Frixion Pens: A Review

I've been using Pilot Frixion Pens in my planner for the last 6 months and I love them! But others hate them...which makes it confusing if you are trying to decide to buy some because who do you believe?

I decided to do a video review so you could see them in action and make an informed decision! In the video I cover things like:

• Color choices
• Erasing & then rewriting--what's the secret to smooth/clear writing?
• Erasing when the ink is still wet vs. dry
• Can you laminate a page with Frixion ink on it?
• What does Frixion and Freezers have to do with each other??
• What should you use these pens on...and what should you NOT?

Check out my review and if you use Frixion pens, let me know what your experience has been!

**I have purchased these pens on my own and these opinions are my own...Your mileage may vary!**

DIY Teacup Candles

Yesterday some friends & I got together to do some crafting. It all started when I got a cute candle as a gift from Danielle...then Amy saw it and wanted to learn how to make it. So I said if you all bring the stuff and the expertise, we can use my kitchen! And since I've made an effort to be more organized, spontaneous craft days can happen without a fuss!

We got together and I decided this was a great time to do a video! They were reluctant at first, but then they were good sports about it. And Danielle is an excellent teacher!

Before we get to the video, let me give you the list of things you'll need:

• Paraffin wax from the craft store
• Scented wax melts (also from the craft store)
• Candle wicks (or old unused candles so you can reuse the wicks)
• Tea cups or other heat-proof containers
• A couple of pots
• Stirring utensils
• Patience
• A blow dryer
• Glitter (optional)

Take a look at the video for how we did it, or read on for the instructions (and some dos & don'ts)!

First, if you don't have wicks from the craft store, just pull them out of your old unused candles. If they don't want to come out easily from the bottom, carefully use a knife to cut the candle open. We theorized that you might also be able to freeze the candles and then smash them...but hey...why not do it the hard way? LOL

Once you have your wicks, place one in the bottom of a clean cup and make sure it's the right length. If it's too long, trim it. If it's too short, just make sure not to put too much wax in the cup. You'll want about 1/4 of an inch of wick peeking out from the wax. Too much and it will smoke when you light it and too little and it won't light at all!

Then, break open the wax and break it into smaller chunks. Place the chunks in a saucepan and heat it over VERY LOW heat so it can melt slowly. Don't let it start to simmer or bubble in any way. Stir gently to help it along. Once the wax is melted (or mostly melted), put some of the scent blocks in the wax. Allow it to melt and mix together with the wax. This adds scent and color. You can add some glitter if you like, but we found that it ends up settling to the bottom.

Once it's completely melted you're ready to pour it into the cup! If you have a measuring cup with a spout, this may work better...when we poured it directly from the pan, we had a lot of drips all over the stove and counter top! But heat the measuring cup first--the wax will start to harden as soon as it touches a cold surface. I recommend putting warm water in the measuring cup and let it sit while you melt the wax. When the wax is melted, pour out the water and dry the cup. Pour the wax into the measuring cup and use that to then pour it into the teacup. The spout will give you better accuracy and less mess when you pour. However, it's not a problem if you don't have one...that's what the blow dryer will be for later! ;)

Gently pour the hot wax into the tea cup. We experimented with putting the wick in first (the wax moves the wick all over the place) or putting it in after the wax (just be careful not to overfill the cup, which will cause the wick to sink and become useless). If the wick falls over, use tongs to stabilize it. You can place a wooden spoon or pencil across the top of the cup so the wick can lean on it...but we didn't think of that at the time and we just kept getting mad at the wicks for laying down on the job! LOL

Once you have the right amount of wax in the cup and your wick is in place, you can sprinkle some more glitter on top if you want more sparkle! (Because why not??)

Let the cups cool for about an hour or so...the wax doesn't take too long to set, but you want it to be nice and hard before you move it. Don't set it in a drafty place--it might cool faster, but it could cause wells or pits to appear in the hardened wax. If this happens, you can just melt more wax to fill in the spot or leave it--as the candle burns, it will level out eventually.

If wax splashes up onto the side of the cup and you want to clean it up, use the blow dryer on the low setting to reheat the wax and wipe it away with a paper towel. This is also the best way to clean spilled wax from the stove or counter--blow dry and wipe!

These make super cute (and super smelling) gifts!

Planner Obsession

Okay, I'm going to be honest with you guys...I LOVE my planner! I love my new DIYFish inserts! I love my new erasable Frixion pens...I think I have a problem. LOL

In fact, I spent some time over the weekend making a new planner for my office. I have been using a monthly 8 1/2 x 11 spiral bound calendar for the last few years, and then I add post-its for things like meeting notes, etc. But honestly, it just ends up a scribbled mess. So, I decided to try out DIYFish for work. I admit, I didn't get an ARC binder because I'm not ready to commit yet (and I don't want to carry my heavy punch back and forth from home to work...LOL) But, I found a half-size binder that will work for now. If this is something I think will work out well (and I suspect it will), I'll probably get an ARC for obvious reasons (reasons being: I love ARC. The End.).

Since I'm still fairly new to using DIYFish, I have been watching a lot of YouTube videos on how others use planners to get some inspiration and ideas. I've just found even more awesome organization systems that I can't wait to implement, like Bullet Journaling. Where has this been all my life?? It's like something I've naturally gravitated towards doing already, but much more polished and logically laid out. I have a feeling this is going to be a great system for me.

I wish I could be super creative and decorate my pages or use my graph paper for sketching or whatever. But the honest truth is I'm just not like that. It's not my personality! But I'm so grateful for everyone else's creativity because it makes this world a more beautiful place. In the meantime, I will stick with the basics.

And, just so this isn't a random post about a somewhat strange obsession (although I'm not alone in this--did you know there is a whole internet subculture out there all about planners?), I wanted to share with you a find: I ordered this personalized freezer inventory printable from IHeartOrganizing and I love it! For just $3 I have an unlimited supply of these (I can print them as much as I need). I punched it and keep it in the Menu section of my planner. Since we've moved, our garage freezer has just been a glorified ice bucket, so I am looking forward to refilling it and doing it organized!

She Plans on Paper

ver the years I have tried to perfect my schedule-keeping methods. I used to keep a pocket calendar when I was in high school--you know the kind, with sunflowers or kittens on the front? When I married, I had a wall calendar up, with stickers, colored pens, etc. But the problem was, I was the only one using it! So, I started using my phone calendar--it was easy to update on the go, and I could send a quick text to my husband so he could put it in his phone.

Then my phone broke.

It was never quite the same after that, and eventually I replaced it because I could no longer turn it on or anything. The touch screen had become completely unresponsive. I lost all my information, calendar or otherwise. Sad day.

She Can Laminate!

I just wanted to post a picture of one of my exciting Christmas gifts...yes, folks, it's a laminator! I have to admit, no one though to get one for me, but they did get my one of my close-second "favorite things": an Amazon gift card! I knew right away what I was going to purchase...

I use a laminator at work at least twice a week, if not more. Every now and then I have something at home that I need to laminate but I don't want (or have time) to take it down to the office to take care of it. What would you need a home laminator for?

Here are some ideas:

• protect paper insurance/ID/membership cards
• preserve kids' art projects
• protect your master to-do list (use a dry erase marker to tick off completed items then wipe clean at the end of the day)
• create crafts (place mats, bookmarks, etc.)
• create a dry-erase board in a pinch!
• flash cards for the student in your home
• turn pretty scrapbook paper into planner inserts/dividers

If that's not enough, simply do an online search for ideas and you will come up with a ton of stuff! So, here I am now, with my very own laminator for home and I'm thinking about joining a support group for laminator-aholics.

Nahhhhh....

Now, let's LAMINATE!