Greener Living: Journaling

Last week the world came together for the Global Climate Strike. Our child’s school participated. We did, too. And we were so inspired by the millions of people across the world who turned out to demand action on climate change.

But it is easy to feel powerless in the face of such a huge problem. And indeed individuals can only do so much — policy change is necessary. But there are small, simple steps we can take which do make an impact. They truly do!

Our family is very concerned about reducing our carbon footprint and being good stewards of the Earth. And we know that those changes start in our home. We aren’t perfect, but we have made and continue to make small changes — all of which add up to making a difference in our community and in the world. This week on Instagram I am sharing 7 Greener Living Habits — changes that are simple and easy to implement.

One of those Greener Living Habits: repurposing stuff you already have. In other words, finding a new use for something rather than getting rid of it. We have a long history of repurposing. Dressers have become entertainment centers. Table runners have become window valances. An embroidered shirt became a sewing machine cover. Jam jars have become lunch containers, paint containers, pen cups… well, you get the picture. And I’m sure you do lots of repurposing in your life, too!

So here’s my newest repurposing project: turning catalogs into art journals. I took a stack of catalogs and turned them into my latest art journals perfect for collage, mixed media, use as sketchbooks, watercolors, writing — you are only limited by your imagination! I collected a bunch of tips together and made a video as well as a step-by-step guide to creating your own art journals from catalogs. And they don’t have to be art journals! There are tons of other ways to use them, too!

Here’s the link to the tutorial! Enjoy!

And join me on Instagram this week for the rest of the Greener Living Habits, too. I’d love to know what you are doing at your home to reduce your carbon footprint. Little changes all add up!

@midmodernmama

If you make an art journal, tag me on Instagram! I would love to see it!

In other news: the One Room Challenge starts again the first week of October, and I can’t WAIT to show you what we have in store. I can’t tell you much, but… it is a room which frustrates many people, and I will be doing a LOT of KonMari-ing as part of the process. I’m also working to keep it as green as possible — lots of repurposing happening here! More on that beginning October 3, but I just can’t wait to show you! If you missed our last One Room Challenge, check it out! We did a Guest Room Refresh turning our blank and boring Guest Room into a retro-inspired traveler’s retreat.

One Room Challenge

Have a wonderful week! Fall starts today… and the temperatures are finally falling! Hooray!

XOXO
Angela

Make A Christmas List and So Much More

Order Your Christmas Organizer, Journal, and Planner soon!

I used to get to November with a creeping sense of dread… Christmas was coming, but to get to Christmas I had to survive November and December, no easy task. I started my career as a high school English teacher. Then I went to work for a large Lutheran congregation. In both cases November and December were the busiest parts of my year, and preparing for Christmas at home took a back seat to the craziness of work. And, frankly, being that busy sucked the joy right out of the Christmas season.

That’s when I created The Nice List.

The Nice List is part-planner, part-journal, and part organizer. It is a little bit of everything, frankly, and it will help you have a merry Christmas season from start to finish. 

The Nice List includes:

• Budget worksheets: to establish a budget for your Christmas season — and for each gift, too

• A gift category system to help you prioritize where you spend you money and on whom

• Weekly and monthly calendars for November and December as well as scheduling tools to help plan the season.

• Tips and ideas for staying on budget and sane

• And so much more. 

This year we are adding a new section, too, which will help you set your priorities for the Christmas season. This helps to conquer the busy. The busy will just eat you alive if you let it, and it is easy to let it. So I have created a short section that helps you get down to the things that truly matter to you -- and make your time reflect that. Decline those events that don’t spark joy, and make time for decorating or baking or wrapping or shopping or chatting or going to concerts or whatever it is that brings you joy in the Christmas season. 

The Nice List is all about joy! It’s about planning for joy, inviting more joy into your Christmas season, and making time for joy. 

The Nice List is available by pre-order only until September 15. That’s it! They will be in your hands by November, and I’ll be doing videos and lives on Facebook and Instagram once you have The Nice List in front of you. I’ll teach you how to use it, and be available to answer questions. PLUS I will have a fabulous giving guide with lots of unique gift ideas for the people on your list -- in every budget range. 

So, place your order for The Nice List today! And don’t forget there is a discount for buying multiple copies. The Nice List makes a great gift!

And the illustrator is...

I am delighted to announce that Holly Kennedy, my graphic designer, and I are working with the ever-so-talented Jone Hallmark on the 2019 edition of The Nice List. Jone’s gorgeous, hand-drawn illustrations lend both an elegance and a simplicity to The Nice List — and they are exclusive for us! I can’t wait to show you the finished book, which will be coming soon, but for now, just know that it is magical!

Pre-orders for The Nice List are open! If you are new to The Nice List it is sold by pre-order in July and August. Prices include shipping, and orders are delivered by the end of October.

The Nice List is part-planner and part-journal — and it will help you bring sanity and thoughtfulness to the frantic pace of the Christmas season. Keep you shopping organized. Set a budget and stick to it! Plan the cooking and baking you want to do. And keep track of everything you give and receive — as well as those thank you notes you write!

For a flip-through of the 2018 edition of The Nice List and lots of other how-to information, visit the link below. And if you have questions, don’t be afraid to ask!

Only 152 days until Christmas! It is coming sooner than you think!

XOXO
Angela

Planning on Paper and for Christmas!

It may only be July, but I am already getting things ready for Christmas! In fact, we are putting the finishing touches on the 2019 edition of The Nice List, and pre-orders are open! You only have until the end of August to order your copy of The Nice List! More on that in the coming days including the big reveal of our new illustrator! OMG! Just wait until you see the gorgeousness she is drawing for The Nice List! Everything is hand-drawn and absolutely beautiful.

Ok! Ok! Here’s a tiny sneak peek…

Oh! I can’t wait to show you more, but we have to be patient just a little longer.

In the meantime, I did a really fun webinar with the Okayest Moms Blog on Monday. The replay will be available soon if you missed it, but I also have a whole new section of content on the website: Planning & Planners.

If you have been around awhile, you know that I used to be a teacher. I am still very interested in brain research, and several studies were published a few years ago that really caught my attention — and confirmed what I suspected. Students who take notes by hand have a distinct advantage over their peers who type notes on a computer. Writing something down by hand activates memory in significantly different ways and assists in deeper learning.

What does that have to do with planning?

Well, planning is more than just running a calendar. It is deeply thinking about priorities and allocating resources (time, talent, and money) in ways that meet goals. That calendar on your phone or your computer doesn’t require that you actually plan. It just schedules. But using a paper planner takes that schedule to a deeper level and helps you prioritize.

Deep? Yep. But planning is a practice. I call it my “mental yoga,” and my new planning section has articles detailing HOW I plan, what materials I use, and WHY I do what I do. It improves my memory, my time management, and our family’s schedule. That’s also why I wrote The Nice List! It is a planner that will help save Christmas!

So I hope you’ll stop by and check it all out!

Stay tuned for more this week! I’ll be revealing the illustrator of The Nice List on Instagram (and here, too).

Be sure to pre-order The Nice List, and have a Happy Wednesday!

XOXO
Angela

@MidModernMama

Planning on Paper Webinar: Okayest Mom's Summer Series

Tomorrow morning I'll be joining this impressive group of women on the Okayest Moms Summer Series. We are super excited to provide knowledge and actionable steps to help you feel comfortable discussing these often taboo subjects. There's a space for every mother here, whether you are directly impacted or not. The more we can learn about one another, the stronger our community will be! I'll be talking about Planning on Paper — How going Old School Can Improve Your Memory and Your Life! I hope you will join me!

The webinar starts Monday morning at 10 am Pacific | 11 am Mountain | 12 N Central | 1 pm Eastern .

To register for this session — or any of their other excellent sessions in the series — check out The Okayest Moms:

Mega Planner Addicts Sale

Today the Mega Planner Addicts Sale begins! If you love planners and stickers and all things cute, this is the sale for you! And I am participating! This weekend only if you use the MPA code (MPASALE) you will get 20% off ANY purchase in my store!

That includes Pre-Orders for The Nice List 2019! Starting today you can pre-order your copy of The Nice List 2019 which will ship in October. And if you use the MPA code, you’ll get a sheet of exclusive stickers FREE with your planner when they ship in the fall.

Be sure to check out all of the cute shops participating in the sale on Instagram. There are so many fun shops, and many of them are offering freebies this weekend, too!

A Life of Gratitude

I hope you each had a Merry Christmas! I am recovering from strep throat — super-fun! But I am taking a little down time today to make sure my thank you note lists are up to date. Did you keep lists of gifts as they were opened at your house? .

Making these lists is part of my practice of gratitude. I used to think of thank you notes as a chore, but I have turned them into on of my habits of gratitude in the last few years. After all, they aren’t just good manners; thank you notes are a means of expressing your Thanks after receiving a gift.

So before you put away all of the gifts you received, take a few minutes to write them down and give thanks for such thoughtful blessings from your family and friends! .

I have lots more about gratitude and thank you notes today in a new section on MidModernMama: Gratitude.

I am launching this new Gratitude section with a piece on How to Write Fabulous Thank You Notes and a list of suggestions for Host & Hostess Gifts. I also have a review of AJ Jacob’s new book, Thanks a Thousand where he sets off to thank everyone who makes his morning cup of coffee possible.

And just for fun I have a new list of Bubbles for New Years — champagne and sparkling wine to ring in the new year.

I hope you will stop by and check it out! And thank you! Thank you for being my loyal readers and for setting off with me on this new venture!

XOXO

Angela

Art Journaling

New content today: all about my practice of Art Journaling! I have only taken one studio art class since middle school -- a pottery class in college. So, let's be clear: I am not a trained artist. However, working in other media -- painting, drawing, collaging, scrapbooking, sewing -- unleashes my creativity and stretches me in new directions. 

Enter: Art Journaling. 

I actually have been journaling and art journaling for years -- I just didn't know that it had a name! I have boxes of journals embellished with photos and collages and sketches in addition to the words I have recorded. I always thought it was a little strange -- not a sketchbook, not purely words. Now I know it is its own medium: Art Journaling. 

Today I'm giving you a peek into Art Journaling -- the materials and practices I use as well as the two art journals on which I am currently working. I hope you'll take a look!

Art Journaling

My practice and techniques as well as a glimpse into my own Art Journals.

Order The Nice List

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Questions? Let me know! And don't forget to order your copy of The Nice List!