Witch Set Planner Layout / Plan with me

Week 2 using the same set and some extra stickers 

I did not do a video for this set. 

How to care for Handmade Clothing

I have been sewing since High School. I only took 1 fashion construction class and the rest of my information is self taught through trail and error mostly, books I've read over the years, and Youtube. I've also taken some classes on Skillshare and I've learned a lot from them to improve my art and sewing work. 

As I begin to create more handmade clothing items for my Etsy shop, I've wanted to create a care guide for my customers. But not just people who support my shop but to customers who prefer handmade or vintage items over mainstream fashions. 

I don't claim to know everything about it but this is what I've learned so far. When I think of or learn of better ways, alternatives, and other updated information I will update this blog post accordingly. 

I know most Goth's swear by woolite for dark clothing, but personally I'm allergic to fragrance and some artificial dyes can irritate and dry out my skin. I've also found that the coloring added to detergents can change or fade the vibrant colors in clothing faster. Especially when you have natural fibers and plant based biodegradable dyes used in the process. Unless a seller mentions that in the description there's no real way to know all of the information about most fabrics unless you do most of the process yourself or have a relationship with people who do. 

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Hand wash in cold or cold warm water in a sink, bucket, tub, or whatever you feel comfortable with and leave to hang dry. 

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I highly suggest you invest into a steamer if you don't already have one, a steam setting on your iron at home, or drop them off at the dry cleaners especially if you don't wear them often and want to maintain them more. 

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I know it's very rare but sometimes, Goth's do wear white. And for your whites to stay white, I recommend spot treating the stains if you have any with diluted bleach with detergent and water. Soaking and then spot treating immediately so the stains can't set. 

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Spot treat pens may become your new best friend if you like wearing lots of light or bright colors. These help to spot treat immediately without having to wait until you get home to start the whole care process. 

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I have sensitive skin and I can't always work with strong chemicals, bleach, and detergent pens cna be hit or miss for my health.  So if you are looking for more natural remedies for caring for your clothing, how to get out certain stains, etc. I recommend checking out dontwastethecrumbs.com and other natural blogs out there. 

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Skip the dryer and leave your clothing to dry. Outside is best because the wind going through it will help prevent stiffness and sometimes wrinkles. If you can't hang your clothing outside, maybe try hanging them in the bathroom over the tub using the shower rod. And turn on the fan in the bathroom or set up a house fan near it. Every few hours turn the clothing in a different direction so everything can dry evenly, no hanger creases, no mildew smell, or stiffness. 

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The same or similar rules apply with a drying rack you can find one of these online or in ikea or something like that. By setting this near a window you get some of the same benefits as drying outside. You may need to mop below every once in a while to prevent floor damage or put down a towel or rung below it. 

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Towel drying clothing is a great alternative to hanging them, especially while traveling. It reduces the mess, and items can dry more evenly if it's something you prefer over hanging. 

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You're probably used to laundry sorting by colors to prevent color bleeding. But If you really want to preserve your delicate clothing I suggest separating by texture. Place light fabrics like lace, light cottons, mesh, etc together. Separate items that have buttons, zippers, hooks, clips, studs, spikes, etc so they don't catch on the other fabrics and cause rips, tugs, and frays. If you have faux leathers, pvc's, corsets, or anything that has more structure. You will need to wash those separately to make it easier to know how harsh you want to be with those items at once. 

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Do not pour bleach directly to clothing. Bleach can breakdown fibers over time, make them thin, weak, and clause holes, tears, discoloration, etc. A bleach pen may be a slightly diluted dose which allows a bit of control. But even with splash proof bleach I often find myself over pouring and making a huge mess. 

Plan With Me // Gothic Planner // August Layout /// Weekly Set

Set's used in this layout

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Scrapbook paper 

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Quote Stickers 

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Getting into Goth 2018: Goth Books

If you are new to Goth in 2018 or within recent years you may have preconceived misconceptions about Goth. What is it? Where did it come from? How did it become a thing? How come it's lasted so long? Or if one of your loved ones has started dressing in black and listening to The Cure, dying their hair, and adding body modifications and identifying as either Goth or Alternative. You may be concerned or wondering exactly what the hell that is. And when you come to that thought you have two choices,

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1) Be complacent in your ignorance, make ignorant comments, jokes, not take them seriously, tell them it's a phase it will go away. Don't look into it from actual Goths in the scene, listen to the music, read up about it or anything, and eventually get used to it and come to accept them or part ways.

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2) Read Goth books, magazines, go to youtube and watch goth youtubers, follow popular Goth's on Instagram, get a shallow surface area of it based on the fashion and the music. And if it really interest you keep digging, continue to educate yourself, and go down the rabbit hole of all things considered, Goth and Alternative and form your own opinions about it.

If you are a person who's new to Goth, you will gravitate towards all of the information, magazines, books, music videos, music, biographies and interviews by musicians to see their inspirations and influences on the scene. The history, fashion, literature, art, architecture, the lives of the authors, musicians, etc themselves, and more. And just all around anything dark, spooky,  and supernatural. I have personally stayed away from the heavy conversations of all things regarding what is Goth? Because I don't want to come across as an authority or an elitist know it all. I have always been a firm believer that you know real Goth's when you take time to get to know them after you've spent time with enough fake people, you'll recognize who's real and who's just in it for the wrong reasons, or is completely ignorant about the subject entirely.

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If Goth is something you are truly drawn to then whatever it is you like, whatever outlet you have will drive you into your own spiral into learning everything you possibly can about it and seeing if it's right for you so you can develop your own style, your own taste in music, your own hobbies you enjoy rather that contributes to the scene or not. If you are fortunate enough to have any kind of local scene or travel to one near you then all of those things will just come naturally to you.

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There is one thing I will say about the mysteries of all things Goth, there are do's and don't's about it. It's really just about respect for the scene and the people in it who have a genuine interest. If you find yourself drawn to the scene in this current day and age of social media where people can be internet famous; i.e Instagram models, and popular Youtubers who receive free items for having a high following from fast fashion companies who appropriate Goth elements into their fashions to sell you a Goth look. And Instagram and Youtube show the Goth lifestyle as being for the rich, skinny, and the mostly white. You may have misconceptions about what it really means to be Goth. And why "Elder Goths" are annoyed by this new trend.

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Goth is not something you can buy in the store, there are goth brands but it's not something you put on and take off at the end of the day. It's not something you can stop being apart of because you don't look the part.

It's not a few popular post punk bands in the 80's, but it's good to get you started in to right direction to learn more underground bands and deeper music.

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It's not a costume
Not a cosplay
A character, there are Goth characters but Goth in and of itself is not a character

Occult symbols you don't know the meaning of but look edgy and cool, Occult symbols are great when you know the meaning of them and want to embrace the positive aspects of them. But when you don't it's disrespectful to others religions.

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It's not an act of rebellion against your parents or society, unless it's in a way that you are embracing your true self as a act of rebellion to pretending to be something you are not to make others happy as if your own happiness doesn't matter

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It's not  a shock factor
A performance, but there are Goth performers
It's not just to scare people, but if that's your thing enjoy
It's not a passing trend, But it comes and goes every couple of years and it has it's pro's and con's
It's not a phase for most people who got into it for the right reasons, but some do grow out of it and it doesn't mean they are any less legit than that Goth's who are still apart of the scene

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It's not a hair style, but there are certain hairstyles that Goth and Alternative people naturally gravitate too
It's not body modifications, but many Goth's can choose to get modifications if they wish, but not required
It's not just makeup and fashion, but there are various styles that fit into Goth


It's not exclusive to white people, skinny people, or the able bodied
People of color, various religions, cultures, sizes and shapes can be apart of it and disabled people are welcome too.

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It's not a religion, but there are many Goth's who are religious, pagan, atheist, agnostic, etc.
It's not a cult, but there are some Goth's in cults
It's not an evil thing but there are evil people the scene

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If you are looking for more intellectual stimulation and you want to get a deeper understanding of the big question of what is Goth? I highly recommend reading books of Goth from Goth's in the 80's, photographers, sociologist, psychologist, Goth enthusiast, etc. so you can get a well rounded view of the scene. And you wanna form your own sense of fashion, makeup, decorate your living space then the internet is great for ideas. But you'll have a deeper connection from actual books and have a more unique perspective on it and have something that's more catered to your needs as your own person.
 

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(Yes I know Mansion isn't Goth, and can be problematic AF! But it's a very interesting book which I enjoyed when I was in high school that tells the story about his life starting in childhood. And gives a bit of insight into his personality and lifestyle) 

Goth is about being unique
It's creative expressions through many art forms
It's being observant of things that are over looked
It's all about embracing your true self and living life to the fullest
It's about supporting others in the scene who are positive content creators, musicians, artist, fashion designers, etc.

Disclaimer: Some of these books I've read over the years, and some I haven't so I can't really tell you that much about them. The purpose of this blog post was not meant to be a review of Goth books, but the show the various ones that exist and can give you better insight and visuals into the scene. And it's still a better view than what you would get online. These are all relatively non-fiction books but I do recommend some fiction books with Goth or spooky characters for fun and more in depth looks. Enjoy and leave comments below for feedback.

Plan With Me Haunted House Set

In this video I show you a timelapse video of me decorating my planner for the week of July 8th- July 14th 

I start with laying out Halloween scrapbook paper so I can create the mood for the theme I want behind the stickers. Similar so how you would decorate the walls of a spooky dark home before you start on adding furniture and decor. 

I like to use a combination of full pictures, pictures with transparent white boxes for writing, half boxes, and writing boxes. I usually sleep in during the mornings or to incoherent to plan things so it's pretty easy for me to just fill this area with pictures to set the mood for the day ahead. 

The afternoon is when I am most productive so I like to make sure I have lots of room to write my task for the day, and I tend to leave these blank so there's lots of room for change unless I have set plans. 

I like to have half boxes for the evening because I'm usually done with my daily tasks in the afternoon. Evenings are for relaxing with shows on netflix, snacks, and sometimes wine. 

Washi tape helps to fill in the white space even more than the scrapbook paper. I tried to use tape that fit into the margins and fit the theme I want for the week. 

After all of the functional stickers are set I like to add in some extras for fun because I like looking at it. And I also love date covers because it just adds to the over look and feel of the theme I'm going for depending on my week. There's also some Halloween stickers for Michael's they sell year round in the holiday section of the stickers aisle depending on your location. The stickers with words are from Tim Holtz small talks stickers. Not Halloween or spooky but they are black and they fit into my positive thoughts section of my planner well. 

These stickers are made for Erin Condren size planner, but I don't have one. I still like this size because it gives me extra room to add scrapbook pages, quotes, and stickers. So your planner stickers will look different than mines depending one the one you have may vary in size. Enjoy! 

How to make your planner Goth AF!

1) You'll need a planner, preferably something that has three vertical slots for each day as well as a monthly layout. Like this

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I prefer ones around 8.5x11 because I can add folder to keep planner accessories and stickers in. As well as documents I need throughout the year. But feel free to pick whatever size you like. 

2) You may need to stock up on Halloween scrapbook paper, Halloween washi tape, Halloween stamps and sticker in your local craft store while they are in season. I prefer to do my Halloween shopping the first week of November when everything is 70% - 90% or buy one get one free. But the downside to this is that some of the good things I had my eye on in August may be gone already.

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Last Year I got Martha Stewart's Halloween scrapbook paper and it had a color scheme of blacks, grays, golds, and silvers and some were metallic. It has lots of skulls, spiders, bats, moths, and more spooky delights.

3) If you like to decorate the edges you may want to grab some of the Halloween washi tape while it's out in stores.

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Here's an example of some I got last year but there's so much more variety than that. 

4) Great time to stock up on stickers and stamps while they are in season. These are great for adding to your planner stickers or something to use instead as they still add a spooky touch. 

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Unfortunately, I didn't stock up on stamps last year or the year before that because I prefer stickers. But if stamps are more your thing go for it. 

5) No need to wait till Halloween to start your planner journey. You can visit sites like Etsy for planner stickers to use once and done or you can choose printable planner stickers. That means th once you buy it, it downloads in your account or email within seconds of purchase. You can print it out on sticker paper or regular paper and use a glue stick. You will have the file forever and can use it as many times as you'd like. That means endless possibilities for all of your planner decorating needs. 

6) Etsy is also a good place to seek journal paper like this one and more. Halloween/Gothic scrapbook or journal paper can serve as a background to set the tone for your weekly layout. Or it can be used as a planner cover, binder cover, or to cover up those over the top girly in between page with lots of flowers and sometimes quotes you may not agree with. 

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Here's a few examples of how journal/scrapbook paper can be used. 

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7) Planner stickers! They come in all sorts of varieties. You can get ones that fit into Erin Condren planners or Happy planners which are the most popular brands. Erin Condren allows for planner customization for your needs, but you'll have to do the decorating yourself. Unfortunately, they don't have anything dark and spooky not even for Halloween. Happy Planners are most commonly found in Michael's, Hobby Lobby, and other craft stores. They sell year round but at the end of the year they have sells. Happy Planners also have the option to start in the middle of the year with their 18-month planner which starts in June of the current year till the end, and starts again for a full year in January. 

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8) Planner cover can set the tone for your planner and help you decide what kind of year you want to have. What you want to include more of in your life. Or it can just be art to match your aesthetic. 

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9) Planner layout inspirations so you can get an idea of how to get started with using them.

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10) You can add in other things like decorated list like these to make the To Do list area a little more fun. 

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 The last step you'll need to do is get started is where you are with what you have and slowly start to add to it as you see fit. Change it up every week. Then at the end of the year you'll get to see how creative you were next to all you've accomplished over the last 365 days.