Hello everyone, my name is Keisha from @k.moartsy.journals and for more art and journal inspiration you can find me on Instagram and TikTok  at that handle. Today we will be decorative planning in our Archer & Olive planners. In this blog I will be sharing what decorative planning is, what tools I use to create it, and how I designed the page.

So Here’s what you’ll need:

• Archer & Olive planner (choose the size of your preference)
• Medium of choice (colored pencils, and or markers).
• Black fine line pen
• Stickers 
• Paper scraps (optional)

What is decorative planning?

Decorative planning is a design approach that focuses on the aesthetic aspects of your planner. The goal is to enhance the visual appeal of your planner each week thus keeping you motivated to actually use your planner consistently.  In the planner community  “decorative planning” is also referred to as a “planner spread” or a “weekly spread”. Now, you may be asking yourself “what is a planner community ?” The “planner community" can be found on social media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. This community is composed of diverse individuals who share a passion for planning and documenting their lives using various styles, tools and methods.  The planner community often revolves around the use of planners, journals and bullet journals. Some activities displayed in the participants' planners include, goal setting, weekly plans and most of all creative expression.

Members of this community often exchange ideas, and planner techniques through social media platforms, blogs and/or workshops.

Key aspects of decorative planning can include:

Type of planner: The type of planner, journal or bullet journal is obviously the first step in this process. Choosing the planner that fits your planning style will keep you motivated to pick it up and get the most use out of it.

Materials: The materials you use in your planner may vary; however, the most common material used in decorative planning are stickers. Some planners opt to customize their stickers by cutting them with scissors or an Xacto knife. If you choose to use your personal art in your planner, you may want to include mediums such as markers, colored pencils and even paint.

Listed below are a couple things you could use to enhance your decorative planning process but it’s totally optional:

1. Correction tape - correction tape can used to hide mistakes and cover up lines
2. Permanent adhesive - adhesive can be used to add embellishments to your planner and it can even help to reposition your stickers to a different spot on the paper.
3. Themes - The theme of your spread is an essential step of this process. Creating a theme will help you keep the design of your planner spread cohesive.

How to design your planner pages :

Your planning style is totally up to you. Listed below are a few styles to consider:

• Minimalist: this planning style is an approach focused on simplicity. It emphasizes the use of clean lines, and limited color palettes.
• Functional: this style takes a practical approach to planning. It often prioritizes productivity and helps individuals manage their tasks effectively. This planning style may incorporate to-do lists and habit trackers.
• Sticker enthusiast: this style of planning incorporates the use of stickers (and other embellishments such as washi tape, and die cuts). The use of stickers can help the creator personalize their planners and help to encourage creativity. For the purpose of this blog I have chosen to use the sticker enthusiast style.

Remember, there is no right or wrong way to decorate. This method of planning is designed for the creator  to add their personality to their planners and spark creativity. Over all, decorative planning can give you a way to express yourself and your creativity through art and design.

Thank you for checking out my tips on decorative planning! I hope that you have found some inspiration in this blog.

Be sure to check the free printable available with the blog and I’ll see you guys next time, bye!