A 2013 planner I love

I'll bet I'm not the only one for whom the selection of the new year's planners and organizers is an all-important task. If I'm going to look at a calendar for a whole year, it'd better be pretty, and that's why I always get the Collectible Teapot calendar. When it comes to the planner I use at the office, I finally realized I could work with pretty much anything as long as it shows the month at a glance AND the whole week. And is pretty. And so this $7 find at Michaels the other day gets my nod for the new year. Plastic protector sheets on the front and back are a nice sturdy feature.

The artwork is by Lisa Kaus, whose work I have long admired. I've bought mini-journals and other stationery featuring these cheerful Kaus designs, and the new planner is about 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 inches, just right for carrying around in a tote bag or tucking into a desk drawer. Since I work for a newspaper-owned magazine, the newsprint graphics along with the teacups combined to sell me on this design. Also, I'm enjoying the fact that it's a 16-month planner and I can use it right now. In the magazine-editing business, Christmas is over, Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and I am at this writing thinking about St. Patrick's Day and Easter. And Halloween? What are you talking about? That's not for at least six more months!

This page of my new planner made me think of all my sweet "tea friends." (Not to be confused with "sweet tea" friends, ha.) So if you need a new planner, you might want to look for this one at Michaels. Happy planning!