I've always been the kind of person to write everything down. Even though I'm always on my phone, I can't bring myself to use iCal or to-do list apps. I put entirely too much thought into which planner to use at the start of every year (and now the start of every school year), and I have to fight the urge to throw an extra $10 away for a Sugar Paper planner from Target.
For the last three years, I've been a loyal Lilly Pulitzer planner fan. This year, I was in the mood for something a little different. I went back and forth about splurging on an Erin Condren or Day Designer planner, but I couldn't bring myself to drop $50-70 on a planner...maybe someday, but not this summer.
With everyone getting back to school in the next few weeks, I figured I'd give a little overview of my newest planner addition: my 17-month medium agenda.
I came across the ban.do agendas and immediately fell in love with the brand. They're all about girl power and falling in love with your life and the plans you make for it. Plus, their designs are bright and fun...color me sold.
I desperately wanted this pink print, but I knew their small planner (while very cute) would be just a tad too small for what I needed. So I settled on the ice blue version in their new medium size. I may or may not have bought both the large and the medium size planner to figure out which one I liked more...okay, yeah, I definitely did that.
My favorite part about my Lilly planners was the stickers, but I love ban.do's planner stickers so much more. From mimosas to "ladies night," these little guys will be dressing up my pages all year. There's even a "secret code," with little messages scattered throughout the year. It's probably something I could have done without, but it's a neat little addition!
Beautiful (and humorous) designs introduce the beginning of each month, along with a bright, laminated divider, followed by a full two pages of notes. The notes pages are probably my most favorite part of the planner, since to-do lists are my favorite pass time.
Something I wasn't entirely sure about with this planner was the unlined design for the weekly view. I have weird, loopy handwriting, and I can never seem to write in a straight line on my own. I was hesitant about getting another horizontal layout (I found that I ran out of room pretty quickly in my horizontal Lilly planner over the years), but the boxes provide plenty of space. I also bought a few rings of skinny glitter washi tape to separate plans, work shifts, and tasks. It definitely helps to split up all the blank space!
Overall, it's a little too early to say whether or not I'm in love with the agenda design. While I'm a big fan of blues, the light color makes it pretty easy to see scuffs here and there. The pages could be maybe a tad bit thicker, too. Having said that, this baby was only $28 (compared to some pricier options, i.e. Erin Condren, Day Designer, etc). It's a beautiful and well designed, and I'm excited to give it a shot this semester!
This is such a great review-- I'm finishing up one of the smaller ban.do planners for this year and I love how fun and colorful it is!
ReplyDeleteThis is so inspiring! I love the post:)
ReplyDeleteirenethayer.com
I'm obsessed with all of them. I currently have four for this year. I have a problem.
ReplyDelete