Hello, friends! It’s a new year and, maybe, you have decided that THIS is the year you will be more consistent with memory keeping. You want to document the little moments, the funny moments, the good, the bad -  you want to remember it all! While this sounds great in theory, it can feel a little daunting trying to figure out how to do this. Might we suggest memory planning? The idea behind a memory planning is to have a place to document those daily happenings. Unlike like a regular planner, with it’s hopeful to-do lists and tasks to complete, memory planners are place to document what actually happened. The practice of memory planning provides an opportunity to reflect on a given week, and document the things we want to remember, that would likely be forgotten. Today, we have three Design Team Members sharing their memory planning format and style as they embark on a new year. First, Casie shares her plan and tips for Memory Planning in 2021. “Memory keeping in a planner is my favorite, tried & true format for documenting the daily stories of my family's life.  I started this format of memory keeping in 2014 and, while I have experimented with many other formats, memory planning has always been my favorite.   For 2021, I am forgoing pocket pages for a more relaxed, “smashbook” style format of documenting.  To do this, I am utilizing Heidi Swapp Storyline chapters products.  The layouts I share can easily be recreated in a Cocoa Daisy Planner, Simple dori, Standard Dori Traveler’s Notebook or a ring binder / planner.   And to bring this memory planner spread together, I have to brag about the Modern Memory Keeping Kit briefly. The variety of this kit lends itself to documenting your story in a variety of formats. I am not using pocket page protectors and yet I love their sayings as a jumping-off point for telling a story.  In my layout, I created a tip-in for one journaling card that I wanted to keep private.  I also layered on a pocket card on top of pattern paper because I loved the quote on it.   The adhesive-backed die cuts are little gems to add pops of color and various shapes to your memory keeping layouts.  For this layout, I used the day of the week circle die-cuts and carried the circle theme around the layout using stickers from the New Chapter Memory Keeping Sticker Kit.   There are so many other items in the Modern Memory Keeping Kit that I plan to play with in future memory planning layouts.  Stay tuned for those!”  Pocket cards are not just for pocket pages! We love how Casie incorporated the pocket cards in her memory planner spread. Notice how Casie is showing a “before the pen” spread here. Since memory planners are usually waiting for the weekly moments to actually happen, Casie’s trick to pre-decorate is a great one! This allows her to fill in the details as the weeks progresses. You could even pre-decorate the whole month if you wanted to!  Natasha is excited to use the new Daisy Planner to hold her treasured memories for 2021. “I have been memory planning for years, and like many of my fellow Creative Team Members it is my favorite form of Memory Keeping. I am so excited to be using the new Daisy Planner in the vertical layout as this year's memory planner. The neutral pages and limited structure lend itself perfectly to any type of Memory Keeper. For this week, I had more events Monday through Friday, so I decided to primarily highlight those days in the spread. I will then document the smaller weekend moments in the bottom left box that I renamed "little things" with a sticker from the Denim and Blush Sticker Kit.  For this layout I primarily used the Denim and Blush Pocket Cards and trimmed them down to fit the vertical boxes and I just love the final look. The Daisy Planner and gorgeous products from the Denim and Blush Collection make memory planning so approachable. I hope you consider giving it a try, if you haven't already.” We love how Natasha is utilizing this planning for memory keeping! We encourage you to customize your memory planner layouts to work for you, as Natasha demonstrates here. Not many photos? No problem! Have a lot to say? Journal away. Memory planning should be fun, with a “You do you” attitude.  April memory planner is a wonderful mix of creativity and storytelling. “Memory keeping in my planner is one of my most cherished, most loved projects I undertake each year. There really are no rules. I don’t aim for a photo a day. Instead, I use photos captured on my phone: often small, everyday moments, and highlight my favorite photos of the week in my planner. For this week, I layered tags made with New Chapter Memory Keeping Papers with the scribble stamps from the New Chapter Traveler’s Notebook Memory Keeping Kit . I purposefully printed the photos in black and white to help the colors pop. For an additional pop of color, I drew a simple line with a highlighter at the bottom of each page and journaled about the day’s highlight/gratitude.” Just as April said, memory planning is entirely up to you! We love how April’s weekly spreads have a mini layout feel, with the bonus of weekly documenting. If you are new to memory planning, consider starting a weekly spread with one or two photos, rather than feeling the pressure to “fill the page”. Three different memory planners, three different styles. And you know what? We love them all! If you are finding yourself wanting to document the little and big things this year, consider starting a memory planner. If you are looking for inspiration or want to share your memory planner pages, don’t forget to check out @cocoa_daisy on social media or the Cocoa Daisy Fan Page.