New in the Redhead Paper Shop

I have recently added several new items, including one I designed initially as a custom order for a returning customer. Check them out!

Hello 2024

First up is my annual “Hello New Year” sticker page. I’m going for growth energy with my green stained glass “Hello 2024” set!

2024 Moon Phases

Next up is a full-page single sticker updating one I had last year. Oddly enough, the 2023 moon phase sticker didn’t sell too well, but the 2024 Moon Phase sticker has already outsold last year’s!

2024 Full-Page Month Calendars

This last one was a request from one of my long-time customers, and I’m always happy to design things for them. They wanted a 12-sticker set of each month on a full page. I decided they would be a great addition for the store.

These are sized to take up most of a page in an A5 notebook. Honestly, my handwriting is probably too big for me to use this, but I know there are lots of people out there with smaller handwriting than me!

2023: A Year to Cultivate

For the past few years I haven’t chosen a word of the year. I’ve focused on equanimity, which is the core virtue of Enneagram Fours. It’s something I’m not super good at, which is why I’ve been trying to focus on it. But as I was doing my end-of-year review after Christmas, a word whacked me over the head and demanded to be my 2023 word of the year.

This is my year to Cultivate.

Yes, the “Cultivate” word of the year sticker is on my Etsy shop now!

What’s involved in cultivation? You have to prepare a place, plant things, water them, feed them, weed out anything that hurts them, and tend them as they grow. Eventually comes the harvest, and you see the final product of all that cultivating…but I think there’s also a lot of benefit to find during the cultivating.

Merriam-Webster’s definition is very helpful at teasing out some of the intricacies of this word.

Cultivate

1. to prepare or prepare and use for the raising of crops

2. a. to foster the growth of

b. culture

c. to improve by labor, care, or study: refine

3. further, encourage

4. to seek the society of: make friends with

Some of these sub-meanings are more applicable to my word of the year than others.

Cultivate: To Prepare

There are a lot of places that more preparation would benefit me. Preparing my budget each week and sticking to it would help. Preparing my schedule each week is definitely helpful. Preparing for work or projects I need to accomplish is important.

Cultivate: To Foster the Growth Of

There are a lot of things I want to foster the growth of in my life–better physical health, better mental health, better spiritual life, better finances, better relationships. When I look at any one of those things, I can see a lot of small steps I can take to better prepare for them.

If I want better physical health, I can prepare by creating space every week for physical movement. That helps me foster the growth of stamina and also helps me foster the growth of making movement a habit.

If I want better relationships, I can prepare by keeping in touch with my friends and family, scheduling time to spend intentionally with them, and being more attentive to their needs and desires.

Cultivate: to Improve by Labor, Care, or Study: Refine

I really like this aspect of the definition. When you plant a garden, you don’t just stick the seeds in the ground and hope they grow. You water them and tend the soil, you make sure weeds aren’t crowding them out and taking resources needed for the seeds to grow.

If I want to cultivate my writing this year, I need to prepare by scheduling writing, I need to foster the growth of it by sitting down every time I’m scheduled to write…and I need to watch for the “weeds” that crowd out my writing time. I’ve played a lot of Skyrim and Dragon Age games over the past year. My Steam replay was, frankly, no surprise to me. Participating in NaNoWriMo this past November reminded me that, if I sit down deliberately to write, and don’t allow myself to hop into one of my games first, I will get more written.

I’m not saying that PC games are weeds, exactly, but they’re sort of like mint. Anyone who’s ever planted what they thought was a cute little patch of catmint or peppermint can tell you that mint flourishes and crowds out everything around it. If I don’t pay attention to my writing before I game, I’m letting the game flourish into time I’d honestly rather spend writing.

And there’s another aspect of this sub-meaning, the refine aspect. I not only want to write more, but I want to write better. I want to learn more about my craft and hone my style–and the only way to do that is to write!

Every year I buy a bracelet from Positive Charm on Etsy for my word of the year (My photo is linked to the shop)

A Year-Long Practice

You don’t cultivate something overnight. Cultivation is the opposite of instant gratification–and don’t get me wrong, I love instant gratification! But I need to work on enjoying life without that constant dopamine hit of instant gratification. I need to learn to celebrate the small joys that happen every day.

This year’s word of the year feels different to me, and I wonder if part of that is that I’m going to have to keep coming back to this concept and revisiting it, redefining it, rediscovering what that looks like in my life.

And that’s a good thing! What good is a word of the year if it doesn’t become a year-long practice?

What about you? Do you choose a word of the year?

 

New Shop Items for 2023

I’ve added a few new items to my Etsy shop just in time for 2023!

Hello 2023 New Year Set

Image of a keyhole in a door with light shining through. Over it is a banner saying "Hello 2023". Added to the main image is a key, a dip pen and bottle of ink, and a bank of lit candles.

I’ve recently started celebrating my personal new year in October, my birth month. But it also feels weird not to acknowledge the traditional new year in my planner. So here’s my set for 2023! I decided to go with a theme of “opening the door on a new year” and combine that with light to symbolize hope for the coming months.

The main sticker is roughly 3.8″ wide by 5.3″ tall and features a keyhole shining with light, a key, lit candles, and Hello 2023. Candles, keys, a magic potion, and a hand holding a 2023 planner add accent stickers.

Order here.

Celestial Themed Set

I designed this set to use with washi tape I got in an OwlCrate* box a few months ago, and I really love this set.

This is a 5×7 sheet of 24 stickers themed around celestial energy and magic. Decorate your collection page with pretty crystals, feathers, and candles. Two larger stickers illustrate moon phases.

* Not an affiliate link, I just like them.

Order here.

Moon Phases 2023

And speaking of moon phases… I always mark the first quarter, full, last quarter, and new moon on my monthly log, but I found a nice graphic depicting the phase of the moon on each day of 2023. (For the northern hemisphere, at least!)

This is a 5×7 sheet of 16 stickers themed around the 2023 lunar calendar. The main sticker is 6.5″ tall by 3.6″ wide. Additional stickers portray individual phases of the moon and include several stars as well!

Order here.

New colorways for Month Tabs

And finally, because I like having new Bullet Journal colors every year, I also like having matching month tabs! I made a brown & green set for my mom, whose current BuJo is dark green. I also made a set of purple tabs some time ago for a custom order, and meant to get that listed as an option for people as well.

Order here.

 

Hygge is saving my life right now

What’s Saving My Life 2022

A lot of the people I follow on social, podcasts, and newsletters talk about things that are saving their lives right now. At first it struck me as odd, but the more I’ve seen people like Kendra Adachi, Modern Mrs. Darcy, and Emily P. Freeman talking about what’s saving their lives right now, the more inspiring it’s become.

And just this morning in my inbox, Michelle DeRusha was in my inbox talking about Imbolc in her email newsletter The Back Patio. Quoting from her newsletter: “I know, it doesn’t feel like or look like spring yet, but according to Celtic tradition, February 1– known as St. Brigid’s feast day or Imbolc — marks the first day of spring. The word imbolc is thought to come from the Old Irish i mbolc, meaning “in the belly,” and refers to the fact that ewes were often pregnant in rural Ireland at this time of year.”

So Modern Mrs. Darcy and Michelle DeRusha disagree about whether we’re half-way through winter or on the first day of spring, but either way, this seems like a good thing to do, taking a moment to list

(By the way, if you’re not following any of the ladies I mentioned above, you should be! They also collectively saved my life in 2021.)

What’s Saving My Life Right Now

  • Hygge is saving my life right nowSpruce soy candles – I love the smell of spruce, and for whatever reason, I’ve discovered that soy candles both smell best and burn best. I’m really sensitive to smells (to the point that I can’t even go inside Bath & Bodyworks anymore, because I’ll be sick the rest of the day), but spruce is almost always safe. Of course, I can only burn these if I’m willing to keep an eye on the cats. So far, knock on wood, they’ve behaved themselves, but I can’t totally trust that they’ll realize fire = dangerous, so.
  • My 3-tier rolling cart with white string lights – Okay, I know this is weirdly specific, but I have a large 3-tier rolling cart from the Container Store. It holds a few reference/TBR books, plus a tray with pencils and things to mark up the books I read. It also has my purse on one level, along with blank notebooks and journaling supplies, and on the bottom it has my Olive & June mani kit and my blood pressure machine. I know, weird mix, right? But I decorated it with white, battery-operated string lights, and when I pull it next to my recliner and turn those lights on, I swear I feel my blood pressure dropping (that’s why I want to check it then! LOL) It’s cozy without my having to worry that if I fall asleep, the cats will knock it over and set the house on fire.
  • New Testament 1 chapter a day – I have been meaning to do an intentional read-through of the entire New Testament for… (checks New Year resolutions…) five years now. This year I purchased The Story of Redemption, Volume 4 by The Daily Grace Co, which is a journal that prompts you to write one paragraph about each chapter. It’s not too much, but it’s enough to make me reflect on what I’m reading every day.
  • Dragon Age & Mass Effect game soundtracks – I’m a big PC gamer, and my favorite games for many years have been Skyrim and the Dragon Age games. Last year I played Mass Effect when the Legendary Edition came out, and I liked it, too, although that ending, dude. (I know, I know, no spoilers!) The music created for both universes is magnificent, and I’ve had them on repeat for months.
  • Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert – I just finished reading this a couple of days ago, after reading it a little bit at a time over the past few months. Elizabeth Gilbert feels like a friend talking to you when you’re reading this book. It’s funny how she also kicks your butt if you’re getting too precious about your creativity. I’m pretty sure this is a book I’m going to revist several times.
  • My Sleeping Potion: Which consists of Apothekary Chill the F* Out and Do Not Disturb + 1 tsp baking cocoa + 1/2 tsp sugar in hot water. It’s hot cocoa, but with added calming herbs to help you sleep. I’ve never been good at sleeping, so it’s lovely to have created a bedtime ritual of drinking my sleeping potion while sitting in my recliner about half an hour before bed.
  • Speaking of sleep, Michelle’s Sanctuary Sleep Stories are also saving my life right now. I discovered her sleep stories on the Insight Timer app, and I love going to bed after my evening ritual and then relaxing with one of the many imaginative and calming sleep stories told in her amazingly soothing voice.
  • Intentional pursuit of hygge (The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living by Miek Wiking) – I finally got around to reading this last month, in desperation to love winter instead of hating it. Miek Wiking’s book made me happy and gave me some great ideas, although it also sort of made me want to move to Denmark. As a result, I’ve done a lot of intentional hygge pursuit. I created winter journaling stickers like my autumn journaling stickers to remind me of the best and coziest parts of winter. I’ve been lighting candles and throwing blankets everywhere (not at the same time, blankets are flammable). And I really think it’s given me a better energy about winter.
  • Flannel sheets – For Christmas, my mom bought me these gorgeous flannel sheets with a dark red and green and gray patchwork design. Each patch has little scenes, like an owl sitting in a birch tree, a wolf howling at the moon, or deer starting around in a little herd. They are so cozy and perfect, and I love them like mad.
  • The Outer Worlds – I mentioned I was a gamer, right? One of my dearest friends bought me The Outer Worlds for my birthday back in October, and I finally got around to starting it once it got cold here in Indiana. The characters are fun, the world-building is sort of like science-fiction-meets-cowboy-western (the whole aesthetic reminds me a lot of Firefly, honestly, but don’t tell my friend that, she hated Firefly!). Best of all, the conflict is largely between greedy corporations and the little people being crushed by them, which is really appealing to my current state of mind. Oh, and the soundtrack by Justin E. Bell is awesome, too.

What about you? What’s saving your life lately? I’d love to hear about it!

A harvest sticker set from Redhead Paper on Etsy to celebrate autumn

Autumn Goodies in the Shop!

I’ve probably mentioned before now that autumn is my favorite season, yes? Well, I’ve been working on new products, and one of my favorites is is my three-sheet Autumn Harvest set!⁠

A harvest sticker set from Redhead Paper on Etsy to celebrate autumn

Harvest vegetables, leaves, fall picnics, candles, apples, fall foliage, and autumn scenery all make an appearance in the Autumn Harvest set. Use these Bullet Journal stickers to celebrate a season of coziness this autumn. Add that fall mood to your planner pages and Bullet Journal. Celebrate Samhain and honor the equinox. Embrace a sense of gratitude for the harvest season. Some of these stickers are large autumn scenes and some are smaller embellishments.

My Autumn Mood set is another I created recently, trying to emphasize the warm and cozy aspects of autumn. You can also get an entire bundle of all of my Autumn stickers, and buying the bundle saves a little money instead of buying each listing individually.

Autumn mood stickers from RHP - boots and bats, lanterns and pumpkins

These Bullet Journal stickers are perfect for busy Bullet Journalists who LOVE the flexibility of the BuJo system but don’t have time to draw fancy spreads and want more time for drinking cocoa, reading comfort books, and sitting beside the fire.

Check out some of my seasonal bundles and best-sellers for more stickers at even more value!

Part of reviewing my summer and planning my autumn involves looking at September's habit tracking and sleep logs

Autumn Check-In

We’ve reached October, and somehow I can’t believe this year is three-quarters over. Didn’t we all have high hopes for 2021 being better than 2020? What happened?

Of course, in a lot of ways, 2021 has been better, but I’m having a hard time reconciling all my emotions about October 1, 2021. In less than two weeks, I’ll turn 45. A month from now, I’ll be starting NaNoWriMo, and for the first time, I’m nervous about that. In just three months, it’ll be 2022.

My mental and physical health are better by far than they were two months ago. My blood pressure is back where I need it to be. I’m relying less on my anti-anxiety medications than I was a month ago. I haven’t had an alcoholic beverage for almost two months. And yet…

And yet…

And yet I’m feeling some regret for things I haven’t gotten done in 2021. I’m somehow managing to balance in the middle of experiencing quiet contentment on a daily basis and still feeling restless while I work. I’m exercising more and sleeping well, but my dreams are unsettled and often revolve around imaginary conflict at my job.

Autumn Reflection

One thing that’s on my mind a lot this week is wrapping up the third quarter of the year and embarking on the fourth quarter. Emily P. Freeman’s Next Right Thing podcast episode A Soul Minimalist’s Guide to Autumn is resonating with me. In part of the episode, she says,

Maybe there’s some invisible goals that you had for the year, things that either you wrote down at the beginning of the year that were intentions that have sort of fallen by the wayside or been forgotten. Or maybe they’ve changed. Or maybe you had some goals for the year that you never articulated, and now as the year begins to wind down, you’re starting to feel some  disappointment and you don’t know why. It could be because you had some things you wanted to do this year, but you didn’t really have a plan to carry them out, or maybe just the state of the world got in the way

I had some goals I did articulate, and I definitely didn’t accomplish a lot of those. When I did a soft reset over Labor Day weekend, I extended grace to myself and set out some more manageable goals for September.

Just September.

I didn’t plan ahead of that, because I wanted to try to be more present on a daily basis. And it sort of worked. At least, I’m aware of many more moments when I was completely present.

Part of reviewing my summer and planning my autumn involves looking at September's habit tracking and sleep logs

Autumn Quarterly Planning

I won’t do my task migration in my Bullet Journal until tomorrow, because I always hold out hope that I’ll get one last thing done before the end of the month! But in the meantime, I’m looking ahead to Quarter Four and I’m trying to set reasonable goals for the next 90 days.

I just finished reading Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski, PhD, and Amelia Nagoski, DMA. In it, they lay out useful criteria for creating better goals. “The new goal has to be soon, certain, specific, concrete, positive, and personal.” To me, these criteria make more sense than SMART goals. I’m trying to use those methods as I plan.

My goals for October include writing a short story, creating some winter-themed sticker packs, making sure my 2022 dated items are listed and updated, and scheduling time to rest each week.

My November goal is to win NaNoWriMo and finish my Christmas shopping before December 1.

Other Fourth Quarter goals include taking time each day during Advent to spend time with Tsh Oxenreider’s book Shadow and Light: A Journey Into Advent. I also recently purchased Tsh’s Rule of Life course, and I’d like to work through that by the end of 2021 as well.

Autumn 2021 Reading

A lot of the books I’m reading and podcasts I’m listening to advocate for slowing down and living in the season of life we’re in. I’m currently reading The Next Right Thing by Emily P. Freeman, alongside The Sacred Enneagram by Christopher Heuertz. I’m also still working through my Daily Grace Co Bible study on depression. Through all of these, I’m feeling more introspective on a daily basis. I wish I could say that was leading me to answers, but right now I’m just living in the questions, and I’m trying to learn to be okay with that.

I’m also reading Foundation’s Edge by Isaac Asimov. September brought two lovely novels that I greatly enjoyed: Maggie Stiefvater’s Mister Impossible and T.J. Klune’s Under the Whispering Door. T.J. Klune gave everyone a great gift last year with The House in the Cerulean Sea, and at that point I preordered this year’s book. I’m very glad I did. I also hope this month to revist a book I read and loved years ago, Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg.

My autumn reading list

Summer Review

So I’m planning my autumn season, but as part of that, I also want to look back on my summer. This coming weekend I plan to work through a summer review and reflect on what I learned this summer. I want to list with what was life-giving and life-draining over the past three months. As I work through what reflection questions I need to ask, I’ll create Quarterly/Monthly Review stickers for the Etsy shop.

What have you learned this summer? What are you looking forward to in autumn? Comment and let me know!

My new Bullet Journal is letting me relaunch my life along with my shop. Pink Leuchtturm1917 with a pair of reading glasses and two TWSBI Eco fountain pens.

Redhead Relaunch

Redhead Paper is back, y’all!

I know, you probably didn’t know I was taking a break, but it’s time for a relaunch! This summer has been a rough one for me. I needed some serious mental health adjustments, including different depression medications, and July was just sort of a black hole for me. In the end, I put my Etsy shop on vacation mode to give myself some breathing room. I learned a few lessons (the hard way) this summer, and I want to share them with you.

I also have a Relaunch Special to share with you, so if you want to skip the lessons and get the discount, scroll to the end of this post!

Lesson #1: Mood Tracking Isn’t Just a Fad

We’ve all seen the pretty mood-tracking spreads, right? Some people color in a doodle for each day, or assign their mood a number from 1-10. Or maybe you’re a fan of the Year in Pixels method developed by Camille (aka PassionCarnets).

I always thought it was a nice idea, but I couldn’t see any practical purpose to it. Boy, was I wrong!

For the past year or so, my mom’s been telling me she thought my antidepressants weren’t working very well. I kept ignoring her, thinking I just needed to focus on remembering to take my meds every. single. time. After I crashed in July, I looked back and realized that she was right. My emotional health has been going steadily downhill for several months, maybe even a couple of years. If I’d been tracking my mood regularly, if I had a long-distance overview of my moods, I might have realized sooner that I needed to make adjustments.

Mood Tracker: A grid with 31 days down and 12 months across, to be colored in according to mood

Lesson #2: Self-Care Is Important

Self-care matters.

Self-care needs to be prioritized.

Self-care isn’t selfish.

You know how the pre-flight presentation always reminds you to put on your own face mask before helping someone else with theirs? That’s actually an important metaphor for performing self-care.

You can’t take care of other people if you aren’t taking care of yourself. Self-care is important.

Lesson #3: If I Don’t Prioritize My Mental Health, No One Else Will Either

Living in the United States, I have to cope with life in a capitalist society. Capitalism doesn’t care if I’m happy or in the depths of despair; it just cares if I’m making money and paying the bills. (There’s a reason the happiest nations in the world also tend to function under democratic socialism and not capitalism.)

Most companies in the US don’t care about mental health, no matter what they say. That puts the burden of self-care on workers. Maybe that isn’t fair, but the fact is, no one is going to care about my mental health if I don’t make my mental health a priority.

My current #AmReading: Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski, PhD, and Amelia Nagoski, DMA, and Never Alone: Walking With God Through Depression by Aubrey Coleman & Joy Woo for The Daily Grace Co

My current #AmReading: Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski, PhD, and Amelia Nagoski, DMA, and Never Alone: Walking With God Through Depression by Aubrey Coleman & Joy Woo for The Daily Grace Co.

Lesson #4: It’s Okay to Ask For Help

Straight truth here: I couldn’t have relaunched on my own. When I finally realized that getting out of bed in the morning was more than I could manage, I had to ask for help.

I called my health-care professional and asked for help. She spent two hours with me that first day, talking about all the things that were weighing me down, all the ways I’d let stuff pile on top of me, and then we came up with a plan.

Okay, honestly? She pretty much came up with the plan, but she made sure I was with her every step of the way. She knew what was medically possible, she knew what might help with the various problems I was addressing, and she told me the pros and cons of each possible path. Then she let me decide if I was on board. And I was.

I left her office feeling better than I had in months, even though we hadn’t really done anything except make a plan. But knowing we had a plan, knowing what the next step was, made all the difference in the world.

(On a related note, I love Emily P. Freeman’s The Next Right Thing podcast. I’m not a huge podcast person, but the ones I enjoy the most are the ones that feel like you’re sitting in a cozy room with a hot drink and a friend who cares deeply about you. Emily P. Freeman and Lazy Genius Kendra Adachi are both very good at that.)

Another thing I had to do was make myself be open with my friends and family. Not all of them, necessarily, and selectively. My mom and I are super close, and I couldn’t have made any meaningful change without her support. One of my dearest friends also deals with depression, and we’ve started getting together for Mexican food once a month and spending time just being real together.

I also joined an online course on burnout. The course has provided a great support group with a certain amount of anonymity so I don’t feel super-self-conscious about some of the most personal stuff I need to share.

Lesson #5: Sometimes You Need a Relaunch

When I sat down to plan out my September Bullet Journal pages, I realized I was running close to the end of my current notebook (an Official Bullet Journal in blush by Leuchtturm1917). I don’t usually like starting a new notebook in the middle of the year, but I liked the idea of a fresh start this year.

So I bought a pink Leuchtturm1917 that almost matches the blush color. Then I found some Happy Planner stickers that did a good job embracing the new mindset I was cultivating. I took my time and set up my new Bullet Journal with a lot of intention.

And for the past five days, I’ve loved spending time with my Bullet Journal again!My new Bullet Journal is letting me relaunch my life along with my shop. Pink Leuchtturm1917 with a pair of reading glasses and two TWSBI Eco fountain pens.


So those are some of the lessons I’ve learned this summer. I hope my sharing them is helpful for you!

Redhead Relaunch Special

As part of my Redhead Paper Etsy shop relaunch, I want to offer a discount to thank all my long-time supporters, as well as all the great people I’m just meeting for the first time!

So from now until September 25, 2021, all orders of $5 or more get 15% off!

Free Downloads for Quarantine

Wow. with COVID-19, quarantine, school closures…this spring has really been something beyond imagining, hasn’t it?

For an introvert, social distancing and self-isolation isn’t a problem, but I am fortunate enough to have only cats to entertain, rather than children. I can’t imagine how difficult this time is for extroverted people, especially if you’re trying to work from home while keeping your kids occupied and on-task, school-wise.

Eustace Clarence, my quarantine coworker

Eustace Clarence Scrubb, my quarantine coworker

I’ve been wracking my brain for some way I could help people who are stuck at home in quarantine, and today I finally decided on a couple of  free printables.

The first is designed for kids. There’s no question that we’re living through historic times, and as an historian, I know how important it is to have primary documents–journals, letters, and that sort of thing.

COVID-19 Quarantine Journal

I designed My COVID-19 Quarantine Journal for kids to keep a guided journal during self-isolation. You can download it as a PDF and print as many as you need. I included daily pages for 30 days. (Optimistic? Maybe.)

[ddownload id=”505″ text=”Download the COVID-19 Journal”]

 

Quarantine KonMari Checklist

The second is designed for adults who might be inclined to work on decluttering while we’re all stuck at home. I know I’ve been noticing my clutter more, since it’s sometimes affecting my ability to work from home (for my day job). The clutter has also making it difficult to find things I always said I was work on “when I have time.”

Well, time has been pretty much forced on us now, hasn’t it? So I’m trying to get to some of those “someday maybe” projects…when I can find them! So the second download I made is a printable KonMari checklist.

[ddownload id=”506″ text=”Download the KonMari Checklist”]

 

I love the KonMari method, but I know it isn’t for everyone. Even if you don’t ask yourself if every item sparks joy, this list can at least get you thinking about all the crazy places clutter collects in our houses.

Other Quarantine Resources

By the way, f you aren’t a KonMari fan, Kendra Adachi (aka The Lazy Genius) has a fantastic ebook called The Swap that I purchased a while back. It gave me a different way of thinking about a problem I had with my work setup. It resulted in my ditching a guest bed and radically overhauling my bedroom and home office (for Etsy).

Kendra also has a fantastic blog post called A Lazy Genius Survival Guide: Quarantine. It has lots of good resources and suggestions. (I admit it, I’m a Lazy Genius fangirl. I don’t listen to a lot of podcasts, but I never miss this one.)

I’ll be adding these files to the downloads page soon. If you have any requests for resources that would help you, I’m open to suggestions and happy to help!

And please stay home and stay healthy. Let me know how you’re doing in the comments.

Join the Redhead Paper Email Club!

I’m excited to tell you about something new I’m getting ready to launch–the Redhead Paper Email Club!

The club is totally free, and I want it to be something that’s a valuable resource to you.

If you join the Redhead Paper Email Club, you’ll be the first to hear about upcoming sales and product launches. Plus you’ll have access to a subscribers-only Resource Library with printable downloads, lists, and guides!

Why an email club?

I want to keep in touch with my customers in a better way than simply communicating through Etsy, and I want to stay in better touch with my blog readers. After all, we have a lot in common, and I want to know you all better! I want to be more helpful than just providing stickers once in a while–I want to share printables, planning tips, and productivity strategies with you.

I also want an organized way to let my special customers know about product launches like my new NaNoWriMo planning bundle or the next top-secret project that’s coming soon!

In addition, we’re running up to the holiday shopping season, and I want to make sure my customers don’t miss out on all the special Black Friday offers I’m planning.

A printable PDF all members of the email club receive immediately: 150+ Bullet Journal Collection IdeasSo when will you email me?

I’ll send no more than two emails a month. Additionally, I’ll only email you if:

  • the Etsy shop has new products
  • I have sales coming up
  • I have helpful and useful information to share with you, or
  • I’ve posted a new blog

What else do I get?

Right away you will get an email with my list of 150+ Collection Ideas for your Bullet Journal! It’s a 4-page PDF that you can download from the very first welcoming email!

P.S. I’m already planning that from time to time I’ll offer special discounts or free shipping on items from my Etsy shop–just another reason to join!

Join my email club!


 

150 Plus Collection Ideas for your Bullet Journal by Redhead Paper.com

Travel Planning with Redhead Paper

I just got back from a quick overnight trip. I’d like to say it was beautifully planned and everything went as I’d hoped.

I’d like to say that, but I can’t.

The truth is, faced with the prospect of an unexpected extra day off, I decided to take a quick jaunt up to Lake Michigan. I booked a hotel room in New Buffalo, Michigan, about three hours from where I live. I did a little bit of internet searching on kayak rental, because I knew I wanted to paddle the Galien River.

It was all clear in my head: dinner at Redamak’s, hanging out at the beach, hiking at Galien River County Park, kayaking on the Galien River, more hanging out at the beach.

What I failed to realize is that the New Buffalo Ship and Shore Festival was taking place. Southbound traffic was backed up so badly I couldn’t even think about getting into the Redamak’s parking lot. There was no getting near the beach. Ultimately I ended up with an hour-long dinner wait at a place in Three Oaks, where I couldn’t see the lake. Then I took the long way ’round to avoid New Buffalo on the way back to my hotel room.

Where I sulked a little bit.

I usually do a much better job of researching and planning a trip. Here are a couple of my methods.

Travel Planning in a Bullet Journal

My preferred method is planning in my Bullet Journal, because that goes everywhere with me. If it’s a trip I’ve been anticipating for a while, there’s a good chance things will occur to me at random times. I want to be able to capture those thoughts when they hit me.

I sell a set of trip planning stickers in my Etsy store, and those are the stickers I use most of the time when I’m planning a trip.

A picture of travel planning stickers with packing lists, trip information, and moreThe stickers include packing lists for categories like Medicine/First Aid, Electronics, Makeup & Personal Care, Miscellaneous, and all the outfits I’ll need. There’s also a trip overview where I put the dates, the number of days and nights I’ll be traveling, and the expected weather.

That last bit is important! One year when I went up to the Indiana Dunes, I failed to realize it was going to be just as hot and sticky there as it was where I live. I ended up at the Michigan City outlet mall to buy clean clothes!

Travel Planning with a Printable

An image of a printable travel itinerary page with room for destination, flight and hotel information, expected weather, things to do, and budget.I also have a new Travel Itinerary Printable that I’m offering here as a free download.

This printable has places to note your destination, flight information, hotel information, and expected weather. After that comes a grid to plan out several days worth of things to do and your daily budget.

It’s a two-page printable. The ten days included are all numbered. If you’re lucky enough to be traveling longer than ten days, you can always print extra copies of the second page to fit your trip.

[ddownload id=”384″ text=”Download the Itinerary Printable FREE”]

Traveling with your Planner

Once you have the trip all planned and you’re ready to leave, do you take your planner with you?

I always do. For one thing, I use my Bullet Journal as a planner but also as a sort of scrapbook. I have a little HP Sprocket printer (the red version) and I use that to print small photos that I can stick in my Bullet Journal with some recollections about the day.

Another reason to take my Bullet Journal with me is so I have important addresses with me, even if my phone battery dies. I love sending postcards to my friends–even though a lot of them don’t even bother checking their mailbox daily!

(What is up with that, by the way? I’m Gen X and check my mailbox daily even though it’s usually just bills and spiders. My Millennial friends don’t seem to remember to check the mailbox daily.)

Anyway… I also like to have my Bullet Journal with me to record expenses during the trip, write down places I want to go or things I want to do next time I visit, and so on. Maybe if I were using a traditional daily or weekly planner, I wouldn’t be as inclined to take it on personal trips with me.

What about you? Do you take your Bullet Journal or planner with you when you’re traveling? Do you have any tips I’ve forgotten to mention? Comment and let me know!

And don’t forget to download your itinerary printable!

[ddownload id=”384″ text=”Download the Itinerary Printable FREE”]