Over the Kitchen Counter: Angie's Place for Cooking and Crafts

Scrapbooking Catch-up

As a follow-up to my post about the SPROCKET PRINTER and HAPPY MEMORY KEEPING, I wanted to let you know that I give two thumbs up to both. I am loving the immediacy of being able to print out little pictures every night and scrapbook the day's memories. It is so easy and super, super fun! I am so glad I purchased the sprocket printer and I am very satisfied with it. Sure, the photos are not print-lab quality but they are perfect for what I am trying to create in the Happy Memory Keeping album - quick snapshots of my day.

While I'm keeping up with the daily planner I am also powering through my Creative Memories Disney album. This is a 'proper' scrapbook, full of our trip photos and memorabilia. The project was a little slow to start but this past week I had the passion re-invigorated and I have been taking every spare minute to get my pictures onto the pages. I finished up this weekend and now will just go back and fill in the details then add some cute titles and embellishments. Most of the 'hard work' is done and now I can get to having fun and being creative with the decorating. I've had the kids journal their respective pages and my daughter's trip notes are perfect for helping me remember each day's schedule.

Once again I have been reminded that a) I am pretty good at this and I was able to fit in all the photos and use almost all the paper in the CM Imagine packs and album kit. Somehow, it all just came together and b) I had so much fun reliving the amazing vacation. Every couple weeks the kids will pull a scrapbook or two from the shelf and look through them. From their childhood pics to family holidays, seeing them sitting on the couch and laughing at their hair styles or clothes, birthday parties or holiday celebrations with the extended family, MAKES me keep doing this hobby. I feel so warm and fuzzy knowing that they can see what an incredible adventure they've been on already, with fantastic memories of a wonderful childhood...and many more special days yet to come!

Happy Memory Keeping

I am so excited for September when I will start my new Happy Memory Keeping planner from me & my BIG ideas. Because I purchased the hp sprocket and can now instantly print photos of the day, I knew I wanted to pair it with a planner for quick memory keeping. The large, 8.5 x 11in planner has slightly larger rectangles than the Classic planner I am currently using every day to keep me organized and on track with my to-do lists. The sprocket prints fit perfectly into those spaces and that makes everything so fast and easy when it comes to this kind of scrapbooking.

The specially designed memory keeper album is spiral bound using the Happy Planner discs and the pages are removable. It is a 12 month undated planner so you can begin any time and has both monthly and weekly calendar pages. There are laminated dividers and 23 additional themed pages. There are so many beautiful cover designs and styles to choose from, as well as metal or plastic discs, and even jumbo starter kits that include washi tape and sticker sheets.

I chose the slightly less expensive plastic discs version and since I have plenty of stickers and washi, I bought the stand-alone album. I think the cover is really pretty and the matching water colour artwork inside is too. I also picked up a large punch (I already have the classic size punch) to make decorating with paper and cropping standard size photos super quick and easy.

There are included 'month' stickers to label the divider tabs and I got a couple of sticker books for embellishing the pages with fun seasonal themes & holidays, as well as everyday titles, prompts, and boxes. There are always great deals and coupons at Michaels so it was a pretty affordable system. Unlike traditional scrapbooking, I intend to keep this upstairs where I can access it any time I have a minute. At the end of the day I can jot down any memories and notes (no need to make this complicated or perfect), add a quick photo or two, and adorn with a few relevant stickers. I love the idea of the monthly calendar pages too since I have made a few proper scrapbooks that way in the past. It's quite fun to look back on a typical month-in-our-lives, but this way it stays current and fresh without having to "back-scrap".

I will absolutely still be using my Creative Memories products and albums for my major scrapbooking (I am in the middle of a Disney vacation and my photos and papers are spread out all over my workshop table!), but I think this Happy Memory Keeping planner is going to be a fun way to record our regular days. I'm excited to get started!

hp Sprocket instant pocket printer review

I have been researching the hp Sprocket mini printer for a while and finally gave in and purchased it. This is a super fun pocket-size printer that instantly prints 2x3" photos using ZINK zero Ink printing technology. That ZINK feature is pretty much what sold me on this buy. NO INK! Because I am a Happy Planner and scrapbooker, I really wanted to be able to add small photos to my pages to help remember special, and perhaps even more importantly, everyday, moments. I tried using my regular printer to get those pics but a) I needed to wait until I had enough to fill an entire photo paper page, and b) my regular printer SUCKS ink and it was costing a fortune (and inconvenience) every time I printed. I didn't do this more that 3 times before I realized I needed a different approach. My source for printing regular photos only offers mini prints in a collage of 4 of the same so that wasn't cost effective, and certainly not convenient.

The HP sprocket is exactly what I was looking for. Instant prints, one at a time, right at home, no waiting, and with no ink. It cost about $160 for the printer and the packets of paper are about $25, making each photo about $0.50. To be honest, I am a gadget/electronic girl to begin with so the more I watched videos of this little guy in action, the more I convinced myself it was worth every penny. I am not disappointed!

My very first print was a little streaky but after that, they have been really good! The reviews are mostly favourable and I am having so much fun using the sprocket. It is so tiny and light, fits in the palm of your hand, and is really sleek (I got the white one with rose gold). It is so simple to set up and use and the app offers SO MANY fun features! It is really cool to be able to completely edit your pics right on your phone and add borders, text, fun filters, etc. I could play for hours! There is instant gratification to be able to print a photo immediately to include in your planner page right away. 

You can save your edited photos to your phone, share them on all the social media platforms, and even add them to a print queue to print later. You can print directly from those social media sites directly as well so that is super fast and convenient if you're willing to sign in and share data with HP. You can print on the go, enable mobile printing from other apps, and even create custom stickers from your own drawings. One feature I'm quite excited to try is the tile printing option. You can print out different configurations of a photo and then assemble them to create a large tiled mosaic print.

There is a photobooth mode and even a way to scan photos and link them to relive memories through more images and videos from the same day or location. Again, if you are willing to share your info and photos, there are available magic frames and hidden treasures, themes and seasonal additions that can allow for augmented reality experiences! That gets a little too weird for me but could be fun!

I am thrilled so far with this purchase and love printing my photos in just the right size for my planner. There are some instances when I can print a quick pic to represent an everyday activity that I probably wouldn't otherwise print (our weekend bike route, a picnic lunch, or picking veggies in the garden, etc.) and it's nice to be able to remember those moments along with the big birthdays or vacations.

I have even changed the way I'm going to scrapbook and memory keep because of the sprocket and can't wait to share what system I have put together!

New Happy Planner Haul

I had to travel to find them but was delighted to load my shopping basket with a bunch of newly released Happy Planner products. They were just launched at Michaels and were 30% off. I was drooling when I watched the MAMBI YouTube VIDEO (there are a few!) and made a list. Unfortunately, when I found the display rack I didn't have my list and was in a rush so I just did a grab & go (tee hee).

As you can see I loaded up on the new boxed stickers. These are awesome and so needed since they are rolls of the most-used daily stickers for each category. I use the fitness ones the most but I love the Mom and Home Life packs too. New to me is the Wellness line of items and I was inspired after watching the video to incorporate that inner check-up in my day as well as the physical side of fitness. I bought the extension kit to add to my regular planner. It has such beautiful photography and artwork and I'm very excited to bust it open. There are stickers and calendar pages, dividers, and prompts. It's going to be amazing to play with!

Another inventive and useful product is the Weekly Meal Plan half sheets of paper. While I was using the mini planner to make up my menus and lists, it was killing me in stickers having to customize the schedule paper each week. It was necessary to cover up the date and time info to make it work for organizing my meals and grocery lists for the week. These dedicated sheets will be so much easier to incorporate into my regular Classic planner. I purchased a co-ordinating sticker box too. There are some really cute food stickers, lists, and shopping reminders.

We finally have a quiet house so I am down in my workshop today. I know I want to sew next week so I'm getting my planners ready now while I have a chance to set up the dispenser boxes with washi (watch the video for great tips!) and dig in to the new stuff. It has been such an amazing holiday this year and everything was so lovely. I'm excited for 2018 to get here and it is an incredible feeling to go into a new year feeling so content, healthy, blessed and loved. I wish the same for all of you <3

Happy Planner Accessories

Wow, time is certainly flying by! I'm not sure where the week went since I last posted! I have been cooking up a storm and taking lots of pics for you but have barely been to my computer in (obviously!) days. I've also been what I like to call, Plannering...my verb for prepping my Happy Planner pages for the week ahead, when I have a small chunk of time.

I start by choosing a colour scheme for the week and adding stickers and washi to establish a base. I add in what I already know (appointments, workout schedules, and to-do lists) and once those are written down, I sprinkle in some fun inspirational quotes or additional cute stickers for decoration. It's a lot of fun but I can spend way too much time on it. Those stickers are addictive!

I bought some gorgeous covers for my planners and I really like having them both to protect the pages and keep some stickers handy in the front pocket. I also really need the pen holder on the side. I now have my regular daily planner, my fitness planner, and a mini for meal planning. I was finding that figuring out what we were going to eat (in advance) had gone by the wayside and I was scrambling when dinner time came around. It's not how I like to run things and a lot of fresh food (and leftovers) were going to waste because I wasn't organized.

The mini is really cute to work with and the size keeps things compact and portable. I make a shopping list for the week from one of the tabbed add-on lined pages and keep track of what needs to be assembled for each meal. I can take a quick look through the fridge, cupboard, and deep freeze to see what needs to be eaten up and what ingredients I have on hand for different dishes. It's a process I used to do for many years when we were a young family trying to stretch the grocery budget and it was very efficient. I also have a page where family members can add their requests or cravings and a section where I note which new recipes to try and where to find them. Best of all, I can look forward to the days where I have the DATE NIGHT or TAKE OUT stickers and I don't have to cook!!!!

The fitness planner came in a kit which includes the book, a pen, stickers, post-its and a magnetic page marker. It's a great way to get started because all the essentials are right there from the beginning. I added a pack of dividers which are plastic, tabbed 'dashboards' for quickly marking your page and keeping sections separate. I like that they can be decorative and functional; there are many ideas on YouTube for how to customize the dashboards. I've added photos and quote stickers and even used one to hold the most-used post-it notes.

One last thing I picked up (not the Happy Planner brand which are not available in my store) were some high-lighter pens. I chose the Sharpie ones from Staples since I exclusively use Sharpie pens. They are perfect for lefties because they don't smudge! The high-lighters are excellent and I love the chiselled view-through tip. The 3 colour pack lets me quickly see what tasks are important or time sensitive. Love 'em!

It's been almost a month since I started keeping the planner(s) and I truly think they have been keeping me on track. I am especially loving the fitness version because I need to keep myself encouraged and inspired. It really helps! Thanks for checking in and I will definitely be back with all those recipes I've been cooking up!

Happy Planner!!!!!

Well I have been bitten once again by the planner bug. I've been using the amazing Quilter's Planner for two years but with the exchange and delivery to Canada, it was just too expensive to justify this year. Instead, upon my daughter's urging, I switched over to the Happy Planner. The Me and My Big Ideas (Mambi to the 'planner babes' crowd!) line is available at Michaels so it is really convenient to grab a new book and all the incredible accessories and supplies that go along with it. I can go any time I want with no duty, exchange, or delivery...and Michaels has awesome coupons!!

It is really fun to have a whole range of choices when it comes to both customizing and decorating the Happy Planner. #1 on my list is the amazing feature of being able to remove the planner pages. As a 'lefty', anything with a spiral binding is a problem. It hurts, it leads to smudging, and it's totally awkward to use. Being able to pull down on the pages so I can work on them flat on the table is a blessing!  It's also very nice to be able to take a chunk of the planner bulk out until you need it (i.e. I removed the second 6 months of 2018) so the book is light and portable...and there's now plenty of room for FUN add-ons!!!!!

I bought a few sticker packs that are great for embellishing the layouts for each week. The beautifully themed stickers are a great starting point for adorning the 'data' of my days and are, of course, exactly the right size for the date boxes.  After all the to-dos and appointments are written in it's super fun and creative to go back and add cute stickers, inspiring quotes, motivational accents and tick-boxes. I am loving the whole process!

I even printed off some perfectly sized photos to add to the pages. There IS a punch from Happy Planner to make that even easier but it isn't available in Canada yet. Boo.

I'll share some of the other great accessories I got in another post. At the moment, I need to feed the dog. And write that down. In. My. Planner! Is there a sticker for that????