Category: Style

I just love to tidy!

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A friend very kindly complimented on how tidy our house is and asked how I achieve it given I work full time and have a 2 year old.

Well, I think given that I am out of the house most of the week and little one is at nursery goes a long way to keeping the house tidy but it did get me thinking if my method and storage choices would be helpful to others, so here goes.

  1. Everything has a place which I think is a huge help in putting it away – and if it doesn’t have a place, it doesn’t last long in the house. I honestly think I could find anything in our house with my eyes shut!
  2. Little PB doesn’t have a play room so I have ensured that his toys are kept to a minimum sorting through them every birthday & Christmas and passing them onto friends or charity. Little PB also loves a good game of tidying up…..no, really he does
  3. Cheap canvas drawstring bags are great for storing a collection of toys. You can buy them via Amazon and as well as looking prettier and lasting longer than cardboard boxes, it makes putting toys away super quick and easy
  4. Storage is in keeping with our interiors , for example, a toy box that is a distressed travel chest, dresser with drawers and shelving for maximum space and wicker baskets (I do love a pretty wicker basket!)
  5. I tidy each room completely before I move onto the next – if something in the lounge belongs in the kitchen, I just put it in the kitchen and finish the lounge first. This lessens distraction as well as multiple trips up and down the stairs! I work clockwise through the house so I know if I’ve missed anywhere easily
  6. Well plumped cushions – this may sound odd, but a set of cushions on a sofa that make it look complete, will help to allude this vision of tidiness!
  7. I always make the bed!! I dont think I would function properly each day if I left the house without making the bed – it makes a bedroom go from messy to tidy in minutes!

I hope this gives you some good ideas! Please share any tidying tips you have – I find tidying quite a mindfulness task and feel so much more prepared with a tidy home

x PB x

Exploring the Swiss Alps – Baby Destinations 

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As part of our recent road trip through France, we took the opportunity to go across into Switzerland to visit some family in Verbier.

Hand on heart, neither myself or Mr PB have ever considered Switzerland as a destination for a summer holiday. Clearly, it’s a ski resort through and through so why venture over there for anything but apres skiing and snow? 

We were quickly proven wrong with our first mini hike when we arrived. With little PB in the baby rucksack, we worked our way along the mountain path to take in the extensive views and beautifully clean fresh air. 


On our only full day, we didn’t want to waste it, so we hired some electric bikes from Mountain Air, Verbier. 


With excellent customer service, they provided us with all the kit to help us venture up the mountain with a 1 year old. Little PB in his very own trailer with a sun/bug screen and straps and fantastic mountain bikes making the journey on the steep slopes seem effortless.


Stopping at the top for a bite to eat, the view was breathtaking. It has a very different feel to the winter season….obviously…..you can get a table for a start and there is a quiet tranquility to the mountain. 


Verbier does feel a little ghostly out of its peak season, but if you overlook the small amount of roadworks and the odd shuttered hotel and shop, the absence of tourists makes it’s feel like the perfect secluded holiday destination.

You can hire bikes from Mountain Air for CHF 65 for the day and the trailer is CHF 30 (which gets progressively less expensive the longer you rent for). Contact the excellent team on the following:

http://www.mountainairverbier.com 

rentals@mountainairverbier.com

Tel: +41 27 775 44 00

And with a view like this to wake up to every day, how could you not want to explore further…

I’m off to Camp Reset

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When Cori Spieker, The Reset Girl, first shared the plan to hold a Camp Reset, I was instantly disappointed that I couldn’t join in as it was obviously a meet up on the West coast of the US. I was very much mistaken and when I learnt that it was actually an online challenge, my heart started racing that little bit faster.

In Cori’s own words, “…My intention is to encourage and inspire you to take those baby steps in resetting your life. During July, we will focus on:

Self-Care Planning: Making self-care a HABIT in your life.

Healthy Sips & Snacks: Making what you choose to put into your body a more mindful and self-caring practice. Get

Moving: Making intentional movement a part of our day as a way to show our bodies the love.

Creativity Reset: Making creativity a way we express and care for ourselves daily.”

(https://www.theresetgirl.com/camp-reset/)

I signed up, not really knowing what I was committing to, and received a lovely welcome kit email with the most adorable set of printables to prepare for the start of Camp Reset on 1st July.

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I watched Cori’s YouTube video about prepping for the trip about 3 times and felt ready to grasp this challenge with both hands! I committed to scavenger hunting around my home for all my Camp Essentials and printed, cut and laminated all the beautiful Camp accessories. I even made a start in setting up my Self-Care Planner.

I felt ready and focused for the Week 1 challenge…..

1st July around 10pm……I had recieved the week 1 challenge email and with excitement started to print it all off…..but it just didn’t look as bright and engaging as all the other set ups I had seen in the Facebook group. The pictures wouldn’t print properly and I became disheartened. I was on the verge of giving up. I hadn’t really started so what was I going to loose.

With a UK Camp Reset Facebook page set up to support those across the water, I checked in and shared my disappointment and frustration and, like so many people I’ve met in the planner world, someone offered to send me some bits so I could make a start on my planner.

It was this act of kindness that made me realise something…..Camp Reset isn’t just a challenge for July but is a retreat to help us  find a way to be a better version of ourselves. Giving us the tools and resources to recognise and remember those special parts of our day, not forgetting that those closest to us are the most important aspect of anything we do. It didn’t matter that I wouldn’t achieve a badge if I didn’t complete the planner on time – what mattered was the steps I was taking to reflect on who I am and who I want to be.

With a new level of positivity and determination, I got to work……I made some commitments to myself and my family and it’s with the support of those I see every day, as well as the online community I’m proud to be a part of, that I know we will strive to be our best.

That being said, I do love my new planner set up and will share my creative process in a blog soon.

x PB x

 

Why I love multiple planners!

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When I first entered the world of planning, I found it hard to understand how it was possible to use more than 1 planner at a time. How could it be that you invest in a beautiful leather ring bound planner and then justify the need to add to that collection? Why would you not worship every part of that planner and that planner alone?

Oh, how naive this slightly younger version of myself was….almost 3 years on into my love (and mild addiction) into all things Planner related, I use 4 planners on a daily basis! Yep, F O U R. And I use them all with equal determination and purpose.

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So, let’s start with my Kate Spade ballerina pink zipped personal size. A purchase from the US, this beauty is where I store lists, lists and more lists….what books I want to read, ideas for Christmas and birthday presents (for myself obviously!), holiday planning, packing lists, shopping lists and anything else that I think should be or look like a list. With decorative pockets and a couple of creative dashboards made by moi, it’s what makes me smile every day.

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Next is my bubblegum pink Kikki K in A5. A pre loved purchase but in perfect condition. This was the first planner setup I saw on YouTube whilst watching Paper & Glam and I loved it ever since. I use this predominantly as a notebook for work so it has minimal decoration on the pockets and no fancy dividers or dashboard. I keep a Prima Planner pencil case and wipe clean notes page at the front, perfect for on the go. I also use the My Pretty Week tuck tabs to section off the different parts of the planner – so useful and adaptable! By using a planner as a notebook, it also means I can transfer into other planners should the desire take me.

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A planner collection would not be complete without an Erin Condren. I will do a full review on the new planner soon but I essentially use this as my everyday to do list and reminders. It also gives me an excuse to use pretty stickers!!

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Finally, my bargain of the year…Ban.do floral planner which I use to plan my blogs. This has minimal decoration as I don’t use it every day but I pimp it up by creating fun notes pages using my selection of post it notes.

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I think I have finally found Planner Peace. How long it lasts, I’m not sure. Particularly as I am eyeing up a Foxy Fix TN currently…..

How many planners do you use everyday? What planner item can’t you live without?

Back in business…

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I’m pretty certain that I speak for most new mummies out there that planning every small detail in the anticipation of your little bundles appearance to this world is fun and exciting!

It’s fun and exciting to put your focus into deciding whether to have a hospital bag AND a labour bag……what colour to paint the nursery……what the new arrivals first outfit will be…..who will look after the dog when the waters break……

And the key to why it’s fun and exciting is because we have oodles of time and (for the most part until we are doing an impression of a weeble) we have the energy.

1 year later….

I can honestly say that along with not knowing a love like I have for our little human, I have never known tiredness and a lack of energy like I have had over this past year. The learning curve is intense, the sleepless nights feel relentless (even though there really weren’t that bad!) and no amount of coffee could put that sparkle back in my eye. But, I’ve loved every minute. Well, almost…..

Parts of what made me ME became hidden in this last year….which made me feel resentful…. which I then regretted for feeling that way! Vicious bloody circle!

But after a very relaxing holiday and an opportunity to reflect, I’ve decided that this  can change.

Being able to balance a full time job and being a mummy means that it’s equally important to invest time to myself and my old life and the main area I want to focus on is right here. You’re reading it.

Pineapple & Button Co is back in business. I’ll be writing more blogs, I’ll be creative with P&B Co products and will share photos of beautiful places and even more beautiful planners.

However, I can’t ignore that my new accessory is now a changing bag, so I will be writing a series on Baby Travels sharing our experiences of holidays and day trips and how they can be baby and family friendly, even if at first they don’t seem it!

As a mummy attempting to be creative and stylish, I hope you enjoy what’s to come as much as I’ll enjoy writing it!

September Favourites

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September has been a fabulous month for The P&B Co. Not only was it my birthday, but the start of Autumn and, more importantly, we launched a range of P&B Co. products and services too! So, I felt it was the perfect time to start writing monthly favourites. As well as planner related loves, I’ll also share a favourite TV programme or film, a book and other bloggers/Instagram accounts/Facebook groups too!

1. The P&B Co. launch event – we held a recent event to launch our planner based products and services and I was overwhelmed with the response and positive feedback. Starting as a blog just over a year ago to now sharing my passion of planning and stationery feels surreal but incredibly special.

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2. Kate Spade planner – whilst I purchased this in August, I have only just set it up with dividers and decorate pockets and I’m very excited to start using this when Autumn kicks in. The quality of the planner is fantastic and I’m enjoying the zip around as opposed to a popper – provides an element of surprise when you open it every time!

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3. The Reset Girl goodies – purchased from Craftie Charlie, the colour palette just shouts Autumn to me and That just makes me smile….

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4. The Great British Bake Off – who wouldn’t love a TV programme all about cake! Enough said!

5. Harry Potter & The Cursed Child – I’ll be honest and share that I was sceptical…..would I be able to read find myself lost in a book whilst essentially reading a script but I loved it. You soon forget you are reading a script and it still holds that beautifully written style of the original books. I loved it so much that I’ve started to re-read the Harry Potter series

6. Paper & Glam seasonal living Facebook group – I always thought I embraced seasonal living until I joined this marvellous group. Such inspiration and creativity to live each season with passion and excitment.

What were your favourites is September?

x PB x

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The Pineapple & Button Co. products and services

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9th September 2016…..the first P & B Co. event was held and what a great success it was!

However, be reassured that all our products and services can be enjoyed by everyone, not just those who are able to attend our events.

So, here is a list of what we provide. If you would like to place an order or have any questions, please email me – hannah@pineapplebutton.com

– The Pineapple & Button Co. Planner – from £40
A unique planner just for you! Setup with inserts and personalised dividers, dashboard, page marker and all the usual P&B goodies.

– Pimp My Planner – from £20
You provide the planner; we provide the style. P&B will pimp it for you. Complete with dividers, dashboard, page marker and the usual P&B goodies. 

– Travellers Notebook – £30
Lists, ideas, plans & parties – a set of notebooks as versatile as you. A choice of 3 colours complete with 2 notebooks decorated by hand for your personal needs.

– NotePlanner – £20
A practical spiral bound notebook planner. Personalised to you with interchangeable dividers, page marker and front cover.

So, dare I mention the C word….but if you have a stationery mad, lover of planners looking for a unique, individual Christmas present, look no further!

x PB x

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Once upon a time, there were four little rabbits….

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With Summer now truly upon us this week, what could be more appropriate than a floral and Peter Rabbit scheme in my Kikki K and TN?

The Peter Rabbit kit has featured previously and is by Oodlemadoodle and I just love it so much! A personal sized kit will be coming out soon which will be purchased instantly!

The washi tape is a mixture of Planner Society and Paperchase.

Enjoy!

The Royal Girl in all her glory

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As promised, here are some detailed pictures of my planner and TN layout this week. 

When I saw a picture of this kit on Instagram, my heart honestly skipped a beat. With deep purples blending seamlessly with blush pink and blue hues, I could stare at this sticker set forever.

Following the same routine as last week and every week, this kit has enhanced my planner and TN and it’s a pleasure to open them up every morning and be greeted by such gorgeousness! 

x PB x