Playing ahead with my Filofax Retro Bloom personal .

I got ahead of myself because I had some quite time and lots of new stationary goodies and I had an art moment . I went ahead to Easter in my Retro Bloom Personal and let my inner artist out a bit . I love playing with colours and layout .  I just LOVE the bunnies ! 

Then I went ahead to cherry blossom time and had a doodle . I love bright pages it makes me look forward to the week . Washi tape is so much fun . I really need the whole rainbow of colours .
I have found that I enjoy my Filofax so much I have used it for everything including clipping my shopping list into the front of it and walking with it perched on the trolley food shopping . Because I can keep sp much information in it . everything really , my family have started using it through me too .

This is a page divider I made myself and the following page is the start of the dairy section . I just love those big post its . So cute !

Apart from playing with my Filofax I have also organised the airing cupboard , photos STILL to follow and today my husband made me proper canvas storage for my studio . I cant believe how organised I am getting (though I am not getting any painting done yet ) and it is sooooo much easier !

Hope you all have a great week and happy organising and creating !
Sev xxx

Hi all :-) Since the weather is so nuts outside I have been brightening things up making fun dividers for my filofax retro bloom personal . We are all on a tight budget this year and I love to use what I have anyway so I dug out some free samples of craft paper I kept from a paper craft magazine and used those instead of buying new and I really like these designs . I drew round the original dividers for the template,excluding the tag and cut them out . I then created a tab on top using some post it sticky tabs that I got from a stationary store . Possibly paperchase . I have a personal size filofax hole punch that is really easy to use and can attach to the rings in the filofax so you can carry it around with you if you feel the need . These papers had the benefit of being double sided designs , each one different so I get twice as much colour  for each divider . 

These were really easy to do and I can change them in and out for different designs if and when I feel like it .

My studio kit has been sneaking out onto my desk whilst  it has a refit and my Caran D'ache Swiss colour artists pencils are perfect for adding some illustrations to my diary pages . More to show on that in later posts .
I am also loving my washi tape storage , which is a storage box for sewing threads and craft bits . It fits the tape perfectly and allows me to see instantly what I have . I did show my husband and explain to him that it was woefully understocked and he actually agreed !  Amazed but happy that I might in the near future get some more :-D

New stationary

I have new stationary . How cute are these ! Ebay is a great place to find washi tape Kawaii stationary . I love Rilakkuma (sleepy bear) and I have my eyes on a pink and cream pen , also a brown and cream one some day . My watch list is huge . I also have an Amazon list and a staples list..... :-) 

Receiving something nice in the post gives me a great lift in my day and using it keeps me happy and organised . Yes , so far the organising is working ! its great to see things ticked off and have a visual mark of achievement . 

Here is my new stationary and stickers being used in next weeks page setup . The highlighters are from Paperchase and I couldnt resist them . 

I will end up with a million highlighters if I keep finding ones as cute as these . My girls have started looking at my desk with  sparkly eyes and edging closer .  These are really easy to use and feel great in my hand , not fiddly at all .

I decided to store my small collection of washi tapes in a glass storm lantern because I don't have enough (yet) for bespoke storage for them  but I have plans in that direction for sure . I love to be able to see them and I want them all lined up in colour order looking gorgeous one day .

Hi my name is Sev and I am an unorganised mum of three mad but amazing children,at least  one with ADHD and Aspergers .
I am also a triple international award winning wildlife and landscape artist . I get to play in the Mall galleries and support the David Shepherd wildlife foundation and sell my work .
This blog is all about how to manage the crafty side of me , the professional (but untidy) part of me , the mum/wife/sister/daughter part of me and make 2014 an organised ,clean,tidy productive and most of all happy year .

My house has been in desperate need of some TLC for some time , my artist studio I couldn't get in to do work , my kids wore me out , my dad passed away and my mum got ill . I felt the pressure .  I realised life would be  whole lot nicer if I got ORGANISED . Thats when I discovered Pinterest and had a cascade of AAHHH's .  Whilst getting myself impossibly addicted I found myself falling in love with filofax's (you know where this is going ) and now I am also a stationary addict . I am not sorry !

This blog is about my life , my work , my studio and my filofax and how I plan to turn things around . get organised , productive , inspired and in control . I have learned to appreciate the beautiful things in life . The special moments  the hot cup of coffee or tea , a perfect bath , and studio time where I can let my inner chaos out onto the canvas .

I started with my studio .
I had baskets full of paint that were heavy to move and I could never find the colours I wanted , nor could I see if i ran out . My studio is only tiny so I needed  floor space urgently , it is approximately 9ft x 10ft . My canvas is often large so bespoke storage will be made for that .
I was walking past a second hand furniture shop and saw in the window the perfect white slim shelving unit for my pots of paint . I repainted that again for a better finish and added some hanging paint tube storage next to it . Instant happiness !

This is the start of my journey into being an organised artist . I will keep posting my progress and hope you will enjoy following along with me . Comments are welcome , I would love to get to know you and what you think :-)
If you are curious about my artwork please check my website www.sevinayates.com
I also have two Etsy shops that I will link to in later blog posts , they need organising too !
My next post will be about my new ( and totally gorgeous) filofax , just because I cant resist sharing ! Have a great start to your new year .
Sev :-)