Over the last decade, I’ve tried memory keeping in a number of ways from scrapbooking to using a memory planner. At a certain point it all seems too overwhelming and I give it up. But, this year, I think I finally hit my sweet spot.

Last year I bought a Hobonichi Cousin for the first time. I loved it because it offers monthly, weekly, and daily pages. The weekly pages were my jam but I was at a loss on what to do with the daily pages so they mostly went unused which is sad because the tomoe river paper used in the Hobonichi is freaking magical!

This past year I’ve realized that I’m documenter. I love looking back in my planners and seeing small glimpses of my everyday life. I think some of that is lost when you do more traditional scrapbooking or memory keeping. When I realized the Hobonichi is perfect for this, I decided to order another one! I’m able to document all of the smaller moments of our days whether it’s something funny Rowan has said, a quick note about self-doubt, or a selfie because my hair and makeup were on point that day! I love it. I can look at my weekly pages and see all of the mundane everyday tasks of living-folding laundry, getting the car serviced and Rowan’s haircut. And, the daily pages offer little glimpses into why ordinary days are so special and worth remembering! I’m looking forward to having a bookcase full of these to pull out and flip through with my grandchildren! I encourage you to record some of the small things whether it’s scribbling a little note in your planner or printing out some of the thousands of photos on your phone and tucking them between the pages of a journal. These moments are worth recording!

Back in the day, I was a huge fan of scrapbooking. I had baskets and bins filled with papers and embellishments. I would print out my photos and sift through trying to come up with the perfect layout. And therein lies my problem. I spent so much time wanting to make it perfect that I fell further and further behind. And I ended up with 14 months worth of photos I needed to scrapbook! Yikes! Then one day I stumbled on Project Life. It was a much easier and more modern way of memory keeping. So once again, I bought a core kit and an album and got to work. And, once again I quickly fell behind due to my own expectations.

Two years ago I fell down the rabbit hole of pretty or decorative planning. Planners and stickers make me a very happy girl! I've been happily exploring the world of decorative planning. I've grown from using scrapbook paper and stamping to buying stickers on Etsy to trying my hand at designing my own. My husband is a reluctant enabler of my hobby that he doesn't quite "get" but for Christmas, he surprised me with the newest planner gadget, an HP Sprocket. I can easily print out photos from my phone onto sticker paper! What is life?! I've been using it here and there to put photos in my planner. But, with the release of the big Happy Planner, I decide to fully commit to memory keeping again.

The planner itself is dated(although there are undated versions) and beautifully illustrated. You could print out your pictures, slap them down and be finished. Easy like Sunday morning. I've chosen to add a little layering with scrapbook paper, a few stickers and some notes about the week that I'd like to remember.

It is so easy but at the same time allows me to get as creative as I want. It's also forcing me to print out photos which is something that I rarely do! I jot down little notes or cute things I want to remember throughout the week so that I can add them to my weekly layout.

This spread took me less than 30 minutes to put together!