Jumping on the Bandwagon

Now that the summer is in full swing and I have my handmade shop opening date set in stone, it is time for me to focus on what needs to be done to open up both of my shops. Let's just say I have A LOT of work to do!!! 

As of right now, the grand openings for both shops are:

Retro Girl Destash - Saturday, July 23rd
Retro Girl Design - Monday, September 26

My destash shop is the one that might change a bit. Although, I'd really like to have some items available for a Christmas in July sale. We'll have to see how much I can get done in the next couple of weeks.

To say I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed these past few weeks is an understatement. Opening up two shops in a few months is pretty crazy, but it is time to start destashing (actually long overdue) and I'm so ready to start making handmade items again. The problem is I've got so many ideas rolling around in my head that my head feels like it is going to explode. I realized last weekend that I really need to get my act together and get organized.

So, how am I going to stay organized? Well, I've decided to start keeping a journal. If you are on Pinterest, I'm sure you've seen all kinds of journaling going on everywhere. I'm a very organized person but tend to lose focus after awhile. So, I've been trying to figure out which form of journaling system will be best for me. 

After looking at all of the journals and systems out there, I decided that I'll do much better with a system I can tweak for my own use. A lot of the spiral bound systems don't offer much room for customizing the entries. That is really what I need. 

So, which did I choose?

The bullet journal

Have you heard of the bullet journal system? It was started by Ryder Carroll as a 

customizable and forgiving organization system. It can be your to-do list, sketchbook, notebook, and diary, but most likely, it will be all of the above. It will teach you to do more with less. a customizable journal to keep yourself better organized.

Out of all of the journaling systems out there this one looks to be the best fit for me.  

So over the weekend, I'm pretty sure I looked at every version of the bullet journal that is available. Some good places to check out totally awesome bullet journals and pages is on Instagram and Pinterest. There are some really talented and artistic people out there.  

After careful consideration and a lot of back and forth, I chose two Leuchtturm1917 journals (one dotted and one squared) and a pack of three Moleskine ruled journals. This way I can try all three versions of the bullet journal (dotted, squared, and ruled) and both the Leuchtturm and Moleskine to see which I prefer. 

I ordered all three on Amazon with free shipping and still got them in 2 days. Crazy fast! I really wanted the hot pink colored Leuchtturm, but it was over $50.00 and that totally wasn't happening!

I also chose a black Le Plume II pen for calligraphy writing, which I picked up with a 50% off coupon at my local AC Moore. Learning to write nicer and fancier is on my to-learn list this month. A pack of Stabilo colored pens that include several neon colors, a Micron 01 dark brown pen, and a Staedtler eraser for all of the mistakes I'm sure I'll make. I also picked up a small ruler from Staples, which didn't make it into the picture. 

I think I'm all set to get organized for both of my shops and life in general. I'll be posting journal pics as I get things underway. You can also follow along with my WIP pics on my Instagram feed.