by Furnishly | Jan 7, 2026 | Design Inspiration, Style
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independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
It’s only early January, so I’m still hearing a lot of people talk about their fresh starts and resolutions. Even if you’re not one for those kinds of traditions, January tends to be a relatively sleepy month without many large obligations (plus, it’s cold out!). One way to put that downtime to good use is by getting a bit more organized. What better place to start than your desk?
Personally I’ve tried many types of calendars and planners, and I’ve learned that switching up my tactics every so often helps me be more consistent about planning. Having a mix of paper and digital methods also helps. So even though I love my Google Calendar and to-do list app, I’m still on the lookout for analog methods — and these new weekly planner notepads from Dollar Tree look like a great little option.
What Is the Jot Weekly Planner Desk Notepad?
Available at Dollar Tree for just $1.25 apiece, the Jot weekly planner desk notepad is a 7-inch-by-7-inch notepad-style planner. It comes in multiple colorful designs, but no matter which one you choose, each notepad page has little sections for each day of the week plus some additional areas for organizing your thoughts and tasks. One sports a floral design and the phrase “Let’s do this” at the top, and includes sections for the week’s top three priorities and other “goals.” Another more neutral design proclaims “Tomorrow is a new day,” and includes simpler categories: “Notes” and “To Do.”
Even if you’re not usually one for notebooks or planners, this one has such a low price that you might as well give it a shot. Even if you abandon ship in March, at least you can say that you tried something new!
Another Cute Planner to Consider
If you don’t happen to live near a Dollar Tree to secure a notepad, here’s another cute planner you can shop for online right now. U.K.-based brand Good Tuesday sells a range of playfully designed planners on Etsy, including a weekly planner much like the one found at Dollar Tree.
You aren’t going to pay Dollar Tree prices (this particular weekly planner is $4.67), but the design is cute without being distracting or too busy, and the flexible format means each page can be for any week of the year, regardless of what month or day you start. It’s 8.5 inches by 11 inches, so it’s also larger than Dollar Tree’s.
by Furnishly | Dec 18, 2025 | Design Inspiration, Style
Adrienne BreauxHouse Tour Director
For more than 10 years, I’ve led Apartment Therapy’s real home content, producing thousands of house tours from around the world. Currently, I live in my maximalist dream home in New Orleans, Louisiana, with my partner, a perfect dog, and a cute cat.
by Furnishly | Dec 17, 2025 | Design Inspiration, Style
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by Furnishly | Dec 17, 2025 | Design Inspiration, Style
Sarah EverettHome Projects Editor
I organize the Before & After series and cover DIY and design. I joined AT in October 2020 as a production assistant. I have an MA in Journalism from the University of Missouri and a BA in Journalism from Belmont University. Past editorial stops include HGTV Magazine, Nashville Arts Magazine, and local magazines in my hometown, Columbia, Missouri.
by Furnishly | Dec 16, 2025 | Design Inspiration, DIY, Style
We
independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
Fireplaces, thanks to their dreamy mantels, are one of the most sought-after home features — especially around the holiday season. That area essentially becomes the heart or focal point of your Christmas decor, as it’s where stockings are hung and family gathers. However, if you’re just decorating the actual mantel and not the space around it, then you’re really missing out on a dramatic decor moment.
Carrie Miller from @acarriedaffairdesigns wanted a Christmas aesthetic that’s “classy with elegance, but nostalgic.” And to Miller, that means going back to basics with garlands, tinsel, and pops of red. In the living room, Miller gave the mantel the Christmas treatment, but also carried the decor to the ceiling, which really transformed the entire room.
“This is hands-down my favorite Christmas look I’ve ever done,” Miller wrote in an Instagram caption. “I thought last year would be impossible to top, but I did it! And we don’t even have the tree yet.”
How to Make Your Mantel Pop This Christmas
Miller’s fireplace is set along a wall of bookshelves, so there’s a perfect alcove to hang garland above the mantel. But you can easily re-create this setup with a bump-out fireplace, or if your fireplace is set into a flat wall.
“I started with adding garland to the top of the bookshelves, and then of course, added some red garland,” Miller said in the video. Miller draped a swag of faux greenery above the mantel and then layered a red ornament garland and a handmade red paper chain garland in front of it. Then, Miller carried the paper chain into the center of the room, where a wreath was hung like a pendant light.
“And then I wanted to do something even more crazy and put a wreath in the center of our living room because we don’t have lighting,” Miller continued. “I added different sizes of red ornaments and used ribbon like streamers and topped it with some poinsettias and red holly stems.”
Of course, Miller’s actual mantel gets the Christmas treatment, too, with some faux pine stems, large red ornaments, and red velvet bows tied to the candlesticks. But it’s really all about what’s happening up above.
Think outside the box when decorating your mantel this Christmas, and you might end up with the most whimsical, nostalgic, and perfectly over-the-top decor ever!
