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January Review: Hello February (What’s Changing & Staying) + Video

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Hello February – Bullet Journal Changes (and content!)

Wasn’t it just the Christmas season and we were all anticipating the upcoming new year and making incredible plans for 2018? I’m pretty sure that was yesterday. But instead, my January weekly spreads are almost filled and my calendar called for me to start working towards February. I liked January’s theme: transportation, but the last couple of posts were definitely not as inspired as the first couple weeks (see the January Fails post).

After trying to refine my style of videos and content, but I’m never completely ready with my monthly layouts and all that glitter by the time the next month rolls around. (I kind of like to do them as I go sometimes too!) I really like the idea of a review of the last month and a preview of the new month.

February Doodles + what's staying vs. what's going from January's plans + video walk through

January Review and the Preview of February’s Plans

I’ve themed my months recently. Every once in a while I like to make the month very structured and less whimsical. That’s the beauty of the bullet journaling system, it can change every month or stay the same. Whatever suits your own needs.

February I wanted to bring back all the structure and get things done. But it was just not in the pages. I think I erased 12 different layouts.

Here’s what I really wanted to do: doodle. I want to go back to my roots of drawing and doodle. Doodling for me is almost a mindless meditation activity where I can let my brain meander through its plaguing thoughts or develop ideas and strategies.

I left the weeklies open for interpretation and I would like to fill them with doodles but each week would be themed with doodles in hopes it will give ideas and inspiration.

January Review - Whats Changing in my Bullet Journal next month

What Worked in January & This Month’s Bullet Journal Changes

I did a lot of watercolor art in January (using markers – see the post here + video where I explain it in greater detail). I would love to do hyper-realistic drawings but I have discovered that it is not {currently} my style. One thing that I really like is a thin outline around the drawings. It seems to clean up the edges and defines the drawing. I did this with the bullet train in my Future Log – but only in some parts of the drawing. I feel like it gives more emphasis to certain areas of the drawing. (There’s a tip of the day!)

Future Log

For my next planner (which I hope to start in March) – I will carry over my future log. I know it sounds silly to create a future log when I have only a couple month’s left in this journal, but it keeps all the future important events right at my fingertips. There’s no way I would have excluded this spread. One thing I would add to the future log is a section for beyond the current year (in this case, a place to record events for 2019 and beyond.)

January Monthly Calendar

I like to keep all events for the month together at a glance. I’ve tried the log style a couple of times, but I struggle with it. Maybe if I had events that spanned several days it would work to my benefit (i.e. if I traveled for work or if I had several mini-vacations planned in a month – wouldn’t that be nice!).

In general, my family doesn’t have a lot of plans that consume this calendar, just some important events (when the kids are off school) and a few miscellaneous appointments here and there.

For the design – again outlining the plane made such a difference to the overall look of the painting. The stripes on the wings and coming along the back are my favorite additions to this page. Using the gelly roll pen for shine is another favorite. (Tip: let your pages dry COMPLETELY before using the gelly roll. You will see a bigger difference in how bright the white is. In other words, learn patience. I still haven’t learned this!)

Bullet Journal Changes - January 2018 Review - outlining art makes it 'pop'

Planning Consistently – Use What You Already Have, Don’t Add Something New

One thing that I do need to plan more consistently and a monthly calendar would help is planning blog posts, YouTube videos, newsletter etc. So I think I will start including those plans on my monthly calendar so I can see them all together and work more efficiently. I thought about adding another calendar for tracking these items – but why not use the calendar I already have (that has room!).

Habit & Mood Tracker

I adore the ribbon script-style font and how vibrant the title is for this page. I received several comments on Instagram that people liked the look of the words. That usually indicates that I should make a tutorial. Let me know your interest level for a tutorial how to do that type of lettering.

The black & gray marks on the tracker stand out and I like the consistent look. (Perhaps using black makes the tracker look more complete?) That may change month to month, but I like the look now.

Making designs on my habit tracker (within each of the squares) has been a failed attempt every. single. time.  I usually forget which direction my lines need to go and I mess up the pattern within a couple of days. This doesn’t mean that I am going to stop trying. Maybe I need to have a template reminder in the corner.

Habit Tracker Definitions

I generally just keep a mental list of what each habit’s expectations are and mark them based on my definition but I will write them down this coming month for a couple of reasons. One: I don’t have to remember it. Two: consistency in tracking – with defined terms written down I will know I fulfilled my own expectations. I do not plan on being too rigorous, but just so I know if I fulfilled the commitment.

Tracking items I will keep for next month:

  • Combine wake up times 5:30/6 by separating the space with a diagonal slash so this indicator doesn’t take up two rows
  • Prayers, study & journal (I would like to write to my kids in their own journals I got for Christmas)
  • No Spend & Make Dinner
  • Straighten & Clean
  • Kind words

Tracking Items I am adding:

  • Yoga
  • Blog
  • Kid Time (I forgot to add that to January and I missed it as a great reminder to spend a few minutes each day talking to each child or just playing)
  • No Soda/No Sugar
  • 8×8 Water (8 oz x 8 servings)

One thing to note:

I am REMOVING dishes! Woo!  (Here is the initial post of why dishes were the bane of my existence. In last month’s mid-month habit review, I decided I could successfully remove it). We will see if I actually formed a habit or if I just think I did.

Circular Mood Tracker

The circular mood tracker really works well, but will change from a numbering system simply because adding up the numbers for an average was a lot of math and I tended to calculate incorrectly (did I already add that number?). I like the idea of a 1-5 scale so I think I will assign a color to each number on the scale.

Tracker Additions

In January I added a blog post, video & product tracker (which doesn’t have a set quantity, just a goal. Also continuing from January is the little weekly cleaning tracker. I am amazed at my “have 10 minutes?” post has changed my thought process and inspiration for those pesky projects and mighty to-do lists. This is one thing I will most definitely continue and I will develop more related to it.

One Line Per Day

One line per day wasn’t necessarily a flop, but it wasn’t successful either. Many times I went back to a specific date to add notes. This is a great idea as it was a challenge for me to list out “Only Good Things” but I will need to rethink the process.

Coming Projects

Overall, January has been a great month FILLED with ideas and inspiration which I hope continues to the next months. Because I want to dedicate more time to projects, I needed to scale back the weekly videos and editing so I can have time to complete new projects.

Video Overview

Watch the video overview of January below and get some sneak-peeks of what is in store for February. Let me know what you think in the comments or if you have ideas and suggestions.

Remember to plan your life so you live beautifully and don’t be afraid to find your inner muse.

~Tricia

January Week #4: My Bullet Journal Fails (so far) & What You Should Do if You Fail

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Bullet Journal Fails - why I'm okay with it and what you should do if you fail too

I see lots of comments on Facebook all the time in various groups “I hate the spread I created, I want to throw this notebook away or just start a new one” or “I’m going to rip this page out” or just simple questions “what do you do if you hate your spread in your bullet journal?” Here is my experience dealing with bullet journal fails.

Inspired by January’s Ugly Spread

If you’re coming over here from Instagram – you probably saw the quote lettering video snippet (if you aren’t coming here from Instagram – here’s a link to that post so you can check it out, and while you’re at it, follow me over there…you’ll get to see all the stuff I don’t post here).

Bullet journal page fails - get back up and try again

Ugly Spreads So Far (well… a few of them)

So here’s a list of the spreads that I hate in my bullet journal. I’ll let you know right now it’s not a complete list. Some of my fails I used through the week. Some of them I turned the page, one I taped two pages together. But the point is, I moved on. When I first started this bullet journal journey, I used a ring-bound set so I could remove pages if I messed up on them. But I became so paranoid about messing up, I would only use one side of the sheet and I felt like that was just a waste and it felt incomplete.

My desire to be perfect all the time and have every page look amazing paralyzed me! It wasn’t until I decided that I would just (ahem) bite the bullet and use a bound notebook. It was at that time that I would finally give myself the freedom to ‘mess up’.

What to do when pages don't work - Bullet Journal Fails, advice & Ideas

When You Make a Mistake

First of all – you are doing this with pen and paper. There is no undo or back button. Life doesn’t have an undo or back button. I am a firm believer that mistakes happen and it is how we deal with them afterward that makes the biggest difference in our character.

For the most part, if I make a mistake in my videos, I tend to keep it in the video. I want you to know that I am not perfect and you should not expect yourself to be perfect either. Expecting perfection is debilitating and will only do you harm.

Instagram tracker page mistake, water painted over and quote written on top - Bullet Journal Fails

I Keep Mistakes – Or Fix Them with Whiteout

Whether you call them Bullet Journal Fails or not, your bullet journal will have mistakes. It will have spreads you do not like.  Watch the video on my January 2018 Future Log – and you can see where I make the mistake. It’s at about 30 seconds into the video. In this case, I just used a little whiteout tape (yes, one of my best friends) and moved on. The tape is not exactly the same color as the page, but it doesn’t matter in the long run. I barely notice after I use correction tape, in fact when I review the page I am surprised sometimes to find it there.

Pro Tip: I buy my correction tape in bulk (really) and take one with me wherever I go. There are smaller packs for ‘on the go’.

Mistakes will happen that white out can’t fix. So what do you do about those times?

Suggestions:

Here are some suggestions and tips from someone who has messed up in their bullet journal.

After bullet journaling for less than a month, Amy @purplescapedesign (check her out on Instagram) said: “I’ve misspelled words and it’s by no means perfect but it’s mine and it works for me so I’m happy!”

Realize that this book is yours and yours only. It doesn’t matter what other people do or don’t do. I think this book is a conduit to happiness so don’t let it be something that makes you feel bad about yourself.

  • Misspelled words – write on it “oops” or “oh well” and move on – I misspelled “horrible” on my December Habit Tracker
  • Missed days – so sometimes you include two Fridays in a week. I’d be ok with that in real life, but to fix it in your bullet journal, white it out and simply write next to it “oops, meant Thursday” and seriously move on.
  • Turn the page into something else
    • Put a sticker the size of your page on top of your mistake.
    • Glue or tape two sheets together (I would not recommend Elmer’s glue – I would say to use permanent adhesive.
    • I watercolored over this page – and added a quote over top
  • One thing that I commonly do – just turn the page. Seriously, I just turn the page and move on.
  • Washi Tape is your friend. You know those piles of washi tape just sitting in your drawer but never touched? Dust them off. Use them to cover up your mistakes.
Examples of page fails my bullet journal from unused trackers (and bad ideas) to messy pages and washi-cover ups. Bullet Journal Fails happen.

The Technical Reason Why You Shouldn’t Tear out Pages

I had a fear of the bound journals because I couldn’t remove pages if I messed up. I knew from past experience with other bound journals that once you tear out a page, it never is the same. Unless the book is ‘glue bound’ where each page is glued to the spine individually, they are actually a bigger sheet of paper folded in half and stitched into sections then the separate sections are bound together.

That’s why on some pages if you look down the center, you will see a thin string running down the page. That page is the center of that section.  But each page is connected somewhere on the other side. If you tear out one page, it’s connected page won’t hold in the binding and will fallout.

When one page falls out, it loosens the stitching and makes it so the other pages aren’t held in as tightly. I cringe whenever I hear people say they are just going to tear it out because if they do that, I am sure they will ruin their whole book and be even more upset. Besides that – the torn edges (because who can tear straight) will still be in the book and will be another source of frustration.

Binding in a sewn bound book

Think About This:

One thing that people forget – this spread will be in your life for a day or a week. If it’s on a monthly or yearly log, you won’t refer to it very often. Your life does not revolve around this mistake. And when you turn that page for the next day’s or week’s spread, you’ll forget all about this mistake.

I remember more details about the time in my life where I made a mistake than where I had a perfect layout. And it’s not just remembering the mistake, the details are clearer to me and the memories more vibrant. It’s kind of nice.

Bullet Journal Fails: Smudged words and a page so bad I taped it together

Lessons Learned from my Bullet Journal Fails

When I started in a bound book, I told myself it was a test of being able to forgive myself for mistakes. The second part of the test is to move on either by fixing the problem and finding a solution or by just turning the page. This, perhaps, has been the greatest thing that bullet journaling has ever taught me.

Two Things You Shouldn’t Do – A Challenge For You:

So the first thing you shouldn’t do I listed above – don’t tear out a page. The second thing is more important: don’t give up. Here is a page of quotes I created after I smeared the ink on the quote. I thought it was a great page to turn into a spread of mistakes quotes.

Page fail quotes - mess up on a page? Add quotes to it.

Remember to plan your life so you live beautifully and don’t be afraid to ‘fail’.

~Tricia

January: Week 3 The Road Not Taken – Include Poems and Stories in your Layouts

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Road Not Taken – How to Include Poems into your Pages

I’ve never written many poems. The Haikus in literature classes in college and high school were about it for me. Maybe I am too wordy or I don’t feel strong enough in my word variances, but I never got into writing poems. Not saying that I wouldn’t like it, but I tend to use inspiring words from others in my creations.

One thing I do enjoy is I’ll make up a story in my mind relating to the image in my journal. For instance, I made up a story about the people on the airplane viewing out the window like on my January Welcome page going on an exciting trip.

In October’s apple orchard spread, I imagined a family going to pick apples and they would look at the wooden signs to find which way to go. On the hello November welcome page, I imagined walking in solitude through a forest enjoying the sunlight streaming through the empty branches and the leaves crunching under my feet.

Poems and Story Telling – Car on a moonshine run?

When I created the car for this week’s spread, I decided that it was a car (maybe on a moonshine run – who knows?) but the route was not their familiar path and they were on a journey of a lifetime. This story in my mind made me think of Robert Frost’s poem so that’s why I decided to include it perhaps I will include some of Atticus’ poetry on a future page.

But the question is: how to include the poem? Just writing it out on the side of my journal seemed boring and didn’t fit with the theme. I decided it would make a great texture for the road so I sketched it in and it fit really well. This month’s theme has not only been about transportation but making things fit (such as the airplane with the monthly calendar or the bicycle as a weekly log).

The Process – How To

I looked up the poem online and started sketching out the words. It doesn’t look long when you read on the website, but when I started writing it onto my page, I realized how long it really was. For a little while, I was afraid that I would run out of room and not include the most important line of the whole poem: “I took the one less traveled by and that made all the difference”.

It Made All the Difference

One thing that made all the difference including this poem on the page is making it part of the design. The car looks like it has just passed over the words, which I think gives significance to them. It is like the car has taken ‘the road not traveled’ and is telling a story that it has now on the course that Robert Frost referred to in his poem “The Road Not Taken”

I am glad I sketched it out with a pencil first, not only for placement but also because I gained a sense of how thin my lines needed to be. I was tempted to leave it in pencil, but I knew how pencil tends to smudge. When I started with the main body of the poem, I chose the smallest pen nib I had – the Micron 005 which is .2 mm and razor thin. I treat this pen very carefully as the least amount of stress on that nib could push it in and destroy your pen. I am happy to announce that I was successful.

Include Poems and Stories in your Bullet Journal Layouts for additional character "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost

Watch the Process Video Below Writing out the Words & Painting the Car

This video is compiled from a live paint with me/plan with me YouTube session. It’s a little longer and I explain my process in more detail. Plus you get to see my plate palette!

The Car & a New Font

The car in the picture was intended to be a Volkswagon Beatle from the 70’s but I could not get the shape to look just right – so I let it morph into an old-timey convertible car with hooded wheels and a long, slanted trunk. This was one of my absolute favorites to paint.

It’s not typical watercolor, this is another watercolor with Crayola SuperTip Markers. So many things I love about that technique. Two big reasons are that I can erase the pencil marks once I’m done painting. Another reason is that I can write over the image if I need to with any pen – unlike regular watercolor.

I’ve been practicing a font to use when I’m not using cursive or brush lettering. The “meals” sign is one thing I am really pleased with. I love the color and the shape of the signs and the font (I think) came out nicely.

Question:

What is your favorite poem or line of poetry? I’ve also been obsessed with Atticus – love her wild.

Remember to plan your life so you live beautifully and don’t be afraid to find your inner muse.

~Tricia

January Planner Week 2: Learning to Paint Balloons – it’s an adventure

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Learning New Things

I love the movie ‘Up’ and so this weekly spread is a nod to that adventure. Since that movie, I believe that balloons are a practical mode of transportation (hahah).  Or not, but learning to paint balloons is something I’ve wanted to try for a long time. Their colors overlap and shine through to the next layer. Sometimes it is just fun to try something new. A note to those who are afraid of trying something new in your bullet journal: adventure is out there and once you’ve tasted that adventure, you might not want to go back.

Overall I think it was a good first attempt at paintings, some balloons seem more transparent than others – which was the intent! The key to learning to paint balloons is finding the sweet spot of when the ink is just about dry so it won’t bleed into the other balloons but just wet enough to fade slightly. I love learning new things and trying out new methods.

The Layout

I used this layout in December as well – when I created the Leg Lamp and it left a big open space to include some art. So why not learn to paint balloons? The weekly spread has plenty of space for appointments and tasks so it’s a great match for keeping track of all the things and for trying new adventures!

learning to paint watercolor balloons in my bullet journal - weekly layout, crayola markers, + process video

Process Video – Learning to Paint Balloons

Watch the process video below to see how I painted in the balloons. I used the same method of watercolor with markers as I have this whole month. I really like this technique – and I think I will continue to grow in the technique but only if I continue to practice. Practice stinks sometimes but it’s the only way to learn.

Passion for Learning Turned into a Passion for Bullet Journaling

I’ve never watercolored before about 6 months ago, and I can say it is a whole new process versus painting with acrylics (which is my only other frame of reference). One of my passions is to learn. I LOVE to learn new things and I love to read but hadn’t made time for it in my life. But since this post, I have started reading more – a LOT more. It’s like I don’t have an excuse anymore and I don’t want to make up an excuse.

How I Learn New Things

Audiobooks from the library have become my best friends, I listen to excerpts from books to find new books to read. And of course, kindle – I love marking books in Kindle and seeing the passages others have collectively marked as well. One other way to learn is on YouTube. YouTube and I go way back. That’s how I found bullet journaling! It, too, has become a passion (if you haven’t noticed). If there is something you want to try or learn – do it! I can’t tell you how free it makes you feel. It’s like part of your soul is soothed and ignited all at once.

I started handlettering not long ago – again because I wanted to learn it. What an adventure. I wonder sometimes where it’s been all my life, but I think that is kind of what a bullet journal does. It is a blank notebook calling for adventure, yearning for you to discover yourself within its pages. The dot-grid provides structure and yet freedom all at once.  With handlettering, I have taken classes, done workbooks, written the same letter over and over, but the real teacher is time and practice.

Challenge yourself to try something new! Your Bullet Journal is open to new adventures. Go discover them. Learning to paint watercolor balloons - weekly layout

Sharing the Passion

I love teaching what I learn to others, but I love learning from anyone willing to impart their knowledge and skill to me.  Along those lines, I recently signed up for SkillShare (if you haven’t heard of it, it’s amazing). I’ve got a link below.

I plan on taking watercolor classes and as many as they offer. I’ve used SkillShare for less than a week, and I have already gone through 7 courses. You bet I went to Michael’s and got one of their $5 dot-grid notebooks and started taking notes. (That’s what I tell my husband – I really just wanted to try it out.)

Learn on Skillshare

There are tons of classes teaching brush lettering, calligraphy, I even took a class on time management and I am trying out some new techniques that I learned there. Ooooh – I also did one class on drawing botanicals – so maybe I can start including them in my bullet journal and I will finally get that theme.

I can’t help it, I am so excited and wanted to share this love with you.

New Learning = New Ideas

The more I learn, the more I want to share and I have sooooo many more ideas that I want to share with you, and if you have seen me on Instagram lately, I’ve given you some sneak peeks of what I’m planning. If you’re not following me there already, that’s where you’ll get the freshest ideas coming straight off my desk. (@ChocolateMusingsCreates)

Question:

What do you want to see from me? I’d love some ideas. I’d love to know what new thing you have learned recently as well. Whether it’s a new app or a new skill.

Whatever you are doing, remember to plan your life so you live beautifully and don’t be afraid to find your inner muse.

~Tricia

Ready for Take Off: Lessons Learned – January Monthly

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Lessons Learned from Bullet Journaling

Every month I learn something new from bullet journaling. This month is no different. This month, one of the lessons learned from Bullet Journaling I’ve learned is that open boxes are fun. I did it in my January future log and continued the trend in my January Monthly Calendar. Not all boxes have to be perfect or closed off.

The background art took up more room than I wanted to give at first. But then the colors just seemed so beautiful I couldn’t let them go. So I didn’t fight it and just let things meet where they wanted to meet. I don’t get a lot done the last week of the month anyway right? But the more I look at it, the better I like it. Another lesson learned is that I need to leave room in my life for art and for the ‘things to do’.

(FYI I tried to find the inspiration picture for this spread so I could share it and now I cannot find it anywhere – I looked at it once briefly know how to draw the back of an airplane and I loved how the sunset looked with the clouds) Lesson here: save the picture to your Pinterest board, you so you can find it again.

Monthly Calendar Set up with theme - "Ready for Take Off" - lessons learned from bullet journaling + process video

Intentions Foiled – Ready for Take Off, Anyway

I fully intended to do a whole year’s worth of flowers and foliage and the like as my yearly theme is ‘grow’. However, the transportation theme just built on itself and each doodle became more and more fun (just wait until the mid-month habit check – I think that layout is my absolute favorite for the month). So what can I learn from this seeming mishap? I learned to just let inspiration take place. Crazy that I can learn from bullet journaling, but it seems to have a lot to teach me.

What has Bullet Journaling Taught Me This Month?

I guess you could say that Bullet Journaling has taught me how to compromise. Sometimes what I think is very important at first is actually not important after all. Am I making a big deal about something that truly doesn’t matter why not just be open to new ideas? Who knew a little-dotted notebook could hold such insight in its blank pages? Who knew it held life lessons that years of living have not been able to teach me yet?

I think that all this drawing and journaling and planning have gotten into my brain and tried to make me a better person. I’d better let it do its magic and learn how to compromise in real life. I think I’ll take a cue from my monthly theme and let the good things take off. It’s easier to let things come naturally and not force them. I learned that when creating this month’s group of spreads. Just allow the inspiration to come and learn from it.

Recap: Lessons Learned (just this month!) from Bullet Journaling

  • Open box design is fun
  • Leave room in my life for art AND for ‘things to do’
  • Intentions aren’t always what you need
  • Intentions don’t always give inspiration
  • Compromise – if something doesn’t work out the way you want it, don’t just say no at first. You might enjoy it.
  • Allow yourself to become a better person

Question:

What unexpected objects have inspired your life lessons? Let me know in the comments below!

Watch the process video below for how I painted/set up this page.

Remember to plan your life so you live beautifully and don’t be afraid to find your inner muse.

~Tricia