How to hide your Amazon echo! I have the old schoo How to hide your Amazon echo! I have the old school Amazon Echo. We have the dots around the house, but our kitchen one is still the OG! I don't love it being on the counter so I came up with a way to hide it!

How do you hide your electronics? 

#homehacks #homeandgardens #homedecorideas #kitchenideas
Let's make an Easter basket Bundt cake! It's so ea Let's make an Easter basket Bundt cake! It's so easy and cute to create!

First, use edible grass or icing and a grass piping tip to add grass to your "basket." Then attach peeps to a toothpick and insert into the cake. Add eggs and other Easter candies. Finally, add a handle to complete the basket look!

What are you doing for Easter this year?

#eastercakes #easterbrunch #easterideas #springrecipes #easyrecipesformoms #springcakes #springparty #recipereels #easypartyideas
Snaps from staycation! We spent the weekend in Atl Snaps from staycation! We spent the weekend in Atlanta for Benjamin's birthday! 

We started at @childrensmuseumatlanta and then headed over to @skyviewatl! Then we had dinner at @johnnyrockets and spent the night. Then, we woke up early and headed over to the @georgiaaquarium for the day.

It was SO much fun. I highly recommend doing a staycation in your own city. I've lived here 30 years and always find something fun to do. 

Happy birthday to my big 2-year-old! 💙 

#atlantastaycation #staycation #toddlertrip #toddlertravel #toddlertravels #georgiaaquarium #childrensmuseumatlanta #skyviewatlanta #johnnyrockets
This is the easiest idea for a fun summer party! 🦀 I took these crabby chicken croissants to our margaritaville themed party last week. I also made them for a mermaid-themed party a few years ago!

To make these:
-slice mini croissants down the middle but leave the back connected.
-fill with chicken salad.
-attach a toothpick to the back of edible eyeballs with cookie icing and allow it to dry.
-insert the toothpicks into the croissants to create eyes!

Save this for later when you need a dish or appetizer to bring to summer parties! 

#easyrecipesformoms #easysummerrecipes #easyrecipesforkids #easyfamilyrecipes #summerpartyideas #summerbarbecue #chickensaladsandwich #recipereel #easyrecipesathome
My big, sweet, wonderful boy is 2! Being his mom i My big, sweet, wonderful boy is 2! Being his mom is the greatest gift I've ever been given. I am so incredibly grateful for my tiny bestie. 

Thank you @keikilaniphotography for these precious photos of our boy!
Today we're making frito corn salad! This might be Today we're making frito corn salad! This might be the most southern dish I've ever made. However, it is a perfect side to take to a barbecue or to make for a summer party. 

It's also the perfect dish to make if your kitchen is under construction like mine was for this video. It's a cold dish so nothing to heat up. 

First, mix together two cans of drained whole-kernel corn, two cups of mexican blend cheese, one cup of light mayo, diced red pepper, pepper and a bit of cilantro in a bowl. Then, add crushed Chili Cheese Fritos and mix well. Serve and enjoy! 

#recipereel #sidedishrecipes #sidedishes #cornsalad #cornrecipes #barbecuerecipes #recipereels #easyrecipeideas #easyrecipesformoms
You'll just have to excuse me this week. I'm feeli You'll just have to excuse me this week. I'm feeling extra sappy. I love sharing a birthday week with my boy, and I'm extra grateful for another year with my tiny bestie. 💕

Thanks for all the birthday love! Can't wait to celebrate my sweet boy the rest of the week! 

Cover photo is from the incredibly talented @keikilaniphotography 

#toddlermoments #dailymotherhood #toddlerboymom #toddlermomma #twoyearolds
It's my birthday! We're making glitter drinks! ✨ It's my birthday! We're making glitter drinks! ✨

This is my favorite way to make a regular drink feel fancy! Sprinkle a little edible glitter in a silicone mold and fill with water and freeze. When it melts, your drink will be cute and sparkly.

My drink today is two ounces of bourbon, one ounce of peach syrup, lemon juice and club soda! Stir and watch it sparkle. 

#glittercocktail #peachcocktail #birthdaydrink #birthdaycocktails #edibleglitter #easydrinks #easydrink #easydrinking #signaturedrinks #recipereel
Today we're making golf tee cupcakes for the Maste Today we're making golf tee cupcakes for the Masters! ⛳️

First, either make or purchase cupcakes with green frosting. My kitchen was under construction for this video, so I purchased mine. But you can easily make your own and even use the grass piping tip to make grass. 

Then I found these golf-tee toothpicks. Place one in each cupcake. 

Then use cookie icing to secure a white chocolate truffle to each of the tees. 

Allow the icing to harden, serve and enjoy!

#mastersparty #masterssunday #masterstournament #springdesserts #golfcupcakes #golfparty #golfpartyideas #springparty #recipereels #cupcakereel #cupcakereels
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Home, popular, Style · November 3, 2015

Erin Condren vs. Plum Paper

I’m a planner girl. Yes, I have a smart phone. Yes, I know how to use it. No, I do not want to. I love color coding, stickers, and visual organization more than anything in the world.

I have had four Erin Condren planners in my lifetime and LOVED them. I started using them in college after my PR bestie got one for Christmas. She sat next to me in every class and I practically drooled over the stickers, fun designs and organizational possibilities. So, of course, monkey see monkey needs and I got one too.

I filled that baby up. I had every class, party, sorority mixer, paper, deadline and Sonic Happy Hour color coded and scheduled.

Then EC came out with the gold edition and I had to have that one too. I really loved that one. It was so pretty, but because I was out of college I didn’t have as much to put in it. I had my work stuff and social events which were a little more frequent because I was driving my booty back to my old college town every chance I got to be with my friends and boyfriend, but I was not filling it up nearly as much as I was.

This last year EC planner was hardly filled at all. Work events and weddings. That’s about it. Not much color coding necessary. A lot of my fun stickers weren’t used because quite frankly I wasn’t going to parties and social events all the time. I still love Erin but can’t justify the price anymore for something that I’m not using as much as I was. Not to mention they are having some delivery and customer service issues lately.

Enter Plum Paper. I have heard good things so I decided to try it out. I’ve had it for maybe an hour, but so far so good! Here’s my side by side comparison, I made my photos smaller this time to keep this post from being twelve miles long. Disclaimer: My EC planner is the 2014-2015 edition.


Size: 
They’re the same size. Not even a little bit off. Put them on top of each other and it looks like a really fat planner.

Customization and extras:
Plum Paper has more options for customization which I LOVE! I love being able to pick exactly what I want in a planner. You can select which month you want your planner to start, how many months. There are also four options for the weekly spreads! In addition you can select to disperse your note pages, to-do pages, etc. AND this is where they really got me…you can add on sections. They have options for fitness, budgeting, wedding planning, baby planning, and blogging! What?? Too cool. So I added the blogging section for sure.

EC has customization options but they are definitely more standard. Like pick this or this. They also have a lot of the things that are add-ons on Plum Paper already included in their design like notes, to-do lists, stickers, etc. These options are just stuck where they are though you can’t move them. But EC does have fun extras like pre-printed stickers, a ruler, the zippered clear pouch, stickers and labels, clips, etc.

Price:
Hello. No comparison here. Plum Paper is $31 before add-ons and Erin Condren is $50 for regular and $65 for Metallic before add-ons. After my add-ons and shipping I spent approximately $50 for Plum Paper and between $90-$100 for my Erin Condrens depending on the year.


Covers:
Erin definitely takes the cake in this category. Her interchangeable beautiful covers and constant new designs just can’t be beat. They are also pretty durable. I stuff mine into my purse all the time and the bottom right corner always gets a little bent, but overall they last until the year is up and I need another one.

Plum Paper doesn’t have even a quarter of the designs as EC, but definitely has some cute options to choose from. They are just a thicker paper stock with a plastic protective sheet on top. It definitely dulls the cute design.

Overview Calendars:
I will go ahead and admit that I can count on less than one hand I have used this page. So I actually couldn’t care less about these pages. But here they are…The first is EC the second is PP.

Monthly Spread:
I do actually use these pages frequently, but don’t have a preference of one over the other. First is EC (which clearly I haven’t finished filling out) and second is PP.

Weekly Spread:
So I’ve only had my Plum Paper for a few hours, but I already prefer their weekly spread. They have four options to choose from where EC only has two. I write like a four year old little girl, so actually the lines keep me in check. When I had blank space I got a little cray cray. BUT I like the blank space for stickers. See Katy’s wedding weekend for example… Plum Paper leaves less room for creativity but that doesn’t mean anything lol I’ll find a way around. The first is PP, the second is EC and the third is EC.

Notes Pages:
I use my notes pages ALL the time. I do like that I can disperse them throughout the months on Plum Planner, but I like that they are already included on EC. Design wise, they’re pretty much the same.

Stickers:
Again something I use all the time! Erin Condren has pre-printed and plain stickers already included and gives you the option to create your own stickers. I don’t use all the pre-printed stickers. I just don’t get to go on vacation as much as EC thinks…but I do use some of them. Concerts, birthdays, etc. I use my custom stickers all the time. I have stickers printed with “Meeting @ _____” in bulk. I love these because I just fill in the time. I really like the plain stickers too, but sometimes EC has some crazy colors like poop brown that I just never use.

Plum Paper does not include stickers and doesn’t have the pre-printed option, but they do give you lots when you add-on and they are all colors one would actually use.

Overall:
I like them both and see why they’re both so great. I am going to commit to the Plum Planner this year but who knows in the future. Maybe I should do another review in a year haha!

Do you still use a planner? Which brand is your favorite?

In: Home, popular, Style

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Comments

  1. Ashley @ The Wandering Weekenders says

    November 3, 2015 at 12:56 pm

    I just got my first EC planner for 2016 and I like it so far. I had the Emily Ley daily Simplified Planner last year but it was too detailed for me, so I opted to try the weekly for 2016 as well. We'll see what I end up liking the best!

  2. Amanda - Voyage of the MeeMee says

    November 3, 2015 at 1:54 pm

    Fuuuuuuuuuuuck. Every time I forget about how bad I want something like this, someone posts about it and my inner nerd starts salivating! lol

  3. Brittany@TheLadyLawyer says

    November 3, 2015 at 1:57 pm

    I'm the same! I've fallen off the planner bandwagon because I just didn't have as much to put in it (or the time to do it I guess). I will check this brand out!

  4. Stephanie says

    November 3, 2015 at 4:27 pm

    I like the Plum Paper better. I've had both but EC is not worth the price for me, not by a long shot. Both have delivery and customer service issues (although EC WAY more, everyone knows it), but Plum Paper still wins for me with the customizations.

  5. Kristen @ See You In A Porridge says

    November 3, 2015 at 4:31 pm

    i love actual planners vs smart phone. i remember things much easier when i've had to write them down. that being said, i'm not a sticker / colour coding kind of girl. so i could never justify the cost for an EC, even if I was super busy and awesome. I have a plum paper and I love it! well, i don't technically start using it till 2016 but hey. i love it so far 😉

  6. Life with Lolo says

    November 3, 2015 at 5:31 pm

    I get so overwhelmed by all the planners out there because I've never been a planner person. But I feel like it's something we have to do as bloggers? Is that weird? Just peer pressure maybe? Anyways I ordered my 2016 planner from A Beautiful Mess. It's pretty and all but I have no idea what I'm doing. It doesn't start till 2016 so I guess I have some time to figure it out and buy a zillion stickers right?

  7. Kate at Green Fashionista says

    November 3, 2015 at 7:32 pm

    Awesome review girl! I need to check out Plum Paper for this year as it's a much better price. And I could not agree with you more that I'd much rather write things down and make them pretty than use technology <3

    Green Fashionista

  8. Lindsay Latimer says

    November 4, 2015 at 3:13 am

    I like my Erin Condren planner but wish I had more time to play around with it! I like the inside of your Plum Paper better than my EC- will be checking it out next!

  9. Emilee Springer says

    November 6, 2015 at 3:03 am

    1) You're planning for 2 very important dates in November I see 🙂
    2) Gotta get me one of these Plum Paper planners!

  10. Calvin Ewers says

    February 1, 2016 at 12:47 pm

    Lots of thanks for this post.I think it is a very good post. It helps us many away. So many many thanks for this article.
    best mountain bike under 300

  11. Cherie Jamison says

    February 4, 2016 at 6:57 pm

    I just got my first EC planner this year. I wanted one last year but was too cheap to put up the $$. I'm glad I bought it. It's really nice and helpful, but I might have to look into a cheaper option next year. I might check out Plum Paper! Had never heard of them until this post.

  12. Kyla Lehner says

    February 18, 2016 at 9:44 pm

    I wanted to get an EC planner but I wasn't able to customize which month to start with. I researched and found PP which lets you do that and it's amazing! I like to have my kids' entire school year in one planner too better keep track of everything. I don't want half of one grade and half of another. Plum Paper totally takes the cake for me!

  13. Unknown says

    February 24, 2016 at 10:53 pm

    Can you use the EC Stickers in the Plum Planner? Is Plum 8-1/2xll? EC is NOT:( And where is the Plum Planner site?

  14. Rasal Khan says

    March 21, 2016 at 4:35 am

    great post…

  15. marta larkin says

    March 21, 2016 at 6:06 am

    With the landing of a child, folks might think that its hard to keep the sentiment alive in their lives. So why not go on a sentimental occasion with your spouse before the infant lands in this world?

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How to hide your Amazon echo! I have the old schoo How to hide your Amazon echo! I have the old school Amazon Echo. We have the dots around the house, but our kitchen one is still the OG! I don't love it being on the counter so I came up with a way to hide it!

How do you hide your electronics? 

#homehacks #homeandgardens #homedecorideas #kitchenideas
Let's make an Easter basket Bundt cake! It's so ea Let's make an Easter basket Bundt cake! It's so easy and cute to create!

First, use edible grass or icing and a grass piping tip to add grass to your "basket." Then attach peeps to a toothpick and insert into the cake. Add eggs and other Easter candies. Finally, add a handle to complete the basket look!

What are you doing for Easter this year?

#eastercakes #easterbrunch #easterideas #springrecipes #easyrecipesformoms #springcakes #springparty #recipereels #easypartyideas
Snaps from staycation! We spent the weekend in Atl Snaps from staycation! We spent the weekend in Atlanta for Benjamin's birthday! 

We started at @childrensmuseumatlanta and then headed over to @skyviewatl! Then we had dinner at @johnnyrockets and spent the night. Then, we woke up early and headed over to the @georgiaaquarium for the day.

It was SO much fun. I highly recommend doing a staycation in your own city. I've lived here 30 years and always find something fun to do. 

Happy birthday to my big 2-year-old! 💙 

#atlantastaycation #staycation #toddlertrip #toddlertravel #toddlertravels #georgiaaquarium #childrensmuseumatlanta #skyviewatlanta #johnnyrockets
This is the easiest idea for a fun summer party! 🦀 I took these crabby chicken croissants to our margaritaville themed party last week. I also made them for a mermaid-themed party a few years ago!

To make these:
-slice mini croissants down the middle but leave the back connected.
-fill with chicken salad.
-attach a toothpick to the back of edible eyeballs with cookie icing and allow it to dry.
-insert the toothpicks into the croissants to create eyes!

Save this for later when you need a dish or appetizer to bring to summer parties! 

#easyrecipesformoms #easysummerrecipes #easyrecipesforkids #easyfamilyrecipes #summerpartyideas #summerbarbecue #chickensaladsandwich #recipereel #easyrecipesathome
My big, sweet, wonderful boy is 2! Being his mom i My big, sweet, wonderful boy is 2! Being his mom is the greatest gift I've ever been given. I am so incredibly grateful for my tiny bestie. 

Thank you @keikilaniphotography for these precious photos of our boy!
Today we're making frito corn salad! This might be Today we're making frito corn salad! This might be the most southern dish I've ever made. However, it is a perfect side to take to a barbecue or to make for a summer party. 

It's also the perfect dish to make if your kitchen is under construction like mine was for this video. It's a cold dish so nothing to heat up. 

First, mix together two cans of drained whole-kernel corn, two cups of mexican blend cheese, one cup of light mayo, diced red pepper, pepper and a bit of cilantro in a bowl. Then, add crushed Chili Cheese Fritos and mix well. Serve and enjoy! 

#recipereel #sidedishrecipes #sidedishes #cornsalad #cornrecipes #barbecuerecipes #recipereels #easyrecipeideas #easyrecipesformoms
You'll just have to excuse me this week. I'm feeli You'll just have to excuse me this week. I'm feeling extra sappy. I love sharing a birthday week with my boy, and I'm extra grateful for another year with my tiny bestie. 💕

Thanks for all the birthday love! Can't wait to celebrate my sweet boy the rest of the week! 

Cover photo is from the incredibly talented @keikilaniphotography 

#toddlermoments #dailymotherhood #toddlerboymom #toddlermomma #twoyearolds
It's my birthday! We're making glitter drinks! ✨ It's my birthday! We're making glitter drinks! ✨

This is my favorite way to make a regular drink feel fancy! Sprinkle a little edible glitter in a silicone mold and fill with water and freeze. When it melts, your drink will be cute and sparkly.

My drink today is two ounces of bourbon, one ounce of peach syrup, lemon juice and club soda! Stir and watch it sparkle. 

#glittercocktail #peachcocktail #birthdaydrink #birthdaycocktails #edibleglitter #easydrinks #easydrink #easydrinking #signaturedrinks #recipereel
Today we're making golf tee cupcakes for the Maste Today we're making golf tee cupcakes for the Masters! ⛳️

First, either make or purchase cupcakes with green frosting. My kitchen was under construction for this video, so I purchased mine. But you can easily make your own and even use the grass piping tip to make grass. 

Then I found these golf-tee toothpicks. Place one in each cupcake. 

Then use cookie icing to secure a white chocolate truffle to each of the tees. 

Allow the icing to harden, serve and enjoy!

#mastersparty #masterssunday #masterstournament #springdesserts #golfcupcakes #golfparty #golfpartyideas #springparty #recipereels #cupcakereel #cupcakereels
Obsessed!! From the day we got the cabinets painte Obsessed!! From the day we got the cabinets painted to the finished project with backsplash and under cabinet lighting. I love our kitchen so much! 

We are going to replace the outlet and switch covers to blend a little more, but for now, we are so excited to have this completed kitchen! 

#kitchenreno #kitchenbeforeandafter #kitchenremodels #kitchenrenos #kitchenrenovations #farrowandballpaint #kitchencabinetsmakeover #kitchenbacksplash #kitchenidea #kitcheninspo #coastalgrandmother

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