Plan With Me: Minions!

In celebration of the new Minions movie coming out Friday I thought I would do a Minion theme. I also didn't use any washi this week.

Here are the free Minion printable stickers.
     For Erin Condren
     For Happy Planner 

Are you excited about the Minion movie?

Plan With Me: July

See how I decorate my Happy Planner for the Fourth of July.

What other themes would you like to see?

Planner Starter Kit on a Budget & Giveaway!

Do want to get into planning but don't have a lot of money? Then you definitely need a planner starter kit on a budget. 

What are you planner must haves?

Giveaway details on the original video on Youtube. Only way to enter is through Youtube.

Planner Haul: Glam Planning

Check out the adorable sticker I got from the Etsy shop Glam Planning. 

She was nice enough to include a discount code for you all too! Melissa20

What is your favorite Etsy sticker shop?

NEW The Happy Planner!

I got a new planner!! It's called The Happy Planner. It is very similar to the Erin Condren Life Planner but much more affordable!

What type of planner do you use?

Do’s and Don’ts of Donating

Last month I shared how I go through my stuff and decide what to donate. This month I thought I would give you a few do's and don'ts of donating.

Pictures from here

Do’s

~ Wash your clothes before donating (no one wants your stinky clothes)

~Donate to an organization you love (it’ll help you to continue to do it)

~ Make sure games and puzzles have all the pieces (no one wants to buy something to find they can’t use it)

Don’ts 

~Donate anything ripped, broken, or stained (if you don’t want it like that why would someone else?)

~ Donate underwear and socks (EWWWW!)

~ Donate outdated electronics (there are specific places to recycle these things at)

~Donate open makeup ( Again EWWWWW!)

Do you have any to add?

Plan With Me: Paris Edition

See how I decorate my Target planner. This weeks theme is Paris.

What other planner themes would you like to see?

Planner Haul: Target Dollar Spot

I recently went to a different Target than I usually do and I found all these awesome planner items in the Dollar Spot! Even better is that almost everything was only $1!

Where do you  like to get your planner supplies from?

Giving Back - Donating Things

I love giving back to my community and to people in general. One of the ways I do this is through donating my unwanted clothes and items to the Salvation Army. (If you want to know why I specifically donate to them I can make a separate post.)

Picture from here.

Here are some tips and tricks that help me decide what to give away.

~ 2-3 times a year I go though all of my clothes, books (the hardest thing for me to get rid of), and my stuff in general. Anything that I don’t wear, or doesn’t fit is thrown in a giveaway box. Anything broken or stained (and can’t be repaired) in thrown in my rag bag or trash.

~ I also keep a bag or box in my closet. That way if I see something I really don’t want anymore while I am putting laundry away I throw it in there. When the box fills up it goes to the Salvation Army.

~ If you go on a shopping spree and buy a bunch of new stuff go through your older stuff and see if there is anything you can part with now. I find that if I buy something new it makes it easier to get rid of the older item because I have a replacement.

~ Once something is in your box or bag don’t take it out. Think of it as already being gone.

Do you donate your clothes and unused items? If so where do you like to donate to?

Planner Haul: Sweet Kawaii Design

As you know I love planning and planners. I just bought these cute stickers from Sweet Kawaii Design on Etsy. See what I got and don't forget to check out her shop and use the promo code below.

Sweet Kawaii Design Etsy shop

Use this promo code for 10% off your purchase at her shop:
                       HistoryBeauty

What's your favorite Etsy sticker shop?

Planner Decor - March Layouts

Sorry, this is a little late. Here are my layouts for the month of March. I really feel that I have found how I like to use my planner now. It's functional but pretty.


For march I went with a green theme for St. Patrick's Day and for the start of Spring. Here is a monthly overview. At the end of the month I started tracking when I went for walks.

The first week of March. I made each week green and paired it with a secondary color. This weeks secondary color was blue.

Second Week of March. I love the how the butterfly looks in the middle.

Third week of March. I was super sick this week but I like how I was able to decorate for St. Patrick's Day and the first day of Spring and make them coordinate.

Last week of March. This week was super busy with work and other fun activities so the end of the week got a little neglected. =(

Those are my layouts for March. To see last month's layout click here.

Which week was your favorite?

1K Subscribers Q & A

To celebrate hitting 1,000 (1K) subscribers I decided to do a Q & A. 

Thank you so much for all of your support over the years. I really appreciate each and everyone of you.

How I Decorate My Planer: April

I thought I'd show you how I decorate my planner's monthly view for April. I hope you enjoy my Easter inspired month. 

If you have any planner video requests let me know in the comments below.

Trash to Treasure: My Desk

I have been on the lookout for a new desk for a while. The one I have been using was my desk in college and is just too big for the space I have. Plus, I was just bored with it.

One day while on a walk with my dad we saw a bunch of furniture on the sidewalk. There are a lot of apartments in my neighborhood so towards the end of the month there is usually stuff on the sidewalk that people do not want to move. My dad knew I was looking for a desk, and he pointed out one on the sidewalk. I jokingly said sure because the desks are usually broken and made of particle board, but when I took a closer look at it the desk actually looked to be in good condition. It wasn’t made of the best material, pine, but it wasn’t particle board. Also, all the drawers worked. What I really loved was that it had a shelf section for me to put stuff. (Something my current desk was missing.) The only thing I was unsure about was the color. I liked it but thought it might be too bright, but I knew I could change that.

So, we quickly walked back to the house and grabbed my dad’s truck. I prayed no one would grab it before we got back. I had nothing to worry about since it was literally a block away.

Now, I needed to clean it up  with a damp cloth and let it air out just in case. That also gave me time to get my room ready for it.

Since getting back from my short lived time in Houston last year, I have not really unpacked or made my room feel homey. I just haven’t been in the mood.  

Getting this desk has rejuvenated me a little and now my room looks much more warm and cozy. The desk color even matches my room perfectly.

I am still figuring out where everything goes. Let me know if you want a tour of it when I am finished. 

What is something that you have that has gone from trash to treasure?

Book Review - The Kingmaker’s Daughter by Philippa Gregory

This is historical fiction and the fourth book in the Cousin’s War Series. It looks at the Cousin’s War in England through the eyes of Anne Neville the youngest daughter of Richard Warwick (The Kingmaker). Her father is the one who fought (and won) to put Edward York on the throne instead of King Henry VI. 

The book shows how Anne and her sister Isabel are used as pawns to further their father’s power and later the power of their husbands. This leaves Anne not knowing who to trust. Can she trust her father, sister, and husband?

The book started out really good. (Although, it had been over a year since I had read book 3 and I was confused at first by who was who.) The last quarter of the book became very repetitive. I found myself skipping whole sections because it had already been said two pages before.

I would give this book 3/5 stars because I found the majority of the book very interesting.

What book have you been loving?

Remember to follow me on Goodreads.

Planner Decor- February Layouts

I thought I would start a new series on my blog that showcases my planner layouts. Each month I will take pictures of the monthly overview and each weekly view. I hope that you find some inspiration from them. 

Here is my monthly overview. I use the areas on the side for my monthly goals and to tally which days I work at certain places.

As I have never really decorated planners until really recently (I always just color coordinated everything before) I was still trying to figure out how exactly I wanted to use it.

I am not too fond of the layout below. I learned that I don't like mixing my wash tapes.

I really enjoyed the color schemes in the one below. I also liked how I put my daily accomplishments on separate paper so that I could put them diagonally too.

This is my favorite week so far and I feel like I am getting the hang of how I want to use my planner.

Here is a sneak peek at March's monthly layout. 

I hope you enjoyed seeing my different layouts. Which one is your favorite? Also, what types of planner related posts and videos would you like to see?

Book Haul

Here are some of the books that I have picked up recently. 

Which ones sound interesting to you? Are there any that you'd like me to review?

Planner Supplies on a Budget

No one wants to break their budget to decorate their planners. Here are a few tips I have that will help you save a lot.

Pic from here

Check out dollar stores
These places always have cute stickers and occasionally some nice Post-Its.

Check the dollar sections of stores, like Target
Target is one of my favorite places to find supplies. They always have the cutest stickers, post-Its, and washi tape that many times also themed to the season.

Check the teacher section of stores Teachers love to decorate and make their rooms look inviting. Many of the products developed for them can be adapted for your planner, like small wall decorations.

Bring Coupons!
There are several stores that I never walk into without a coupon: Joann’s, Michaels, and Staples. These stores can be expensive but they always have weekly coupons. I like to wait for the ones that give a percentage off my entire purchase versus off one item.

Be Creative
Use items you may not think of as stationary. Scrapbook paper, stamps, and ribbon can all make awesome decorations. Also, you can make your own personalized stickers and paper clips. (Check out my friend's Creative Memories page)

How do you save money on your planner decorations?

See what my planner looks like here.

Daiso Haul

Recently, I went to Daiso (a Japanese version of a dollar store where everything is a $1.50) and I picked up some beauty and planner items. 

What items do you like the best?

My 2015 Planner & Organization

I have been obsessed with planners since I was in middle school. Recently, I discovered that people take it to a whole other level by using stickers and washi tape. This discovery completely renewed my planner obsession.

See how I set up and organize my planner for 2015.

One day I (soon I hope) would like to get an Erin Condren Life Planner.

Leave your planner related requests in the comments.

Book Review: Z A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald By Therese Anne Fowler

 I recently finished a historical fiction book about Zelda Fitzgerald. She was the wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald who is most famous for writing The Great Gatsby (he’s one of my favorite writers too). 

Picture from here

When I was in college I had to do a research paper about a woman married to a famous man. That’s when I stumbled across Zelda. She was an amazing woman that was full of life and potential. F. Scott Fitzgerald coined the term “flapper” and supposedly based it on Zelda. She was considered the definition of a modern woman during the early 1920’s. Zelda was a good writer that I believe never got the recognition she deserved. Unfortunately, the later half of her life was fill of tragedy as she was considered crazy. She spent the last years of her life in and out of sanitariums.

Picture from here

The book Z A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald By Therese Anne Fowler takes a nontraditional take on her life. It takes what history has said about Zelda and turned it upside down. I found the book thoroughly interesting and highly recommend it.

What book are you reading now? What’s your favorite genre to read?

Want to see what I’m reading? Follow me on Goodreads to see.

New Blog and Giveaway!

Welcome to my new lifestyle blog. I wanted to blog more about things other than just makeup and beauty items. I felt that my original blog HistoryBeauty (check it out here) would feel too hodgepodgy so I decided to create a whole new blog! 

This blog will be everything from book reviews, decor, planners, and random musings. 

To celebrate my new blog I teamed up with my friend, Cyndi, who is a Creative Memories consultant. Creative Memories is a company that provides you with all your scrapbooking needs so you can safely save all your photographic memories. (Check out her page here)

Cyndi has been kind enough to offer to giveaway this awesome scrapbooking kit. It has everything you need complete a small album (including the album). This kit is exclusive and is not available for sale. 

There are several ways for you to enter the giveaway below. Sorry but this giveaway is US residents only. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I hope you will enjoy the new blog and follow me through BlogLovin’.