Plan With Me: April 2018 Limited Color Palette & Fun Space Elements

April 1, 2018 3 Comments

April 2018 Plan With Me Theme

I’m excited to share my methods in this April 2018 Plan With Me post. I hope you’ll find something to inspire you in your bullet journal.

I chose a limited palette for this 2018 April Plan With Me and combined the colors with fun space elements. Using Crayola markers to watercolor loose space elements on the thin sheets of this notebook makes a whimsical effect, and I’m over the moon with this month’s theme. I love how a limited color scheme tied everything together throughout the month. Plus, I got to draw circles all month long – in case you didn’t know, I love using circles in my bullet journal.

April Plan with Me Welcome Page Bullet Journal Spread - Fun Space Elements Theme + Limited Color Palette | ChocolateMusings.com

Marker Color Scheme - April 2018 Plan With Me - Limited Color Palette & Fun Space Bullet Journal Theme | ChocolateMusings.com

Welcome Page Colors - April 2018 Bullet Journal | ChocolateMusings.com

April Monthly Pages + Video

In the video, I show the marker-painting technique I’ve grown to use and love in my bullet journal, plus do some real-time handlettering and quote making. Watch below! (You can also view it on my YouTube Channel – subscribe to my channel if you haven’t already (mouse over the little subscribe button in the corner of the video).

The technique for painting with Crayola markers involves a ceramic palette (in this case, a plate), Crayola Markers, a paintbrush, and very little water. Scribbling the markers on the plate creates a paint palette. Then with a barely damp paintbrush, run your brush through the marker on the plate to pick up the pigment. The key is to use as little water as you can. I love painting with markers like this in my bullet journals because it doesn’t make the pages feel stiff, like watercolor paint or gouache. Find more on the Crayola-Marker Watercolor Painting technique in this post.

Enjoy!

April 2018 Plan With Me Video Playlist:

Pages I included in the April 2018 Plan With Me:

Welcome Page – Whimsical Planets Strung from the Sky
Simple Monthly Log
Weekly Pages (Moon Cycles, Watercolor Circles x2, Watercolor planets
Habit Tracking by Number

Pages in the Plan

One reason why I love to bullet journal is that I can customize each month to suit the upcoming plans. For instance, if I’m short on time one month but have a lot of plans, I plan out easy, no-fuss spreads with large sections for to do lists or daily appointments. Other months, I may need a little more art and ‘fluff’ in my life when I’m feeling down. Like many others, I use art as a self-care device and find it a wonderful outlet.

If I don’t have a special reason to change my bullet journal for the month, I tend to stick with a welcome page, a monthly page, a habit tracker, and weekly pages. I think the theme is what makes this month so special and so much fun. Who doesn’t need a bit of whimsy in their lives?

For some reason, I didn’t end up with a good picture of the fourth week of April for this plan with me. For that spread, I arranged the loose watercolor circles at the top instead of the bottom for a little variety. That’s the other thing that I love about bullet journaling – I don’t get bored with the same layout every week.

Weekly Bullet Journal Spread - Moon Cycles - Watercolor Painted with Crayola Markers- fun and simple weekly spread and layout | ChocolateMusings.com

Easy & Loose watercolor circles painted with Crayola Markers - add a bit of color to your bullet journal without any artistic talent | ChocolateMusings.com

Monthly Favorites

One of my favorite elements in this Plan With Me for April 2018 is the monthly badge I included on the monthly log page. The way the letters bend and curve around each other and the circle outline is so fun! I tried to make a badge with every month’s name, but September’s name is way too long!

Another favorite feature for this month is the unified color scheme. If you’re struggling with making a design cohesive, limit your color palette. Each element in your design will have a common element and better unify your creation.

One last favorite for this April 2018 Plan With Me has got to be the habit by number spread. With it’s flip out key, each habit is defined by a number. I find that giving my habits parameters (or expectations) I tend to try harder to meet those habits.

2018 April Welcome Page (Part 1) - Painted with Crayola Markers in a Loose, Whimsical Watercolor Space Theme | ChocolateMusings.com

2018 April Welcome Page (Part 2) - Painted with Crayola Markers in a Loose, Whimsical Watercolor Space Theme | ChocolateMusings.com

Question:

What’s your favorite theme you’ve tried (or seen) for the month? This circle one is high on the list for me.

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

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

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.)