, and quizzes, as well as taking notes. The deluxe 35 USD notebook would be great for that. In my EC planner, I would put when I would study and when I would have to watch the lectures. Everything else, I could put in the notebook to keep my planner from being too cluttered. Oh! I also received a coupon for a free personalized cover, since I picked the ready to ship option. I am hoping on getting a Rose Gold Foil Cover, even though I would have to pay 4 USD extra for it. The coupon only goes up to a 10.95 value since I got the regular version. It expires in September, so I am ordering it then and I will do a separate order in the same month for the other stuff I want to buy.

I just love the pretty teal color!

I love my new EC Life Planner! It is so pretty! I love the purple color. The flyleaf is beautiful! Not so beautiful? The top part of it is a bit broken, but that’s a minor flaw that I will not freak out about. It just irks that perfectionist in me. It looks a bit plain without the flyleaf. It really makes the planner pop. You gotte love the colorful, durable monthly tabs. I like that the two years at a glance is in the front of the planner. I will be highlighting all of my paydays, so it will be easier to remember when I do the monthly spreads in the future. I also love the two pages of goals. I’m going to be making them monthly goals starting in 2016. They will be great to track Lemon/Dean’s progress of when solid food should start, crawling, and first words. 

I also like that at the start of every month you have a page for monthly notes and an inspiration quote to keep me inspired. The notes page I will use for things like meal planning, big events, the pet’s, and grocery lists. You can use this page for so many things and I am sure that within a few months, I will find out how I like to use it best. I think it would be great to jot down notes and things to not forget so that you can plan it later as well. I love the monthly spread, which I did not have in my Filofax setup. This will be very useful to me to see when bills are due and how much they are. It will have major things of that day all marked out and it will be a great tool to see all of my days in a month at a glance. It will be easier to keep track of vet appointments and fun nights out. I can juggle all areas of my life better with this planner.

The planner also comes with a clear ruler that you can use to plan the space in your planner. I think it is also convenient to add sticky notes to it for things that come up that you need to do or plan. I love the way the week is spread out and I am a vertical girl. It is easier to see in my brain to plan things out. I like that it has some space for weekly notes that continues onto the bottom of each column. I think that I will use this space for bills, water intake, exercise, and other things that I don’t necessarily want to plan but just keep track off.

Honestly, this advertisement on my birthday month is a waste of space where I could have had a longer Goals line. I will probably cover up with a sticker and a sticky note for extra writing room if I need it.

The end of the planner has some lined notepaper, graph paper, and some blank paper. I think these would work really well with blogging months that I have to plan out all the posts that I will do for the month ahead of time and to list out tasks for them like taking pictures and dates to write out which ones. I feel like they would be real useful for planning events like that. I don’t host parties or do things like that, but these would be nice for it.

Found another small imperfection! But that was all, I triple checked.

In the back of the planner, you also get a 2017 calendar at a glance. You get tons of stickers. I like the vote sticker for the election year, but it is going to take me a couple of years to use all of the birthday stickers. lol. I love that there are blanks included that I can write my own stuff into them to customize them. The other stickers, I will go through quickly, because I go to the dentist, doctor, vacation, etc. I like that there is a folder in the back and a perpetual calendar that I will use as a journal where I write what I am grateful for everyday or any milestones. I love the sample of do it all dots. I think that these would fit well in the monthly spreads to maximize space. I will be ordering these. The compliment cards I could have done without as well as the referral cards. I will use them though. I love the sample of the coil clip. I will be using this to put in my baby’s birth certificate.

Well, there you have it! If I have enticed you to buy, please email me for a referral link that will give you 10 USD off and me a 10 USD credit to use in store. My email is beautyandthebookcase@gmail.com

Thank you guys!

With Love,

Raving Rant

Heya Aspiring Gurus!

Yes, today I am ranting. I’m just so annoyed about what people are saying on the Erin Condren Instagram & Facebook pages. They paid for priority processing and they do not think that they are jumping the line. Here’s the thing: Erin Condren is not going to let you jump in front of EVERYONE. First off, you are behind the last person who selected priority processing, which means you could be 100 to 1,000 in line. Also, Erin Condren is not going to put you in front of people who ordered their yesterday. I believe that priority processing is just for that hour. So, if 100 ordered at 8 am and you were the only one paying the extra 35, then you would be first over those people. I have a problem with them thinking that they have the right to cut in line over EVERYONE who orders. I mean, get a grip, that isn’t how it goes. I also don’t think that they would put priority in front of the first 100 people who ordered. They were there first. I was one of the 10 people who ordered and my life planner will arrive on Saturday. It was sent out the same day I ordered and I paid for the 3-5 day shipping. I get that you paid 35 USD and want to get your money’s worth, but your expectations are a little too high. Just my two cents. Thanks for letting me rant!

With Love,

 

Guilty Confession & Contest!

Heya Aspiring Gurus!

As the title of this post suggests, I have a confession to make. I, Selena Hannah, have just purchased the new 18 month Erin Condren Ready-to-Ship Life Planner for 55 USD, which included 10 USD shipping (3 to 5 days). I really want it quick, so I chose a more expensive option. I bought it within the first 15 minutes of it launching and it will be shipped out to me on the 11th, which is the earliest date. Who else stalked the website to be one of the firsts? I used a 10 USD off referral link to pay for the shipping. I didn’t add anything extra to my order, because it made the shipping lag by TWO WEEKS! TWO WEEKS?! Yeah, that’s what I thought. Since I will be receiving a free coupon for a personalized cover, I thought that I would wait to buy the dashboard, personalized stickers, do it all dots, and the sticker book. I also heard that you receive another 10 USD off coupon with your first order, so I probably will split the orders into two, if that saves me any money. As long as it doesn’t cost me extra, I will do it, because the more orders you make, the more Erin Condren will send you coupons. I know that your 5th order will give you 25 USD off.

Anyways, I am SUPER excited about my new planner and I will do an unboxing as soon as I get my hands on it. I will be doing a planner series on my blog, where I will show you my weekly spreads, stickers, and more. I am also having a monthly planner decorating contest, if there is enough on an interest in it. Each month will have one week were you guys, my viewers get to choose a theme for the stickers and spread for that chosen week.

So, this contest will run until Jun 23rd. You can enter by posting a comment choosing a theme. The prize for this contest is a post swap, where I will host you on my blog and you will host me on yours (if you have one). You have until May 30th to leave a comment on the post where I announce the winner (or contact me via email) and if you fail to do so within the time frame, I will assume that you will forfeit the prize of the exchanged blog posts. The prize will become null and void.

If you any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me and Good Luck!

With Love,

Why I Chose Filofax Instead Of Erin Condren

Heya Aspiring Gurus!

I have a bit of a rant for you. WARNING: This post could get ugly. After watching countless Youtube videos, I really had my heart set on a customized Erin Condren planner. I saw that if you signed up, you got a 10 USD off of your order. NOWHERE did it say that you would get the coupon via email. Even then, I did not receive this email until HOURS after I signed up. I thought this matter could be easily resolved with adding something extra to my order that would equal 10 USD.

I just got the code in my inbox! Is there anyway to apply it now? Or would I have to cancel my order and reorder it? I am willing to cancel my order to get the $10off coupon. I really wanted to use it and it is upsetting that it didn’t apply and didn’t come into my email until after I ordered it.

Hello Hannah,
I am truly sorry for the late response as we have been swamped with emails!
Unfortunately, the only way for us to redeem your code is to cancel your order as we cannot manually apply codes to an order that has been submitted. I am truly sorry for the inconvenience. Please let us know if we are to continue or cancel your order. Thanks!

Julian

Cancelling my order was a major inconvenience, but I was still willing to make it work.

I will be cancelling my order and will reorder with my coupon once all of the funds have been transferred to my account. Is there a fee for cancelling before I do so?

Hi Hannah,
Your order has been successfully cancelled and there’s no fee for the cancellation as we have yet to design your items. For the refund, we issue within 24 hours of when the refund request is approved. However, we have found that it takes 7-10 business days for a refund to reflect in your bank account, depending on your banking institution.

Julian

At ten business days, I email them to ask what day was my funds refunded, because I thought that it was taking too long.

On what day was the refund approved? Its already been 10 business days for my bank since I last received an email. So I was wondering when the refund was issued so I could talk to my bank about it
Thanks.

Thanks for getting back to us. I will get an update with our billing team regarding the status of your refund and you will hear from us in a timely manner.

Julian

This is the receipt that I received:

US $73.20

MasterCard

Date/Time: 31-Jul-2014 16:31:36 MDT

This was  dated the day AFTER I inquired about when my refund will be issued! I am very angry and upset that they just refunded my order. I would have to wait another seven to ten days. So, I wrote this back:

This was supposed to be refunded on July 14th. I was told that my order was cancelled. Why is this just getting refunded now? I will not buy from this company ever again and will not be reordering it now. I will be sure to inform others about my  negative experience with this company on my blog. I am completely dissatisfied and will not be coming back. I understand that its the company and not the associate assisting me. Would you forward this email to  Erin Condren? I really want the person in charge to know how her policy has turned off a potential customer.
Thank you.

Once I sent this email back, the NEXT DAY the funds were in my account. This experience totally turned me off from the company completely. I would not recommend ordering from this company directly or its products. I turned to learning about Filofax and researching the company and its products. I ultimately decided that I would buy it from a trusted source: Amazon. I have no regrets with my Filofax and I love it! The Erin Condren life planner would have been so great to own, but the company made it impossible for me to order from them. You would think that a company would want people to buy their products, instead of making it harder for people to order from them. If this was the company I worked for, they would have worked out an agreement with the customer to get the customer to be a repeat offender.

With Love,

Selena Hannah xoxoxo