Hello again, Daisies! Today's Cocoa Daisy Planner Challenge prompt is "Throwback Thursday," and what better way to celebrate that than with a Daisy Dori retrospective? (Warning - this post has LOTS of photos!) When I first started getting the Cocoa Daisy kits back in February of 2018, I was using printable inserts from another shop and didn't really use my Dori booklet (this was back before the No-Insert Planner Kit was available). To be honest, I really wasn't sure what to do with it - there wasn't a large monthly layout, which I thought I needed, and I wasn't sure how to use the divided sections for weekly planning (I thought I needed clearly delineated days).  Are you seeing a theme here?  If the pages weren't already laid out for me, I felt paralyzed and unable to figure out what to do. So I set the Daisy Dori aside and kept on with my printed inserts. In March 2018, I decided I wanted to try to use the booklet for something, just because it was so pretty and I hated not using it.  I still wasn't sure how to use it for planning, so I created a section in my planner for fitness tracking, and used the divided pages for that. I used stamps to help me track my water intake, steps, and weight, and I really liked using these pages that month: Along with this first use of the Daisy Dori pages, I also started using the kraft paper cover of the booklet to create a decorative front piece for my planner.  Any time I was using rings or discs, from that month to now, I created one of these covers.  I used die cuts, dashbaords, and the printables from the kits to create a pretty scene, and I loved seeing it as soon as I opened my planner every day.  Some of my favorite covers have been these from June, July, and August 2018, January 2019, and May 2020: When I became a TN user in March 2019, I decided to dive in and figure out how to make the Daisy Dori really work for me.  That was the month I really went all in, and it was great! Instead of feeling paralyzed by the divided sections, I just dove in and experimented each week, trying a variety of styles and really having fun with it. I especially loved when the month started toward the end of the week, because then I could use the beginning of the week for extra decoration, like here, in August 2019 (that truck sticker was my favorite sticker that whole month): And this week in March 2019 (I still believe this journal card was made just for me, haha!): Inspired by a customer's use of the sticky notes one month, I created these two weekly layouts that showcased them, which were really fun to do! May 2019: And June 2019: Other weeks, I just went crazy with the stamps and stickers and just tried to mix it up. Planning in the Daisy Dori is now my favorite way to plan:

Finally, in addition to fitness tracking, I started using the back divided pages and middle of the Daisy Dori for gratitude and habit tracking: Since I was no longer cutting the booklet apart to put in my rings/discs, I also changed up the way I decorated the front covers. I started using the papers along with die cuts and stickers.  One month, I used the vinyl pocket and created tags for meal planning. Here are the covers from May, June, July, and September 2019:

Once I really opened myself up to the idea, I discovered there truly is no limit to the ways this little booklet can be used. I hope you've enjoyed my walk down Daisy Dori Memory Lane! What other ways have you found to use the Daisy Dori booklets?  Drop a suggestion (or two!) in the comments - I am always looking for new ideas and ways to mix it up! Until next time.... xoxo Kristine