It’s the most wonderful time of the year for Planner Enthusiasts and Erin Condren fans: Life Planner Launch Time! Every June ErinCondren.com releases their new lineup of life planners. I am very excited to share a preview of a couple of the new planners and accessories with you.
The friendly folks over at Erin Condren reached out to me about a week ago and asked if I’d be interested in previewing the new Life Planner. I happily shouted, “Yes, please!” at my computer screen before writing my reply. While it is my policy never to guarantee reviews or even mentions in exchange for product, anyone is welcome to send anything they’d like to me and if it’s something I’m genuinely interested in sharing, I will do so. If you’ve been following me for awhile, you know I’ve used and loved Erin Condren products for a few years now. I just had to share a look at this exciting box of new goodies with you!
I watched my front door like a hawk yesterday waiting for the package to arrive and luckily it did so pretty early in the morning or I wouldn’t have gotten anything done all day! The box is beautiful as always. I love the new purple color! A design sticker and postcard were included as well as a package of gift labels and a $10 coupon. And this was all before I even opened the tissue! Erin Condren does packaging right! Under the tissue and bubble wrap was a beautiful array of planner awesomeness.
Please note – Items with an asterisk (*) will become available on the 2015-16 Life Planner Launch Day, June 9, 2015.
There were a bunch of planner accessories at the very top of the package, including the newly redesigned Live Life in Color Markers*, a Keep It Together Pen Holder, and new Keep It Together Elastic Bands*. Additionally, I received three of the color coding dot sticker packs, including Colorful Date Dots, Daily Dots, and Do-It-All Dots. I am most excited to try out the new Designer Sticker Book* with a beautiful variety of colorful and foil stamped stickers for use in the Life Planners or with cards and gifts.
Of course, the stars of the package were the two gorgeous 18-month 2015-16 Life Planners nestled carefully inside. I received each of two available layouts this year, including the standard vertical weekly calendar as well as the all new horizontal weekly calendar option. The icing on the cake was seeing that gorgeous rose gold coil on the vertical layout. I’m so happy I am able to preview these two beauties for you!
Vertical Layout
The 2015-16 Life Planner is now available in rose gold! Swoon! It is absolutely stunning in person. I’m afraid my photos don’t do it justice. The included cover if you purchase a “Ready To Ship” planner in the rose gold is this beautiful pearlescent periwinkle with rose gold foil stamped details. If you purchase a ready-to-ship planner, you are also sent a unique coupon code good for one free customizable cover (please be advised that shipping and taxes are not included in this promotion). That way, you can get your new planner right away and order your custom cover that takes extra time to design later. It’s also a great way to give the planner as a gift and let your loved one pick out their own custom cover.
The interior of the 2015-16 Life Planner is similar to last year’s edition in the colorful brights palette with paisley and party pops design elements, although there are some changes. The vellum decorative fly leaf page is now included in all planners, not just platinum/foil stamped editions. The Keep It Together folder in the back feels a bit sturdier and is glossier. The vinyl zip envelope is now totally clear with the exception of a subtle printed design on the edge. The contents now include samples of planner accessories, such as Compliment Cards*, Do-It-All Dots, Coil Clips, and Referral Cards. The new Life Planner includes the Perpetual Calendar* just like last year but with an updated cover design.
The extra planner pages include a year-at-a-glance section as well as a new goal planning section in the front. Each monthly spread now has a dedicated cover page with an inspirational quote using that month’s color palette. There is also a sheet of lined paper at the front and back of each month. The notes section in the back of the planner includes lined, graph (new!), and blank pages, all decorated in the whimsical style of the rest of the planner.
The monthly and weekly calendar layouts have undergone some revisions since last year as well. The month-on-two-pages spread is a bit cleaner looking without the inspirational quote on the top right corner. Some polka dot flourishes have been added to the Goals column on the righthand side, but they are subtle and do not interfere with the writing space. The week-on-two-pages spread has been cleaned up even more. The month-at-a-glance calendar previously located on the top lefthand corner has been replaced by a “Thankful Thought” box. Text that used to mark off the lefthand column and bottom row as well as the “Morning, Day, Night” labels in the spread have been removed for more customizability. Even the top row of dates is more streamlined.
I think pictures are the best way to illustrate these changes. In the photo collage above of my 2014-15 Life Planner you can see some of the revised elements I pointed out, including the updated vertical calendar spreads and vinyl zip envelope. Also noteworthy is how much bigger the coil is with the new life planners, allowing for more flexibility. Even the snap-in rulers have been updated with a less busy design (the new one has the polka dots and stars) making it easier to see through.
Horizontal Layout
I was also sent a Life Planner with the new horizontal layout to preview. This is something that Erin Condren fans have specifically asked for. Not only is the calendar layout different, but the entire planner design has been tweaked to a more subtle “colorful gem stones” palette with prism and geodes design elements.
The interior of the horizontal Life Planner is structured in a similar way to the vertical option with a vellum fly leaf and four included sticker pages. The planner has a Keep It Together folder and vinly zip pocket in the back with the same goodies. You can see the more subtle palette in play in these sections.
The design differences really stand out in the planner pages. It’s the same concept, just toned down a bit. I personally think the geodes and prism design elements are rather elegant and lend a more sophisticated tone to the planner pages. Just as with the vertical layout Life Planner, the horizontal option includes the year-at-a-glance and goal planning pages in the front, and lined, graph, and blank note paper in the back.
The monthly and weekly calendars are absolutely stunning. I am in love with this new design! They’ve simplified the month-on-two-pages layout even further by removing the polka dots by the Goals column. The week-on-two-pages spread includes equal space for each day of the week with a combination of lightly lined and blank boxes. The color palette is soft and fits well with this more streamlined look.
I am impressed by the two new Life Planner options and the changes the creative folks at Erin Condren have made. The new Life Planners and accessories launch on Tuesday, June 9. Prices are not available until launch. You can receive $10 off your first Erin Condren purchase by using my referral link if you’d like. I save my referral credits to use on giveaway prizes.
I open the box and share my first impressions as well as a detailed look at each product in this video:
It’s giveaway time! I wanted to share the Erin Condren love with you. The Life Planner Launch Giveaway will run until Sunday, June 14, 2015 at 6 PM CT. The giveaway is open internationally. All entrants under the age of 18 must have parental permission to enter. FIFTY winners will receive a $150 ErinCondren.com electronic gift card. You can enter by following the directions in the Rafflecopter widget posted below (check out this blog post for more information on entering Rafflecopter giveaways). I’ll announce the winners on THIS blog post and contact them directly through email, as always. Good luck!
Sometimes Rafflecopter experiences technical difficulties. If you can’t enter for some reason, try again later and it will probably work.
I’d love to hear your thoughts about the new Life Planner lineup if you care to share. Let me know if you plan on purchasing one!
Happy Planning!
* Post contains referral links. This is not a sponsored post. ErinCondren.com kindly sent me all products shown for consideration. I am not affiliated with ErinCondren.com. I am using my referral credits to purchase the prizes. All opinions are genuinely my own. *
