January Archives

Ready for Take Off: Lessons Learned – January Monthly

January 11, 2018 3 Comments

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.

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

January Week #1 Bicycle Weekly – Using Objects in your Design

January 5, 2018 3 Comments

Using Objects in your Weekly Layout

Bicycle Weekly

I love the idea of using objects as functional pieces of my layout. I call this one ‘Bicycle Weekly’. Just so it adds some extra flair to the page and changes it up. Especially for the weeks I don’t have a lot of plans. This week was perfect because the kids wouldn’t go back to school until Thursday. So I used the big wheel from the bike to track weekly ‘to dos’ and appointments, the small wheel for dinner meal plans. I’m not saying that every week should be like this, but it is fun for a change every once in a while.

Question:

Do you have any objects you’ve included in your bullet journal as part of your design? What’s your favorite? Or do you have one that you want to include but just can’t find a way?

Bicycle Weekly: Turning objects into functional designs in your bullet journal: bicycle spokes for a weekly layout:

This Week’s Layout

This week I sketched out the circles and added details to the penny farthing bike (I think that’s what it’s called). The tiny 7 boxes on the right are so I can include flower doodles – which I want to start learning to draw. As you saw on the welcome page for 2018/January (or if you haven’t seen it, view it here). You can also watch an overview wrapping up December and the January’s spreads planned out. For those of you who are nervous about creating circles – never fear! I am working on a post to put your mind at ease when creating circles.

Monthly Theme: Transportation

This month’s theme is transportation. I was going to do superheroes but somehow the bullet train found its way in and that was it. I came up with a different type of transportation for each week. The last week I was running out of ideas – and I just could not get that cruise ship to look like a cruise ship! Ah well.

Here is the Plan With Me Video – watch below and if you’d like to see more, subscribe on YouTube. I already drew out the circles, so now it was adding details to make it look like a bike.

Just Keep Pedaling

Through writing this post, I’ve come up with several other ideas to help you in your bullet journal journey. I’m very excited for them (you might even get a sneak peek of my very first entry in my first attempt at bullet journaling!) My bullet journal has become a companion of sorts. It makes the adventure even better (in my opinion, of course). I’ve always needed some sort of notebook or planner but I have never found one that speaks…well…. speaks my language. I think bullet journaling and I soul mates. Did I just say that? Well if it’s posted on the internet, it’s true, right?!

I hope you have a fabulous week!

Remember to plan your life so you live beautifully.

~Tricia

2018: Bullet Journal Plan with Me January & December Wrap-Up

December 29, 2017 7 Comments

January 2018 Planner Walk-Through

Planners rejoice the time has come for New Year Bullet Journal Planning! This is like the Christmas for planners. But most planners I know get planner items for Christmas. It’s a whole thing. There are a lot of bullet journalists who are moving into a new notebook at the start of a new year. Alas, I look longingly at the new notebooks lovingly set aside for such a momentous occasion and know that I will be continuing in my current notebook for another two months.

I did not let this dissuade me from planning out 2018 complete with a future log and everything. Like December, I decided to plan the whole month out in advance rather than week-to-week. I liked the grand overview of everything complete for the month and then the snippets of art and creativity are woven throughout the month.

Sneak Peek

Let it be known, I am not good at keeping surprises or secrets. I like to be told what is going to happen. The video below gives sneak peeks, but the image below does even better and the peeking. I don’t give too much away in the images below but just enough. Be sure to visit back as I update each week’s spread with a new video and a walk-through.

New Watercolor Techniques

I’ve been trying some new techniques for watercoloring with markers (yes, I said it – watercoloring with markers. Crayola Supertips to be exact) – and I really like it. I get the colors and the look of a watercolor piece, but I don’t end up with the watercolor paint texture on the pages which can also result in the watercolor paint chipping off the page because the pages bend.

The other thing I really like about this technique is that I can write over the pages much easier. With watercolor paints, I could only write on them with certain pens afterward because there was only a select few that would ‘stick’ to the paint. If I desire watercolor in my bullet journal, I will most likely use markers. Yes, good old-fashioned Crayola Super Tip Markers.

Plan with Me Video: January 2018 & December 2017 Wrap- Up

Here is the planning video reviewing December 2018 and revealing the January 2018 set-up. Let me know how you’ve set up your 2018 in the comments below.

Remember to plan your life so you live beautifully.

~Tricia