Empress Bat's Journal

REVIEW: Kikki K 2015 TIME PLANNER LARGE: LILAC

Hello everyone! I thought it was about time I did another review! The last review I did was about washi tape from Chiyogami Designs, back in March this year!

Last week I ordered some goodies from Kikki.K, and I have been (im)patiently waiting for them to arrive. I placed the order on Thursday evening 23.10.14, and it arrived today, Friday 31.10.14. They sent my order on the Friday 24.10.14, so it took five working days to reach me. Melbourne to the outskirts of Brisbane Qld delivery of 5 working days isn't too bad, and this is an Australia Post thing anyway, nothing to do with Kikki.k!

WARNING: this post has heaps of photos... I wanted to show you all what the planner looks like inside so please bear with me!

So, what did I order?

2015 Time Planner in Lilac with Gold specs
PERSONAL PLANNER REFILL: UPPSALA
Adhesive dots

Opening the box

The excitement that welled up in me when I caught sight of this box on the door step had me almost jumping up and down in glee. Only other stationery aficionados could ever relate!

Hooray the delivery from Kikki.K has arrived

An Aladdin's cave inside the box!

I opened the box, and the first thing I removed was the large plastic bag air cushions that Kikki.K use to protect packages. It would be great if they could maybe use recyclable/more environmentally friendly inserts to protect the package, but I am a wee bit too excited about getting to my order in the box to think too long about the future of our planet.

First glimpse of contents

I really love this little canvas drawstring bag my goodies arrived in!

Here you can see my planner, the Uppsala refills and the sticky dots I ordered! Sitting on the canvas drawstring bag, and on top of the Kikki.K wrapping paper!

2015 TIME PLANNER LARGE: LILAC

I will review the Uppsala planner refills in another post, today I would like you all to see the wonderful lilac and gold Time Planner. (If you have been trying to decide whether you want to buy one or not, hopefully the pictures and my comments will help you make your decision either way!)

Still in its plastic bag, 'Arabella' my new planner is waiting to be unpacked! Yes I have named her Arabella...any objections???

The folder of the Large Time Planner is slightly larger than my Filofax Metropol A5 (blogged about here, here, and here), and it takes the same refill size as an A5 Filofax. The cover is softer than my Metropol, but this does not mean it is in any way flimsy. The lilac is a lovely pastel lavenderish colour and the gold specs make it look fun as well as being useful!!

There is an elasticised strap to hold the planner together which I prefer to a snap closure, as when i have a heap of documents in a planner I would prefer knowing they will stay there and not break the fastener!

Inside the Planner

Firstly I will share my not so happy thoughts of the inside of the planner. The we can speak at length of all the good parts of it!

The dividers are pink.. this for me is not a good thing, I dislike pink, and personally in a lilac planner I would have preferred purple dividers, or gold like the dots on the cover. This is not a deal breaker for me, as I can decorate the dividers or make new ones anyway. But be warned if you don't like pink, you won't like these dividers!

There is a section for restaurants and shopping. This really isn't me.. but again this is not a deal breaker, i can rename the divider and i can give the restaurant and shopping pages (there aren't many) to someone who will use them!

What I love about this planner:

Firstly the ring mechanism is large and can hold heaps of paper! It is also well constructed and has no closure issues (the first thing I check with planner binders)

The cover of the planner is stylish, fun, and strong; I love the elasticised closure to hold all my papers in!

There is a zipped pocket, and flaps to put notes, stickers, receipts, tickets and whatever else you can think of in, on the inside of the front cover. All very handy!

Inside the back cover is a slot where an A5 sized notepad sits, and there is a pen loop as well, which JUST fits my Parker pen.

The paper the planner comes with is slightly cream coloured (off white) and has a satin finish. It is quite strong and smooth to write on, but my Stabilo fine point felt pens do leech through the pages a bit, this is not an issue, I have other pens and pencils I can use.

VERDICT

I bought this particular planner to use as a project planner, I have a specific use in mind for it. I believe that its size, additional pockets and the fact it has an elasticised closure is ideal for the purpose.

I am very happy with this planner and personally recommend it. You can find it in Kikki.K stores and also from their online shop. Like all their planners I believe it may be a limited edition so if you are wanting one, maybe buy one soon!

FREE PRINTABLES!: planner pages. To DO pages for work, home, and the garden!

Hello everyone!

I am spending Saturday evening doing some housework (blek) and also working out my schedule for the next few months.

I have recently enrolled in Diploma Languages (german), as well as Higher International Diploma (Herbalism), as well as work fulltime outside of the home, travel with work, have volunteered to project lead a conference for next year which is being planned feverishly at the moment, and run my hand made jewellery business.

This means i am busy.

This means i need to reassess my schedule to ensure I fit everything in that i need to in a day and still have time to relax!

So i was going through my A5 Filofax Metropol (which I have previously blogged about here and here) and realised i needed some more customised pages to help me keep myself organised.

I am not a fan of some of the bland commercially available ones, and I really would prefer to create my own anyway.

I have previously made some inserts for my Metropol, which i am happy for people to print and use for themselves, these can be found on my Free Downloads page and there are also printable affirmations on my Positive Printables page.

Tonight I realised that I want TO DO lists that are specific to the areas in my life they pertain to, rather than having a rambling to do list that contains work, home, garden, shopping, pets, ....

Having To DO lists specific to the area they belong to, means i can shove the lists in the sections in my Filofax they are relevant ot as well. Making it easier for me to work out what i need to do when for any given area in my life! This makes sense to me ... it may not make sense to the rest of you ... but I hope it does!

I find these pages I created for myself to be very useful to me, and help me to plan and organise all the things I do each day. I have shared them here in case anyone else would like them! They are free for you to download and print for your own personal use. If you wish to share them online please ensure you link back to my blog, as a courtesy! Thanks.

The pages are:
To do for work, To do for home, to do for garden, and to do for study.

Image files of the pages are below. You can download these and then paste them onto a word document and size them as you wish for larger or smaller pages. I have also added links to the word documents after all the image files!

The links to download the word document files are below, if you have any problems with those links please let me know!

Things to To for work

Things to do around the house

Things to do around the garden

Things to do for Study

I am creating more for myself so my planners can all have a groovy new Springtime feel! I will upload my pages to my blog for anyone to use as I create them.

Have fun!

Positive thought: pay attention to the good things in life

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About Me: I work full time, I am also studying for a therapist qualification in Advanced Herbalism, subsequent to completing a Diploma inHerbalism, I have a small craft 'business', I am co-admin of an auction page on facebook to help other small hobby businesses, i maintain my own 'store' facebook page, I blog at least once a week and I maintain a facebook page created to support small home businesses and hobby sellers

Illustration: Crow in Sunset

It was raining a couple of days ago, and as I stood at the train station near home waiting for my husband ot pick me up, I saw two wet crows on the power lines shaking themselves out to dry.

Their shaggy wet black feathers were a stark contrast to the grey stormy, early evening sky, and it inspired me to paint a silhouette of a crow against a sunset.

Here it is - watercolour on Arches Rough A5 paper

As always I am happy for you to share, download, print, PIN, etc, but please be kind and state where the image came from!

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Illustration: Queen of Hearts

Yesterday I showed you my Alice in Wonderland art work, and tonight I would like to show you my Queen of Hearts mixed media piece. Feel free to share, download etc, but please be courteous and say where you got the image from!

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Illustration: Alice in Wonderland

Been playing with watercolour paints and ink, Here is an 'Alice' doodle I have just finished. Feel free to print, use, share the image.

Be courteous and let people know where you got it from!

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I will be selling 2015 calenders based on my original illustration as well!!

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Postcards made from my original illustration

............................................................................................................... Please visit me on etsy! www.etsy.com/shop/empressbat handcrafted gothic goodies at bargain prices. see me on etsy! www.etsy.com/shop/empressbat ...Please visit me on etsy! www.etsy.com/shop/empressbat handcrafted gothic goodies at bargain prices. see me on etsy! www.etsy.com/shop/empressbat

Snow Gum Bounty Farm: a family business

Supporting cottage industry, hobby businesses and small family enterprises is important. I firmly believe that we all need to support cottage industry so that we will always have the choice to purchase and own quality products. Large enterprises are pushing out small family run business and if we do not support these small hobby or home businesses, in the end all we will have left is mass produced, factory, plastic, tasteless, nasty, soulless items!

I have in the past blogged about products and businesses involved in jewellery making, home decoration, and aromatherapy, and today I am introducing you to a family farm business.

Snow Gum Bounty is a family farm/small business in Yass, New South Wales, Australia. They describe themselves as a family operated farm that provides grass fed sheep and beef to the Canberra and surrounding regions.

photo (c) Snow gum Bounty: see the kangaroos peaking over the fence?

They sell lamb, beef and hogett (a hogett is a sheep over a year old and less than two years) meat directly to the public, how cool is that? Their business is registered as an Australian Business and they maintain a Food Standards licensed mobile cool room.

This farm is run by a young couple and their little boy; a hard working family with honest, ethical, and quality values. They have some amazing plans for their farm and really care about their environment.

Snow Gum Bounty Farm is looking to future improvements of the pastures by using livestock and not chemical fertilisers and are continually work towards improving the land and improving the quality of the fields that grow the grass that feeds their animals.

Can you see the two alpacas? I LOVE alpacas! photo (c) Snow Gum Bounty

If you want to know more about their farm or wish to join their mailing list please contact them via email

snowgumbounty@gmail.com or via their facebook page.

Bovine model courtesy of (c) Snow Gum Bounty

Please support this family run business! Please LIKE them on Facebook!

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About Me: I work full time in a computer security area, I am also studying for a therapist qualification in Advanced Herbalism, subsequent to completing a Diploma in Herbalism, I also have Diplomas in Fraud Investigation and Fraud Control, and i read a lot! I have a small craft 'business', I am co-admin of an auction page on facebook to help other small hobby businesses, i maintain my own 'store' facebook page, I blog at least once a week either here or on apothecary greens, I have a website about herbalism, and I maintain a facebook page created to support small home businesses and hobby sellers

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Coffee: how do I love the let me count the ways

I am sitting at the kitchen table drinking a long black coffee made from beans purchased from the amazing Buzz Coffee; it is a gloomy, chilly, grey day, and as I sip my coffee I revel in the cup's ability to make me feel good. I am not talking about the supposed brain stimulation of caffeine, I am talking about the solace, comfort, and happy feelings sitting and enjoying a cup of coffee gives me.

I am not sure I should tell you this dear batlings, but I have been drinking coffee since I was two years old. My family are all English, tea is their thing, and yes I do drink tea both Herbal and my fave Irish Breakfast blend, but coffee is my drink of choice.

I will happily drink coffee in a variety of blends, styles, and temperatures! It can confuse cafes when i may order a skinny flat white one day, and a long black the next, I drink coffee in the style I feel like at any given time.

All I ask is that the beans be good!

If you are looking for an amazing cup of coffee and you are in the Port Macquarie area, try out Cafe Buzz Peachtree Walk, and if you want to buy some coffee beans either whole or ground for you, you can get them online from Buzz Coffee.

These are GOOD BEANS!

coffee beans (picture origin unknown)

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About Me: I work full time, I am also studying for a therapist qualification in Advanced Herbalism subsequent to completing a Diploma in Herbalism, I have a small craft 'business', I am co-admin of an auction page on facebook to help other small hobby businesses, i maintain my own 'store' facebook page, I blog at least once a week and I maintain a facebook page created to support small home businesses and hobby sellers

ANNOUNCEMENT: i have a new website

Hi readers of empress bat's journal, thank you for reading my musings, I appreciate your support. I have recently created a website to further explore my interests in Herbalism and other complementary therapies, I'd love you guys to have a look at it, let me know what you think!

The link is apothecarygreens.weebly.com

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Monday: Welcome to the week!

Happy Monday everyone!!

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About Me: I work full time, I am studying an Advanced Diploma in Herbalism, I have a small craft 'business', I am co-admin of an auction page on facebook to help other small hobby businesses, i maintain my own 'store' facebook page, I blog at least once a week and I maintain a facebook page created to support small home businesses and hobby sellers

Goals Check in: half way through the year am I on track?

At the start of the year, i made some goals for myself, you can see them here , and in summary they are

Actively blog
Be organised
Keep designing and making things to sell
Stay positive, promote happiness and support others

Goals need to be monitored, assessed, revised, to ensure you actually keep reaching your targets. To that end, I did a goal check in April, which you can see in this post, here.

So we are half way through the year, how am I tracking with my goals?

Actively blogging:

I initially aimed to blog at least once a week, I have two different blogs, and this aim although something I still feel is what I need to aim for, has to be flexible, as I do not always have the time after working all day to sit and blog when i finally get home in the afternoon. So although I may not always get to blog once a week, I do maintain a regular blogging schedule and every month so far this year has at least two posts in this blog, and there is a post every month in my other blog, Apothecary Greens.

Be Organised:

I want to be so super organised that I can fit in a day everything I want to achieve and still have time for..well sleep... I am still working on the ultimate schedule, but I am improving my organisation skills, and the Filofax is helping with that!

Keep Designing and making things to sell:

My creative Muse left me for a bit over May and June, so I took a short break from my online shops to recoup my creative thoughts. This has resulted in a whole new design theme in the jewellery I am making and selling! I have been creating Steampunk-Goth inspired pieces and I love them!

Stay positive and Support Others:

This has been hard, life throws mud at me (as I am sure it does at all of you), at times, and I fall... into a muddy self pitying heap for a bit. Then i manage to crawl myself upright, wash myself off and start again!

My Support Cottage Industry Facebook page still promotes small hobby businesses and charities in my effort to support the small hobbyists, and I have recently instigated Project Fun Mail as a random act of kindness to bring fun and joy to others. I am really happy to see relatives and friends taking to this project too!

I recently received a lovely Project Fun Mail from my Aunty Verna, as well as one from a talented lady, Sarah, who I met on Facebook, she runs the Rainbow Gecko Gallery Facebook Page.

So although my goals aren't being reached 100% all the time, I have not lost sight of them, and am still working towards them.

How are you going with your goals?

Fun Mail from my Aunty Verna

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About Me: I work full time, I am also studying for a therapist qualification in Naturopathy specialising in Herbalism, I have a small craft 'business', I am co-admin of an auction page on facebook to help other small hobby businesses, i maintain my own 'store' facebook page, I blog at least once a week and I maintain a facebook page created to support small home businesses and hobby sellers

PROJECT: Fun Mail

In this fast era of instant messaging and emails and no time to stop to smell the chocolate, sometimes we can forget to enjoy moments, to embrace fun, to smile. The only thing in your post box is a bill and some junk mail, and your life is full of stress.

I decided that as part of my goals for this year I will do my small part to spread some happiness. I have created a little project for myself called PROJECT FUN MAIL.

I will be sending cards, small fun gifts, stickers and other ephemera to people at random. The aim is to spread some joy to others, and hopefully they can then spread joy to the people they know to, and it can be an exponential happiness!!

Some of my customers will be recieving mail from me, as well as family, friends, and people I do not know but 'met' via social media.

Why not join me in spreading the joy.

Post by Empressbat's Emporium.

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Steampunk-Goth DIY supplies on the cheap

Still on my Steampunk meets Goth jewellery creating theme of last week, which you can read about here, I decided to look around the house, the grocery store, and the hardware store to see what could be used to create original Steampunk-Goth pieces without costing a heap of cash, and without being mass produced jewellery components.

'Found items' from the house

To start with, anyone who knows me knows that I am into technology and work daily with computers, so it won't be a surprise to know I have quite a stash of old memory cards, old phones, wires and assorted computer bits and pieces including circuit boards lying around the house. These have been piled together and are ready for me to create with. Not only is this recycling it is also a cheap supply of jewellery components, as otherwise all these bits would have ended up in landfill!

Hardware Store

Oh my I have found Aladdin's cave! Here for purchase I find cheap copper wire, washers, nuts and bolts, soft metal tubing, industrial strength glue, and all manner of things that I can turn to good use for minimal cost!

My favourite find is these elbow shaped copper capillary joins that were in the plumbing section. (they are small and will be good to thread necklaces through as a kind of pendant bail)

Grocery Store

At the grocery store where I was purchasing potatoes to go with the salmon I am cooking for my husband tonight, I found these beer bottle caps. They are an antique gold tone, were super cheap for a massive bag, and I can think of heaps of ways I can use them to make jewellery!

Very happy with my stash, I can't wait to see what I can create with it! Stay tuned to future blog posts to see my creations.

What bargain finds do you have for your jewellery making?

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Steampunk musings

I just watched the last ever episode of WAREHOUSE 13, the steampunk, sci fi, fantasy, crime solving, adventure series from America. I was most vexed when I found out the show was no longer going to be made.

As well as the entertaining plots, the humourous dialogue, and the quasi historical artefacts, I really liked the steam punk feel of the show. The modern technology meets scrolls and filigree of Victorian bronze art... love it!

Steampunk is basically a fantasy sub culture of an alternate industrial revolution, where Victoriana with its flounces and fantasy art meets technology.

Two Steampunk artists and makers of jewellery I admire are Sassy Steampunk and Mad Scientist Designs. I own several of Sassy Steampunk's creations and have just ordered a steampunk bracelet cuff from Mad Scientist Designs.

Both these talented ladies own etsy stores and sell not only their one of a kind steampunk creations but steampunk supplies to DIY steampunk accessories!

Anyway I started thinking about steampunk jewellery offered on ebay, and how some of it seems to lack the grand flourishes of the style, seems to be not really understanding the origins of the art form and seems really rather cobbled together rubbish, although it features many a fuse or transistor. So I have been working on my own pieces.

I think I may venture more into creating steampunk designs as I am really enjoying the geeky creativity it inspires!

Below are some of the pendants I have made, they are a bit Goth meets Streampunk, and not solely steampunk.

Steampunk owl pendant

Steampunk absinthe faery pendant

Steampunk-Goth cameo pendant

Have you seen my Steampunk Meets Goth Pinterest board?

Follow Eliza's board SteamPunk Meets Goth on Pinterest.

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Blogs to follow

I enjoy reading blogs its like having a huge amount of free magazines and autobiographies to read. I learn, laugh, cry, along with the blogger.

Some of my favourite blogs at the moment are as follows:

Minerva Levinston: a digital artist. using a variety of media combined with digital edits to create some amazing images. She has free downloadables for people to print and use in their art journals and scrapbooks. Like me she is participating in the Documented Life Project, and that is where i discovered her blog. Like me she loves her coffee!! A very creative person with an interesting blog, please follow her blog you won't regret it.

This is CorpGoth: I really enjoy this blog as this lady works and is a Goth, like me she is in the big bad world of professional work places, and can find a happy medium between her self expression and her job. She posts some great pix of her fashion and she provides a glimpse into her life. Fun and interesting read.

Confessions of an Australian Goth: This lady blogs about her fashion style, her pets, her life. She is another great creative person who shows the world that us Goths are creative, good people!

More Nail Polish: this blogger lives in Canberra, she has the most amazing finger nails I have ever seen! She blogs about nail polish (obviously) and she does the most artistic manicures that have to be seen to be believed! She also reviews nail polish and publishes DIY so you can also try out the manicure styles she uses. I find her blog posts informative and entertaining, and the manicures are amazing!

Deep Midnight Perfume OIls: this lovely talented lady creates the most divine fragrances and sells them on etsy. She has a blog where she interviews other artists, helps to promote the work of others, and also talks about her perfume inspiration.

Do you have favourite blogs I should read? Please let me know by putting the links in the comments!

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Pages

So, what did I order?

Opening the box

First glimpse of contents

2015 TIME PLANNER LARGE: LILAC

Inside the Planner

VERDICT

'Found items' from the house

Hardware Store

Grocery Store