How I use Trello to organise the Genius Bloggers Tool Kit

I am not the most organised person in the world, unless I really want to be.

I still feel guilty 10 months later that Riley missed a LaserZone play date with his best friend because I forgot to look on my calendar, so I've been working really hard over the last few months to become more like my university-attending-single-mum-self was.

That means that when I decided that I was indeed going to spend a lot of money on the Genius Bloggers Tool Kit last week that I needed a way to keep it organised, and I needed to set it up straight away.

This post contains affiliate links. If you sign up to Trello using my link, I receive compensation at no extra cost to you. 

 Enter my favourite digital organising platform ever - Trello.

First up, I created a new board, and starred it, so it sits at the top every time I open Trello. I use purple (of course) to denote blog-related boards, and I collect Trello boards from other people, too. (There are so many amazing ways to use the platform to organise everything, it's pretty cool to see how others apply it. Besides, who doesn't love sticky-beaking?!)

the time mangement gurus are right

I've mentioned several times now that I go to a craft group on Wednesdays. I've been going since just after Sophie was born, but despite the best of intentions I never got anything done.

Until recently.

Since I've been using the bullet journal system, I've been breaking projects down into individual steps, and it has made a difference to getting them completed! And I only started to break projects down because I didn't have anything to write!

I decided I wanted to make a tshirt for Sophie from Growing Up Sew Liberated, which has been sitting on my bookshelf, gently mocking me since I bought it almost three years ago. So I broke it down into steps

• trace pattern
• cut pattern out
• pin pattern and cut fabric
• sew pieces together

And it worked! I traced the pattern one week at craft group, cut it out at home one afternoon while Sophie played at my feet, and cut the fabric out the following week. Then it took three weeks before I could actually sew, but two hours of Steve playing with Sophie, and chatting to me, and it was done! (we'll ignore the mistakes, they're just lessons for the next one that's half-sewn)

Now that I know it works for me, I've started listing all the project ideas I have, and choosing one to tackle next.

getting it together

For years now, I've wallowed in disorganisation. I've just lived with it, because I really didn't know exactly how to sort my head out (although I've tried lots of different things)

Over the Christmas break, when I was really feeling frazzled from doing. nothing. and feeling like I was failing at it, I started to browse pinterest for filofax ideas. Seeing how other people keep their thoughts organised has been inspiring (and slightly scary), but I was still frozen in the looking, not doing stage.

Back in December, I saw this idea, and immediately transformed a book, but once January hit I was overwhelmed with stress and school holidays and noise and let it all creep up on me and didn't do anything.

If there's one thing I've learnt about myself it's that I'm not very good on follow-through!

Last weekend, I was browsing again, when I stumbled on this post. I watched the video, pinned the post, and left it at that. Then that night, I actually dreamed about the system! To me, that's an indication that it might work, if I'm dreaming about it!

So I pulled out one of my precious composition books. To me, they're the perfect size, lots of pages, but small enough to slip into my handbag (if I ever get to carry it again!) and I can make it mine by decorating the cover.

So far, I've written in the index, stamped numbers on the pages, and written up the calendar (and included a grid calendar, too, like the author of the post) I'm giving myself February to see if it works, I'll look at it every morning, and write lists every night, and maybe by the end of the month the habit will stick!

How do you keep organised?

Linking up with Me and My Ready-Made Family for Sort Your Life Out

wordless wednesday

why, yes, that is a 2013 calendar on my wall.

I forgot my mantra

{source via pinterest}

When Chloe's father and I split up I spent a lot of time reading self-help books and watching Oprah. I steered clear of John Gray's "men are from Mars, women are from Venus" (because it had a place in my parents failed marriage), but purchased "How to get what you want, and want what you have." I collected quotes out of the book that resonated with me, and quotes from Oprah's shows as well. And still today I can be heard saying "if it's important, you'll find a way to make it happen"

But I forgot to remind myself. I have become the queen of excuses, here on my blog and in my life. I don't like the me I have become, I feel like I am always whining about stuff, (even when I'm not), but I'm not sure how to shake myself out of this funk that my life has become. 

I realised yesterday I don't have a diary this year. I think it's the first time in about ten years I haven't had a diary - even in recent years I kept one, just for writing appointments, jotting notes I didn't want to forget. It has always worked in well with the family calendar in the kitchen. I think I need to go and buy a diary today.

Do you have a mantra (or quote) that guides you?

wellness | more organised meals

I don't enjoy cooking dinner for my family. The food battles with children drive me insane, the arguing and bickering and incessant chatter at the table drive me insane, the need to cook foods that everyone will eat AND have it be healthy and some nutritional content has me going out of my mind. I shared my menu plan during March, with the hopes that it would help me stay on track with meals each day.

I'll be honest, it didn't work every day. I think there was too much variety. And not enough flexibility for the days when I was running on empty. And the kids weren't really receptive to having their time taken up with preparing AND cooking food (although they liked the idea of being included, the reality was much different).

On the up side, we love zucchini slice (even when I forgot the cheese on top), and roast pork is always a winner, and chicken wings are much loved. So I'm trying it again for another month.

I've changed Tuesday's theme to "meals mum makes", so I can include some of the much-loved foods that I've always made - those fall-backs that you can make on five minutes notice with your eyes shut, the ones that tend to be used all the time when you're stuck-in-a-rut. I've also left a few more blank spots, reduced the number of new recipes for the month, timetabled the takeaway and easy nights. I've also printed out the new recipes for the month, and stuck them to the fridge with the menu, in the hopes that it takes me one more step closer to being organised at meal times.


Do you try new recipes regularly? Or do you stick with the tried-and-tested-and-eaten-by-everyone?

wellness | organised meals

At the start of February I saw a menu planning idea via One Pretty Thing that sparked my imagination. So I sat down and worked out what our categories were, and what meals we enjoyed that fit those categories, and then I asked everyone in the family to contribute some meal ideas.

As you can see, I haven't implemented it yet, but today I start! To start off with I'm trying not to repeat a meal in the month, just to get some variety happening in our meals - we've been in a rut since I was pregnant with Riley and we all need a bit of a shake up in the eating department!

Where I have written {taste}, that's a recipe from the taste website. I'm feeling revitalised by having a menu plan - I know when I stick to it feeding the family is much easier!

Do you menu plan? How do you stick to your plan if you're having a "blah" day?

happy Christmas Eve Eve!

* * * * * * * * Santa Alert * * * * * * * *

Today is going to be a huge day of shopping for me. Which will mean that, yet again, I'll be up well past midnight on Christmas Eve, wrapping presents, making tags, setting them under the tree, not sleeping well, then being woken by excited kids well before the sparrows wake up... but I guess it wouldn't really be Christmas if I didn't do it that way (I'll share my plans next week for making sure 2011 is finished by December 1st) Here's a peek into my shopping list for today.

for a small girl I know

for a small boy I know

for a big boy I know

big girl and boy are getting one of these

dad wants some of these

and one of these

(the bag, not the bloke)

I can't find images for what mum wants - besides books, there isn't a lot on mum's list.

{53 Mondays} #9

Don't forget my giveaway here, you have until 9.59am AEST March 1st (11.59pm GMT Feb 28th) to enter!

Have you checked out my new blog layout? And the new colour combinations? I'm liking the clean, white, 2-column look, and the purples and greens look great together! I discovered the other day while fiddling with photoshop that you can convert youur photos to pixel sizes for web viewing, so I'm exploring that option. For now, unless otherwise noted, photos are converted to 4x6 canvases (although the new blogger editor has some buttons for resizing photos, so I might play with that, too, I'd love to have my photos filling the whole column)

 

I mentioned at the start of February that I had signed up for a self-paced class from BPS, Project SYS, so on Friday morning I created my journal from the downloads. I have yet to finish reading all the worksheets and acting on them, but this will make it a little easier to keep the worksheets away from little hands (which we have plenty of in this house!) I'm looking forward to the Celebrations class starting, I'm pretty good at keeping organised when I have events to plan, but it will be nice to have a central loaction for everything, and some extra ideas to keep me motivated. After all, we have a big first birthday later this year, and I'm already making plans!

{this is only my 6th 53 Mondays post, but I'm going to start numbering them by the week of the year, to give myself a little more organisation, and maybe make them easier to find. This week is week 9}

handmade Christmas - taggie blanket

 

 Silly me, I updated to the "new" blogger post editor a couple of days ago (I think it's been around for a few months, but I'm very slow at discovering these things), and I'm having no end of dramas figuring it all out. It might mean I have to get serious about using LiveWriter, which I downloaded during Blogging for Scrapbookers, but have never used. {speaking of Shimelle, did you see her new class offering? No prizes for guessing who signed up, my stash is over a year old, so I'm hoping it will spark some new uses for "old"}

So, the first project up is a taggie blanket for bubba. I've seen tutorials for these in various places - Chica and Jo, and a few others. They are easy to make, and make a great simple gift idea. Mine make a scrunchy noise, much loved by Riley!

First, cut your materials. I used one layer of flannel, 6.5" square, one layer of cotton print 6.5" square, one layer of "scrunchy" material (in this case, I bought space blankets off ebay. The material is fragile, and tears easily, but holds up to baby slober [and therefore washing] and makes an awesome scrunchy noise. I found this tutorial via One Pretty Thing this morning, where she used cellophane [loving the triangle shape, might try that myself!]) 6.5" square and 8 lengths of ribbon of varying textures about 2" long.

Pin ribbon to the flannel square, two lengths on each side, at about 2.25" and 4.5" (to allow for .25" seam allowance) Make sure loops of ribbon lay inwards to the centre, so they poke outwards once you turn everything right way out. I make sure the pins poke out past the edge of the flannel, to make them easier to take out later.

 Then add your cotton layer, making sure your pattern is facing inside to the ribbon (I had to triple-check this, but I had helpers)

 Place the space blanket layer last. Because it is fragile, I only used four pins, one on each side.

  

Sew all the layers together. In the past, I haven't been a careful sewer, but I took my time with this, and it showed in the finished piece.

 Turn your piece right way out (I sewed from ribbon to ribbon the second time, leaving a good gap... the kids could hear me from downstairs swearing when I was trying to turn the first one ~lol~) Being the lazy mum that I am, I didn't iron the material flat, but if you want your final layer to sit neatly, ironing will make it neater and easier to topstitch.

 

  

Topstitch all around, ensuring to turn the open corner inwards. I find it easiest to pin it together, and then it looks neat when it's finished. (If I had ironed it, it would be neater ~lol~)

Finished item! This is the second one I made for Riley, and he loves them all! I enjoyed the process so much that I'm going to make a few extras (Steve had some silly idea about making some and selling them, but I don't know if I would go quite that far!), but I'll definately be gifting some!

Please link me up if you have a go at these, I'd love to see what you make!

{I've decided to theme each month's gifts, so far I'm researching gifts for males, things to create with kids art, decorating candles, album gifts, and I've got an idea for using Emily Falconbridge's wet felting technique! Please add any ideas you'd like to see}

5 {blog binder pages} on Friday

lots of ideas for 5 on Friday
(I'm also making an a5ish size one, 2-to-a-page)

to expand on each idea and turn it into a post

one of these at the start of each month, slowly filling with chicken scratchings as I think of something

I'm seeing lots of stuff as I wander blogs and the web, so need to acknowledge that if I use the inspiration.
Again, one page in each month.

This is where I'll expand on how I have/will re-create an idea for Handmade Christmas

{all canvases are 7.5x11}
font is typewriter (my new favourite!)
paper is Katie Pertiet for Designer Digitals

{please leave a comment if you use these pages}

{53 Mondays}

I spoke last week about this post sparking a light bulb moment for me, and I spent most of Friday creating the pages and covering dividers for my blog binder (seen above) I now have two binders sitting on my {very} small desk (my Memory Log Book binder also sits there, although I haven't opened it for over a week) I created pages using the Katie Pertiet ledger paper and the typewriter font (I think I'm in love with that font now, especially when it's in grey!)

I picked up a handful of Urban Lily paper (which was my very first apper purchase when I started scrapping), and covered all the page dividers (there are twelve, for the twelve months of the year - Jnauary is tucked at the back, behind December, so I can start again next year)

{53 Mondays}

{yes, I know it's Tuesday afternoon, but it's still Monday somewhere in the world, and I'm the boss - "you're not the parent, Mum's the parent" says my almost-3-year old on a regular basis!}

I haven't done any actual creating this week. The closest I got was purchasing this ledger paper from Designer Digitals, in response to a brain spark after reading this post about organising blog posts months in advance. I've been procrastinating about setting up a home binder (the Memory Log Book got me started), and this post just feeds into that small spark. Need to wander off to the office supply shop and make some purchases.

Oh, and I signed up for some BPS classes. Don't Blink and Project: Save Your Sanity are self-paced classes (and the 20% off coupon wasn't posted when I did it, but if you like the classes, HERE is the code) and Saving Your Sanity: Celebrations is a workshop starting in March.

(I've noticed a lot of American bloggers putting disclosure notes at the bottom of their posts, something to do with tax rules I remember reading about on Scrapbook Update. We don't have the same issue in Australia, and I'm not important enough that people would listen to my advice anyway, I just like sharing links - no blog post is complete without a photo and a link if relevant!)

When I've finally figured out what my binder pages will look like, I'm hoping they will make the process of keeping me, and my house, and my blog, a little m ore organised... although everything I read about home binders relates in some way to "keeping on top of housework", and as I've explained before, I don't do housework! (I scrub toilets, wash clothes and dishes, sweep and mop as necessary, cook and gorcery shop, but the rest is for children and husbands!)

{This year I've decided to try theming my blog header photos of my tribe. Let me know what you think}

~~ another creation ~~

{my Christmas planner}

{We R Memory Keepers White Out Christmas - 2008}

{I created the pages myself - A5 size is slightly small,
but not too bulky to take with me}