Turning Pages Co Improvements and Goals

So it's been a while, obviously, since I've written on here. There's many reasons for that, the fattest reason being the accounting internship I took part in over the last four months...

...this internship sucked the soul out of me, made me want to reconsider what I was doing with my life, and overall was just a roller coaster of stress and anxiety.

I don't want my first post back to be an update nor a recollection of what I spent my ENTIRE summer doing...or not doing. I will get into all of that in a blog post very soon.

Turning Pages Co:

Turning Pages Co has been picking up speed over the last couple of months in many aspects. While some other aspects have been lacking.

Turning Pages Co was never meant to be on Etsy alone, and still isn't. I have various social media platforms that I'm on, including right here, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. I'm continuously working towards becoming more consistent when it comes to social media, just because of the huge benefits it holds.

With over a year having gone by, Turning Pages Co on Etsy, has gone through many different phases. Initially I was planning on designing my own stickers for planners, cutting those out and selling them. But as time went by, I realized I was selling something that I myself wasn't utilizing nor endorsing. Every time I sat down to design a new sheet of stickers, I wasn't excited or in love with whatever I came up with. As time went on, I started leaning more towards paper clips and bookmarks, where I've found so much joy and use, and truly feel at home when creating new merchandise.

I'm always looking for new ways to improve my shop, as well as keep customers interested.

Upcoming Changes:

Working with someone to further extend Turning Pages Co bookmarks and start selling them to a different customer base on a different platform. I was contacted by someone who was really interested in my product and was looking to share it with their customers. Things aren't anywhere near concrete, but having someone that interested in Turning Pages Co is absolutely amazing and I am beyond grateful.

Laminating bookmarks not only to ensure they don't bend in the mail, but also last longer in general. The downfall to this is having to mark up my prices, not by much, but I probably won't be able to provide bookmark sets for $1.00 or $1.50 anymore. However the benefits will outshine the cost increase. These benefits include that the product will last longer, won't be bent when it arrives, won't tear when you pull it out of your planner or book, and you could even write on it with a dry erase marker if you wanted to.

Starting to work with Adobe Illustrator to design my own patterns and images for my bookmarks. This again might raise prices just a tad bit, due to the use of ink. Again not a significant amount. But this will allow for designs to be unique, and even customized if customers are looking for a very specific color or design. I'm just learning how to work Adobe Illustrator so this change might not be until a little while into the future.

Your Thoughts:

As some of you may know, Etsy allows customers to rate your shop and your products. A few concerns mentioned in my reviews stated that one of their bookmarks came in a bit bent, which is why I've considered laminating them.

I love hearing this kind of feedback from customers as well as you guys. I'm always looking to improve, so please comment down below if your thoughts on these changes and even ideas for further improvements.

Thank you!

Turning Pages Co July Releases!!

It's July 1st, meaning its time for some new Turning Pages Co releases!

Sadly I wasn't able to release as many new items as I was hoping to, with the start of my internship as well as a four day vacation. 

...I have a lot of ideas, I even have things bought, cut and ready to be made...but I just haven't found enough time to put it all together.

I did, however, finish a handful of things, which I'm showing you today. 

The plan is to have two releases each month (one at the beginning and one halfway through), to spread out the new merchandise and to allow myself some creativity time.

But I do have some cute things to show you all, so let's dive right into it!

The first four items I released are basically the same thing, but just in different designs.

This are mini magnetic bookmarks!

They are approximately 1.5 inches in height and 1 inch in width! They don't hold together a stack of papers, simply because the magnetic isn't strong enough. But they are perfect for holding your place in your planner, notebook or your current read. Each of the four sets comes with three bookmarks, and right now they are available on Turning Pages Co for only $1.00 + shipping!

The next few items are these absolutely gorgeous and bright tassels! They are sold individually, and can easily spruce up your planner. They are already knotted together towards the end, so all you have to do is loop it through your spiral. 

And of course I saved the cutest thing for last...also this is what took me the longest to make...is this extremely adorable penguin. It's belly is made from a pearl reflect paper, and it's cheeks, beak and feet are made with glitter scrapbook paper. It may not be winter or cold right now, but this penguin is cute all year around!

Again, sadly that is all I'm able to show you! I wish I had more, but those will have to wait another two weeks!

Thank you so much for stopping by and taking the time to read Turning Pages Co!

Massive Book Haul

We are six months into 2016 and I have yet to write a bookish post. Can you believe it?

Turning Pages Co was originally established in 2011, as a book blog. I enjoyed reading books, and didn't really have anyone to discuss it with. I stumbled over this little thing called "blogger" (its nothing really, hardly anyone uses it). I decided to create my own, named it Turning Pages, and before I knew it, I was posting every day. 

Now that I'm incorporating more of my passions, interests and personal life into this blog, its become much more than just a place to review books I've read. I still want to post book hauls, giveaways, reviews, and other exciting bookish things. But I do not want to post any bookish clutter just to fill up space, for example "Waiting on Wednesdays" or "Top Ten Tuesdays". Yes those blog posts can be fun to write, but how many do you actually read? Also aren't we all waiting for amazing books to be released?

I want Turning Pages Co to have substance, be entertaining, and interesting. I don't want to just post something, to have something posted. 

But enough of that, let's get into the meat and potatoes books...

The Lightening Thief, by Rick Riordan.

The Sea of Monsters, by Rick Riordan.

The Titan's Curse, by Rick Riordan.

The Battle of the Labyrinth, by Rick Riordan.

The Last Olympian, by Rick Riordan.

All five of these books have been out for quite some time, as well as the first two movies. They have always been something I wanted to look into more and read, but had just never made it to the top of my wish list. Rewarding myself for completing yet another quarter of school, I went ahead and purchased the entire book set in January. 

I haven't gotten to them yet, simply because of school.

Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, by Jane Austin & Seth Grahame Smith.

The Danish Girl, by David Ebershoff.

These two books are also books that have "recently" released as movies. I try my best to keep from watching the movie, before having read the book, which is what I'm attempting to do with both of these, as well as the Percy Jackson series.

Pride & Prejudice & Zombies looked really entertaining, while The Danish Girl look intriguing, heart breaking, and striking. I'm really excited to read both, as well as watch the movies. 

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac, by Gabrielle Zevin.

Marcelo in the Real World, by Francisco Stork.

Inside of a Dog, by Alexandra Horowitz.

The Constant Princess, by Philippa Gregory.

There are always some books that I want to read, and always keep on the back burner, usually until I find them for a good deal. These four books listed above go into that category. Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac is one that a handful of book reviewers recommend, whose interests in reading don't usually line up with mine. Marcelo in the Real World as well as Inside of a Dog are both kind of random buys, where I've seen them around once or twice.

Lastly, The Constant Princess is a series I wanted to read, but after reading a different book from the same author, which I didn't enjoy, I held off for a bit.

Six of Crows, by Leigh Bardugo.

This is the book I'm currently in the middle of reading and plan to review by Thursday (fingers crossed). Six of Crows has an amazing 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon and everyone seems to be loving it, which is why I chose it. After approximately forty pages, I was struggling to see what everyone else was enjoying. Once I hit the eighty page mark, I was having a hard time putting it down.

I'm almost finished reading this one!

You Know Me Well, by Nina LaCour & David Levithan.

This book was actually sent to me for review. David Levithan is one of my favorite authors which makes me really excited about reading You Know Me Well. On the other hand, I've always had troubles making it through Nina LaCour's books, due to the amount of detail and information.

This is the next book I plan on picking up to read.

Lady Midnight, by Cassandra Clare.

Yellow Brick War, by Danielle Paige

Winger, by Andrew Smith.

A Thousand Pieces of You, by Claudia Gray.

The Walled City, by Ryan Graudin.

The last couple of books I picked up over the last six months are the ones displayed above. It's my goal to read two to three of Cassandra Clare's books throughout the summer. It's hard to read such long books throughout the school year, because they take a huge commitment, I can't give at that time.

Yellow Brick War is the third book in the series, which is something I hope to binge read over the Fourth of July weekend. 

Winger, A Thousand Pieces of You, and The Walled City are all books by popular authors, that have gotten good ratings, that sounded like something I haven't read before, or a combination of any of those things.

Why so many books?

I know this is a ridiculous amount of books, but these were purchased over the last six months...so it's not that many...(I'm lying to myself, I know).

I have a lot books on my shelf that I haven't read yet, so I might come up with some kind of system to either prevent myself from buying more books, or slow down my purchasing habits. Please let me know if you have any ideas.

So, thank you so much for stopping by and taking the time to read Turning Pages Co! Let me know in the comments what books you recently hauled, and if you've read any of the books listed above, what you think of them!



Turning Pages Co July Sticker Releases!

The time is finally here...

I'm releasing my first two kits of stickers, in my Etsy shop, Turning Pages Co, today!

My goal is to release next month's stickers, midway through the current month. This will allow for plenty of time to order and ship packages, before the next month starts; especially if the stickers are designed with monthly colors in mind.

This is the first official release so I'm not releasing as many stickers as I would have liked to. Also I wish I could have designed and cut some single sheet stickers, as well as created stickers for the Erin Condren Life Planner and the Recollections planners. Next month will be filled with many more options!

So let's get into the kits...

Both kits are for the Create 365 Happy Planner, so please keep that in mind when purchasing!

The first kit is this lime/teal kit, which comes with a total of 6 sheets of stickers. It includes 9 round heart check lists (3 full & 6 half boxes), 27 tabs (9 "To Do", 9 "Little Things" & 9 "Important" tabs), 16 page flags (8 small & 8 large flags), 63 dots, 6 heart check lists and finally 5 weeks worth of daily titles!

And the second kit...

 is this sunset colored set! Again this kit is designed for the Create 365 Happy Planner.

This kit of stickers comes with five sheets of stickers (plus a small surprise freebie sheet). It includes 12 square ombre heart check lists (4 full & 8 half boxes), 27 tabs (9 "To Do", 9 "Little Things" & 9 "Important" tabs), 126 dots, 12 round boxes (6 half & 6 quarter boxes) and lastly 8 heart flag check lists!

Both sets are as of right now available at Turning Pages Co!

Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by Turning Pages Co. I would love to know what you all think about these first two kits. Also if you have any comments, questions or suggestions, please feel free to leave them in the comments!

Erin Condren Life Planner Opening!

Today's post is a very exciting one, and I've been dying to share with you.

With spending almost my entire first day off inside, due to clouds and rain, I spent hours looking forward to the UPS truck driving down the street. 

My rainy and gloomy day "got lit" by this little sunshine arriving at my door step! I couldn't believe it was finally here, until I sprinted to the front step, to discover a blue beauty awaiting to be opened.

Which is exactly what I did. 

The first thing you see when opening a Erin Condren Life Planner, is this beautiful bright raspberry colored tissue paper. To keep it closed and to introduce you to the goodies inside you are greeted by a "enjoy" sticker.

Flipping that open, if this is you're first purchase from Erin Condren, this is what you'll see. The first few goodies you'll see are a sticker and a post card laying on top, along with a small freebie bag of gift labels and a coupon code.

Taking those out you'll see the beautiful planner that you ordered. 

When flipping it open, you'll discover another freebie pouch, filled with a sample sticker booklet, compliment cards, and a few other goodies.

Taking the freebie pouch out, we are finally at what we've been waiting for! 

Luckily I purchased the 18 month calendar that goes from July 2016 to December 2017. But sadly....it doesn't start until July. Meaning, I have another three weeks of waiting ahead of me.

Here's a quick peek inside at September's monthly layout and a weekly layout. 

I'm dying to finally get started with my Erin Condren planner!

 With three weeks left before the life planner starts, I'm spending my time matching colors and designing stickers. I'm also going to be planning ahead, with post it notes; do you guys do that too?

Have you guys received your Erin Condren Life Planners yet? What planner did you go with? Let me know!

Thank you all so much for stopping by and taking your time to read Turning Pages Co!

Last Day of Finals Week, Summer Internship & Planner Update

I am officially a survivor of not only this week of finals, but also this year of school. If you're a student, you know just how relieving it is to turn in your last exam, and strut your little self out of there; not even considering the fact that you'll be back there in, what will seem like no time.

So with that said....

"I'm a surviva', I'm not gon' give up, I'm not gon' stop, I'm gon' harda!"

Singing those lyrics is actually a lot easier said sang than done, unless you are Beyonce.

With many projects, papers, assignments, midterms and finals under my belt for this school year, I'm VERY excited to say, that I'm done. No more studying late into the night (which is what I did these last two nights), no more projects, no more note taking, and no more anxiety of passing!

With this school year over, I'm only two quarters shy of completing my Bachelors degree in Accounting, meaning I would be finished at the beginning of March 2017. But the university I attend offers a Masters of Accounting program, which starts at the end of March 2017...meaning I would be "finished" until March of 2018.

...I'm sure not much of that made sense, but you get the gist of things.

"Now that school is finished, what do I plan on doing with all my free time?"

I won't actually be having too much "free time". This summer I have a full time internship at a Pacific Northwest business, so I'll be working forty hours Monday through Friday. Also I'm studying to take the GMAT exam (to get into the Masters Program) by the end of the summer, so I'll be fighting my way through some of the practice books.

I will still have a lot (at least more than usual) of free time. But I want to continue pursuing Turning Pages Co, and putting all my effort and free time towards this blog, and my shop.

Besides that, I also want to read. It feels like forever since I've had the opportunity to sit down and enjoy a good book. I am still reviewing books here on Turning Pages Co, and posting various bookish things, which is another thing I'm really looking forward to.

Any time left is going to be spent with friends and family.

"So why THREE planners?"

I recently posted something called "Craft & Planner Haul" where I showed you some goodies I had picked up, including three planners.

I wanted to quickly clarify the reasoning behind the mass purchasing of planners.

The first is that I attend school, I have an internship, and I'm also blogging and working on Turning Pages Co through Etsy...keeping all of that in a single planner is pretty hard to do, especially if you like putting detailed information into your planner, like I do.

Second, I wasn't initially sure what planner system I wanted to go with; there are just so many to choose from!

And finally third, I want to start producing stickers, monthly kits, and other products that are customized to each individual planner. Without the physical planner in front of me, it would be impossible to measure the various sizes of boxes, and match colors perfectly.

Now that that's cleared up, and final week is over, I'm excited to go full force ahead in both my internship as well as Turning Pages Co.

Thank you so much for stopping by today, and taking your time to read Turning Pages Co!

Craft & Planner Haul

June 1st was a very anticipated day for the entire planner community. 

After days of making decisions...

(matte black or gold; vegan leather or classic; colorful or neutral?)

...and even more days of waiting and agonizing over June 1st of 2016 to finally come, it was here...

We woke up at dawn, we crawled to the kitchen and made ourselves a mug of coffee, we grabbed our coupon codes and our credit cards, and spent just a few more minutes waiting. Browsing the website to kill just a little bit more time; deciding if we need the magnetic bookmarks, or a new set of pens.

Just minutes before, our hands are shaking, our coffee mug is only half full, and we continue to refresh, with the small glimmer of hope that the page will be open seconds early.

But with a flash the time is here, and we can finally...finally...order our new 2016-2017 Erin Condren planners...and we feel complete...

...but only until the feeling of wait settles back into our systems, when we realize it wouldn't arrive until the end of the month.

If only that were oh so true. I mean, majority of it was, except I decided to leave out the entire part about the website freezing, the items being kicked out of the shopping cart, it taking some people over two hours to finally get their order in. Or like in my case, I had the high hope of ordering before class, but was quickly denied with technological issues.

With the Erin Condren website not working, a rough day of accounting classes, and finals being only a few days away, I thought I deserved to spoil myself a little...and that is exactly what I did.

"Splurge" may be an understatement...because who in the world buys three planners in one day?

I went to both Hobby Lobby and Michael's, as well as my local dollar tree. There were a few things that I needed to pick up, including new paperclips, envelopes and washi tape.

Of course I can't walk into the Dollar Tree and just pick up what I need, there is always something there that catches my eye. Even though I know I shouldn't be doing it, I justify buying it simply because "it's only a dollar!!"

But when I saw these amazing glitter sheets, in so many colors, I couldn't resist and had to pick up at least a few.

I decided to go with brown envelopes when it comes to Etsy order on Turning Pages Co. I thought it would be easier to decorate with washi tape, paint or whatever else I come up with, without having to worry about if colors match or clash.

Walking into Michael's I was lucky enough to have stumbled in during a 40% off washi tape sale, and choose the ones shown above. They are all from the Recollections line, and were just a little over a dollar.

With the school year quickly coming to an end, a gift card in hand, and no textbooks to buy for another four months, I thought it would be fun to head into my university book store and pick up a few goodies there. The things I picked up there include these wide variety of Stabilo pens, as well as a Finito pen and a Frixion pen.

These are just too cute! I can't wait to start using them in all of my new planners and on packages for Turning Pages Co!

Now to the PLANNERS!!

The first planner I actually purchased was the Erin Condren planner. Sadly, that one isn't coming until the end of June...

The second planner I purchased was the Happy Planner in the floral print. I've been eye-balling this planner for quite sometime now, but have never gotten myself to buy it. But today was the day! 

Where's a peek at the inside! 

I was lucky enough to actually have a 40% off coupon for this planner, so be sure to check the Michael's website before purchasing one for yourself! The coupon took around $12 off!

Here's another peek! 

You'll be seeing more in upcoming Plan with Me videos, as well as sticker release and demonstration videos for Turning Pages Co.

As if two planners wasn't enough, I also picked up the Recollection planner, and the calendar insert. This planner is such high quality, extremely cute and has a whole bunch of different accessories available in stores.

Here are some of the accessories I purchased. I went ahead and picked up the "I'm Too Busy" book, that's filled with grid lined pages as well as a "L" charm that I plan to hang onto my planner!

So if you've made it this far, thank you so much for stopping by Turning Pages Co and taking the time to see what I've been up to.

Please let me know if you've picked up any planner goodies! I would love to see what you think!