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My 5 Favorite Flower Drawing & Reference Books

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Favorite Flower Drawing and Reference Books (and why) + Video Flip Through | ChocolateMusings.com #floral #flower #howtodrawflowers

My top 5 Favorite Flower Drawing & Reference Books

When the weather gets warmer, and the pollen gets yellow (you know what I mean if you’ve visited the south US in the spring), I start doodling and drawing more flowers. I should probably do that more in the winter (because it makes me happy), but winter is so…blah. I even started a Pinterest board just for leaves on tree branches. Today, I wanted to show you the flower drawing & reference books I keep close at hand.

Similar to why I love to bullet journal, I love a physical book as a reference when I draw. Maybe it’s the fact that I don’t fear mindlessly scrolling away and losing my reference or that I can hold the book in my hand or perhaps I’m just old school.

It doesn’t matter the reason why I have floral reference books, and I thought I would show you some of the books I use as my flower drawing references. And what’s more, is I thought you might find it useful even if you tuck it away for reference later on in your artistic journey. To help a little more, I created a comparison guide for the flower drawing books & references. If you have your own reference books, this table is a great way to show the differences in the books.

Comparison Guide for Flower drawing and reference books | ChocolateMusings.com #flowerdarawing #floral #botanical

Book Overview

We want to move to a new house in the next year or so. Don’t tell my husband, but I want a big library with reference books galore. But I won’t buy them until we’ve moved to a new house and all the books have their own home. I ultimately intend on keeping them sorted by type and not by the author. All of my flower books in one section, all of my dragon books in another. (FYI: I have one dragon book.)

Some of the books are more beginner friendly. Others have more information and photos plus line illustrations. They range from Peggy Deans’ Botanical Line Drawing to a book that I found on Amazon that shipped from England and took two months to find me.

Botanical Line Drawing
How to Draw Modern Florals
Wild Flowers by Colour
National Audubon Society Field Guide to Wildflowers
An Illustrated Guide to Garden Flowers

I made a quick video featuring each of these books – you can watch the video below or head over to my YouTube channel to check it out.

For some other fantastic resources – check out the series books by National Audubon Society Field Guides.  I want to get the ones on birds and rocks & gems. They have amazing photography and line drawings too. I’m not at all intrigued by the amphibians and reptiles. I don’t like snakes one bit.

I happened on an astounding resource of wildflowers here. There are so many more books I want to leaf through and hold in my hands. But I do want to be picky when it comes to resources. I need my flower drawing books to add something or give me a new perspective. Come to think of it, I need all my books to add something or provide a new perspective.

This list is not a comprehensive list. There are so many more ‘how to’ books ‘how to’ books and reference books for florals. What I’d love to know from you is which ones (if any) have you tried and what you thought!

Where to Start with Flower Drawing Books?

If you want to start drawing flowers but feel overwhelmed, start with a step-by-step guide. The Botanical Line Drawing & How to Draw Modern Florals books are great for starting. You’ll learn many petals and shapes. You could draw from them for ages.

Botanical Line Drawing By Peggy Dean

  • Great for beginners
  • Line drawing only
  • 200 + Flower & Nature Illustration
  • Organized by type
  • Use the hashtag on Instagram #botanicallinedrawing when drawing items from Peggy’s book

I listed ‘organized by type as a half-circle on my comparison because there are a couple of sections in her book: leaves, flowers, cacti & succulents & more nature.

One thing I didn’t expect from The Botanical Line Drawing book is that none of the flowers were labeled. You don’t need a name to draw it, but I would like to know the name. Because using #unknownflowername isn’t as fun as #trillium or even #pennywort on Instagram.  It’s a personal preference, and it hasn’t stopped me from referring to her fantastic book over and over again and immensely improving my floral drawings.

I’m very excited about her new book! Guide to Nature Drawing & Watercolor.

  • Flower drawing and references - Botanical Line Drawing | ChocolateMusings.com #flowerdrawing #flower #floral #howtodraw
  • Flower drawing and references - Botanical Line Drawing | ChocolateMusings.com #flowerdrawing #flower #floral #howtodraw

How to Draw Modern Florals by Alli Koch

Create beautiful and realistic-looking flowers. There is plenty of line work inside the petals and leaves that you can choose to add or leave out when drawing your own modern florals.

  • 20+ Detailed Outline drawings (you’ll see the width of the stems and more detail of the flowers)
  • Flower names – each one is labeled with their common flower name
  • Beginner friendly – with step by step drawings & instructions, you can start small & work into more complex drawings
  • Flower drawing and references - How to Draw Modern Florals | ChocolateMusings.com #flowerdrawing #flower #floral #howtodraw

Need Line Drawings AND Reference Photos?

I like to look at pictures and line drawings. I use the photographs for real-world reference, colors, and imperfections.  But I also like line drawings so I can see the form and lines of the flower. That’s why I like Wild Flowers by Colour, Field Guide to Wildflowers and the Illustrated Guide to Garden Flowers. But these books don’t show step-by-step instructions on how to draw flowers.

National Audubon Society Field Guide to Wildflowers

One thing I really like about this book’s pictures is that each picture shows the general shape of the flower – so you can see how they grow together and the general shape of the petals. I use this book to cross-reference different flowers I find on Pinterest to make sure I’m calling it by the right name.

  • Broken into flower family classifications
  • Real-life photos
  • Some illustrated drawings (does not have each one illustrated)
  • Common & Scientific names
  • Flower drawing and references - Audubon Field Guide to Wildflowers | ChocolateMusings.com #flowerdrawing #flower #floral
  • Flower drawing and references - Audubon Field Guide to Wildflowers | ChocolateMusings.com #flowerdrawing #flower #floral

An Illustrated Guide To Garden Flowers

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find many more on Amazon. If you see it, grab it – it’s my favorite. With both photos & illustrated line drawings of each flower, it is a wonderful reference book. It’s geared to those who want to raise flowers, but it makes a wonderful flower drawing reference book.

  • Scientific & Common Names
  • Illustrations
  • Real-life photos
  • Multiple sections in addition to flower type, it has sections of annuals & perennials & bulbs.
  • Flower drawing and references - Illustrated Guide to Garden Flowers | ChocolateMusings.com #flowerdrawing #flower #floral #howtodraw
  • Flower drawing and references - Illustrated Guide to Garden Flowers | ChocolateMusings.com #flowerdrawing #flower #floral #howtodraw

Majorie Blammey’s Wildflowers by Colour

I cannot remember who first referenced this book, but I thought it was amazing when I first saw it. By chance, I found it for a very decent price on Amazon from a private seller and had to wait impatiently for it to ship from the UK. There are no real-life photos, but instead, each flower is a color illustration.

  • Common names
  • Classified by color then by type
  • Color line illustration
  • Flower drawing and references - Wildflowers by Colour | ChocolateMusings.com #flowerdrawing #flower #floral
  • Flower drawing and references - Wildflowers by Colour | ChocolateMusings.com #flowerdrawing #flower #floral
  • Flower drawing and references - Wildflowers by Colour | ChocolateMusings.com #flowerdrawing #flower #floral

Tip:  I found many other books at my local library, and my library lets me renew three times before having to return them.

The thing with drawing books of any kind, even if they are step-by-step and you feel like you’ve graduated beyond that skill or if you need super simple instructions, you can still find value in a reference book. I love going back through the books I own. I always end up learning something new or seeing something I’d forgotten.

What if You’re Practicing Kon Marie and Just Got Rid of Your Books or Don’t Want Any More Books?

First of all, if you threw out a bunch of books because you just Kon Marie’d your house (yes, I made it a verb), good for you. I’m working on decluttering, too. Flower drawing books aren’t ‘clutter’ to me if you’re wondering. But if you’re strictly digital and want nothing to do with buying books, follow me on Pinterest! I keep several boards with inspiration. Feel free to pin any images you’d like as a reference.

If you’re interested in drawing flowers, let me know what resources you enjoy (or ones you’ve found), I’d love to check them out.

How to Watercolor Paint Raspberries & Blackberries Tutorial

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How to Watercolor Paint Raspberries & Blackberries + Video Tutorial | ChocolateMusings.com #beginner #watercolor #tutorial

How to Watercolor Paint Raspberries & Blackberries Tutorial

I had so much fun with the fruit infusion recipe inspiration for my bullet journal. Painting the raspberries and blackberries was more fun than I expected. So today I wanted to show you how to watercolor paint raspberries & blackberries. It’s really easy and requires just a few items.

Watch the Video Below – I walk you through all the steps

You’ll see how easy it is to paint raspberries & blackberries. You’ll want to start creating your own today!

Supplies Needed

Watercolor Paper – when starting out with watercolor, it’s important to use the right paper. Printer paper is thin (typically people buy 20lb paper) and it will only cause frustration because the paint will bleed through and you won’t get the same effect.  I started painting in my journal after I experimented with water and paint for a while. Watercolor paper is designed for watercolor and will hold up a lot better than other paper.

Round brushes – Round brushes are good because they hold water well and the bristles form a tip which will allow for finer detail work when needed. I have several different kinds and some I like more than others. How the bristles hold water and paint make a difference to me…now. When I first started, I wouldn’t have noticed the difference.

Tip: What I would not recommend is buying that 50 pack of brushes for $5. Choose a brush that won’t fray and will hold their shape. You don’t need the most expensive brush, but you need something more than the cheapo bargain pack.

Watercolor Paint

I used two different types of paint but choose your favorite. I like the rich color with Windsor Newton paints, but I haven’t had any issue with the store brand version from Michaels or Hobby Lobby. As a beginner, learning the techniques is more important than having the fanciest tools. After all, Bob Ross painted with a pallet knife.

One thing to note is if you’re starting you don’t want to spend a lot of money on supplies. Learn the basics, and then if you really like it, keep going and find other supplies. (Read: welcome to the rabbit hole.) If painting or drawing turns out to be a worthwhile hobby to you – it brings you joy and peace to your soul, then there’s time to expand your supplies.

Other Supplies You’ll Need:

Papertowel (not tissue or bath tissue), two sets of water (one for rinsing the paint off your brush) and the other for getting new, fresh, clean water.

Good lighting is essential. I have terrible lighting in my house, very little natural light, so I bought photography lights with daylight bulbs and use them for my art projects & videos. If you have natural light, that’s always best.

How to Watercolor Paint Raspberries & Blackberries + Video Tutorial | ChocolateMusings.com #beginner #watercolor #tutorial

Start Painting

To paint the berries, we will use what’s called ‘wet on wet’ which means we will start with a wet surface (add water to the paper) and add a lot of water to the paint. (See the picture below for what I mean.)

If using a pencil – lightly sketch the individual circles that make up the raspberry or blackberry. Draw lightly! Erase most of the lines once done – just so you can see the shapes. Now, dip your paint in fresh water and with the very tip, paint circles with the water, but don’t close in the circles, do mostly outlines. Start in the center and add half-circles around it to complete the shape of the berry.

Tip: if you’re having trouble seeing the water on the paper, try looking at the paper from an angle. The light reflects differently at a 30 or 45-degree angle versus straight down. If you’re still having trouble, use your phone flashlight at an angle to highlight the markings.

Watercolor Painting Tip: Start with plain water outline, then add paint | ChocolateMusings.com #beginner #watercolor #tips

Now to Add Paint to your Raspberries & Blackberries

Now for the fun part. Get some more water on your brush and dip it in the paint, but don’t be satisfied with just one swipe across the paint surface, especially if you’re using the hardened watercolor paint cakes. You’ll have to experiment a bit, but I found that I wanted the watered down paint to almost drip from the tip of the brush.

Touch the brush to the circles of water and watch the color spread. Coax the water along the design you made earlier with the water. Add more paint if needed. Add a little variation of color if you want, especially near the bottom so it looks like a shadow. Fill in the circles a little bit, but not so they’re completely filled in. Use the tip of the paintbrush to direct the pigment where you want it to go next.

The parts left white on the paper act as a highlight for the berry.

For the blackberry, you could try starting with a blue on some parts and adding black to the other parts, so the two colors run together. Follow the same technique for filling in a portion of the circles but still leaving a highlight.

How to Easily Watercolor Paint a Raspberry & Blackberry | ChocolateMusings.com #beginner #watercolor #tips

How to Paint a Blueberry Bonus:

As a bonus – I added How to Paint a Blueberry! Use water to create a circle and then mostly fill it in, leave a couple of parts uncovered and leave a crescent shape near the top as a highlight. Add quite a bit of paint to the water areas and let the paint fill in the water. Once you’ve got it nicely covered, use the tip of your paintbrush to pull the ink upwards into a crown. Basically, little triangles poking out of the top of the blueberry.

Add a crown to your blueberry to top it off | ChocolateMusings.com #beginner #watercolor #tips

I hope you’ve enjoyed this tutorial on how to watercolor paint raspberries & blackberries. Make sure to follow my YouTube Channel and leave a thumbs up on the video!

Let me know in the comments below what you’d like to see in the future.

Creating Circles in Your Bullet Journal

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How to Create Circles in your Bullet Journal

Creating Circles in your Bullet Journal: There are lots of ways to use circles in your journal. I have experimented with a few ways to do it. I have several tools that I’ve purchased (most are very inexpensive – as they’re usually intended for school-aged children). So creating the circles is one thing, but getting the spacing even is another thing. My favorite tool for measuring circles is the Helix tool – because it has each degree marked on the outside so once you have your calculations, just find the number and make your marks.

Creating Circles in your Bullet Journal

Do me a favor – click on the little red ‘subscribe’ button in the video. I’d appreciate it.

How I use Circles in My Pages

Here are some ways I have used circles in my bullet journal: Weekly logs, Accents for pages, I use it in my Gratitude Log, & Level 10 life my January 2018 Habit Tracker has one of my very favorite circular trackers. I am sure there are hundreds of other ways to use circles. All of my pages for April have a circle theme.

They add some fun to the layout. I know, it’s tricky creating them and getting the spacing right. Keep reading for the tools I use and the calculations to create the circles. I’ve created a circle measurement guide that you can print and keep in your bullet journal for reference. I am working on a printable for those who want to print, stick and go too!

Ways to use circles in your bullet journal - find the printable guide on chocolatemusings.com

Ready to include some circles? Here are some calculations and some examples to use:

Some Basic Knowledge:

A circle is made of 360 points or degrees, so you take the number of sections you want and divide that into 360.

To Divide by 7:

360 / 7 = 51.42…… well that’s not going to divide evenly. So now it’s time to get creative.

  • You could do 51 degrees for each – it will be a little harder to measure – so turn your wheel carefully.
  • Using the Helix: make a mark at 0, 51, 102, 153, 204, 255, & 306 the last will be just a little bigger than the rest, but it’s tiny.
  • You could do 50 degrees for each and have a little sliver left over – that’s what I did for the penny farthing bike in January.

Measurement guide for adding circles to your bullet journal

To Divide by 6:

360 / 6 = 60

  • Layout Idea: Combine the weekend into one segment.
  • If you wanted everything even and are ok with a combined weekend, that works out.
  • You’d make your marks at 0, 60, 120, 180, 240 & 300.

To Divide by 5:

360 / 5 = 72

  • Layout Idea: use it ONLY for weekdays and leave the weekend for another location) this makes it a little more complicated, but it’s even!
  • Make your marks at 0, 72, 144, 216, 288.

To Divide by 4:

You’re now dividing into quarters – 360 / 4 = 90

  • Ideas for this layout: To-Dos, create two circles one with 3 and one with 4 for the week, or two with 4 and have a meal planner
  • Make your marks at 0, 90, 180, & 270.

To Divide by 3:

360 / 3 = 120

  • Layout Idea: You could have two sets of circles for the week and combine the weekend
  • Make your marks at 0, 120, & 240

Other Ideas:

Another idea is to create 7 circles, one for each day and split them in half for to-dos, appointments & meal planning or split it into 3’s. I used one like this for a weekly spread. I liked it! It was different than normal.

Here is one other idea – divide by 12. Think I’m crazy? It turns into a clock. An inner circle is the AM, and the outer circle is PM.

360 / 12 = 30

Make your marks at 0, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 210, 240, 270, 300, & 330.

Multi-Layered Circles for Tracking

Now I’ve opened up a whole other realm. I will do another post about making multi-layered circles for habit tracking and mood tracking – just like the mood tracker in January.

Want a quick measurement guide for making circles? I created one for you.

Save this to your Pinterest board you’ll want it for when you create circles in your own bullet journal. Who knew you’d be reaching back to the time you were in grade school and doing math? I guess those teachers were right. You would use math every day. Well, at least when you need to count out those dots and measure circles in your bullet journal.

From Drab to Fab #1 – Headers, Calligraphy & Outlines – How to Make Fancy Headers Part 1

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Turn a Drab-Looking Collection into Something Fabulous by Adding a Fancy Header

I love to make pretty headers for my bullet journal. Here’s a guide to dress-up your collection. Organizing the information in the journal is another way to make it pretty. I like lists, but I also enjoy variety (thus a huge reason why I like bullet journaling – I can change things up every single day for variety). Here are some ways to make your lists ‘pretty’ or just change-up the format.

But I also know that another key part to refer back to information is to make it look amazing. Making fabulous headers is a very easy way to dress up the page – especially if a majority of the content is a list. I realize that a lot of lists are day-to-day tasks compiled on Daily Spreads or Weekly Layouts. Not every list needs a fancy header. Personally, I just list those out and check them off when done. Because the next day or the next week, I turn the page and rarely refer back to that page again.

Dress up your Bullet Journal Collections with Fancy Titles - step-by-step instructions to create this one + Printable

A Collection is Different

A collection is something that you’ll probably refer back to time and time again and probably won’t be recreated regularly. These are the ideal page to dress up the titles and organize your lists into unique spreads. A collection is a little more special than a calendar spread. So it can look a little more special.

Side note: I have (for over a year) kept my collections intermingled with my weeklies and monthlies. Since starting my new journals, I have a planning journal and a permanent collections journal and I love it!

Learn to create fancy titles like this in your bullet journal, includes step-by-step instructions + a printable

10-Minute Collection – Title

I created the “Have 10 Minutes?” collection page in my Bullet Journal on a whim. I started making a list in Google Keep on my phone (you can read the post here and a follow-up here) but then I decided to move the content over to my collections in my Bullet Journal because I knew I would use (more) it if I wrote it down.

My ideas are best started in pencil. Just like a rough draft when writing a paper, the pencil provides a good outline, but you can change it easily as the ideas develop and progress.

Ways I Dressed Up the 10-Minute Collection:

  • Title – added a fancy-schmancy title with blended colors outlines and swirly-twirly flourished fonts
  • Sub-Titles – separate sub-titles for each area of my room help organize the page
  • Organized Lists – Classify each item and list them under the correct sub-title
  • Mind-Map Layout – Change up the layout – the title doesn’t have to be at the top. Put the title in the middle of the page and spread the sub-categories out and around the title.
  • Uniform Font List – use a uniform font to write out all the items in the collection

Dressing Up the Title:

The Number

Starting with the number – I wanted that to be big and bold but have a unique look. I looked through my font list on my computer and chose Algerian. I think this is a pretty standard font on most computers. If not – you can find it on fontsgeek.com or myfonts.com or a variety of other font websites. I chose this font because it was thick in parts, thin in others, I liked the flip on the 1 (the serif) and the line on the right side kind of like a shadow.

I sketched out the number and made it bolder than the referenced font so I could blend colors from lightest at the top to darkest at the bottom and have more space to color it in.

Tip: draw inspiration from fonts, but if your font doesn’t look exactly like what you see – now it’s yours.

Create fancy titles - start with a pencil outline in your bullet journal and add the words

Blending Colors

Start with the lightest color as the base when blending. Then add the next darker color slightly overlapping the lighter color and so on. I added black to the bottom in this case. Use the lighter color to smooth the edges. Then use the colorless blender or a water pen to further even-out the color. Don’t blend too much or you might make the paper pill.

Tip: Blending colors can sometimes make messy edges on the outside. Outlining the text after blending can ‘clean up’ the lines or disguise uneven edges.

Create fancy titles - blend the colors together

Finishing the Blending

I find that I when I use the next lighter color to blend – it ends up looking more even. But sometimes you need to use the colorless blender to smooth out the edges. The blending marker I have has a stained tip, but if you clean it after each use (just rub it along some paper until it goes clear) it will be fine. I have noticed that the tips of the lighter colors will stain, but that doesn’t matter.

Flourished Text

After sketching the number, I wrote the text in script font. But I didn’t add all the flourishes. I wanted the word ‘have’ to mingle in and out of the numbers – so I could rearrange the text to adjust placement. Once I liked the layout, I added the flourishes with a pencil. After working through the flourishes, I added the thick and thin lines of the text.

Normally I’d have used a brush pen to make the thick and thin lines, but I decided to use a mono pen and thicken the lines on the downstrokes because I thought it might be hard going across the center of the two pages.

Tip: Anytime you pull the pen or marker down, that would be the thick line. When the lines turn up or are horizontal, those are the thin lines.

Create fancy titles - outline the main text, then fill in the downstrokes on your faux calligraphy

In the next fancy headers post, I will show you how to outline the text and finish off the spread.

If you’re just anxious to have the header, you’re in for a treat. I have it available in my shop! Click here to visit.

 

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

~Tricia

Save this layout to Pinterest for later – while you are at it, follow me on Pinterest for more inspiration!

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Want to know what I used in this post? I’ll tell you. (Contains affiliate links – if you click-through and end up purchasing a product, I receive a small commission – though the cost is the same to you.)

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