Brush Dance 2014 Date Books: Simple Pleasures, Perennial Grace and Mindful Living

Many huge enormous thanks to Brush Dance for sending me these beautiful planners to review! I absolutely love Brush Dance products. I have had the pleasure of reviewing several here on Plannerisms and they are just a joy. So when Brush Dance offered to send me some of their new 2014 Date Books to review I of course said yes and I could hardly wait until they arrived because I knew they would be great!

And they are, wow!!

Brush Dance Datebooks are famous for their beautiful imagery and uplifting quotes. They are 6.9 by 8.5 inches, with hard covers and metal coil bindings. The fountain pen friendly paper is thicker than most paper so there's no bleeding or show-through to the other side of the page, allowing you to use all your favorite pens!

The Brush Dance Date Books have lots of themes to choose from so you're sure to find one (or several!) you identify with. Some people frame the monthly images because they are so beautiful.

I have to admit, the Simple Pleasures Datebook is my favorite for 2014.

The Simple Pleasures Datebook, journal and wall calendars are about the joys of home, companionship, a good book and a warm bath.

Each of the Datebooks has a pocket for papers and receipts, and tabbed monthly calendars embedded in the weeks with a new image and quote each month. Click on the photos for a larger view.

The tabbed months are on heavier card that will stand up to use all year. The monthly calendars have holidays for the US, UK, Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand printed on the day spaces, with lined space for Notes below the month grid. Phases of the moon, solstices and equinoxes are also printed on the days, which I really like.

The weekly pages begin at the beginning of each month and end on the last day of the month.

There is a week per page. I really love the bright blue ink they used in the Simple Pleasures pages this year, it looks great! There is also a subtle decorative background design at the edges that looks so nice.

At the end of each month there are several notes pages for lists, tracking goals, finances or anything else you want to write each month. I love the border design and again that blue color is so pretty!

The coil binding allows you to fold the book completely back on itself to save space on your desk and still see your week in one view. Holidays are all printed on the day spaces in the weekly pages too.

I have to admit the July quote actually made me cry, because this is exactly how I feel about my house. It says, "I am grateful for the lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning, and floors that need waxing because it means I have a home."

After ten years of dreaming of owning a traditional cottage in Scotland, last year that dream came true when we bought our house, our first time as homeowners after two decades wandering the earth. I don't particularly enjoy cleaning, but each time I sweep the floor or clean the kitchen it feels like an affirmation of love for my home. That's why the Simple Pleasures datebook really speaks to me this year.

Anyhoozle, back to the datebooks!

Every month has a tabbed divider to easily flip to the month you're looking for.

There's also a tabbed Addresses section at the back of the book. Love the design!

You might remember I used the Simple Pleasures 2012 pocket calendar last year and loved it!

Here is the Perennial Grace 2014 Datebook.

The Perennial Grace Datebook, journal and wall calendars celebrate nature and peace. The Perennial Grace 2013 Datebook is my favorite this year, and I cut it apart to turn it into a week + notes format in my Success Choice binder. Later I regretted cutting it up and bought another one!

Here is the pocket and tabbed months. I love the beautiful images of nature in this datebook!

Here is the weekly design in the Perennial Grace 2014 Datebook. The colors and patterns remind me of sitting outside in a garden looking at flowers and trees.

This is my favorite quote in this datebook. It says, "The bird of paradise alights upon the hand that does not grasp. -John Berry"

Here is the pattern in the Address pages:

Here is the Mindful Living 2014 Datebook. The Mindful Living Datebook and wall calendar are about self-awareness and improvement.

The images in the Mindful Living 2014 Datebook are soothing and calm.

Here is a view of the month tabs, they look so nice. This is my favorite quote in the Mindful Living Date Book this year, it is so true.

The colors and design are very handsome and can be enjoyed by men and women.

Here is the design in the Address pages:

I have the Mindful Living 2013 pocket calendar (which I featured in a giveaway last year) and I love the positive quotes!

Each of the Date Books has an elastic closure for keeping the book closed in your bag. The closure strap can also stay out of the way on the back cover when you're not using it.

If you are looking for a planner that will make you feel good and is beautiful, for yourself or as a gift, take a look at the Brush Dance 2014 Date Books. You're sure to find something you'll love!

Brush Dance also has a huge selection of wall calendars, mini wall calendars, journals, cards and bags that are all beautiful and functional!

You can buy Brush Dance products at BrushDance.com, on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk, and at Calendars.com for international shipping.

Thanks again to Brush Dance!

Brush Dance 2013 Mindful Living pocket weekly planner: Review and Giveaway!

Many thanks to Brush Dance for sending me this beautiful little planner as a sample to review, and for sponsoring this giveaway!  Read on to learn more about this planner and how you can win one for yourself!

The Mindful Living Engagement Calendar is a pocket size, slim little planner:

Each month's weekly pages begin at the beginning of the month and end at the end of the month:

Each month has beautiful imagery and inspirational quotes:

The format is a week per page with holidays printed on the day spaces:

This planner is small enough to go absolutely everywhere with you so you'll never fail to capture an appointment with no worries of double-booking.

Brush Dance is a very environmentally conscious business. Here is some very interesting insight into the business from Christine, the president of the company:

Brush Dance has been in business for 25 years – our focus has always been on mindful living. Combining beautiful artwork with words that inspire and evoke a sense of joy has been our specialty and we are fortunate to receive letters from people all over, telling us how our products have influenced their lives.

When new items are delivered to our warehouse, it is like Christmas morning around here. We are all so seriously proud of what we're putting out into the world.

An interesting note about Brush Dance – beginning a year or so ago, we all went home to work. We maintain a small office for business records, and we meet regularly as group, but for the "every day, getting it done" stuff – we're all at home. It's worked out beautifully – employees get to spend less time commuting and more time with their families. We've also found that everyone is more productive. A real win/win for all of us – and the environment. 

For your chance to win this planner, just post a comment here. Only one entry per person please. Entry is open to everyone worldwide. Entry will close Sunday July 29 at noon UK time.

I will choose the winner via random number generator at Random.org. I will post the winner Monday July 30th.  So check back here to see if you've won!

You can see the entire Brush Dance collection at www.brushdance.com.

See my next post for another Brush Dance review and giveaway!

 This giveaway is now closed. Many thanks to everyone who participated. I will post the winner tomorrow (Monday) so check back then to see if you've won! :)