Going on Vacation with your Bullet Journal

In today's blog post I'll show you how you can use your bullet journal while you're on vacation. I love the many uses a bullet journal has, and that each person can adjust it to his/hers lifestyle and circumstances.

So, while you're on vacation, you can create the pages and collections that you want. It's also so practical, because you have everything in one place and you take it with you as well!

Packing List

So, the first thing you can add to your bullet journal is the packing list. And the best thing about it is that you have it with you. So, after your vacation is over and you're packing to leave you can double check that you've taken everything and nothing is left behind! (I know I've done my fair share of forgotten items in hotel rooms, from my bathing suit to my phone!!! 😬)

You also have it archived in your bullet journal to use for any other trip you may have, without having to create another one.

I've also created a Packing List for a Summer Vacation Printable for anyone that's interested. It's my go to list and I love how practical it is. 

If you prefer not to write your packing list in your Bullet Journal, or if you prefer to have it on a piece of paper like that, then this list is for you ;)

I tried to include everything I could think of that someone might need for their summer holidays. But I also left space under each category so that you can add any missing items you wish to take with you. There is also  a 'Before I Leave' space, as well as a space for Notes.

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Maps

@my_blue_sky_design

You can create a map of the country or the place you're going to. That's perfect if you're planning a road trip, so that you can document all the places you visit.

You can also have a map in your bullet journal where you add all the places you've already been, and keep on adding every time you go to a new one.

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Itinerary

Having all the information about your trip in one place is such a good idea. That way you won't forget anything and you can just check on one page for everything you need!

@pages2plans

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Planning

You can use your bullet journal to pre-plan your trip or to note down interesting things you've found for that place you're going to visit.

You can add beaches, museums etc. that you'd like to check out while you're there, type of foods you'd like to try or restaurants that people might have recommended, and so on.

@glamazingsarah

@emschwartzrdn

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Journal

I believe journaling is a must when you are on holidays. I always like to journal while I'm on vacation. It relaxes me and at the same time I keep all the memories I want in my notebook. My bullet journal lets me to be as creative as I want and I love it!

I decided to use the dutch door system in my latest vacation trip. I wanted to document my days during our holidays, but I also wanted to have certain information and sections at hand. It worked perfectly for what I wanted to do, and I’m really happy with the result!

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So, these are a few ways you can use your bullet journal while you're on vacation. 

Do you use your bullet journal while you're on vacation? What other pages or spreads do you create in it? 

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Bullet Journal Ideas: 5 Weekly Spread Layouts for July 2018

In today's post I'll show you the 5 layouts I’m using for my weekly spreads in my bullet journal for July, and how I've decorated them. 

I tend to have 3-4 layouts for my weekly spreads which I rotate during the month. And of course I try to make them more interesting by decorating them according to that month’s theme. For July the theme is 'Rubber Duck and Bubble Bath'.

This is my first monthly spread of July. You can see exactly how I've set it up in this video.

My second Weekly is a new layout that I'm trying for this month. Again I'm using vertical boxes for the days, but I've also made space for general to-do lists for this and the next month, as well as a box dedicated to our meals for this week. 

The rubber ducky looks adorable as always and I really like how this weekly turned out.

The third spread is a classic one that I'm using every month. It gives me a lot of space to add all the things I want, plus I can use the space on the left page for doodling (like I did) or to add more sections if I need to.

I kept the colours very simple and pastel, as always. I think it's very important to decide which colour palette you're going to use for your theme from the beginning. It makes things easier, and more consistent.

You can find all the supplies I used at the end of this post.

The fourth weekly spread is again a vertical layout. I always like to add accent lines in my spreads. I think it adds colour without too much effort and makes things more coherent. I usually choose pastel colours that won't interfere with my writing.

Adding various elements of your theme on your spreads, makes things more interesting and less monotonous. So, when you choose a theme, think of all the elements and doodles you can create - like an inspiration board.

For this month there was a 5th weekly as well!!! So, I decided to go with one of my favourite weekly layouts. I love it separates your to-do list in categories, and you have the option to change the categories and also add more, if you wish.

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SUPPLIES USED:

• Scribbles That Matter notebook
• Faber-Castell PITT Artist Pen in S, F, B
• Tombow Dual Brush Markers (620, 491, 451, 800, 062, N89 and N95)
• Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen (hard)

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So, these are the 5 weekly layouts for July. I hope you liked this post and that you found some inspiration for your own weekly layouts. If you liked the theme and you'd like to recreate it, please send me some pictures. I'd love to see your pages!! You can always contact me at christina77star@gmail.com

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Instagram Challenge: #doodlewithusinjuly2018

I'm excited to announce our Instagram Challenge for the month of July! 👏🏻

It's the #doodlewithusinjuly2018 Instagram Challenge created by me and Alexandra (from @alexandra_plans).

It's going to be 31 days of doodles that will hopefully get you to be creative and have fun! We're going with a 'Desserts' for this month. I seriously can't wait to start drawing (and eating some!)!

As we did before, all the doodles are part of one big comprehensive picture. Imagine each day to be one piece of the puzzle. So, at the end of the month you will have one big doodle picture! :)

If you decide to follow this way, you'll have to create a table with 5x6 +1 boxes and you shouldn't add the days on the top. You can also make the boxes and dates in pencil, if you don't want the lines to obscure the end result. It's totally up to you.

Of course, if you prefer to draw the doodles in the traditional way, that's absolutely fine as well. The important thing is to have fun!

You can also download a free printable with the daily prompts here.

If you want to join us then:

• Follow me (Christina) @christina77star and Alexandra @alexandra_plans over on Instagram.
• Download the prompts below.
• Draw something according to the day's prompt, take a photo of it, and share it with us on Instagram. 
• Don't forget to add the hashtag #doodlewithusinjuly2018 and spread the word.
• Everyone is welcome!

We're excited to see what you'll share! 

Thank you for joining in!

Christina x

Improve Your Handwriting Challenge - July

I'm back with one more "Improve your Handwriting Challenge"!

It's a fun way to practice daily, keep a photo archive of your handwriting and see how you've improved through time. You can also interact online with other people doing the same challenge, and also you can get inspired by others' handwriting too.

It's going to be 31 days of handwriting prompts that will hopefully get you to start practicing your handwriting every day. For July I've chosen words that are similar to the word 'happy'. 

With this theme you can practice both your letters and use it at the same time as an affirmation to bring more happiness and positivity in your day! ☺️

HERE'S HOW TO PARTICIPATE:

• Follow me (Christina) @christina77star over on Instagram.
• If you want, you can download and print the monthly prompts here.
• Each day there is a corresponding prompt, that you simply have to write on a piece of paper. You can also choose to have a dedicated notebook for your daily handwriting practice. Try and focus on the word and the letters as you write them. You can repeat the word as many times as you want. Look at the way that you wrote the word the first time and the way you wrote it the last time. Is there a difference? Do you think you need to work on a specific letter? 
• Take a photo of your practice and tag it with #improveyourhandwritingchallenge, so that it gets added to the feed.
• At the end of each month look back at your practice pages and see how you've improved.
• Make sure to encourage each other and have fun!
• Please share this post to spread the word and invite others to join in the fun and improve their handwriting as well!

Thank you for joining in!

Christina x

Plan With Me: My July Set Up in my Bullet Journal + Video

I'd like to start this post by saying that I'm amazed by how many of you tried my theme for June! The response was unbelievable and I'm so happy and thankful that I inspired you to try and recreate my design! I loved seeing your pictures and recreations! 😍

Moving on to this post, summer is officially here and I'm not going to lie, I am so ready for my vacations 😎 ! June has been a whirlwind and one of the busiest months for sure! So, I can't wait for more carefree times with the family, by the pool or at the beach...! 🌴👙

I'm already set up in my bullet journal and I am loving the theme I chose for this month! 🦆🛁 I wanted again something different, not your usual 'summer theme', and in the end I decided to go with 'a rubber ducky having a bath' theme, which I think is adorable! I kept the colours minimal to light blues, greys and soft pink and yellow. (You can check all the supplies I used for this theme at the end of this post 😉)

Make sure you scroll down to the bottom of the post, because there's also a video, where I'm showing you exactly how I've created each spread.

We start with the Cover Page of the month. Here you can see the rubber ducky in all his glory having a lovely bubble bath! This reminded me that I need to arrange some much needed 'me time' and a luxurious bubble bath like this, very soon! 🛁

The theme continues into my Monthly Spread. This time I decided to do things a bit differently. I got inspired by the lovely Eve (@_intosimple) and her monthly spread, that I mentioned in my previous blog post on '20 Monthly Spread Layouts for your Bullet Journal'. So, instead of my usual separate boxes, I chose to create these columns of boxes that you can see in the picture above. I really like this effect and it is very convenient to organise the days of the month on your notebook. The only thing I noticed is that I haven't put the days of the week, but I might add those later. But of course you can leave it as it is if you want.

This layout also gave me enough space to continue the theme and decorate the spread with the rubber ducky, his soap and lots of bubbles! 

From then on my spreads continue as usual. The next spread is my Monthly Goals, separated as always in Personal and Business. By writing things down I keep myself accountable and I actually do the things I need to do to reach my goals. When I shared June's similar spread on Instagram, it was nice to see that lots of you are doing the same thing each month 

My Monthly Goals spread goes hand in hand with my Monthly Focus one. Candi on Instagram mentioned that she uses a 6th category - Intellectual - which I find very interesting and I might start using it from next month. As I've mentioned before, these are the five pillars of a harmonic life, as taught in 'Harmonic Wealth: The Secret of attracting the life you want' by James Arthur Ray. And on this page you basically write what you want to improve during this month in each of those categories.

Next comes my 'Areas of Focus / Tasks to Complete' spread. I explained in my video exactly how I use all of the above spreads I've mentioned, in order to plan my goals and my tasks during the month. I've been using this process since March and I have to say that it's helped me a lot with my planning and my productivity!

Next comes my Finances spread. When you write things down it's very easy to see where your money goes each month! If you need more space for your finances, you can turn this into a 2-page spread, where you have your Income on one page and your Expenses on the other.

Each month my Notes page is one of my favourites. Plus it's one of the most practical and functional ones! So, here's the one for July with the rubber ducky, of course!

I skipped my '2 lines per day' spread this month. I usually keep a journal for the summer where I like to write more about my days and my holidays, and so on. So, I thought that keeping a spread like that would be redundant. 

Therefore, my next spread is the first Weekly Spread of the month. I love how cute the little bath tub looks in the notes section and how simple this spread looks. I love this layout. It's very basic but it gives you lots of space to plan and decorate your spread the way you want. 

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SUPPLIES USED:

• Scribbles That Matter notebook
• Faber-Castell PITT Artist Pen in S, F, B
• Tombow Dual Brush Markers (620, 491, 451, 800, 062, N89 and N95)
• Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen (hard)

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And that is one more month planned in my bullet journal. Have you decided on July's theme yet? Do you prepare ahead of time, or you like to start planning on the 1st of each month? Let me know in the comments below. Also, if you use the same theme like me, please send me a picture of it at christina77star@gmail.com

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20 Monthly Spread Layouts for your Bullet Journal - Ideas and Inspiration

One of the best things about bullet journaling for me is the fact that you can change any layout to suit your needs. You can create your own totally from scratch, or you can get inspired from all the amazing fellow bullet journalists online. You can see how they do things and then try to take that layout and make it your own.

I have to admit that over the years that I've been bullet journaling, I've tried a few different monthly spread layouts, but I seem to navigate towards a certain way of setting up my monthly log. However, there are so many different ways to create your monthly spread! 

So, today I thought of sharing with you some amazing monthly log layouts that I found, and some that I made myself, in order to get you inspired. Let's get started! 

Julia - @bulletbyjulia

You can create your monthly log in one page, like Julia has. Or you can create a two-page spread like the one Aimi has created in her bullet journal. 

Aimi - @deskgraphy

You can choose to connect the squares, so that you have more space to write, or you can leave a gap in between them.

Nina - @bujobeyond

Christina - @christina77star

Eve - @_intosimple

I love how Eve has chosen to create her monthly log with vertical columns. 

Erin - @thepetitplanner

If you still prefer to have a one-page monthly log, but you want more space to write, simply turn it and create it sideways on the page. That way you have the next page empty to add all your tracker, goals and to-do lists.

Kit - lawyerd

And of course there is the option of no boxes at all! The way Kit does it, by drawing only the vertical lines.

studytako

Moving on, we go to another layout for your monthly spread, that seems to be quite popular lately. You simply write the days and dates of the month in two parallel lines. And then you just add the events to each day. That can be done horizontally, like you can see in the picture above.

Nat - @bujowithnato

Or it can be done vertically. I like how Roberta below, adds lines with her highlighters to denote the weekends in her planner.

Roberta - @qualcosadierre

If you want you can add a vertical line in the middle of the page to add events for two different categories. Haley below separated her monthly planning in work and personal events.

Haley - @haleyjournals

Kay - @kacplanner

Kay has gotten really creative and added two different columns in the middle of the page with the dates of the month.

Inga - @ingasbujo

You can even go ahead and add three columns so that you can add events for 3 different categories, if you wish.

Christina - @christina77star

Amanda - @simpifybujo

One of my favourite monthly spreads is the one that Amanda created above, where she has two different types of monthly planning on one spread! Genius!

Kimmy - @bumblebujo

Moving on to the monthly spread done in a circle. That is a very cute and creative way to add your monthly log in your journal. And you can keep it as minimal or as creative as you want.

@dutch_color_love

Marie - @metro_boulot_bujo

And of course you can take things to the next level and a completely unique layout for your monthly log. Like Marie has done in the picture above, where she has turned her monthly spread into a board game! I love it!

Ellie - iatetoomuchsigmapi

Lastly, but not least there are the monthly spreads where apart from your events list, you also add all the things you want to track, your goals, the books you want to read etc. and you create a very personalised spread for you.

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So these were 7 different layouts and 20 amazing monthly spreads for you to get inspired. Have you tried any of the above layouts? What is your favourite one?

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Bullet Journal Ideas: 3 Weekly Spread Layouts for June 2018

Continuing from last month, I decided to create a similar post for June as well. In this post I'll show you the 3 layouts I’m using for my weekly spreads in my bullet journal for June, and how I decorated them. 

I tend to have 3-4 layouts for my weekly spreads which I rotate during the month. And of course I try to make them more interesting by decorating them according to that month’s theme. For June the theme is Photos and Summer memories.

This is the first weekly spread for June, and you can find exactly how I created it in my monthly plan with me video.

This is the second weekly spread for June. It is a layout that is inspired by @penpapersoul⠀on Instagram. I continue the theme with the pictures, the ice-creams and all that.

I deliberately chose pastel colours that are completely different from what you'd usually use to colour all these doodles.

You can find all the supplies I used at the end of this post.

For the third weekly spread I chose again a vertical layout with all these hanging signs and pictures. And as you should know by now, I love to add some accent coloured lines in my spreads. I like the effect they give with minimum effort.

As you can see my doodles are quite raw and far from perfect. And that is the look I wanted to go with. I wanted to show you that you can do something cute and fun without it being a masterpiece. You should create things in your journal that you enjoy and feel fun.

The last spread of the month was inspired again by the lovely @momruncraft  on Instagram. I have to say that this is one of my most favourite layouts. I like that it separates your to-do list in categories. And of course you can add any category you want. I added: work, personal and meals.

I particularly enjoy writing in the section of the happy daily thought. It's nice to start with something positive each day 

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SUPPLIES USED:

• Scribbles That Matter notebook
• Faber-Castell PITT Artist Pen in S, F, B
• Tombow Dual Brush Markers (491, 451, 452, 443, 553, 673, N75 and N95)

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So, these are the last 3 weekly layouts for June. I hope you liked this post and that you found some inspiration for your own weekly layouts. If you liked the theme and you'd like to recreate it, please send me some pictures. I'd love to see your pages!! You can always contact me at christina77star@gmail.com

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Brush Lettering for Beginners: The Basic Tools and Techniques

What is Brush Lettering?

Brush Lettering is a calligraphic style of lettering, in which the letters are formed with lines of different thickness. By using a marker or pen with a brush nib, you apply pressure to create those lines. On the upstrokes, you use light pressure and on the down strokes, you use heavier pressure to create thicker lines.

Brush lettering takes some practice but it’s really fun once you get the hang of it.

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Paper

By using the right type of paper, you'll get a better result. Your pens will write more smoothly and your lines will look more straight and well formed. Also the right type of paper will protect the nibs of your brush pens from getting damaged. I prefer to use marker paper for my brush lettering, and my favourite one is the Canson Artist Series Pro Paper. 

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Pens

For this style you need some type of brush pen. Try different pens and see which one you prefer the most. The thing to look when you're buying a pen is the thickness of the nib and how soft it is.

My favourite ones that I constantly use are:

• Tombow Dual Brush Markers
• Tombow Fuden Osuke Brush pens ( with both hard and soft nibs )
• Faber - Castell PITT artist pen B
• Pentel Aquash Water Brush

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How to hold the pen

You might notice that you're holding the pen differently than the way you normally do in your every day handwriting. If you're holding it vertically towards the paper, it will be very hard to create smooth and consistent upstrokes and downstrokes. I'd advise you to hold the pen in a 45 degree angle. That will help you a lot with your lines, and it will prevent you from damaging the nib of your pen.

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Practice

The best tip I can give you is to practice as much as you can. And then practice some more. And don't start from the letters. Oh no! Start from your drills with the basic lines to perfect your upstrokes and downstrokes first. These are excellent warm up exercises as well before you start any brush lettering practice.

Then you can move on to practicing the letters and how to connect them to form the words. Choose to practice with words that have repetitive up and down movement. For example, words like ’minimum’ and ‘aluminium' are ideal for that.

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Tips

• Be creative with your practice, so that you don't lose interest.
• Use different pens, colours and watercolours to make it more fun.
• Try and be consistent with your lines that form each letter, and with all the letters that form each word.
• Use guides, especially in the beginning, to create muscle memory.
• Experiment with bouncy letters as well.

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Uses

Apart from it being a very nice way of writing, brush lettering can be used in many different ways. 

• You can add it in your bullet journal or your diary to personalise your pages and be more creative with them. I tend to use brush lettering for the months or the days in my bullet journal. I also use it in the titles of my pages and to any quotes I add in my journal.
• You can create unique wall art with it. Choose your favourite quote, saying, poem etc. and place it creatively on a piece of paper using brush lettering. Then frame it and add in on your wall. Or you can give it as a present.
• You can create your own personalised cards (birthday cards, xmas cards etc.)

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Brush Lettering with the iPad Pro

Even though I truly believe you should start with the traditional way - pen and paper and lots of practice - since I've got my iPad Pro I have fallen in love with brush lettering again, and the many possibilities of it!

** Note that I don't suggest that you should purchase an iPad Pro in order to practice your brush lettering. But if you have one, or you're planning to get one, then it's definitely another creative way to practice your brush lettering skills.

Basic iPad Brush Lettering Tools:

• iPad Pro (I'm currently using the 12.9")
• Apple Pencil
• Procreate App

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Want to learn brush lettering with me?

Grab my Brush Lettering Practice Guide now!

This Practice Guide has everything you'll need to practice your Brush Lettering.

Use the practice sheets and set a daily practice routine in order to improve your brush lettering and become better and better. The more you practice the better your brush lettering skills will get.

The Brush Lettering Practice Guide includes the following:

• Detailed instructions to help you use the practice sheets and some tips and suggestions to get you started.
• Suggested Practice Schedule for 45 days.
• Drills / Basic Shapes Practice Sheet
• 26 Practice Sheets - one for each letter in both upper and lowercase form.
• 3 Express Practice Sheets of the small letters.
• 3 Express Practice Sheets of the capital letters.
• Connection Words Practice Sheet.
• A Pangram Practice Sheet and a list of Pangrams for you to choose for your practice.
• 3 Quotes Practice Sheets and a list of Quotes for you to choose for your practice.
• Affirmations list to use as prompts for your practice.
• 4 different types of empty practice paper to practice your own words. 

This downloadable digital guide comes in PDF format, so that you can easily identify which pages you’d like to print. And you can print as many copies as you want, without worrying about messing up your practice sheets.

You also get the Practice Guide in PNG format as well, to use with your iPad Pro and Procreate App.

Get the guide now and improve your brush lettering skills.

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