Crafty Catch-Up – July 2017

July 24, 2017 hansjonesLeave a comment

After stepping out of my comfort zone for the first Crafty Catch Up in February 2017, it was a given that I was going to rugby tackle anyone I needed to for a ticket for the July 2017 catch up.

Taking a beautifully scenic journey through the Kent countryside, I arrived in Lydd and entered a room full of smiles and happiness. Rachel and Emily (the organisers) had done a fantastic job in setting up stalls and tables for the attendees.

I had the pleasure of being on Table 1 with a brilliant bunch of planner girls – Charlotte, Lynsey, Joey, Anna & Stephanie. Balloons, gold foiling, bunting, the most adorable cake & sweet stand and a safe place to plan, craft & create….what could be better?

It was so wonderful to be able to browse some planner shops – when the whole of the Planner world is online, its great to be able to see products in real life…..although this did mean that there were some indulgent purchases.

A new addition to the day was a set of craft classes which added a great dynamic. We had a TN insert class and TN pocket folder class by CraftyAliCat, hand lettering by SoJoey and a memory keeping book class by BitsOfStationery. It was also wonderful to just sit with my fellow planner girls and plan our week and have a giggle (there were plenty of those).

The goody bags were handed out by Rachel and the room was filled by ooohs and aahs of excitement, apart from me, who in my unique style, chose to wait until 2 days later…..the contents are incredible – I loved everything!

The raffle was disappointing…..but only because I didn’t win the Love From Poppy TN and it was very clear that the winner (LauraLizzy) was very VERY excited about it!! I did win something even with my impeccable timing for sharing my frustration that my name had yet to be called out.

What I have come to realise is that planner friends do truly make the best type of friends – their acceptance of your enjoyment in anything creative is so heartwarming and they have an ability to make you smile by the smallest of gestures.

The day came to an end all too quickly but that was certainly made easier with the announcement for the next catch up at the end of the year.

So, I’ll be seeing you all on 2nd December…..hopefully…..

Check out my Instagram for all the pics – @pineapplebuttonco

x PB x

Plan with me! #beforethetodolists

January 26, 2016January 25, 2016 hansjonesLeave a comment

After sharing my set up in my ice blue Kikki-K Condren, I was asked by many of you how I plan on a weekly basis.

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So, here is a plan with me for this week.

I certainly love the ability to be creative with my planner, however, my inability to make decisions easily means that once I have found a method of decorating that I like, I stick with it for a while until my creative flair inspires me otherwise.

On a Sunday evening, I sit with my We R Memory Keepers storage bag, The Planner Society kit, The Reset Girl stickers and a bunch of other goodies and decorate for the coming week.

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I only actively use this planner Monday-Friday for my work and home to do lists. So, the first step I take is to cover up Saturday and Sunday with some gorgeous paper. I am in love with the notepad from The Planner Society December kit and with a little bit of washi and some stickers, it makes perfect use of the weekend columns I don’t need. This notepaper is ideal for jotting down ideas for blogs, shopping list or general to-do’s. Adding a gumball sticker from The Reset Girl with some inspirational stickers completes this half of the week. If I fancy, I may had a Erin Condren box sticker depending on how busy the week is.

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Moving back to the first half of the week, I repeat a similar process with the craft paper, adding a piece to the lined column and embellishing with The Planner Society to-do pad and stickers. Who doesn’t adore the girls in The Planner Society kit from December?!

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With a choice sticker for the thankful thought, that is pretty much it for the week as every blank inch is full by Friday 5pm!

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Finally, using these “too cute to handle” cards and wooden embellishments from The Planner Society Kit, I created an extra large page marker. It adds to the decoration as well as being practical!

I’ll probably change up my decorating routine in February – use the hashtag #beforethetodolists on Instagram to shower me with inspiration! I love looking at all your planner layouts and decorating.

x PB x

Getting Ready for Autumn (Part 2) – Setting up an Autumnal themed notebook

September 22, 2015September 22, 2015 hansjonesLeave a comment

When I sourced this gorgeous patent navy planner from Paperchase for the bargain price of £3, I knew I had to find a purpose for it (even though I certainly don’t need another planner for organisation).

With a small collection of Autumnal craft paper, stickers and embellishments, I decided to pull this all together and create a seasonal on-the-go notebook.

Taking inspiration from The Planner Society, The Reset Girl and Create with Beth, I decorated the inside pockets with some adorable cut outs from cardstock. Adding a mustard yellow and Cardinal purple paperclip and creating a paperclip using cardboard stickers (purchased from a Craftie Charlie) helped to bring the decoration together. I love the fox!

I added a gold spotted burlap dashboard to the front of the planner – the texture and colours really make this feel autumnal.

Following inspiration from The Planner Society, I was keen to add layers to the inside with contrasting colours and patterns. Making two envelopes for added storage, the Shimmelle navy floral pattern is just gorgeous and compliments the deep navy of the planner. I adore the Owls which again adds a fall flare and contrasts against the bold florals.

Making more paperclips using cardboard stickers brings depth and an element of fun!

To create some interest on plain notepaper, I turned to my paper buffet and used a safe green stamp of this adorable pencil from the Neat and Tangled stamp set.

I love having this notebook on-the-go and as well as being incredibly practical, it’s gorgeous to look at!

Links below!

x PB x

Craftie Charlie Autumnal Haul

– http://www.craftie-charlie.co.uk/echo-park-reflections-fall-12-x12-element-shape-stickers-rf53014.html

– http://www.craftie-charlie.co.uk/echo-park-reflections-fall-6-x6-double-sided-paper-pad-24-sheets-rf53023.html

– http://www.craftie-charlie.co.uk/simple-stories-sweater-weather-self-adhesive-chipboard-shape-stickers-5628.html

Hobbycraft – http://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/shimelle-true-stories-12-x-12-inch-paper-pack-48-sheets/609160-1000

#Back2School4GrownUps – Haul Time!

September 3, 2015September 3, 2015 hansjones1 Comment

I have been building up quite the small collection of recently purchased items, both planning and stationery related and both online and in-store.

So, first up – I have been to TKMaxx (surprise, surprise!) and found this gorgeous pad of craft paper. The colours are perfect moving into Autmn/Winter and will certainly be put to good use. A bargain too at £7.99.

As you will remember from my #Blogspiration post a week or so ago, I mentioned my admiration and slight obsession with The Reset Girl. When she announced that she had changed her store format to ready to ship, I knew I had to purchase something. To make the shipping (and customs!!) worthwhile, I bought a stack of stickers from her in her iconic patterns and colours. Along with some text stickers, I also purchased Craft Market and Simple Stories brand too as they were actually more reasonably priced in dollars compared to sterling. I love how Cori included some misfit stickers (which I can’t actually tell what is wrong with them) and a sweet little note! Highly recommend a visit!

So, Tesco have upped their stationery game and have this gorgeous collection of rose gold/pink metallic notebooks and pencil cases. I also spotted these 4 tabbed notebooks which I thought would be perfect inside a large Midori. Finally, this adorable peach and cream lace ribbon would go perfectly with the peach Kikki K – would make great page markers!

I recently spotted on Instagram these adorable stamps perfect for bloggers! From Neat & Tangled you place these stamps on an acrylic block and stamp away! They have been so useful when planning my blog posts and photos. I also use the To Do and Top 3 in my Erin Condren as they fit perfectly in the vertical boxes! Shipped from the US very quickly and no customs!

I made another purchase from Craftie Charlie – I love this UK based online store – they have such a wide collection, my wish list is forever growing! I spotted these absolutely amazing autumn/fall themed stickers and craft paper. Autumn is by far my favourite season – my birthday month is September, I love the going back to school feeling and the weather always seems to be beautiful. I can’t wait to decorate my planners with these beauties!

I am part of a number of groups on Facebook – Planner Dreams UK, Planner Dreams Sales UK, Paper and Glam Planning etc – I find these a great source for inspiration as well as networking with like-minded planner obsessed individuals. I recently purchased some items from Planner Dreams Sales UK. A great bunch of ladies who always seem to be having a de-stash and at very reasonable prices. These two notebooks, including postage, were less than £5 – will certainly be put to good use for my Autumn set ups. I also have some stickers on the way which I am very excited about. I highly recommend you join Facebook groups!

Finally, I found a rather significant bargain in Paperchase! Paperchase now have a loyalty card which gives you money off depending on your spending habits! Well, as you can imagine, I have made my fair share of purchases over recent months giving me £5 off my next spend. I spotted this beautiful patent navy planner. I think it is equivalent to a Filofax personal size. Reduced from £16 to £8, I used my £5 off so…..£3 in total!!

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It is a perfect Autumn colour and I will be using my recent supplies to make this my #ListersGottaList journal. So, make sure you sign up to the loyalty scheme, highly recommended.

x PB x

The Pineapple & Button Co. R.O. (related objects!)

August 4, 2015August 3, 2015 hansjones1 Comment

Prior to setting up The Pineapple & Button Co. I had always be drawn to anything P & B related. I will share in time where the inspiration behind the name came from, but be reassured that for the past 5 or more years, anything Pineapple & Button shaped has come home with me! For example, you will recall from a previous post that one of mine (and Mr PB’s) favourite home accessory is our chrome Pineapple which stands proudly on our mantelpiece.

However, since writing this blog and sharing my passion for all things Stationery + Style, my attraction to P&B R.O. (Pineapple & Button Related Objects) has escalated. In part due to the sudden fascination we all have with Pineapples at the moment, it has become quite easy to add to the collection.

First up is the most adorable candle – it’s a pineapple and it’s teal – what more could this blog ask for! Another fab fact about this piece – it’s scented and smells divine. It will of course be one of those candles that is never lit but admired from afar. Purchased from Oliver Bonas, priced £12, however, I believe they are sold out. I will try and add a similar link below.

And perhaps, as is currently the case in P&B HQ, the pineapple will stand beside my next recent purchase – a white button photo frame. The finish is superb and I love the variety of buttons. Complimenting the brand colours, this photo frame will soon hold a picture of the P&B logo. Purchased from Paperchase, priced £8.

I shared on Instagram last week that the new uniform for The P&B Co. had arrived…..if only I could get away with wearing it every day…..H&M priced £12.99

Moving to the Stationery department – a very close friend of mine purchased me this brilliant Pineapple notebook as a thank you gift. The pages are decent quality and the spine is very flexible so it is easy to write in. You will notice from the picture that I have added tabs – watch this space as I will share in a later blog my process to upping this notebooks game!

My love of crafting and scrapbooking took me to the aisles of Hobbycraft one Saturday afternoon and I “stumbled” across this adorable button embossing punch. Not only does it cut out a button shape piece but also embosses the surround making adorable button like confetti. This will certainly go far with my decoration of planner pages.

As I am sure most of you that follow this blog will have come to learn, I have become a bona fide planner addict. So, what does every Planner Girl need….washi tape of course. And what washi tape should The P&B Co. own……pineapple washi tape. Having seen this washi tape in so many Instagram posts, I knew it would be hard to come by. I pre-ordered via the Little B page on Amazon and waited 4 weeks….that is planner dedication but oh so worth it.

Finally, last but by no means least. Whilst I am in love with my very own Pineapple & Button Co. Planner, I spotted the pineapple Emily Ley Simplified Planner whilst conducting “research”. Disappointed to see that it had sold out on her online store, I headed to Ebay where I was fortunate to find a lady in the UK selling one…..fate had arrived at my door. I purchased it not really knowing what purpose it would have but after watching plenty of inspirationals videos on YouTube, I decided to make this my blog planner – it only seemed right given the cover. I will share in a later post what my setup is and how I plan and decorate on a monthly & weekly basis.

So, I guess having stood back and adored my purchases, I really need to improve upon my hunt for Button goods. Has anyone found a B.R.O that you think would go perfectly with the collection?

Links below. Happy shopping!

x PB x

White Button Photo Frame – Paperchase – http://www.paperchase.co.uk/button-frame-white-4×6.html

Pineapple T-Shirt – H&M – http://www.hm.com/gb/product/11753?article=11753-E

Button Embossing Punch – Hobbycraft – http://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/hobbycraft-button-emboss-punch/595786-1000

Pineapple Washi Tape – Little B via Amazon – http://www.amazon.co.uk/Little-Foil-Pineapple-Tape-Gold/dp/B00VRKBJZC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438632504&sr=8-1&keywords=little+b+pineapple

Emily Ley Simplified Planner – http://www.emilyley.com/

The Pineapple & Button Co. Planner starts to take shape!

July 16, 2015July 16, 2015 hansjones4 Comments

As you will know from my first planner blog a couple of weeks ago, I shared that my stationery addiction had taken me to another level, another world, another dimension!

You will also recall that whilst I am very keen to grab this obsession with both hands and embrace it, I don’t want to get too passionate too quickly. So I decided to use my love of scrapbooking and inspiration from the amazing planner community to create my own on a budget.

The process was fairly easy once I had racked up hours and hours of ” research” on YouTube, Pinterest, Etsy and fellow bloggers. Dashboards, dividers, paperclips, page markers, inserts…..I had a lot to achieve with this new planner but I was pretty certain how I wanted it to look and the purpose it would fulfil.

First stop – Staples. I picked up a Martha Stewart A5 2-ring binder. It was quite the bargain (of course!) reduced to £5. It would be the perfect way to house my planner until I had decided that this passion was long term.

As there was a lack of pockets on the inside of the planner, I needed (actually, wanted) to create a layout that was both practical and creative.

I scoured the shelves at TK Maxx and found some great pads of craft paper for around £5. Gold paperclips from Rymans (although I now know you can buy cheaper online) and my piece de la resistance – the Pineapple notepad from Paperchase!

Having watched some of you share your amazing setups, I was pretty certain on what the finished product would look like. I placed the Pineapple notepad on the inside cover for easy access. And to make sure it stood out, I placed some craft paper behind it – all of this was secured using double sided sticky tape.

The pocket was created by simply folding the double sided card and securing again with double sided tape and the paperclips were made following tutorials on YouTube. I also created some paperclip page flags using complimenting craft paper. The bow is from my superb stationery swap pal!

The back inside cover also needed some attention and I thought it would be the best place for a dashboard. Using the same techniques as the front inside cover, I created a wide vertical pocket to house Project Life cards and secured an array of sticky notes. In order to make sure they didn’t move, I had to use double sided sticky tape which means that I will probably need to replace the whole pocket once I’ve used them all. The pen loop was added and made extra wide to fit multiple pens.

I loved the process of deciding on the colour scheme and being able to add my own slice of creativity to an already creative world. It took me time and I will certainly admit that my perfectionist side didn’t cope well when lines were wonky or not symmetrical. But what I have learnt along the way is to embrace some of those imperfections.

“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring!” – Marilyn Monroe

This planner may not be to everyones taste but I have fallen head over heels – my planner was taking shape and I couldn’t wait to use it. Next stop inserts…..

What are your favourite planner YouTube channels? Where do you get your inspiration from?

x PB x

First Impressions – Notepads and Pens galore!

June 30, 2015June 30, 2015 hansjonesLeave a comment

Just a quick post to share my thoughts on some of my recent purchases that I shared in the recent stationery blog.

I have been using the List Book from Paperchase pretty much every day. The fact it comes with a notepad makes it super versatile for on the move and it doesn’t get squished in the bottom of my bag either! 20150630_082755614_iOS

For the smaller handbag requirements, I have been loving the Marks and Spencer Today notepad and the Target Dollar Spot floral journal from the swap. Both look cute (in fact had a couple of compliments from fellow commuters) but are also very practical. I highly recommend if you stumble across either (or both! 😉).

I have also been using the Sharpie pastel palette pens – whilst the colours are great and make your pages look summery and inviting, they do bleed through regular notepad paper. Most Sharpies will do this because of their original purpose of being a multi tasking pen for writing on CD’s to whiteboards so it is worth bearing this in mind. I can cope with that given the colour palette is a beaut!

I have also been writing……and then erasing a lot too! The Pilot Frixon pen is all its hype led it to believe. You can actually write and then erase with pretty much all of the evidence disappeared. It reminded me of the magic ink from my childhood that “vanished”……although it never really did. This actually does scrub away to nothing. I am definitely going back to purchase more colours. The range seems to be expanding in most standard UK stores – most have standard blue, black and red but keep your eye out for more colourful options.

The only items I have been a little disappointed with are the Uniball gel pens. I love the colours but they aren’t particularly easy to write with. I prefer pens that you can write both in your best hand as well as the quick shopping list but with these Uniball, you certainly need to concentrate more with these pens. I will of course have a use for them – great for birthday cards for example – but would suggest a thinner nib if you are looking for something to fulfil those every day needs.

Have any of you made the same purchases and have thoughts on your first impressions?

Please leave a comment by clicking on the link above this post And don’t forget, you can find us on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter.

x PB x

The obsession is real…..I’ve started writing about hauls!

June 23, 2015June 22, 2015 hansjones2 Comments

And I have a stationery swap pal! But more on that shortly….

In my search for all things perfect about stationery and style, this has developed an interest in regularly shopping. “Developed an interest”?? Who am I kidding. I am forever shopping. There ain’t no thing as no spend months in my little world.

So, to that end, I have collected a fair few items over the past few months which I thought I would share. Those pieces that I have starting using will appear in a follow first impressions so watch this space if you are keen to purchase the same.

First up – notebooks. Although I try to use up a notebook before moving onto another, that doesn’t stop me from having stock. In a recent visit to Paperchase, I spotted these adorable sticky note sets. I love that they come in a hard back storage book making them using to use on the go without damaging them. They also look cute on a bookshelf. One of the sets is a List Book so also includes a standard notepad which I think will be super handy. 20150620_190924007_iOS

I also picked up a pack of Cath Kidston notebooks which come in a set of three in their usual cute floral designs. These are probably more an A6 size which is great for slipping into a handbag. I use these in meetings if I’m travelling quite a bit with work. You can still get plenty of content on the pages but they are far more convenient than the usual Black and Red A4 pads.

So, my next item was purchased purely for its look rather than its practicality but how cute is that Today slim pad!? It’s from Marks and Spencer – that was a treat! If you are from the UK, you will know that M&S are more renowned for their bras and meal for £10 so it was a pleasant surprise to see that they have upped their stationery game. The store I visited, which is their flagship in the South, had a wide collection of new products so I would highly recommend checking it out either online or in store. I’m not sure about availability for overseas but, leading into my next items, you could always find a swap partner to connect with to send you a selection!

As you will guess from the title, I recently connected with a lovely lady from the U.S. on an FB group. Fully aware from my extensive research that the U.S. seem to do it better than us, I reached out to see if anyone would like to swap and this lady said yes!

We did our first swap a few weeks ago – it was an easy, pleasant and painless experience which I know is sadly not always the case for some, but I hit lucky!

The items included in the box will continue to feature in my next few blogs but as a starter, she sent me 2 adorable journals and 2 list pads from Target. Apologies to all the stationery experts out there, but for those starting out, you will see a lot of hype about Target Dollar Spot. I have not visited this part of the store before as I always just thought it was seasonal products but the Target Dollar Spot has got a lot to say for itself! Beautiful stationery that retails around $1-$3 each!! I haven’t started using these items yet, saving for a special reason but I’ll be sure to feedback.

You can’t have a notebook without a writing instrument! So I have also built up my pen collection recently. Included in the swap box were some cute gel pens in pink, teal and green. I particularly love the heart on the lid.

Other recent pen purchases – pastel Sharpies! I have seen their primary colour collection but spotted these pastel beauties in the line up at Paperchase.

I also love any type of heavy gel pen and these uni ball are just gorgeous colours which I know will write well too.

Finally, I had heard on the blogging grapevine that the Pilot Frixon pens were awesome. So I had to try! I just purchased the pink neon for now and will see how I get on.