Productive Pixie: March 2020

It is officially spring! Spring is one of my favorite times of the year because the weather becomes warmer, and the flowers are blooming. There is only one problem... you can't wear some of your warmer winter pieces anymore. It is time to make way for some fun spring-inspired clothing and so today, I just had to highlight these cute paperbag pants I bought off Amazon for under $30 and some ways you can style your paperbag pants!

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Updated for 2024

Paperbag pants are super cute for spring! They can be dressed up or down and that tie waist detail is so chic. They are really comfortable too!

Before we get on to the styling tips, I wanted to highlight the pair I bought off of Amazon because I honestly really like them, and if you are looking to buy some paperbag pants, then you should totally look into buying these too. I get compliments on these pants almost every time I wear them!

Details About the Freeprance Paperbag Pants

I bought these pants a while ago, and I love them. They are super comfortable. They are pink! (This is definitely a huge bonus! 😊) They have large pockets. They are high-waisted too, which I really like.

First off, the price. I bought these pants for under $30 (2024 update - they are now $40). These pants have over 1000 ratings, and they get 4.3 out of 5 stars.

They are really comfortable. The waist is elastic, and the belt does come off, so you can wear it without the belt too. The great thing about this though, is that the waist is entirely adjustable. Most paperbag pants are high-waisted, and these pants are no exception! They have a relaxed straight leg fit, which pairs great with the high-waisted paperbag top of the pants.

They have large pockets, but I wouldn't really recommend putting anything in them because the material is kind of thin (On the light pink ones at least). I wouldn't recommend putting anything in any of your pant pockets anyway though because it will ruin the polished look of any of your pants.

Overall, I really like these pants and they made the perfect addition to my closet! I may need to buy another pair. :)

How to Style Paperbag Pants

You might be scared to try out styling paperbag pants because they definitely look different from other types of pants, but once you know these styling tricks, you will be able to wear paperbag pants with confidence. :)

The great thing about paperbag pants is that they can be styled up or down, but no matter which way you style them, they always look polished and chic.

Wearing Your Pants

The paperbag pants themselves can be worn in multiple ways. My personal favorite way, which is also the most popular way, is to tie it in a bow in the center, but you can wear them lots of ways. These are all of the different ways I have thought of.

Tied in a bow in the center
Knotted in the center
Knotted on the side
Without a belt
With a different belt

How you pick to wear your pants is totally up to you and should depend on what effect you are going for. For example, if the shirt you are wearing has bows on the sleeves or on the top in any way, then you might wear it without a belt, or with a different belt that does not tie in the front.

Choosing a Top

Next, you need to pick out a top to wear. Because the paperbag pants have a slightly flared out top, you will want to wear them with a shirt that is more fitted. I would also recommend wearing a simple top. The pants already have a belt, and the paperbag flared top so you don't want to wear something really busy.

This is where you really decide whether you want a dressy or a casual outfit. You could pick to wear with a simple striped tee (I love this look!) or a button-up shirt, which also looks nice too.

The most important thing to remember when wearing paperbag pants is that you need to tuck your shirt in if it is long enough. If you don't, then it will add a lot of material to your waist and it will ruin your silhouette.

Next up, it is time to add some shoes to your outfit.

Picking the Right Shoes

While paperbag pants can be dressed up or down, in my opinion, they look best with dressy shoes. Below are all of the shoe styles I would pair paperbag pants with.

High Heels
Ankle Boots
Flats
Dressy Sandals

My favorite way to wear paperbag pants is with ankle boots. I haven't had a chance to wear paperbag pants with heels yet, but I love the look. I would stay away from wearing paperbag pants with the following shoes.

Knee-High Boots - Knee-high boots are best worn with more fitted pants and paperbag pants usually have a more relaxed style.
Sneakers + Tennis Shoes - Paperbag pants are dressy, and while they can be worn more casually, tennis shoes especially are extremely casual, so it's just something to stay away from.
Casual Sandals + Cheap Looking Shoes - This just goes along with all of the other points I have already made.

Okay, so now that you have an idea of what shoes you are going to wear, it is time to talk about accessories and then outerwear.

Accessories

Accessories, accessories, accessories. There is a lot to choose from! When I wear paperbag pants, I like them to be the focus of my outfit, so I pick accessories that don't compete with them.

Other than that, you can pick whatever accessories you want! For the outfit above, I added this mini backpack, which also has a bow on the front, so it matches the pants. I would wear any fitted shirt for the outfit above as long as it is not black. Then I added dot sunglasses that match the ankle boots because of the small studs on the sides. To finish this outfit, I added the black beret.

Outerwear

For outerwear, you definitely want to pick something that won't cover up the bow in the front. So ideally something that is open in the front. If it isn't open in the front, then you could go with a top that is cropped short enough to not cover the bow.

I think paperbag pants look best without outerwear, so it makes them pretty much perfect for spring! Not too warm and not too cool. They are just right! :)

Overall Thoughts on Paperbag Pants

I really like paperbag pants! They are not that hard to style, and they look really chic without taking a lot of time or effort to style.

As long as you remember to wear a more fitted top and to tuck your shirt in, then you are good to go!

Read these posts too.

Do you like paperbag pants? Do you own a pair or want to buy a pair of paperbag pants?

Thank you for reading! I would love it if you would pin this post. :)

March 28, 2020 2 comments

A lot of people are staying at home right now because of the coronavirus. It is breaking up our normal lives and routines. You might even be getting bored, and I am sure you still want to be productive! Are you wasting your time scrolling on social media? Here are some tips you can use to do something fun and productive!

Fun + Productive Things to do While at Home

Updated for 2024

Let me just start by saying that not all of these ideas are going to be fun and productive at the same time. There are some things on this list that are just for fun because it is always a good idea to take a break once in a while. Some things on this list are only for productivity and they might not necessarily be fun, but if you have some time on your hands, then you might want to get things done!

You know, the to-dos on your list that you are always putting off? Yes. I am looking at you! :) They might not be fun, but now is the time to do them, if they are things you can do at home.

Let's get right into the list so you can be more productive during this scary time!

16 Fun + Productive Things to do While at Home

1. Bullet Journal!

Yes, you were probably expecting this one if you read my blog posts often. If you are looking to be more organized, more creative, or just have something fun to do, then start a bullet journal! A bullet journal is basically a hand-drawn planner. It can be super creative with tons of decorations, or it can be very minimalist and black and white.

That is the great thing about bullet journaling. It can be whatever you want it to be. Start with a journal and a pen and see where it takes you. You can get started right now by going to bulletjournal.com and you can read my posts about bullet journaling here.

2. Start a Journal

This is similar to the one above because people sometimes journal in their bullet journal. Find a notebook and write down what you do each day. It doesn't have to be anything super exciting for you to write it down.

Years from now, you can go back and read your journal. It is a great way to reflect on your day and you can see what went well, and what you need to work on. Did you sleep most of the day? Get up and do something fun, unless you are sick, so you can write it in your journal. It might be the motivation you need to do something you wouldn't normally do. I turned journaling into a habit, so now every night I sit down and write in my journal.

3. Get Some Sleep

Contradictory, I know. In #2 I said to get out of bed and go do something and now I am telling you to get some sleep. But it is important that you get enough sleep. Don't stay up until 12:00 PM binge-watching TV because then you will probably wake up late the morning afterward.

4. Start a New Habit

You are staying at home right now on quarantine. You might not have school or work to do so some of the stress and your usual routine is gone. What better time than to start a new habit?

For example, maybe you have a really busy schedule, and you never can find enough time to exercise. Now that you don't have to go to work, but you do a few hours at home, you can wake up earlier and exercise before you do work. This way, you can start a new habit and then when you get back to your regular schedule, the habit is already there so you just need to squeeze it in.

5. Tackle Your To-Do List

The things on your to-do list that never get done and are always pushed to the bottom of your list, can now be completed. What excuses do you have? :)

Grab a piece of paper or your bullet journal/planner and start writing down everything you need to get done. Now start at the top and see how many of these tasks you can complete. Don't skip the hard ones and do all of the easy ones, go in order, no matter how much time your hard tasks will take, and it will be more fulfilling knowing that you are getting some of the things you didn't want to do off of your list.

6. Spring Clean

Not the funnest thing in the world, but it must be done sometime! Start in one of your rooms and clean it from top to bottom. If you feel like your house is always messy and however much work you do, it just never becomes bright and sparkly clean, then read 6 Reasons Why Your House Isn't Clean + What to do About it for a few reasons why this is happening.

7. Declutter Your Closet

Now I am not talking about wiping down the shelves in your closet. I am talking about going through your clothes and seeing how many of them you don't wear anymore. If you want to start a Capsule Wardrobe, then you can read about it here and read 3 Ways to Organize Your Closet to Save Time to help you keep it nice and organized.

8. Make a New Recipe

Enough of the house cleaning! Jump on Pinterest and look for a new healthy recipe to make. Just make sure you have all of the ingredients before you start making it, so you don't have to drive to the store and then find out that they are out of stock of that item too!

9. Start a Blog

If you have a lot of time on your hands, and you enjoy writing, then maybe you should start a blog. I find blogging to be really fun! I have been blogging for a little over six years now and I have learned so much from doing it. My writing style has improved, and my photography skills have come a long way.

If you don't want to have to invest some money to start your blog, then you can start a blog for free at Blogger. It is a great way, to see if you enjoy writing and marketing your blog, and then you can start investing in it.

10. Practice Your Photography

While you are at home, make some memories by practicing your photography skills. Whether you are a professional, or you just use your phone (like me!) experimenting with new styles is always a great idea.

11. Practice Your Hand Lettering + Calligraphy

If you are looking for a new hobby, then try out calligraphy and hand lettering. It is super low cost to start because you can try it out with just a pencil or pen! It can improve your bullet journal too. :)

12. Make a DIY Project or Craft

Hop on Pinterest and look for a cute craft to make. It can be something useful, or it can just be something fun to make. I made the miniature above from a kit and it turned out super cute! You can find it on Amazon for under $40. You get to make everything in it and the furniture takes a long time to make, so if you are bored, look into buying a miniature. They are fun to make!

13. Redecorate Your Room

If you are self-isolating, then you are probably sitting in your room all of the time. To keep yourself from becoming too bored, you can redecorate your room.

14. Learn a New Skill

Is learning a new skill on your list of goals for 2020? It is on mine. Find something that you think looks interesting and then try it out. Remember that you don't have to be perfect in the beginning, if you are perfect in the beginning, then you have no room for improvement.

15. Take a Free Course

Learning something new or becoming better at something you like to do is always productive. There are lots of free courses you can take, so just search "free course" and then find something that interests you.

16. Do an at Home Workout

Even though you are spending more time at home instead of on the go, and just because you can't go to the gym, it doesn't give you an excuse to not exercise at all. Go to YouTube and look for an at-home workout. You might be surprised at how fun an at-home workout can be!

16 Fun + Productive Things to do While at Home

Above all, remember to stay safe, keep updated with what is going on, and be healthy. :)

If you liked this post, you might enjoy these other ones too.

Do you have any other ideas? What are you doing while quarantined at home?

Sharing only takes a couple of seconds, and it is a big help. :)

March 21, 2020 2 comments

Yay! You finally have a few minutes of uninterrupted time to make a new bullet journal layout! You open your beautiful bullet journal, flip to a new page, grab your favorite pen, and then all of sudden you don't know how to start. If you are thinking, "This is how I always feel when I try to make a layout!", then you have come to the right place.

How to Bullet Journal When Feeling Uninspired

Updated for 2024

I am not going to lie. I feel like this too sometimes. I open to a new page, and then I just don't know where to start. There are a few ways though, for you to get around this so you can create stunning pages and not just close your bullet journal and put it away for another day.

Today, I have some tips for you to stop feeling uninspired with your bullet journal. I hope you like them! Let's get right into the tips!

Bullet Journal Tips for When You Feel Uninspired

1. Find Inspiration

This is probably one of the really obvious ones. When you are uninspired find something to inspire you. Hop on over to Pinterest, or Instagram is really popular for bullet journal pages too! If you are trying to create a certain page, then search for ideas for it like "books to read bullet journal ideas" or if you just want to create a page and you don't know what, then search "bullet journal layouts" and you will find a lot of ideas.

You can also search for font and decoration ideas, just to switch things up. I like to do this because using the same fonts and styles all of the time makes me bored. :)

Keep a list of your favorite bullet journaling resources and blogs. It could even be a page in your bullet journal! Create a board on Pinterest to hold all of your bullet journal layout inspiration. Then when you are uninspired, you already have a board of bullet journal layouts that you like. Check out my bullet journal ideas board here.

2. Start Thinking of What You Want to do Before You Bullet Journal

Now sometimes, when you open your bullet journal, the ideas come to you right away, but most of the time I sit down, and I have to think of what I want the page to look like. To minimize this time, start thinking of how you want your page to look before you open your bullet journal to make it.

I do this all of the time. When I think of a new layout I want to make, I don't sit down and start making it right away unless I already have an idea of what I want it to look like. Instead, I think about different fonts and styles I could use, I look at inspiration on Pinterest, and then I sit down to make it. Doing it this way saves me some time because then I am not sitting in front of a blank page wondering how to start.

3. Start in Pencil

If you don't know what to do, then just add something to the page in pencil to try it out. This way at least you aren't just staring at a blank page. Anything you add is not permanent so you can erase it if you don't like it.

I start out all of my layouts in pencil. This way if I think of something different, then I can change it up, just like that. It also minimizes mistakes, which might be the reason you are feeling uninspired in your bullet journal. Just add something to the page! Then figure out the rest! :)

If you are trying to save time though, I recommend just adding in the basic idea and then doing the rest without penciling it in beforehand.

4. Try out a New Style

Maybe you are just plain bored... so try out a new style to freshen things up. This is a really easy way to try out some new techniques in your bullet journal and to have some fun. You can do it in pencil, or if you just like to dive right in, you can use a white gel pen to cover up mistakes.

5. Buy Some New Stationery Supplies to Remotivate You

Any excuse will do, to buy new bullet journal supplies, right? If you are feeling uninspired to use your bullet journal, then analyze your supplies. Do you not like opening your journal? Does your pen squeak and dent your page? Maybe it is time for some new supplies to make you more motivated!

If you know you like your bullet journal basics, then buy some cute stickers or a thing of washi tape. I am all for that!

6. Make a List of Design + Layout Ideas

I keep a list of layout ideas in my bullet journal, so when I am feeling like bullet journaling, I can go to the page and pick out a layout I know I want to add to my bullet journal. Then if I don't know how I want to set up the page, then I can look for inspiration, but it narrows it down because I already know what layout I am doing.

7. Take a Quick Break

If you are bullet journaling, and then feel tired or frustrated, then take a quick break and do something which doesn't take up creative juices like reading a book or eating a small snack. What about baking cookies? Or completing a small item on your to-do list?

Any of these are great ideas to rejuvenate your creativity and then you can get back to bullet journaling!

If You Still Feel Uninspired...

If you have tried all of these tips, and you still feel uninspired, then just remember that it is okay if you take a day off from your bullet journal or even a week if you need it. If your bullet journal isn't working for you, then maybe it is time to try something new.

You could also cut down on the number of trackers you use, and you could start doing minimalist layouts if you feel like your bullet journal is taking up too much time.

Ultimately what it comes down to, is that you just need to just start your layout and put perfection aside. If you like your layout, then that is all that matters!

Read these posts too...

If you have any other tips for bullet journaling when you feel uninspired, then add them in the comments! I would love to hear what you came up with. :)

If you have a second, I would love it if you shared this post with your friends! Thanks!

March 14, 2020 No comments

I can't believe it is already March! Time needs to slow down a little. How are you doing with your goals for the year? Quarter 1 will be ending at the end of this month. I hope to have two of my goals finished by then. I know that two out of twenty-one goals, is not much, but some of my goals are big ones and I have to work towards them throughout the year.

Plan With Me March Bullet Journal Layout

Updated for 2024

For March, I wanted the layouts to have a minimalist feel to it so I used delicate hand lettering and this light blue. I went with a small calendar similar to last month's calendar. I am really liking using a mini calendar and then having all of the dates in a column.

I find that if I do it like this, then there is more room for other elements on the page. I don't really like giving all of my tasks due dates so this way I can have room for a running task list, and I don't feel like I am wasting space. I hate feeling like I am wasting space on a page!

I switched around some elements from last month because I always think it is fun to change things up. You want to make sure you don't get bored with your bullet journal. I am really happy with how this layout turned out! :)

These are the elements I have on the first page...

Header - This is probably my favorite part of the page along with the mini calendar!
Mini Calendar - I drew it in light blue (I think with a Zebra Mildliner) and then added a black drop shadow. It is just big enough to add some cute symbols!
Highlights of the Month - I made this spot bigger than last for February's layout because I ran out of room and had to add a sub-heading to my task list for more highlights.
Blog Post Schedule - This is the same as last month because it worked well.
April - A little bit smaller than last month because I didn't use up all of the room.
Goals - I made this space bigger, so it is one of the first things I see when I open to this layout. I have a big emphasis on my goals this year.

I like how I created an allusion of lots of space, by making the headers small. I think that is making it look more minimalist.

My plan for reaching my goals this year is to have five goals per month. Last month, I completed every one of my goals. I don't know if I will be able to reach all of my goals this month because some problems have arisen. For one of my goals, I am doing thirty-one quote layouts in my bullet journal. If you want to see them, just leave a comment below.

On the other side of the page, I have two columns: a long date list and a task list. Last month, I felt like I had too much room to add tasks, so this month I only added room for one column of tasks instead of two. I have been using hollowed-out bullets for my checkboxes (I guess I should call them checkcircles because they are not boxes? 😊) and I really like it.

I find it easier to make small circles than small squares. The circles are small, so I don't have to use a stencil to draw them in. If I was using squares, I would probably draw them in with a ruler because I like my lines to be really straight. Can you think of any other symbols I could use for checkboxes in later layouts?

At the bottom of the page, there are two goal trackers. I am trying to complete 31 Skillshare classes and I am doing the calligraphy challenge which I mentioned earlier. I am working on doing better calligraphy so hand lettering every day will really help me to try out new styles.

At the bottom, I added this motivational quote to remind myself that it starts with a dream and then you turn it into a plan to make it happen! I didn't add a quote to my February layout, but because I like how it turned out, I may add one in next month, if I have room. :)

If you liked this post, then read these ones too!

Have a great week and keep being productive!

Share this post with your friends. Thanks! :)

March 07, 2020 No comments