Introducing the Alja Horvat collection, my dear friends!
It’s no secret around here that Erin Condren has my heart. I am SO incredibly blessed and excited to share with you my third collaboration with them this year – truly, so thankful to be able to see these beautiful products and share them with each of you!
While EC is a common mention around Make Life Marvelous, I’m so excited to share with you a name that you may not be as familiar with YET: Alja Horvat. Alja is a young artist who has some fantastic achievements racking up, such as being the winner of the Elle Style Fashion Award for Young Talent in 2019 as well as the Forbes 30 Under 30 Art & Culture Award in 2020! Absolutely incredible!
I have no doubt that after you see this beautiful, unique collection, you’ll be a true fan. You can follow Alja over on IG @aljahorvat.
Alja Horvat Collection
I was absolutely honored to receive the goodies showcased in my YouTube video (and written down below!), and there are TONS more over on Erin Condren’s website to check out as well!
18-Month Bright Blooms Alja Horvat LifePlanner
This LifePlanner cover is absolutely stunning, friends! This design is part of Alja’s Bright Blooms Collection.
Bright Blooms Canvas Pocket Tote
I fell in love with this beautiful and LARGE canvas tote from Alja’s Bright Blooms collection! I even took it with my on our vacation with my in-laws to Douglas Lake, it was absolutely perfect to keep all my planning items in it and books!
Watercolor Garden Lined Notebook
My first Erin Condren notebook and it is stunning! Alja’s Watercolor Gardens design is gorgeous and love the size of it, perfect to fit in my purse!
Painted Wings Notepad (2-pk)
Can a person ever have too many notepads? Definitely not in my world, haha! I have TONS, but absolutely love this beautiful addition to my collection. I love that these are larger too, as I usually only have super small ones, and the design is just gorgeous!
Gem Tones Gel Pens
These pens have such a smooth, soft grip and I love their beautiful design. So many bright, pretty colors and they write so smoothly. You can see my YouTube video below specifically just for their pen test (since I forgot to put it into my original video, oops!) below!
Metallic Daisy Interchangeable Covers
If you can’t tell already by looking at my blog, I LOVE this pretty cover! Looks absolutely stunning and love the metallic features of it!
That’s a wrap on one of Erin Condren’s newest collabs, the Alja Horvat collection! I can’t wait to hear what you think of these items, and if you may have purchased any of these already!
![Thoughts on 2020 & My Word for 2021 BEFORE READ-MORE Let’s be honest, 2020 was a tough year! I had a whole lot of beautifully-laid out plans that unfortunately just didn’t happen. Partly because of the pandemic, and partly because of my mindset. I found myself just sort of depressed and couldn’t really find the motivation I needed. Thankfully, ever since the holidays, I’ve felt like this universal shift is coming and things are going to be so much brighter this year. I’m definitely pouring all of my positive energy into making my goals happen this year, no matter what things look like with the pandemic. I have to realize that it’s not within my control what happens in the world. I just have control over myself. I wanted to share with you my biggest takeaways from last year. I want to stay mindful of these three things during 2021, and beyond. Plus, I’ll be sharing my word for this year at the bottom! Take Care of Your Loved Ones This past year tore us away from our family and friends. It was heartbreaking for so many, especially to those who are now grieving over some of them. As each year passes, it is almost always on my mind that some of my loved ones may not make it to see another year. That probably sounds very morbid and daunting, and is probably just a result of my life experiences. But it has opened my eyes to really pay special attention to those I love the most. I want to show them that I care while they are here. I want them to know without a doubt that I’m there for them and will do anything in my power to help them. I work very hard to not take anyone for granted because we never know when our time is up. Protect Your Peace I learned how important protecting my peace was last year. I felt like I was going through a multitude of things. Some of the things that were bothering me the most, I couldn’t even control and didn’t directly involve me. They involved loved ones. I’m sure many of you have had similar situations where you have family members that can sometimes play a toxic role in your life. As a result, I really needed to rely on creating healthy boundaries and sticking to those. It’s an ongoing difficult situation for me, but I have truly handled it better than I ever have before. I hope to continue to grow in this area and get better with those healthy boundaries. Try to Control What You Can Control (Not What You Can’t) This one is pretty much directly tied to what I just mentioned about protecting my peace. I’ve spent so much time (that I can never get back) stressing myself out over things I can’t control. Mostly in regard to loved ones, but also the world as a whole. While I choose not to talk politics in this space, I think we all can agree that things have just been a mess in the United States for the past year and even right now. The pandemic, the mud-slinging, all of the sad news that’s plastered all over the tv or our social media...it’s just exhausting. I just had to cut out most of the news because it was so depressing. Short of voting and praying for things to get better, that’s really all I can control. The rest of it will be what it will be, and I’m really trying to remind myself that each day. My Word for 2021 is Growth I’ve been flip-flopping between ‘change’ and ‘growth’ for my word this year. I realized what I wanted for this year was way more like ‘growth’ than ‘change.’ My thought process on using ‘change’ was that I was creating these new habits that were going to be life-changing and help really boost me to achieving my goals. When I thought about it a little more, I realized ‘growth’ really summarizes what I want to embody this year the best. It still requires change to happen, but it just seems like a better fit to choose ‘growth.’ [PIN] I hope you’ve gained a little something from reading this post, friend. I’m wishing you an amazing week filled with lots of joy. ust on a fun side note, I’m looking forward to watching The Bachelor and WandaVision this week. Do you have any fun shows/things in general you’re looking forward to? Let’s Chat! Do you identify with any of these takeaways from 2020? Have you chosen a word for this year? Fun question: Have you been watching The Bachelor this season?](https://i0.wp.com/www.makelifemarvelous.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Thoughts-on-2020-and-Word-for-2021.png?fit=150%2C126&ssl=1)
I want it all! I adore her designs and these gorgeous colors! That watercolor design is stunning. Thanks for sharing this amazing collaboration Ashley!
https://www.kathrineeldridge1@gmail.com
Aww, thanks for checking it out, my dear friend! 🙂 I’m so glad that you love Alja’s designs, I thought you’d love the watercolor one, it goes along great with your beautiful art journaling!!
I haven’t heard of this artist, but WOW I am blown away by the beauty in these products! I love the colors, designs and I mean… I just love EC in general. Thank you for sharing! Off to watch your videos.
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
Me too, Carrie! I’m so happy that EC introduced us to this amazing artist, and this collection is just stunning! Thanks so much for checking out my videos!! 🙂
These are so beautiful! I love the bright colors!
So happy you loved the colors, Laura! I couldn’t agree more!
Alja is so talented! I love this collab- and congrats on another exciting EC partnership!
I’ve got a new post up and I hope you’ll swing by!
-Ashley
Thank you tons Ashley, and so happy you loved this collab too!! I will definitely hop on over to your post – they’re always fantastic!!
They are so pretty!
Jennifer
Curated by Jennifer
They truly are, Jennifer, so happy you liked them too! 🙂
Omg probably sounds so bad, but can’t remember when last I wrote with a pen hahaha! I do need to get a digital planner through on iPad I find that works great for me.
Haha, that doesn’t sound bad at all Candice! You are so awesome with technology, I bet a digital planner would work great for you!! They have so many stunning ones nowadays!
What gorgeous colors!! I always get excited about planner stuff this time of year!
I do too, Kristen! There are just so many awesome planning products out there, and this collection really is a must-have! So happy you loved the colors, too!
I love this collab and need to check out this artist! What a beautiful collection! The florals are so pretty!
Jill – Doused in Pink
I hope you’ll love following her as much as I do, Jill! She just has beautiful designs, and she has clothing too!! So happy you loved this collab too, my friend! 🙂
Oh what a gorgeous collaboration, you are right, Alja is so talented! I am loving those gel pens too 🙂 I’ve been buying a few gel pens lately – it can be so hard to find the perfect ones, but I’ve finally found a go-to brand 🙂
Thank you so much, Mica!! 🙂 Yes, these gel pens are keepers for sure! I’ve been using them nonstop since I got them, and I agree with you – it’s hard to find really good ones!
I love the bright colors and what a beautiful collab! I need to check out the items 🙂
https://www.mariannyc.com/nursery-checklist-first-time-parents/
Aww, so happy you loved these beautiful colors and collab as a whole, Mariann!! 🙂 Hope you love the products as much as I do!
the color of the products is so chic, i like the colorful vibe and the design.
http://www.itsjulieann.com/
Thanks so much, Julie! So happy you liked these products too!
Wonderful blog
Thank you so much! 🙂
What a beautiful collection. I love the bright colours and florals.
Julia x
https://www.thevelvetrunway.com/
So happy you loved Alja’s designs, Julia!
The planner looks beautiful. Love the colors and the floral design. So pretty and uplifting! Love the metallic details too, Ashley.
That September Muse
Thanks so much, Ash! I’m so happy you loved these beautiful designs too!! 🙂
Thanks for sharing. I think my sister would love this so I will have to share this post with her. Love her artwork as well and what a great selection of goodies. /Madison
FASHION TALES
Aww, you’re very welcome and thanks so much for checking it out! So happy that you loved it and think your sister will too! 🙂
Everything here is so pretty!! Such a fun collab and partnership you have EC, in love with the planner and gem tone gel pens!
Aww, thank you TONS Martha! 🙂 So happy you loved this beautiful planner and the gel pens, too!
Hi Ashley!
I’m a busy professional who currently uses a basic Walmart planner and way too many notebooks for project and meeting notes. I’m looking for a more comprehensive system so I can just use one planner/notebook. I’ve got notes everywhere! What kind of system or planner do you recommend?
Thank you! You and your blog are MARVELOUS!
Hi, Jessica!! I think I might have the perfect planner for you! At my old job, I can relate to having to take meeting notes, different projects happening, and trying to keep track of life all on top of that. While I adore my Erin Condren LifePlanner, it doesn’t work the best for this situation. What worked best for me was the “Ultimate Planner” by Bloom Daily Planners – it is truly an all-in-one planner with TONS of space for taking notes, plus you still have space for your calendar, weekly planning, etc. It was so helpful because it is all in one book. It’s large (9×11) and undated, I know some people don’t necessarily like that, but I think it may help just having the space for everything you need to keep track of! 🙂 There will be some pages in there that won’t be work-related, but you can definitely just take those babies out and use them elsewhere or pitch them, haha!
Here’s the link to that specific planner: https://bloomplanners.com/products/ultimate-planner-calendar-interchangeable-cover
Thank you SO much, you are the absolute BEST! 🙂