My Newest Obsession | My Planning Wishlist ~ Stephii Mattea

So, here's the deal, my friend Cat and I had our first friendiversary earlier this year, and the theme for first anniversaries is paper. We thought we'd incorporate the theme into our next care package swap. That means we have to send each other something paper-based. She let on that she bought me the MAMBI Classic Happy Planner. I initially had no idea what it was, so I looked it up and that unleashed a monster. A hobby that incorporates scrapbooking elements and organisation?! How could I resist the temptation?

This is the stock photo of the planner she bought for me. Marble?! Rose Gold?! Oh, my...

Funnily enough, this swap is pretty much paper-based save for a couple of things, a stark contrast to our previous care packages. Our first swap was laden with lots of snacks from our country as well as a handful of skincare and beauty products. The second swap was chock-a-block full of makeup I had to make some space in my drawers. Finally, the latest care package, in January, was for Christmas and our birthdays, so we went a bit overboard in buying each other really nice makeup alongside a few small things.

I suppose, after the dent that the Christmas and birthday gifts made to our bank balances and annoyed our significant others, it's probably a good idea we went with planner supplies this time. I had fun curating a bunch of goodies for Cat's planner, as well as making a few matching clips and charms to go with it as well. I also included a bunch of washi samples. I'm also in the process of finishing her surprise cover, I just need to work out the sizing and then get it laminated at Officeworks. I'm loving the matching gold key charms that I made for Cat and myself, with the teal and violet rose charms.

My latest obsession is stationery, and that's a very dangerous obsession because I pretty much want everything I find online. I've been making my own themed sticker kits because I can't justify spending a few bucks on printables or more for printed sticker kits on Etsy, when I'd only use them once or twice. It adds up. Making my own means I can simply take the files and sticker papers to Officeworks and have them printed for a fraction of the price. However, I would love to buy some functional stickers from Etsy because I'd get a lot of use out of them.

I have so many things I want to get from Aliexpress! It's so hard to resist the offerings of washi tape because there's such a diverse variety and they are so cheap. My cart is as long as my arm, if not longer, and I don't think I'll stop anytime soon. I just add them to the cart and let them sit for ages while I mull over them. To date, I've bought only two tapes from Aliexpress, if anyone can believe that!

The last one is perfect for when I need to mark days that I work, as I can colour in the cups to match the layout I choose for the week.

I don't have many things on my wishlist for Wish, but the select few that I have on there are the ones I haven't been able to find elsewhere yet.

Harajuku Washi Tape

Etsy is such a weakness of mine, yet I haven't bought anything from there. I don't know if I'm able to justify paying the amount for stickers when the exchange rate and shipping costs is a bit too steep for the product itself.

I cannot wait to begin decorating my new planner as soon as it arrives. I'm looking forward to playing play around with new layouts and themes, and I've already got ideas for a couple of weeks in July. My washi collection is increasing steadily, and I imagine it won't be long before it gets to the point where I'll need to dedicate a desk drawer to them. According to Cat, I'm to expect the addition of quite a few more tapes to my collection. I went to Daiso the other day, the one on Swanston Street just next to Telstra, and found that they had a bigger range of washi than they used to. I hope their collection grows to properly reflect those at the Daiso stores found in Japan.

I want to thank Naomi for bringing home a bunch of tapes while she was in Japan, they're unlike most I've found here, and I just love having a unique variety to choose from. I'm particularly fond of the gold foil mushroom tape, as it just looks so earthy yet classy! I've got more tapes than what is displayed in this post but I'm going to do a separate one later this month showcasing my collection. My next post is a tutorial on how to make your own tassel paper clips, and later on, I'll also show everyone how to make their own ribbon tassel key charm.

Does anyone use a planner that they decorate? What's your favourite part of planning?