Guest Post On Little Panda Crafts!

Hello everyone! I thought I would let all you planner lovers know that I recently featured as a guest blogger on the lovely MJ's blog, Little Paper Crafts (go follow her if you like cute crafty tutorials and posts!). Click here to read my guest post about how to decorate your weekly planner pages :)

I will walk you through each step to go from this...

To this!

I would love to hear your feedback on either the post on Little Panda Craft's blog, or here. You can also email me directly at abbysterry@hotmail.com

Thanks for reading!

Bullet Journal Setup & Review

I found the bullet journal system from my_planner on her Instagram and YouTube. So I then went and searched it up on YouTube, and found the original video which explains how to use the system from the creator. He talks you through how to set up a bullet journalling system and what everything means. I loved the idea and wanted to try it out, but was hesitant because I currently don't have a very busy lifestyle as I am in the last few weeks of college and then I will have a year off to work part time and volunteer part time before I (hopefully) go to university.

So I decided I wanted to try the system out to see if it would work for me, busy or not. I looked on eBay for an A5 graph paper notebook and found this awesome notebook for £3.99! I went ahead and bought it, it took around a week to be delivered by 2nd class which isn't too bad considering it was free p&p. I re-searched the bullet journal setup videos on YouTube as well as the original and got started!

So I started the bullet journal on May 14th 2014, I really loved the set up and felt it would work out great for someone with a busier lifestyle (with young kids, in college/university, a busy job or self employed). You start it off with an index page which keeps all your sections with page numbers (so you can reference to and from different pages). It explains how to use it in the original video if you're unsure about how to set it up. I also keep a little 'pouch' stuck on the opposite page, with my to-do list on a project life card inside it - that way I can keep it safely in there without it falling out, and I can pull it out when I'm on other pages.

Here is a closer look at my key. It has several symbols with their meaning next to them. You will use these for your tasks on your daily and monthly pages (which I will show you next). They're really helpful so you don't feel overwhelmed with so many to do's, they might be little ideas, things to search, or something you love. It also makes the to do lists a little more interesting, especially if you have a whole page full of them! You can completely design your key to suit your needs, if you have kids you can use symbols to show their to do's, and so on. It's very easy to use and I felt it worked out well. You can use it in both the bullet journal, and a planner or Filofax if you have one and use it regularly.

So this is the next page after the index page (I would probably suggest to leave another page after the index in case you need more space in the future, but it's up to you) and you start off with the current month for two pages. On the one page you have the whole start to finish of the month with the days they fall on, and then any big tasks specifically due for that day (mine were mainly work and Samaritans as I am a volunteer). The next page is all the to dos for that month that need or want to be completed by the end of the month. You can use your key symbols for these to dos as well, so anything which is urgent can be marked so you don't forget. Once you come to the end of the month on your daily to dos, you will start another spread like this and add the page numbers of the new month onto your index (again, the original video will explain all of this in case you're unsure).

As you can see I didn't have that many to do's for each day, so I ended up repeating small tasks such as iron clothes or sort out wardrobe to create a bigger list. But because those weren't necessary to do's, I would ignore them and plan them for another time.. Which defeats the purpose of the bullet journal. I decided I probably would leave the journal for when life got busier, and I could make the most of it. It will probably start becoming more useful when I go to university, so I would love to hear if any uni students are using this system and how it's working out for you :)

So overall, I love the bullet journal system and would recommend it to anyone with a moderately busy to hectic lifestyle. I would love to see other peoples views and opinions on the bullet journalling system, whether you're thinking about it or have tried it, and how well it worked for you. I also love seeing setups so feel free to comment with your bullet journal setup! :)

Thanks for reading.

Kikki-K Planner Setup [May 2014]

I've had my gorgeous large mint kikki-k planner for just over a week now, and I am so in love with it! I couldn't wait to set it up, so I spent the other day playing around with it and now I am happy to show you all my new setup!

I wanted the front of my planner to be fun and colourful, and I definitely feel happy with this layout. I'm using the credit card insert to hold some post it notes, the cutest owl clip (if anyone knows where I can find these online please let me know, they're not available in the UK!), a hello kitty playing card. On the back there are more post its and a dentist appointment card.

These are what I have in the credit card holders on the left hand side of the planner. The "2014, this is your year" card was included in the planner from Kikki-k, I was sent the lovely watercolour/flower post its by a penpal, and I bought the animal sticky notes from eBay.

I have nothing behind the credit card slots, or in the zip pocket, but I keep various stickers in the open pocket behind the zip pocket. The pink heart stickers are from Paperchase, the rainbow heart stickers are from eBay, the rainbow star stickers are from eBay (search Sticko), the multi-coloured stickers below the stars are from Sainsbury's, the Martha Stewart dew drops were sent to me (but you can find them at most Staples stores), and the last stickers on the right are from Paperchase.

So behind the credit card inserts I usually just have a clear flyleaf in front of the red calendar divider. But I just put a to-do list (which are the Kikki-k inserts) for things I need to do this week.. I'm going to use it as a running to do list, but I don't usually do this. I'm just trying out a new system :)

So behind my first tab 'calendar' I have the kikki-k personal information insert, with the 2014 and 2015 year at a glance pages, and then the 2014 month on two pages inserts from kikki-k. I haven't decorated the monthly inserts yet, I'm not sure whether I will as I quite like the minimalistic look, it's quite refreshing!

I wasn't sure where to put my 2014 goals, so I put them just before my week on two pages inserts so I can hopefully see them more often. I didn't like having them at the front of the planner, and so far it's working for me.

This is the start of the weekly pages. They are the kikki-k inserts and I love them!

In my second divider 'health' I have a weight chart and a measurement chart behind it (the same layout).

In my third section 'finance', I am using my own finance sheets which are a mimic of the Filofax inserts. I originally made them because I didn't know they made A5 versions, then I found they did, but now I actually prefer using my own. They're a lot more simple and the paper is thicker than the Filofax paper.

In my fourth section ' info', it obviously contains private information so I couldn't share a lot of the inserts within it. But it basically contains bank details, medications, bus times, college assignments, book recommendations, wish lists, and a UK and Europe map (I want to get the A5 world map but I haven't had a chance to get one yet)

So in my last section 'notes' I have some kikki-k to do inserts, some Filofax plain paper, grid paper, and  coloured paper; and some KiddyQualia (from etsy) coloured paper. Lastly I have a top opening envelope which has my gym timetable (I currently don't go but I would like to start going again to get my fitness back up). I also use the top opening envelope to keep all the inserts together when I close the planner so the paper doesn't fold with the rings (hopefully that makes sense.. Filofaxer's you'll probably know what I mean!). Then I have the Kikki-k notepad in the back of the planner :)

And here is my cute little Pikachu charm! My boyfriend gave it to me as it was inside a pokeball :)

This is the pen I am currently using. It's the uni jetstream 101 1.0 in black and it's lovely! I would describe it as a gel rollerball, very smooth and neat. I got it from Asda so you can probably find them on eBay or Amazon :)

Well I hope you like my setup! I'm loving it so far, the planner is wonderful and makes me super happy each time I see it. If you're thinking of getting one, I would definitely recommend them. Kikki K are a lovely brand and it's definitely worth the money. These specific planners are not sold anymore so if you want the mint planners, you will have to search on Instagram, eBay, Amazon, or Facebook for second hand (I bought this from a lovely lady on Instagram called Bella).

Thanks for reading ♥

Kikki K Large Mint Planner Review!

 My eyes have been set on this beauty for a LONG time now, and I finally have my hands on one! I was saving up for the planner and I went to buy it from the Kikki K website, and found it had been discontinued. A lot of people were upset by this, it seemed to be a very popular product. 

I bought the mint large Kikki K planner from a lovely lady on Instagram called Bella. I had to save up for a few weeks and she kindly offered to wait for me as she knew I really wanted it, and it definitely paid off! I bought it for £100 including UK first class signed shipping. I was so excited when it arrived, and very happy with the planner and the inserts that are included. I will walk you through everything that came with the planner and my thoughts on them :)

This is what you see when you first open the planner. It comes with 5 card slots on the left hand side, with an open pocket behind them, and a zipped pocket behind that. It looks great and they are easy to use, not stiff at all. The dividers are a navy blue (slightly darker in person) with the tabs "monthly view, weekly view, addresses, birthdays & anniversaries, shops & restaurants, to do, and expenses". Even though the dividers are nice, I won't be using them in my future set up as I have my own dividers which work better for me, and look nicer in my opinion. The divider almost laid flat, but I bent the sides together a few times and now it lays flat with no problem. Another note: The rings are in excellent condition! No gaps whatsoever, they look very strong compared to the Filofax rings.

In the first tab, you have a personal information page which is a lot simpler and prettier than the Filofax personal information pages. It includes name, address, home phone, mobile, and email of the planner owner. Then below that it has the name, phone, and relation of someone to contact in case of emergency. Kikki K doesn't have a registration number like Filofax has, but to me it's not a problem at all as I rarely take my planners outside. Then you have the yearly overview of 2014 and 2015 right behind the personal information page. These again are a lot nicer than the Filofax yearly overview page. The only problem is I wouldn't be able to have the 2014 yearly overview as a dashboard as the personal information page is in front of it - but that's something I can live with. Then starts the lovely month on two pages from January to December 2014. The pages are clean and simple, with some note spaces on the right hand side of each month. I definitely prefer these to the Filofax month on two pages. Behind the last page of the monthly inserts is an international public holidays page which I forgot to take a photo of. Filofax definitely has more information with their inserts, but their not all useful in my opinion and I often forget they're there.

In the second tab, you have the full week on two pages inserts from January 2014 to January 2015. They look plain but they actually have faint dotted lines for you to write neatly (which I think is great!). I love how they have laid out the weekends side by side. They also have birthdays at the bottom for you to write if it's someones birthday on that day. I prefer these inserts to the Filofax week on two pages, the pages are very clean and prettier, they have faint lines to help write neatly, and the weekend layout works better for me. I'm currently using the Paperchase week on two pages but I am definitely going to give the Kikki K inserts a go!

The third tab has address inserts which again I prefer to the Filofax address pages. These are simple and clear. They include name, address, phone, mobile, and email. I don't really keep phone numbers in my planner so I will probably use these inserts for my pen pals and just change the phone and mobile to birthday and Instagram. You get 10 of these pages and they are printed on both sides.

In the next tab, you have 10 pages of these shops and restaurant inserts. They include name, location, and cuisine. These could also be used for online shops and sellers on eBay and Etsy. I probably will not use these inserts as I don't go out shopping or to restaurants, and I have my favourite online stores bookmarked.

Next we have to do pages. They are divided into two columns on each page, this way you can customize the pages for your needs completely. You can have lists, reminders, even use it as a bullet journal system. You can also include your own check boxes. They fit a lot more to dos that the Filofax to do inserts. I'm not sure whether I will prefer these, I don't use the to do sheets very often.

Last tab includes 10 expense pages. These are very different from the Filofax expense pages, so people who have been used to the Filofax pages may not take to these inserts very well and might find it hard to change. But they are very simple to use. You have date, item, income,outgoing, and balance. Very similar to the Filofax horizontal inserts without the cash, credit, or cheque columns (I prefer them without as it doesn't make a difference to me). At the bottom of each page there is a total row for income, outcome, and balance. This will help you if you're trying to save money and see how much you're spending each month on necessities and things you don't really need (but someones you need planner stuff, right?). I think I prefer these to the Filofax pages, but I will have to try them out and see for myself.

At the back of the planner, you have a lovely A5 notebook for notes. It has 25 pages of white lined paper, they are not hole punched which for me isn't really a problem. I use the Filofax notepad at the back for quick notes and I don't put them into my Filofax, but if you want to do that you will have to punch them yourself. You can however fit the A5 Filofax notepad into the Kikki K planner so if you want to use that you can. I believe you can find some similar A5 notepads from Kikki K themselves :)

And that is it! This is the back of the planner with the Kikki K logo at the bottom. Overall I think it's a very lovely planner and I can see why so many of you love it. I cannot wait to set it up and show you!

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! These planners are discontinued, but you maybe able to find some people selling them second hand in both A5 and personal size on Instagram (just search kikkik or kikkiplanners). Any questions feel free to leave a comment below or email me - abbysterry@hotmail.com

PAYPAL SCAMS AND WHAT TO DO (Including a 'Skype' payment email)

Official PayPal logo

 So the other day I woke up, checked my email and received quite a surprise. I had an email in my normal account (not in my junk mail) from 'paypal' which stated I had paid out £44.99 to a 3 month skype subscription. Now, most people know skype is free to download and use, so that confused me and a red flag went up.. But because it came up in my normal account and not in the junk mail, I wanted to double check.


So I logged on to my laptop and went onto my Hotmail account, read through the email and noticed a few things:

1. Skype is a free service to download and use, and I personally don't even use Skype
2. Paypal would usually always say your name at the beginning of their emails
3. This email had no personal details such as my name and address (which will usually come up on PayPal receipts)
4. The main aim of the email was to get me to be shocked that I owed the money, and to click on the link below (highlighted) to open a dispute at PayPal. 

Print screen from the 'paypal' scam sent to me

So I clicked on the link, still unsure whether it was a real as the link included www.paypal.com. The website looked exactly as the official PayPal website looks like, so you wouldn't even bat an eyelid or think otherwise. However, I looked at the URL it came up with on the page and it was not www.paypal.com but another website. They were asking for you to log into PayPal, and give your name, address, and bank details. That was then it became fully clear it was a scam.


 If this happens to you, please take these steps:

1. Forward the email to spoof@paypal.co.uk and delete the email immediately
2. If you logged into your PayPal account on the scamming website posing as PayPal, immediately change your password on the official PayPal website (even if you don't think you logged in, I would still recommend to change it)
3. If you happened to give your bank details in before realizing it was a scam, get in touch with your bank as soon as possible.

If you are ever in doubt, ALWAYS get in touch with PayPal themselves via their official website! Here are a few helpful tips from PayPal if you're unsure whether an email claiming to be from PayPal is genuine or fake:

You’ll know that an email is not from PayPal when:

• The email uses a generic greeting like ‘Dear user’ or ‘Hello, PayPal member.’ We'll always address you by your first and last name or the business name on your PayPal account.
• The email requests financial and other personal information. A real email from us will never ask for your bank account number, debit or credit card number etc. Also we'll never ask for your full name, your account password, or the answers to your PayPal security questions in an email.
• The email asks you to provide the tracking number of a dispatched item, before you've received the payment into your PayPal account
• The email includes a software update to install on your computer.

Here are some security tips to help you stay protected online:

• Even if a URL contains the word 'PayPal', it may not be a PayPal webpage.
• When using PayPal, always ensure that the URL address listed at the top of the browser displays as https://www.paypal.com/. The 's' in ‘https’ means the website is secure.
• Look for the 'lock' symbol that appears in the address bar. This symbol indicates that the site you are visiting is secure.

If you think you’ve received a phishing email, forward it to spoof@paypal.co.uk and then delete the fake email from your mailbox. If you‘ve responded to a fraudulent email and believe your PayPal account may now have been accessed, you should report the unauthorized access immediately.
Note:

• If you provided any personal information in response to a phishing email or on a spoof website, change your PayPal password and security questions immediately.
• If you provided any financial information, contact your bank and your credit card issuer and tell them about the situation.
• Review your PayPal account history to check that you recognize all recent payments.

I hope this post helps you to avoid any PayPal scammers. It happens very often and it can be quite easy to fall into if you're not sure what to do and have never been a victim of scams before. My mom received the very same email within the first few weeks of regularly using PayPal about a year ago and she was confused. It was lucky I was there at the time to go through it and realize it was a scam before she had put her details in. I hope to spread awareness to every PayPal user so nobody falls for these horrible scams.

My Planning Favourites

I get a handful of comments asking me what I use in my planner on a regular basis and where they are from, so I thought I'd do a little post of all my current planning favourites to use :) 

Most of the things I use have been kindly sent to me through pen pals and RAK's (random acts of kindness from a Facebook group). I live in the countryside where there are close to no stationery shops... It's very hard for me to find things like washi tape, stickers, project life cards, sticky notes and so on; so when people send me them I am ever so grateful! ❤

These are my current favourite washi tapes :) The first top three on the left are from Sainsbury's and they come in a pack, the next four are all from eBay, and the last one on the right is from Wilkinson's. The bottom left was sent to me (it's actually deco tape, not washi), the next two are from eBay and they came together, the next two are from Wilkinson's, and the last 9 are all from eBay (there are 10 all together but I used one up).

These all were sent to me except for the middle bottom 3 Martha Stewart sticky notes which I purchased from a lovely girl called Jessica on Instagram who kindly offered to buy and send me them from her local Staples store (as I live over an hour and a half away from the nearest one, and they didn't have any). I am not sure where all the others are from, but you can find the little talk sticky notes on eBay in a variety of designs.

More of my favourite sticky notes. The top set were from WHSmith, the middle left set were from eBay, all the rest were all sent to me through penpals and RAKs (I love the bottom middle and right two so much, I wish I could find more!).

These are great sticky flags! The first and second were sent to me and the revision tags I bought from Staples (in the UK). The first ones are my favourite, I would love to get the other colour set too :) I use the first set for mainly little reminders and appointments, and the right set for college assignments.

These cuties aren't sticky notes, but I usually stick them in my Filofax using some clear tape because I absolutely LOVE them! They were kindly sent to me from a lovely person on Instagram who couldn't use them in her smaller Filofax and offered them to me! I'm so sorry I cannot remember your name but thank you so much :)

These are just some of my favourite papers which have been sent to me as I cannot find any of them anywhere. I use them for to-dos in my filofax, and I also use them in my penpal letters :) They are just so cute! Sadly I don't know where to find any of these :(

I got into using project life cards when some of my penpals sent me a couple from 
America, and I just thought they were so cute and handy for keeping quotes, notes, to-dos and reminders in my filofax! So I bought my first pack from theideaowl on Instagram for a great price, this is the seasons* set :)

 I don't use tabs on a regular basis, but these are my absolute favourite tabs to use. They are the Martha Stewart and Avery line which is sadness now discontinued (it was incredibly hard getting my hands on them, especially the right set!). The left and middle sets I bought from Jessica on Instagram, and the right set I bought from a kind seller on Amazon who set up a special order for me when I emailed them and pleaded to have a set :D

My favourite pens to use are the papermate inkjoy 1.0m set which I bought from Staples but you can get them pretty much anywhere including Amazon and eBay for really good prices. I highly recommend them!

So that's it for my current favourites to use in my Filofax. I love stationery and I am so thankful for every person who has sent me something because you have helped me out so much, and of course made me super duper happy!! :)