Coffee & Honeycomb

I haven't shared too much about my Etsy shop on this blog before, but there's a couple of exciting things I'm planning so I wanted to give you guys a sneak peek and ask for your opinion! :)

2015 planners are already releasing, so I wanted to try to take a stab at it myself — with my own twist! Everybody who knows me knows I am addicted to planners (and pretty much all things stationary.) To me, a good planner is one that is both functional and reflective of his/her personal style. I used a Moleskine for all four years in college and it was great for school. There was room for daily to-do's, and extra space to doodle and jot down any inspiration that came my way! There are all sorts of planners out there these days (and these Simplifed Planners totally catch my eye), but there was never really a type for other thoughts I wanted to get down... 

So I created a weekly planner where you can put pen to paper the stuff not only in your head, but also in your heart and soul. A place where you can pause after a long week of crossing things off your checklist, paying your bills, and running errands, so you can let your soul breathe for a minute. Reflect, re-evaluate, and process that whirlwind of a week you just went through. Because whether you feel accomplished or exhausted or a complicated combination of both, you were made for so much more than grocery lists and errands. At least that's what was going on in my heart for awhile - and I don't think I'm alone. 

Planners are so great, and while I will always be a huge advocate for them, I know I tied myself to productivity and accolades for a long time, and I learned there is more to life than making lists and making plans. So in the small spaces of white in my journal, I started scribbling more than how to wring out more minutes in a day or more responsibilities to add to my plate. I started writing about the status of my soul... Things I was thankful for, like the tips I received at work and the spontaneous dinner date my roommates and I had, things I was learning, things I wanted to start praying for, and also bible verses or quotes that inspired me. I did that for about 6 months or so, and it really changed my perspective of work, life, and friendships... And the other day I thought — hey, why not make a planner for this?! 

So I did. Err, at least I'm trying. :) From the desk of Coffee & Honeycomb, here is a [working] draft of what it looks like thus far! I wanted to give you all a sneak peek. What do you think? Would you use something like this? What other colors would you like to see? Is there another "space" in the planner I'm missing? Please, please, please share your thoughts because I would love to hear them!





Speaking of all things Etsy, the Etsy swap is back on! Bloggers Amy from Taking Steps Home and Megan from Rivers and Roads are hosting their third Etsy swap — and you can be a part of it, too. I just signed up for it and I'm so, so, so excited to participate. I've never been part of a swap before, but snail mail and etsy is TOTALLY my jam so I'm all in. I hope you are, too! Who knows, maybe I'll be your secret sender. ;) The rules are really simple and you can find them, as well as frequently asked questions, over at either of their blogs. You have until the 17th to sign! Hope to see you there.




XO.

Hope you enjoy! Find more designs here. 

Since I already shared a desktop in my "let's talk about beauty" post, which is the one I'm actually using right now, I only have one for you guys today. But I promise it's a good one!

Featuring : "Be in love with your life. Every detail of it."    

DOWNLOAD INSTRUCTIONS:  Right click on the image below and click on "open in new tab." This will give you access to the image's full size. Once you are there, right click + save, or directly drag it onto your desktop. Then, make it your wallpaper! 1, 2, 3! (:


XO.

Hello there! Happy Tuesday!

It's time for another "TEN THINGS," inspired by lovelyindeed. Today's a VERY special one because I am linking up with my dearest, dearest friend and fellow blogger ellyse @ with love, ellyse. Due to our shared love for blogging and making lists, we've decided to tackle this series together! Besides, it's more fun in pairs.

Ellyse and I became best friends in high school junior year. We met when we both joined the school yearbook's executive staff and then the following year, we ended up having countless AP classes together. Although we didn't exactly instantly click (hehe oops) the moment we realized we were basically the same person, we connected over buffalo pretzels, Lauren Conrad, and frozen yogurt. A solid foundation of a friendship if you ask me.

"I thought you were Asian me, but now I realize I'm just Caucasian you" — New Girl anyone?

Post high school, her and I went to different colleges, but we always kept in touch keeping each other updated on all things inspired. Because we've been each others motivation for so many things, I'm so excited to be doing this series with her. So! Without further ado, I present to you this week's list. (Be sure to check out Ellyse's list, as well.)

Cheers!


XO.

What's on your list? 

The printable includes two 3.5 x 5 inch cards total, with the ability to print off as many copies as you like! They also fold in half so you can include a little note inside. (:

HOW TO DOWNLOAD: Right click the image above and click on "open in new tab." You will then have access to the full image. From there, right click and save to your computer. It should save as a .png file. Then, click print! Easy peasey.

Have fun!
Will you be sending love & beauty to someone today?

XO.

I often hear my friends get into conversations about body image. That conversation in "Mean Girls" is NO JOKE.
It's a poke at society, but it's an honest one.

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. - PROVERBS 31:30

"I think the first real change in women's body image came when JLo turned it butt-style. That was the first time that having a large-scale situation in the back was part of mainstream American beauty. Girls wanted butts now. Men were free to admit that they had always enjoyed them. And then, what felt like moments later, boom - Beyonce brought the leg meat. A back porch and thick muscular legs were now widely admired. And from that day forward, women embraced their diversity and realized that all shapes and sizes were beautiful. Ah ha ha. No. I'm totally messing with you. All Beyonce and JLo have done is add to the laundry list of attributes women must have to qualify as beautiful. [...] The person closest to actually achieving this look is Kim Kardashian, who, as we know, was made by Russian scientists to sabotage our athletes. Everyone else is struggling." 

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. - PSALM 139:14

God says you are fearfully and wonderfully made. (: Do you believe that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that the only eyes that matter are the Lord's? I hope so because it's true. It's a truth that I'm still digesting and praying for more of each day.


DOWNLOAD INSTRUCTIONS: Right click on the image below and click on "open in new tab." This will give you access to the image's full size. Once you are there, right click + save, or directly drag it onto your desktop. Then, make it your wallpaper! 1, 2, 3! (:

I love weekends. And this one in particular is special because today was my last day at HAVAS — not that I am happy about not working, but the fact that every minute of the day now belongs to me. And you know what else?

I DON'T HAVE TO COME HOME EARLY AND SLEEP LIKE AN OLD PERSON! I CAN PLAY! WHO WANTS TO PLAY? NOTHING EVERYTHING GOOD HAPPENS AFTER 2 A.M.

This weekend, I plan on...

- Getting a much needed haircut. Right now, it nearly brushes my belly button. Yikes. 
- Shopping. No explanation needed.
- (Finally) talking to a doctor about my balding problem.
- Playing in the grass. The weather looks promising. Picnic, anyone? Frisbee?
- Designing. I only have 11 days left of my Adobe suite free trial, and you bet I'm going to MILK it.
- Cleaning my room. You're welcome, mom. 

What are your weekend plans?

XO. 

If you're following me on Instagram, then you know that I recently spent a portion of my evening rummaging through a heap of scrapbooking supplies, trying to make some order in that mess. (Order, order, we must have order!)
And boy, was it a mess... Strings were all intertwined with each other and little scraps of paper got caught in the web. Old tape had somehow stuck to EVERYTHING forcing me to discard many unused sheets of card stock and fresh photos. Saaaad beeeeans.

Two episodes of "White Collar" later (My favorite Netflix show at the moment), you could finally see the floor of the room. (#littlewins!) I found an empty storage box that wasn't being used and kind of neatly/messily threw it all in there.


During the untangling and unsticking, I came across an old minibook that I had started my sophomore year! That was the year I first discovered diy-extraordinaire, ELISE BLAHA, and her collection of minibooks. I made my own, kind of stopped, never binded it, and left it alone... (Fun fact: I am AWFUL at finishing things I start. Probably the biggest lie I tell during job interviews.)

Thought I'd share what they look like.



And there you have it. :) This one was themed something along the lines of "firsts" via instagram photos.

Do you have any minibooks/scrapbooks/project life albums? Or do you have any advice on finishing crafts that you start?

XO.

My favorite part about following design bloggers (besides the amount of inspiration it exudes) is: THE FREEBIES! Anything from fun greeting cards to organizational printables and especially new wallpapers are always a joy to come across as a reader. (: A few bloggers who always spit out designs that I enjoy and appreciate are DESIGN EAT REPEAT, DESIGN LOVE FEST and BREANNA ROSE. All the great work has inspired me to start creating and sharing my own! Starting today, I aim to create two new graphic and inspiring downloads for you each week. I think wallpapers are the perfect way to get my design fix when I'm itching to create, as well as share with you some of my favorite quotes and verses.

Today I'm kicking off the new series "happy download" with 5 super simple desktop wallpapers! I hope you enjoy and I'd love to hear if you chose one to download!

TO DO SO: Right click on the image and click on "open in new tab." This will allow you to access the image's full size. Once you are there, right click + save, or directly drag it onto your desktop. Then, make your wallpaper! 1, 2, 3! (:

Secret - sometimes what I do with desktop wallpapers I find is I print it out and tape it to my wall. I call it wall art. :) Feel free to do that with these, too.




^ Those four are my own original creations. Hope you like! I also wanted to share with you the desktop I am currently using which I found from DESIGN LOVE FEST. (below)


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* ALSO! This is my FIRST original post exclusive to this blog. (YAY!) Please continue to follow along by subscribing to the email list on the right OR via my personal favorite, BLOGLOVIN. (:

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COFFEE&HONEYCOMB ON BLOGLOVIN.

xo.

I am a design [noob]. However, I'd like to change that! (: Today was step one.

Like the chevron? I learned how through this quick and simple tutorial. If you click on the photo, it will take you directly to the link where I learned how. You should definitely try it, I promise it's dummy-proof.

And the gradient? That was all me. ;) Once I covered my artboard with the chevron pattern, I changed the opacity of lines in pairs, starting from 50% all the way to 100%. (So, all lines are the same color, the top two lines are just of it as 50% opacity, and the bottom lines are the true colors, 100%).

Depending on your pattern and design, this will change, but it's the same idea. Then I pasted some text on it to tell a narrative. This is my simple and lazy way to begin documenting my beginner design story... And I'd love to hear yours, too!

Are you an Adobe user? Whether it be a beginner or pro, I'd love to check our your work, too. Share below! :)

Cheers!

My two favorite bloggers, Elise from elisejoy and Elsie from a beautiful mess, have partnered up together to create an e-course on blogging. 

I was really excited to hear the news. It's like hearing for the first time that messy buns are in style. Or that you can buy nutella and crackers together. Or that it's not just you that doesn't shave during the fall. It's every girl.

Do you know what feeling I'm talking about. Pure freaking happiness.

But really, if I want to be serious about this whole blogging thing, I should take a quick tip from the pros and my source of inspiration, right? Maybe I'll check it out.

Here's a link to it if you're interested in learning more about it. http://eliseblaha.typepad.com/golden/2012/11/blog-design-love-e-course.html