Happy Planner + Life Lately | A Week Full of Wanda, Crafty Wins & A Big Move!

Hello hello!!!

This week’s Happy Planner spread makes me ridiculously happy because I finally got to use the Polkadoodles Wanda Cute Printable Planner Kit - something I’ve been wanting to do for the longest time!

I think I’ve mentioned this before, but Wanda is probably my spirit Polkadoodles character.  She’s a little quirky, a little sassy, always cheerful, and just so much fun… so a planner spread dedicated entirely to Wanda felt very me.

To complete the layout, I paired the printable kit with my Happy Planner LOL Quotes Sticker Book, using the colorful boxes and list stickers along with some Wanda-like sentiments like Heck Yes, Hot Mess, OMG, Today I Will Put On My Positive Pants, Sassy but Classy (which is sooo Wanda), and Fun Day for the weekend.

I also added the two “Must Do” stickers from the Wanda kit for a couple of Design Team deadlines this week, plus the “Work It Girl” sentiment because… well… packing has officially begun. It’s going to be a busy week, but at least it’ll be a cute one!

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Life Lately…

Good news first - I am almost caught up with all the post-vacation ironing! 

Our living room has basically been occupied by an ironing board and neat stacks of freshly ironed clothes for days now. I actually like leaving them there because seeing the growing pile reminds me that I’m making progress… even if it’s slower than I’d like. Haha!

In the middle of the week, Ton and I also treated ourselves to dinner at Tenderloin Co. It has always been one of our favorite restaurants here, and every visit reminds us why we keep coming back. We ordered our usual favorites, enjoyed a slow dinner together, and simply had a nice break from all the busy days we’ve been having lately.

Speaking of being busy…

I hinted earlier that I’ve been packing… but packing for what?

Don’t worry, we’ll get to that in a bit. First, let’s do a little crafty catch-up!

I’ve already finished two projects for Traci Reed Designs this week.

The first one was for Sketchy Sunday #76, which ended up being the perfect time to scrapbook my usual double-page cruise layout while the memories are still fresh! That almost never happens for me, so I’m calling that a win. If you haven’t seen it yet, you can check out my blog post on Traci’s Sketchy Sunday blog here. 

The second project is a mini album that will be published on Traci’s blog later tonight, so keep an eye out for that too! I absolutely love how it turned out. I even started thinking about making one each for KM and Kaye… but let’s see if I can squeeze those in sometime soon.

Over at Polkadoodles, I’ve already finished three out of my four Design Team projects for next month, and I love how all three turned out! They’ll be published throughout August, so for now I’ll just share a little sneak peek of the colored digi stamps I’ve been working on.

For Bee Happy, I finished two super cute projects and I seriously cannot wait until they’re published!

One of them is another Armour Etch project, and this time I took a risk, I etched my brand new bottle of Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet! Thankfully, everything turned out beautifully, and I loved it so much that I immediately etched Ton’s bottle of Dior Homme too. Haha!

The other one is a board game for movie nights - to make choosing a movie to watch o Netflix easier!

Three of my initial Bee Happy Brand Ambassador projects have also been featured already! I’m linking them below together with the photos because I’m just so happy seeing them shared. 

Bee Happy Weeklies Week 29 - Umbrella-ella-ella

Bee Happy Weeklies Week 28 - Friendship and Pets

Bee Happy Weeklies Week 27 - Watercolor Your World

And yes…

I still owe you all a proper blog post about becoming a Bee Happy Brand Ambassador. 😂 I promise it’s coming!

For Kendra’s Card Challenge, I’m sharing cards 6–10 for June. I’m really happy I decided to use my Rosie’s Studio stash this time because I realized I still have so many untouched 12x12 collections and ephemera packs just waiting to be loved.

Now…

Time for the biggest Life Lately update.

We’re Moving!!

Yesssss!!

We’re moving to Al Khobar! 

Which means…

No more two-hour drives to Dammam Airport every single time we travel! If you’ve been following my travel blogs, you’ll know just how exciting that is. 

Buuut I'm actually feeling a little emotional though.

As much as I used to tease Al Ahsa, it has quietly grown on me over the years. I’ve come to appreciate the slower pace, the peaceful neighborhoods, and being away from the hustle and bustle of bigger cities.

But don’t worry - I’m definitely not complaining!

I’m already making my “Before Leaving Al Ahsa” checklist.

It includes:

• One more visit to Maza for my favorite broasted chicken.
• Going back to the 5.75 store because months ago I saw the cutest miniature Saudi brands grocery essentials magnets.
• Finding a decent “I ❤️ Al Ahsa” sign for one last photo. (haha medyo OA sa last)

I’ll finish the list and share it next week!

Oh! I almost forgot - I’ve already checked one thing off that unofficial “Before Leaving Al Ahsa” list. I said that earlier this week, Ton and I had dinner at Tenderloin Co., and that one'sone of our very first favorite restaurants here!

Before all the apartment hunting adventures, we made a quick trip to Bahrain to finally pick up our clay throwing projects! It had been more than a month since we made them, giving them enough time to dry, be painted, glazed, and kiln-fired (that’s the final baking process that hardens the glaze and gives it that beautiful glossy finish). It was so fun to finally see our finished pieces after waiting so long! Plus, it was really really hard to make the plowl! haha. That's what I called my hybrid plate bowl that was supposed to be just a bowl. If you missed my blog about this experience, you can read it here!

Of course, before heading to Passion Art to collect them, we made our mandatory stop at Bahay Kubo for lunch. We ordered our usual favorites (because why mess with perfection?), enjoyed a delicious Filipino meal, and then happily headed over to see our finished pottery. It was definitely worth the wait!

Then on to our next adventure - we went apartment hunting.

Out of everyone who replied to our inquiries and of those that allow pets, we ranked the apartments based on photos and price, then prayed that we’d fall in love with the very first one so we wouldn’t have to spend the whole day viewing properties.

It reminded us so much of when we bought our condo at Kai Garden. We viewed the first unit… loved it… and never looked at another one.

Well…

It happened again.

We absolutely loved the first apartment.

It was spacious, practical, and only slightly more expensive than what we’re paying now but so much bigger!

Here's a quick apartment tour video!

The broker still convinced us to see another apartment nearby that was about 500 SAR (around ₱7,500) more expensive.

I remember telling Ton, “That’s still ₱7,500!” 

He just laughed and said we might as well look since we were already there.

The second apartment was prettier and had a softer, more feminine feel… but somehow it had way too many doors and rooms, making it feel a little confusing.

Check it out my apartment 2 video tour:

The first apartment just made sense.

Simple.

Practical.

Exactly our style.

And it even has a little outdoor area!

To make the decision easier, two of our friends came with us to view the apartments too, and all of us unanimously picked the first one.

Definitely a sign.

After apartment hunting, we headed over to our friend Che’s house because she invited us for Filipino merienda.

She prepared so much food!

There was beef batchoy, fresh melon juice, saba con hielo… and then she surprised us with wagyu steak too!

It was such a fun afternoon catching up, and I loved that she didn’t mind me bringing two more friends along. She even asked about another friend who’s usually with us but couldn’t make it that day.

The best part?

Our new apartment is only about 10 minutes away from them!

Huge win!!!

Later that evening, we met up with another friend at the mall before ending the day at Tim Hortons because they had a Buy 1 Take 1 drinks promo. 

So…

Why exactly are we moving?

Because my amazing husband has been promoted… again!

I’m incredibly proud of him.

It’s going to be a much bigger role with more responsibilities, but I know he’ll do amazingly well. I’ll be cheering him on every step of the way, and probably making sure there’s always good dinner waiting for him after long days.

We need to be fully moved into Al Khobar by the first week of August, so we’re hoping to start bringing boxes over this weekend.

And yes…

I’ve already started packing.

So far I’ve boxed up:

• our fridge magnets,
• my candle collection,
• extra toiletries from our stockpile,
• and… of course… my precious 12x12 patterned papers and paper pads.

Priorities. 

This next chapter feels exciting, a little scary, a little bittersweet, but mostly I’m grateful.

Grateful for new opportunities, for answered prayers, for wonderful friends we’ve met along the way, and for having a husband who’s worth following anywhere.

Here’s to new beginnings, new memories, and hopefully a craft room that’s even bigger than the last one. Wish us luck… the packing adventure has officially begun! 

Polkadoodles Digi Choosday Project | Christmas in July Tag & Gift Card Set

Christmas in July? A total fave so count me in!

For my first Christmas project of 2026, inspired by our Digi Choosday Design Team prompt of Christmas in July, I may have gotten a little carried away… and by a little, I mean I ended up making 12 Christmas tags and 12 gift cards! Haha!

To be fair, I blame the gorgeous Poinsettia Wreath Bundle from Polkadoodles. The moment I started creating with it, it was impossible to stop. The collection is absolutely beautiful, with stunning poinsettia images, coordinating papers, and sentiments that all work together effortlessly. Every element feels like it was designed to make Christmas crafting as enjoyable as possible. The rich festive florals, vibrant Christmas colors, and versatile designs had me reaching for “just one more tag” over and over again!

Since these are fairly simple projects, I won’t be doing a detailed step-by-step tutorial, but I thought I’d share a little about how I made them.

For the tags, I used my trusty Cricut Maker to cut all the tag bases. One of the things I love most about my Cricut is its ability to cut multiples at the same time. Just imagine die-cutting 12 tags with metal dies and running them through a die-cutting machine one by one! Sure, it might count as a mini workout, but it would definitely take much longer. With the Cricut, I can maximize my cardstock and cut as many tags as possible in a single go.

Once the tags were cut, I Cricut Print then Cut a variety of poinsettias, greenery, and festive berry sprigs from the collection. Before adhering anything down, I spread all the tags across my table and played around with different arrangements. It was so much fun mixing and matching the florals and foliage to give each tag its own unique look while still keeping everything beautifully coordinated.

After I was happy with the layouts, I raided my stash of ribbon and trim scraps and started decorating each tag. Projects like these are perfect for using up all those little bits and pieces we crafters save because they’re “too pretty to throw away!”

Of course, I couldn’t stop there. I added gem stickers for a little sparkle and dimension - because Christmas projects can always use a touch of extra shine! Then I finished each tag with a sentiment from the collection and threaded them with white twine accented by delicate silver strands for a festive finishing touch.

As if 12 tags weren’t enough, I also created 12 matching gift cards.

For the card bases, I cut white cardstock to 3” x 6” and scored each piece at 3” to create mini note cards. I then layered patterned papers from the collection, cut to 2 7/8” x 2 7/8”, onto the front of each card. Keeping the design simple allowed the gorgeous papers and sentiments to take center stage.

To complete the set, I made coordinating envelopes using my We R Memory Keepers 1-2-3 Punch Board. It’s one of my favorite tools for creating custom envelopes, especially when working with non-standard card sizes.

I had such a wonderful time creating these festive projects. The Poinsettia Wreath Bundle made the entire process effortless and inspiring. Between the stunning florals, beautiful papers, and perfectly coordinated sentiments, it’s one of those collections that makes you want to keep creating long after you’ve finished your original project.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be trying very hard not to make another dozen Christmas tags… at least until my next Christmas project!

Don’t forget to visit the Digi Choosday blog and join the Polkadoodles anything goes challenge for your chance to share your own creations and be inspired by the rest of the team!