YAY for winner-Monday!! Y’all absolutely blew me away with your entries for February’s 1 For Me // 1 For You Simplified Planner. Whether you did or didn’t win, let’s all hold each other accountable to stay organized in 2013, yeah?! I have to say, I always get SO excited to see who the random number generator at Random.org will pick as the winner. And this month, I think it picked right! Without further ado, HERE WE GO…
COMMENTER #17, KATIE MEREDITH!!
Kate! I am so, so happy it’s YOU. I hope you’ll find the planner, washi tape, and pencils inspiring as you work to simplify your (new!) house cleaning schedule. Go ahead and shoot an email with your mailing address to alyse@alysefrenchphotography.com, and I’ll get the goods to you ASAP. :) Thanks to ALL who entered this month! And remember to come back for next!!
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Happy Friday, Internet :) Things are changing around here! In an effort to enforce strict office hours for myself (no more 16 hour days, Alyse!!), I’ll no longer be blogging on the weekends. This means our monthly 1 For Me // 1 For You giveaways are going to look a little different! From here on out, I’ll be blogging giveaways on the first WEEKDAY of every month. If that weekday happens to be a Friday (which it IS!) then the winner will be announced on a Monday. That’s over a WEEK to get your entries in! I’ll still specify contest dates in each post, but wanted to keep y’all in-the-know about how this’ll work! I’ll also be posting the name of the winner at the top of each ORIGINAL 1 For Me // 1 For You blog post. This way we’ll keep everything in one spot! :)
We’re already one month into 2013, but I’m still as excited as ever about this new start!! I’ve spent a LOT of time over the past two months evaluating what worked (and what didn’t) in 2012 so I can transition into 2013 with my best foot forward. Thanks to Making Things Happen, I’ve become a loyal fan of Emily Ley and her fabulous Simplified Planner. It isn’t just a way to organize your to-do’s, your week, your month, your notes, recipes, etc. (Though it does ALL of that well!) It’s a planner based on a revolutionary verb. SIMPLIFY. It’s what I so desperately want in 2013. And my bright pink Simplified Planner is helping me do just that! We’ll get into more details (and pics!) in a second, but here are the new rules of 1 For Me // 1 For You!!
- What is it? Each month, a winner receives a duplicate of something I find fashionable, functional, or fun!
- Who can enter? Friends, clients, random readers, etc.! (Please read the not-so-fine print below.)
- How long do I have to enter? You have until Sunday, 2/10 at midnight CST to enter. The winner will be chosen randomly and announced on Monday, 2/11 at the top of THIS post.
- How do I enter? You must comment (and answer the question asked at the end of this post) to enter. Comments left via Facebook, Twitter or elsewhere will not be taken into consideration. (Though there may be special brownie points in store for those who spread the word and tell their friends!)
- But why? Because we ALL need to simplify. And who doesn’t like a gorgeous planner?!
Now for the goods! Emily’s Simplified Planners are ALL. SOLD. OUT until next summer. But I just so happen to have my hands on two of them! With all SORTS of goodies on the inside. The winner of February’s 1 For Me // 1 For You will win one signature binder in tan linen, one journal set, one weekly calendar set, one monthly calendar set, one to-do sheet set, and one set of six dividers! Oh yeah, and I’m throwing in three of my favorite washi tapes via Wishy Washi (pastel polka dot, pastel horizontal stripe, and cross patterned) along with a fabulous The New Black pencil pack via See Jane Work. It’s a big one this month, friends! But it’s all so dear to my heart! :)
I love how you can use washi tape on just about ANYTHING. I’ve used it as labels for my dividers, and I’m sure it’ll prove helpful in scheduling out long trips on my monthly calendar set! Plus, it’s pretty!!
I absolutely LOVE the gold foil and corners on this binder. So, soo classy. Also? Boxed wine is the new black…
And now you know :) Pretty please check out Emily Ley’s shop so you can view all the different sets up close!
And remember! You’re entering to win a tan linen binder. But all the insides are the same! Plus the tape/pencils!
Question to enter: What parts of your life would you most hope to simplify with the help of a Simplified Planner?!
Bethany - I literally JUST got done crying over the fact that these are sold out and then you posted this!!! I would love to be able to have a planner for all parts of my life fit into one! I could separate off business lists and grocery shopping lists :)
Courtney Mezger - Answer: I am a mom of one and expecting our second at the end of this summer. We recently bought a home and hope to close on it in march. I clean houses, nanny, and starting a photography business . Anything to help me organize that would be beyond amazing! Maybe this way I can schedule in some “me” time!!
Korie - I saw you post this and got so excited! Maybe there’s a chance I won’t have to wait til summer to get my hands on one of these planners! I’d use it to simplify my chores; I can never seem to realize its time to do laundry until I’m flat out of the necessities :P
C'na Coleman - Being a newly wed, business owner and new Mom, I feel like my entire life needs to my simplified and organized. The Simplified Planner would be an excellent tool to help me organize my thoughts, tackle my “to do lists” and schedule my time where I am working smarter and not harder.
Kerrianne - God knows I need help simplifying! The doctor appointments, the groceries, the outings, the chores, pasting bills on time, the to-do’s, the organization! Just last week I showed up for a doctor appointment 40 minutes early. Thank goodness I at least had the right child! My mind is so scattered that I can’t keep track of anything anymore! I start ten different things and very few ever get finished. Maybe something like this will help me get on track ;-)
Jaqueline Faria - Oh my goodness, what an awesome giveaway totally perfect to start the year off. I would want to use it to simplify my business and all the duties of having a home and being a wife to create a better balance, and avoid so much confusion. This sounds like the perfect planner to simplify these two areas in my life.
Lindsey - I love this!! I feel like I have appointments, to-do’s, lists, etc. tracked in a thousand places right now. Some are in gmail, some in my work e-mail, some on post it notes. This planner would simplify the tasks and upcoming “stuff” by bringing it all together in one place. And it is too cute!!
Jillian Merriam - I absolutely love organizaion, but don’t always have the best means to be organized. With my part-time job (and not so part-time stress) along with my two businesses, wedding coordinating at the church and embarking on a new adventure in Adoption – just to name a few areas, – I have much to keep organized in order to keep the stress down and life simplified.
lizzie parker - I make checklists every. single. day. And those generally get scrawled on the nearest piece of paper and lost. And then I feel unaccomplished because I’ll never be able to draw a big fat line through all the things I wanted to complete. This planner looks BRILILANT. Between school, work, daily chores, life goals.. I could certainly fill this binder up. And having ONE place to organize every detail of my life? I can’t even imagine the gloriousness.
Breanna - What part of my life wouldn’t this simplfy! Haha between Myas doc appt and work schedule and my own appointee,nets this would be great! Also I am one of those people that make lists of what I need to do on a daily basis if not three times a day lol…
Debby Morales - I am working very hard to cut down my own 16 hour days :) My photography business has become something that I eat, breathe, and sleep thinking about. I would love to have this amazing tool to help SIMPLIFY that and perhaps help me learn to keep my own office hours ;)
Thank you for always hosting and giving the best ideas :)
Andrea - I am so excited about this giveaway!! I’m a big fan of Emily Ley & excessive list-making in general…so, with that being said, I most hope to simplify my schedule, using this planner, making clearer boundaries between work life & home life. When your work is something you love, coupled with it being your own business, it’s so easy to work all hours of the day…so using this planner to get reorganized in a fresh way would be wonderful! Thanks for giving away such AMAZING gifts & inspiring others to *make things happen* just as you’ve been!
Alicia Pyne - Oh how I love old school organization on paper!! I have been looking for a new planner to help balance the business and mommy duties! Hoping this is my new one!! :)
Jaclyn - I’m looking to be more organized in my home life (being an assistant means I always feel like I need one for myself!) especially in terms of groceries/bills etc. also hoping to get a little better about blogging, so I know one tab!
Elizabeth - What a fantastic binder!! I have soooo many to-do lists scattered everywhere and grocery lists as well! It’d be such a help! :)
Karen Mitchell - Alyse- I was the coordinator for Lauren and Hunter’s wedding last month. Your photos are gorgeous! I would love a new planner. I have lots of work appointments, medical appointments plus lots of home projects. I would love to attempt to be more organized!
Kate - I would like to simplify my house cleaning schedule….what tasks get done daily, weekly, monthly, or just once a season. This looks like a really great tool…thanks for sharing!
Athena R - I just found out I’m pregnant so this planner would be a huge help with keeping my doctor’s appointment, parenting classes, etc.straight as well as other aspects of my life.
Carrie Stiles - I would love to win this giveaway! I would love to simplify & get organized in all areas of my life. How great to be able to do it in one place! My budget, home organization & life goals.
Annie - I don’t think there is any part of my life that doesn’t need to be simplified! I have three boys with three different schedules. I usually forget what I have to do!
Laura Barnes - I’d love to win the binder to have the chance to be organized all in one place! I’ve tried an online calendar this year and so far it just isn’t working for me! Thanks for being sweet enough to give one of these awesome planners away! And happy late birthday!
Ashley - Oh goodness! I was super disappointed when I didn’t get off my rear and order a Simplified Planner before they sold out. So bummed. This year is going to be my year! I have had the dream to open my own business for a couple of years now, and I am ready to make things happen. Emily’s planner would be the best sidekick!
Jess - One word: COLLEGE.
Hannah Weekley - Oh goodness, what part of my life doesn’t need simplifying?! I would love to simplify everything – spend more time with my new husband and less time on worrying. We’re currently looking at houses, I’m starting grad school, and juggling all my dad’s oncology appointments. Simplify is something I need in my life! Thanks for even offering such a wonderful opportunity! You’re the best.
Alison - I’d use the planner to help organize all my projects around the house. Just bought a new home a couple months ago so can use some organization!
Audrey - The word “Simplify” became the guiding light for my year, after visiting Gordon College with Kelly last November and skimming a book by that title written by one of the professors there. I have notebooks, post-it notes and pencils in every room of the house to track ideas & things to do & things remembered, but I haven’t found a method to pull together all the lists plus multiple schedules that really works. So excited about Emily Ley’s Simplified Planner!
Sarah - Love this! So, I would simplify my life in general, but planning out responsibilities and tasks in general, so that I can plan to rest! Sounds silly, but it’s needed! 2013 is a year to flourish out of a place of rest!
Anna Fortner - Wooohooo!! I would adore a Simplified Planner simply because a Type A girl like me would go insane without it… and it wouldn’t hurt to have this lovely item with the new job I am starting this month :)
Merideth - Wow!! I literally just discovered Emily Ley through all of your #MTH2013 posts. What a phenomenal tool! I’m not sure if this is one area per se, but I could definitely use this to clear out the clutter in my brain by getting it out all on paper for reference (versus trying to keep it all top of mind by memory) and instead, free up space to think about things that reeeeally matter!
Jenn - I’d love to win a Simplified Planner! I would use it to help organize my healthy eating and fitness habits as I jump start them in the new year!
Kate D - well isn’t that just the prettiest little (and by that i mean huge) planner i’ve ever seen. I work 2 part-time jobs, and i’m a full time student in my junior year at Ulbany (..uhh hello difficult!), and having a planning like this would make everything a little easier. Every day of my week is planned out in my cluttered mind, which i’m realizing isn’t quite cutting it. it would be so nice to have a place to put of the lists, appointment, assignments, and all important boyfriend time besides my head! My mind also doesn’t schedule things like eating or sleeping much and then i wonder why i’m losing weight! long story short: I NEED THIS THING.
Jessica - I’m 24, a wife, a full-time mommy of an 18 month old boy, and a wedding and portrait photographer. Lord knows I need some simple and some planning in my life. :)
Stephanie Rita - This planner is super popular these days! Now that I just went full-time with my photo biz, this will be helpful to stay organized. And I LOVE lists. So… this could be fun.. :)
Kathy S. - Keep all the “To Do” Lists in one spot would be amazing!
Dana S - I would hope to simplify my life with this planner with all the craziness that graduate school brings. This planner would absolutely help keep me organized and on schedule :)
Christina - Oh my goodness at all the cuteness and organization! Who knew organizing could be cute and make me want to do it! Well this summer the love of my life and myself have a huge move! Next question I know you’re wondering is where, well that is yet to be determined. Thanks to his job we may not know until March and have to be prepared to move/move between May-July. All this being said (please ignore my horrible grammar) I would need to simplify something as tough as preparing for the move and completing it. Shutting off utilities and preparing them in the new location. Sometimes moving just stresses me to the core and doesn’t help my OCD and anxiety ridden attitude about such a major change in such short notice. Hoping that I can find a planner to make life a little easier so I can enjoy aspects of the move I like better (random photography of old, new, and the in-between) to soak up the memories!
Amy - Ooo Alyse! Classy lady! You just have the best taste in life!
I’m currently attempting to stay organized while preparing to travel to India!
So…a little “simplification” and MUCH more order would be lovely especially while keeping track of all the days, deadlines, and details surrounding visa applications, vaccinations, team meetings, cultural trainings and whatnot!
Danielle Johnson - I need help organizing my work life. I’m in the middle of studying for my Series 7 exam and then I’ll begin studying for the GRE & then the Series 66. It’s going to be one deadline after another along with keeping up a study schedule. Come August, I’ll begin my MBA. This is year is just full of business that I need help organizing and keeping track of.
Kasey - Oh I would LOVE this! One of my 2013 goals is to make make life more balanced between work and personal (sometimes my personal life becomes overrun by the business work). This would so help me keep on track! :)
Emily - I love this planner, and would use it to help me organize everything! Bills, grocery shopping, cleaning, appointments and daily “to-do” lists. :)
Brittani Croft - What part of my life WOULDN’T I want to simplify is more like it? Simplifying is one of my big over-arching goals for this year. I want to simplify my work life and our home so that I can focus more on what matters…which is time with my family, experiences, and memories. I’m itching for a Simplified Planner this summer because it will be amazing to have an organized place to keep everything all together :)
Alyssa Glass - I hope to simplify my planning process. I am such a planner when it comes to anything in my life. To be able to have my to-do lists, calendars, and notes (for goals, etc.) all in one place would be my ultimate slice of heaven. It would help me truly lay out a tangible plan for how to reach the many goals I have set for myself (short and long term).
Taylor - Life goes by way to quickly. Before one realizes it, time flies, and not everything one may have planned went with it. With the simplified planner, I can make sure tasks follow in toe with time. That way, I am also not struggling with 16 hour days:)
Grace - Ooh I love this!! I would use it to get myself all organized. I have a huge jumble of notes and to do lists and appointments scattered all over and it would be amazing to have everything all in one place so I could find some balance between work and the rest of my life! :)
Chelsea - I would LOVE to simply my work life and my personal life with perfectly organized lists, calendars, and tabs (boy do I love tabs)! And with a new baby on the way, simplifying just might save my life! :) Thanks for doing this awesome giveaway!
Jae - If I win, I’m simplifying everything – health and fitness, business, school, expenses, blogging…I love love love the Simplified Planners and wish I’d been able to buy one before Emily sold out! But winning one would be absolutely amazing!
Ashley - Ah! Thank you Alyse for doing this giveaway! I have had my eyes on a Simplified Planner since I discovered Emily Ley and Lara Casey at the beginning of the year but I was too late. If I had a planner, I would do just that SIMPLIFY my life – something I need badly. I would be able to plan meal plans for the family, play dates and events for Eli, events and blog posts for Two Be Wed and maybe a few date nights for hubby & me ALL IN ONE PLACE! I hope I could be so lucky and win one!
Kim - Grocery shopping and recipes would be wonderful to get more organized!!
Jess S - Can I say all parts? :-) I work full-time while finishing grad school part-time on top of being a wife and a mother. What part of my life couldn’t use a little organization right now?!
Tidbit Tuesday #155 | Alyse French Photography | Houston-Based Wedding and Lifestyle Photographer - […] goals are concerned, but it feels so GOOD to make progress!! (Speaking of goals! This month’s 1 For Me // 1 For You is veeery dear to me. So let this tidbit serve as your reminder to […]
Cali Huber - My husband & I are both full-time wedding photographers and thoroughly enjoy working together. We don’t have kids yet, but we are working hard this year to prepare for when when our little family decides to grow. One of the main things we’re implementing is outsourcing and getting more organized – and as much as I love technology, there’s just something about that pen & paper right in front of you that is oh-so-delightful :) So, in recap, we strive for more family/friend time and this planner would definitely play a major part!
Aurore LaVine - If I had one of these planners I would organize my college work load. It would be great for writing down the dates of tests, study sessions, projects…etc. I would absolutely adore it :)
Lauren - I really need to simplify my budget. I really need to sit down and figure out all of my expenses and put together a plan to help me save money. I’m getting married in October so every last penny counts! I also really need to de-clutter my closet and dresser. Not sure how the simplified planner would help with that, but it’s seems pretty amazing, so who know! :)
Lindsay Kukla - Between nannying, two dogs, doctors appointments, grad school interviews all over the country, and an obsessive need to organize , let’s say it would be well loved!
Erin - Right now I’m working on my dissertation, and it currently feels like a jumble of random thoughts and ideas. I’d love to use this to put together a plan of how to attack my work in the most efficient manner.
Kayla F - Oh Alyse! I spent 2 hours in Target, Office Max, and Staples this past weekend trying to find the perfect planner and went home instead with a bag of tootsie rolls (that does not equal success)! I’m currently planning my own wedding, trying to take my photography business to the next level AND work a full time job! You have no idea how much I need an amazing planner (and the washi tape and black pencils just make it all perfect)!
Jessica Fuentes - This planner looks AMAZING! I have yet to find something big enough to organize my personal life (friend get-togethers, dr appointments, family events…along with my husband’s schedule, of course!) and business life (new client meetings, dog walks/visits, blog ideas, puppy events) together. With a baby boy scheduled to arrive at the beginning of May…things are sure to only get crazier!! This looks perfect!
Angela Parker - As a mother of 3, one of which is a newborn, my life is so chaotic right now! My husband also works 2 jobs and is in school, so I need this planner to keep up with schedules, grocery lists, birthday parties…LIFE in general! :)
Melissa - I’d love to simplify my entire life! I juggle work, exercise, planning meals, and studying for grad school on top of being a newlywed. I find I’m always searching for the perfect planner each year and can never quite find what I’m looking for! I’ve only recently discovered the simplified planners, but in already in love with them!!!
Victoria - I love this giveaway! I have been trying to order a Simplified planner for so long and always miss the punch (they sell out so quickly! Go Emily!)
I would like to simplify my life. As scary and as vague as that sounds, it’s the truth. I am balancing my engagement and wedding planning, while working full-time, passionately blogging after hours, and job searching in the city where we will be moving to! (As I type it out, I am reminded how blessed I really am!) It’s is difficult staying organized and even passionate when your constantly on the go. I want to simplify my “working” life and remind myself to enjoy the other, more important, aspects of my life. These aspects are my faith (that under stress, gets tested), my amazingly supportive fiancé, my family & friends, my short and long term goals (that often get thrown into the “I’ll think about that later pile”), etc. I could go on for hours but I think you get what I’m saying! (I hope, atleast!)
Xo
Stefanie R. - I just started my own business, so I’d love to simplify the process of starting a business, as well as simplify my day to day responsibilities concerning my family.
Bethany Aleshire - My blogging + business + school schedule would be simplified. With all the hats I wear (graphic design student, photographer, graphic designer, intern, blogger, and editor-in-chief) my life can easily spin out of control with projects +hmwk assignments due + clients. And I would like to fit blogging in way more this year :) Thanks for the giveaway!!
Katie Lamb - Love this! I would simplify my work life. Less work, more life!
Kelly R. - So I drooled over the Simplified planners but never ordered one! I would LOVE it to help simplify my work + home life. Between my three jobs, 20-month-old, and everyday stuff, it would be a HUGE help! Thanks for doing this giveaway!
Catie Ronquillo - I want to simplify daily chores and meals! And simplify my blogging. I think the Simplified Planner would be PERFECT! :)
Margaret - OH MY!
First off, I found you through instagram and I just adore you and your blog.
I would seriously love to win this, I’ve had my eye on an Emily Ley for quite some time now… just haven’t been able to commit yet. I’m obsessed with planners/paper so I’m surprised I haven’t bought one yet!
What I would like to simply is, my blog schedule and the additional work I do outside of my schoolwork. I am in the process of planning a lot of community events and I would love to have that all in a neat organized process! :)
Rachel R. - A planner like that would simplify all of the lists that I write. To do, shopping, school, Tupperware, etc. Oh, and could you pretty-please post where you found your A Z bookends??? :)
Heather Moore - I would definatly simplify my planners. I am the queen of having multiple planners. I have a wall calendar at work that some things get put on. I have a planner for school work that other things get written in and on top of that I have a small calendar in my purse and the one on my phone. It would be nice to have a planner that could fit my busy life! I help with church functions and babysitting. I have recently been taking classes to begin my masters and hold a 40 hour a week job. My boyfriend lives 2 hours away and when I have to look through multiple calendars it causes conflicts in when I can see him.
Heidi Bulk - This could help me simplify the insanity that is Graduate school! Between taking classes and teaching them I need better organization in my life. Beautiful set!
Noelle - I love this planner! I would love this to be more organized with everything from my schedule to work. I am a list maker for all that I do and this would be great to help keep it all in one place.
Molly Wellman - House. School. Work. Running. Etc. My entire life needs organizing :)
Lacey Rabalais - Since I just quit my day (night) job to go full time and spend time being a better wife. If I was blessed to win, I hope it would help me organize all of life. My meal planning, work out schedule, photo shoots, travel, and keeping up with the things I’ve volunteered myself for. :)
Jackie Pelcher - Well I am pregnant and expecting twins I would use this planner for keepint track of dates of appointments,things i need to by and as the twins come along there own scheduel feedings and do list with them. I would be able to plan events and family things as they grow. this would be easy for everyone in my house to see and read and follow the planner as well.
Amanda - I would love to use the planner to continue working on managing my work schedule and home schedule. It has been tricky to balance married home life and all the things I want to do at home with work responsibilities each day. This planner would be so helpful!
Sarah - This is exactly what I need! all sorts of organization in one big bundle. I keep telling myself that I need a planner for important work dates, and to keep track of all sorts of social events, and yet I just can’t find one that is cute enough. But this one is adorable, AND washi tape! If I won you would be my hero.
Heather - I SO need a place to get all this craziness OUT of my head and into some form of a planner! Kids, work, house, clients, I just can’t keep it all straight!
Jeanie - Alyse, I love this planner, I have been attempting to organize my life, but have been so scattered about it. I need one place to put my work and life stuff. Recipes, to do lists, resumes, cover letters and gift lists! This planner is perfect and it’s a great idea for a new year and a new beginning! :)