Manic Monday

Today is a hectic day at the nest. A big project to finish, a house to clean before at least 10 people are coming over tonight for LifeGroup. I have a pretty slow paced life comparably, but there are definitely times when I get overwhelmed. I tell you all this in relation to today's bird.

This Little book is about the size of the palm of my hand and is a great travel companion. It was given to me recently by my friend Nancy, and it is a real treat. It now lives in my purse and helps me remember things. I have a nifty iPhone that you can store things in, but do I do it....... not really. I love the feel of pen on paper and making and crossing things off of lists, so I have little books everywhere. I am always thinking of new projects, or thinking of good blog topics, or just all the sudden remebering something I have to do. I believe the little book, or if your good at putting things on your phone is so important whether you are a creative or not! Inspiration is everywhere and you need a way to remember it on days like today when there are just so many other things to do!

A great book I was given this weekend put it like this :

"Take note of what you are doing when inspiration strikes. Maybe you'll begin to notice a pattern between your good ideas and your activities...... Carry a small notebook with you everywhere... and take the time to jot down ideas when they occur to you." 

Kari Chapin -The Handmade Marketplace

Some other great little books I have come across are these

1. Mini Moleskine, always wonderful, especially for sketching. Has a built in bookmark, an elastic      closure and a pocket in the back. I found this guy at Barnes and Noble
2. These are also Moleskine and the thing I really like about them is if you are working on multiple projects at once and want to keep them separated these are great. You can either write on the cover itself, or create labels for then and have a few of them with you at all times without feeling like you are weighed down by a mountain of notebooks
3. These little babies I found at Target in the dollar spot in a 3 pack. They would also be great for multiple projects, but they are not always available so you just have to keep your eyes open for them because every season they typically have something similar in that seasons patterns or colors.
4. Paperblanks also makes wonderful journals and mini notebooks, this one even has a magnetic closure, bookmark and pocket. I found this at an art museum, but I have seen similar products at Barnes and Noble as well.

What holds you thoughts from escaping into the unknown forever? My husband has a small pad of sticky notes with him at all times that helps his engineer mind remember things from details of a design, to "remember to get some milk on the way home".