Plan With Me: May Monthly Layouts {+ Video}

April 29, 2018 3 Comments

May is the Gateway to Summer – May Monthly Layouts: Plan With Me

May doesn’t officially start summer in our house until the kids are out (the last week and a half of May) but summer is definitely on the brain. Since school is almost out, I wanted to accommodate our summer plans/May monthly layouts in my bullet journal. Looking back at my planner for the past month, I’ve filled out less and less of my weekly spreads as I get more and more ready for summer.

Watch the Planning Video Below

Make sure to hit subscribe in the lower right-hand corner of the video! I decided to do the April flip through & May weeklies in a different video.

How I Created the Spreads:

Welcome Page:

I went back and forth on the welcome page – on the one hand, I wanted a welcome page for May, for another, just an introduction to Summer. So I switched the banner from ‘May’ to ‘Summer’ and added the blurb about May on the left side. My amazing friend Kiki (find her Instagram here) created a class on SkillShare – how to make consistent block letters. All I have to say is ‘and how!’ (is that a real phrase?!)

Monthly Calendar

For the monthly calendar, I took my favorite supply of Crayola markers and painted the colors inside the boxes like a paint swatch. You can erase pencil when watercoloring this way unlike regular watercolor paints and write over them with any ink once dry (takes a very brief amount of time to dry). Once the page dried, I erased the pencil marks.

In this case, each box was 2 cm x 2 cm square or 4 boxes square. Perfect for visual planning and plenty of space around the edges for notes and to-dos.

I’ll show you what I did for the weekly pages in the next post. Here’s a hint: I didn’t know what I was going to do when I started on the pages, it’s simple, and I like it.

Mentioned in the Video:

Skillshare – Making Consistent Block Letters by Kiki B
Color Combinations Pinterest Board or My Pinterest Profile
April Plan with Me – Monthly
April Plan With Me – Weekly
March Plan With Me – Weekly
Favorite Beginner Lettering Supplies
May Plan With Me – Weekly

Question:

What’s your favorite technique in your planner?

~Tricia

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

Follow @ChocolateMusingsCreates

Plan With Me: February Monthly Calendar Doodles (+Video)

February 4, 2018 3 Comments

Monthly Calendar Doodles

February just seems ‘doodle-y’ to me. With all the hearts and candy and the flowers and the hearts (oh wait, I said that). It just seems like it needs some extra swirls and flourishes. Is it me? It must be just me. All of those things were the inspiration for my monthly calendar doodles. From the font I used in February to the banner and the leaves floating across the page.

New Video Format – Created to Provide Inspiration for You

Yay or Nay?

I do have to say that I really love the format of the new videos. The new format is slowing it down and talking through the process. I had someone on YouTube tell me that it felt like I was talking to a friend That is exactly the way I want it to feel. Since I really want to inspire people out there and if I run everything at x2500 speed, well, it seems just overwhelming, especially to someone new or if you would like to get some ideas.

This really struck me when I wrote the last blog post (Bullet Journal Fails – when you make a mistake) that there are so many out there who are in need of inspiration and sometimes inspiration is best served in a more meaningful way and not rushed. But it matters what you think – so let me know Yay or nay!

Monthly Calendar Doodles Plan With Me

Watch the video and see me plan out my monthly calendar doodles and let me know what you think of this format. I will do some smaller snippets and hyper-lapse videos as well. (for one thing, they are a lot of fun to create!) If you like to see a little more of my ‘behind the scenes’ thought process as shown in this video, please let me know below in the comments or on the video comments on YouTube.

Back to My Roots

I decided this month to go back to my roots of drawing – which was in essence doodling. Since my yearly theme is ‘grow’ there is no better place to start growing than by strengthening my roots. I used to doodle in class ALL the time. It never failed… a teacher or professor thought I was just whittling the time away before I could bolt through the door to my next class. I was called out so many times in various classes and asked if I was paying attention. My notes were not like the other student’s notes. I had circles and squares and repeating patterns. Sometimes no words existed on my pages.

When an instructor would stop me in these cases, usually with a sneer, they would ask me if I could repeat anything they had just said. I would rapid fire a complete detail of their lesson thus far, including dates, names, important events, and the like. I knew it then but never articulated that doodling helped me pay attention. Invariably I excelled in the classes that I doodled my notes.

Sketchnoting

Since then there are many books written about doodling and ‘sketchnoting’ (see this lovely list at Amazon). I must have been on something and wish I would have explored it further then. In fact, I’ve checked this one out from the library and I can’t wait to see what it says.

One of my friends I met through hosting a challenge on Instagram (@Karinlibrarian) has written her own book on Sketchnoting in school. She also has another Instagram account @365DaysofSketchnotes and it’s like a visual diary. I’ve done a couple and will post them later. I am looking forward to getting that one and reading her thoughts on the benefits of sketching notes. (Here’s her page on Amazon.)

So Why is This Significant Now?

There are a couple of reasons why this is significant to me now. One I have some BIG ideas that I would love to get ready for you and doodling helps me focus. Just as I experienced the focus when I was earning my high school and college degrees. I need that focus to sort through all the ideas swimming through my head.

Secondly, I am working very hard to accept my method of drawing. As I said in the video, I would love to do hyper-realistic paintings, but my current style is not hyper-realistic. It is more fun and whimsical. I see the style all over – it never seems to die. But because it is not what I expect of myself, I do not accept it as ‘good’. That is one thing I would like to accept of myself. So a whole month of doodles seems like a perfect first step.

What Else is New:

This month I am also trying out ‘color-coded’ repeating tasks. I have a key down at the bottom with a color showing which days coordinate with that event. Another new thing on this monthly spread is that the days of the week are at the bottom it was where they fit the best.

One thing that is not new: I forgot to cross the T on my Saturday. I’ve forgotten this for several months. I have since crossed that ‘t’ and dotted the ‘i’ in Friday but none of the pictures show that. The last thing that is new for me on this calendar is that I am scheduling my blog posts with my daily personal appointments.

February Monthly Calendar Doodles - whimsical leaves & banners and handlettered text + Video process

Here’s Your Question:

I am trying to change my opinion of my drawing style and accept it for what it is and not being unhappy with it. What would you like to accept of yourself?

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

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

November Plans – Focus on Simplicity and Gratitude

October 29, 2017 7 Comments

November Journaling Focus

Simplicity and Gratitude

After the fun holiday of Halloween comes a period of anticipation. It feels like there is almost an electric quality in the air – a magic that only comes with the holidays. With that comes the flurry of activity, the parties, the traveling, the family gatherings, the traditions, the end of year hustle that is born around the end of October and dies after New Year’s day. During the first two weeks of November, there is almost a calm before the storm. For me, the holidays become overwhelming. So this is why I chose to focus my journaling and blogging efforts on Simplicity and Gratitude.

Instagram/Twitter Challenge – November 2017

I decided to host an Instagram/Twitter challenge focused on those two things. If you’d like to take part, find the prompts here and tag me @ChocolateMusingsCreates using #DailyWordMusings on either Twitter or Instagram. I’d love to see how you create Simplicity and Gratitude into your holiday plans.

As I am writing this, I can’t help but wonder if there’s the same feeling for those outside of the United States as compared to in the US. September/October bring a change of season heading into the colder time of the year, the end of October is Halloween followed a few weeks later by Thanksgiving (US) and you can feel the excitement mounting in the air. Christmas time brings another change of season and is of course highly anticipated and headed up with New Year’s celebrations and the start of clean, fresh, new year. Where I will struggle writing the new date until June.

Allow Your Mind Tell You What You Need

For me, I know the last three months of the year blur by in a flurry of activity. Earlier this week I gave a sneak peek of my welcome page. Every time I thought of doodling a turkey or Thanksgiving feast, I would postpone planning for a while longer. I didn’t like the idea. So as I listened to my mind’s reaction, I closed my eyes, relaxed, and let my mind wander. I imagined walking through a forest of aspens crunching through the frozen snow. The scene was quiet and the word “serene” came to my mind. I could tell that is what I needed for the month of November.

With this in mind, I planned the month of November and all the weekly pages in one planning session. Each of the weeks are very minimally designed – using the same square shape to create unity, but varying the layout for each week.

Plan With Me Video – November 2017

Here’s a video of November’s set-up. I plan on highlighting each week just before it starts. Check back each week for each new download of the layout with the measurements. The minimal design is something completely new to me (with the exception of this layout) and thrilled to try it out. I have come to realize that when life gets complicated or hectic, it is time to simplify. Check out the video below and be sure to hit like and subscribe for more content.

I will put together another post with the collections for this month – the Planning & Goals, Meal Ideas, Habit Tracker & Mood Tracker where I’ll track moods based on activity. I can’t wait to doodle on my weekly pages. Because I left lots of room for doodling.

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

Follow @ChocolateMusingsCreates

I’d love to hear what you want to see in future videos so leave me a comment below.

Remember to plan your life so you live beautifully.

Tricia

Want to know what I used in this video? 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.)

Keep the Function of a Monthly Calendar Spread with a Touch of Flair

October 6, 2017 1 Comment

October Monthly Calendar Layout

I didn’t always use a bullet journal as my preferred method of keeping track of my life. I used other planners. In fact, I used a planner once as a journal so I would have just a snippet of space to write in. It worked, for a while. But here is the thing, I was flipping through my old planners and they were so boring. The function was there, but the inspiration wasn’t. I have many half-filled or abandoned planners – it’s really embarrassing. There were planners where there months where there was nothing recorded. It wasn’t until I found the freedom of creating in the bullet journal system that I used it consistently.

Bullet Journaling = Flexibility and Variety

Part of the reason I have stuck with bullet journaling for so long is the variations you can add to your planner. You allow for as much space as needed any given month or week. Be as creative or minimalistic as desired. For me, This may not always be a priority, but now I need that space as a creative outlet. That being said, monthly calendar-style layouts offer the least amount of flexibility. I tried to create a gravestone monthly calendar layout. That didn’t work well because I use my monthly as a way to glance at the month and see what is coming and it was overwhelming to look at – so I just turned the page and did something different.

If having a monthly grid layout works for you, by all means, go, be productive and love the square you are in (I’ll only be a tinge jealous). Maybe someday you can teach me of your ways.

The monthly calendar is so incredibly functional, my month wouldn’t be complete without it! This start of the month page may just be the most functional page in the whole month’s layouts. Can you hear the accusing tone in my words? Don’t get me wrong…functional is essential but it’s usually so boring.

I like seeing a monthly calendar – I am a very visual person, so seeing the relationship between events helps me plan my days. Especially with the monthly calendar with its familiar boxed days. But sometimes, those boxes are just too boxy.

Just a little change to your monthly calendar makes it look completely new!

Round the corners for a change on the monthly calendar set up, add a bit of sparkle and whimsy with iridescent paints, a couple of cute spiders with webs and your (near) minimalist monthly spread is all dressed up. Keep function and add a touch of flair.

So if you find yourself bored with the same-old-same-old in your planner, tweak your functional layout ever so slightly, adding details that don’t scare you (see what I did there with the Halloween reference) by keeping function but adding some whimsy. It may not take much to brighten your planner and shake off the cobwebs (I did it again!) from your planning routine.

In review:

September’s monthly log was full of color and added elements.

I’d love to hear!

Leave me a comment below: What planner change-ups have you made to spice up your planner? I’d love to know what you’ve done!

Pin an image for your own inspiration and Follow me on Pinterest for inspiration and ideas!
Follow @ChocolateMusingsCreates

Want to know what supplies I used? I’ll tell you – contains affiliate links.

This post contains affiliate links. The cost is the same to you but, I will receive a small commission to help support my blogging and creativity habits. 🙂 All opinions expressed were solely mine and from my heart.