Improve Your Handwriting Challenge - September
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.
So, for September it's going to be 30 days of handwriting prompts that will hopefully get you to start practicing your handwriting every day. The theme for this month's words is 'School'. And I thought it was very appropriate for this time of year. 📚🖊
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.
So, for September it's going to be 30 days of handwriting prompts that will hopefully get you to start practicing your handwriting every day. The theme for this month's words is 'School'. And I thought it was very appropriate for this time of year. 📚🖊
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
Pad And Quill Notebook Review
If you've been following me for a while, you'll know that I love testing and reviewing notebooks. Especially notebooks that are meant for bullet journaling. All through the years that I've been bullet journaling, I've tried lots of brands of dotted grid notebooks, and I get so excited when I find new notebooks that I haven't seen before. So, when the people from Pad & Quill contacted me to review and give my honest opinion about their notebooks, I immediately said yes.
If you've been following me for a while, you'll know that I love testing and reviewing notebooks. Especially notebooks that are meant for bullet journaling. All through the years that I've been bullet journaling, I've tried lots of brands of dotted grid notebooks, and I get so excited when I find new notebooks that I haven't seen before. So, when the people from Pad & Quill contacted me to review and give my honest opinion about their notebooks, I immediately said yes.
I received the package within the next few days and I liked how nicely and securely everything was packaged. I always pay attention to details, and I loved the wax seal with the company's logo.
I was also surprised that they've sent me not one but two notebooks and a leather case!
Leather Case
I'll start with the leather case that is amazing! It feels so soft and it is of very good quality.
It is their Deluxe Full-Grain Leather Journal Cover in medium size, which comes in two different colours. I have the 'Whiskey' colour which is a lovely light brown one.
It has a very sturdy and thick elastic band in black colour, and a lovely engraved detail of the company's logo at the back. It has parachute grade thread all around and elegant French-hemmed edges.
It has 2 business card slots on the inside and each case is discreetly signed on the inside by the artisan who crafted it. The dimensions of the leather case are 8.9in x 6.5in and it fits nicely A5 sized notebooks
I really like the quality of the leather case and it makes your bullet journal look more professional, no matter what notebook you're using.
Journal Notebook Medium
The first notebook I received was this lovely grey one. It is a linen cloth bound hardback in the colour London Grey. That is the only colour their notebooks come in, and it aims for a more classic and professional style, that is unisex as well.
It is slightly smaller than an A5 sized notebook with dimensions 8.3in x 5.6in. and has a Smyth-sewn lay flat bookbinding.
It has an elastic band closure and an expandable back pocket, which is always handy!
On the very first page you find a nameplate where you can add your details, followed by a 2-page table of contents.
The pages are numbered and the dots are very light grey that come 5mm apart. It also comes with 2 ribbon bookmarks in light grey and orange. The notebook has 192 pages of 100gsm acid-free recycled paper.
As always I tested my most used pens at one of the back pages of the notebook and I was surprised to see that it didn't do as well as I was expecting. There is definitely lots of ghosting but there was also some bleeding from the Tombow Fudesonuke pens and the Zebra Mildliners. However, there was no bleeding from the fountain pen, which I found really interesting.
Journal Notebook Small
The smaller notebook is simply adorable! The cover is made of the same fabric material as the first one, and it also comes in one grey colour as you can see in the picture. I was sent the plain paper one.
Apart from the plain pages, the smaller notebook has the same exact characteristics that the medium sized one has.
I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the all of the Pad & Quill products that I was sent. Especially the leather case was amazing and I would totally recommend it, if you're looking for a cover for your notebook. The notebooks are really good, for journaling. But if you like to draw and doodle with markers in your journals, be prepared because there will definitely be ghosting and possible bleeding through the pages. For more information about the Pad & Quill products, make sure to visit their website: www.padandquill.com
Have you used any of the Pad & Quill products? What do you think of them? Let me know in the comments below.
Traveling Bullet Journal
Around 2 years ago Helen from @journalwithpurpose had this amazing idea of creating a Traveling Bullet Journal. And when she announced it on Instagram, I was one of the first people to apply in order to take part in this cool project.
Around 2 years ago Helen from @journalwithpurpose had this amazing idea of creating a Traveling Bullet Journal. And when she announced it on Instagram, I was one of the first people to apply in order to take part in this cool project.
But, what is the Traveling Bullet Journal?
It is a bullet journal that travels around the world and every bullet journalist that takes part can create any type of spread they want in 2 of it's pages. It started it's journey on the 12th of September 2016 and it has been already in so many different countries - UK, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, USA, Spain, France, Austria and Italy! There is a page on Helen's blog where you can see pictures of what all the previous bullet journalist have created in it's pages.
When I was contacted by Helen to tell me that I was the next one to receive it, I was so so excited! I literally couldn't wait. And when I finally got it in the post, I spent so long going through all the pages and taking in all the details.
Pages created in the Traveling Bullet Journal
I thought it would be fun to share with you some of the pages that were created in the Traveling Bullet Journal so far, in order for you to see all the creativity and to get inspired.
@kvittie
My creations in the Traveling Bullet Journal
I won't deny that even though I was excited to take part in this project, when I decided to create my two-page spread in it I didn't know what to do! The possibilities were endless! Should I create a spread? Should I create something about the month we're in? Should I recreate a design / page that I'm known for? Should I do something new? I just couldn't decide.... In the end I decided to create the first page of the month - since it was going to be the first spread for August - and to create a new design.
The theme I chose was 'Mason Jars and Fireflies' and I think it turned out pretty good! I only used 3 pastel colours - light blue, light yellow and grey. I wanted a fun and pretty clean design and I think it came out ok!
On the next page I created my Monthly Log. Again I continued the theme so that the two pages match and I added some of my personal details, as if I was using that bullet journal for myself. I also added a small note for Helen and everyone that takes part, saying a few things about me and how grateful I am to take part in this amazing project!
What do you think of the Traveling Bullet Journal? Would you take part in a project like this? Let me know in the comments below.
Bullet Journal Ideas: 3 Weekly Spread Layouts for August 2018
In today's post I'll show you the 3 layouts I’m using for my weekly spreads in my bullet journal for August, 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 August the theme is 'Boho Feathers'.
In today's post I'll show you the 3 layouts I’m using for my weekly spreads in my bullet journal for August, 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 August the theme is 'Boho Feathers'.
This is my first monthly spread of August. You can see exactly how I've set it up in this video.
The second 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 third 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. And this week I also changed a bit my title banners for them to fit with the theme.
Adding various elements of your theme to 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 theme, I had to add various different beads and feathers throughout my spreads.
For the last weekly of the month, I decided to go with one of my favourite weekly layouts. I love that it separates your to-do list in categories, and you have the option to change the categories and also add more, if you wish.
SUPPLIES USED:
- Scribbles That Matter notebook
- Faber-Castell PITT Artist Pen in S, M
- Tombow Dual Brush Markers (673, 491, 990, 533, 553, N89, N95, 451, and 800)
- Sakura Pigma Micron 0.2, 0.3, 0.4
- Sakura Gelly Roll Pens 738, 721
So, these are the 3 weekly layouts for August. 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
Instagram Challenge: #doodlewithusinaugust2018
I'm excited to announce our Instagram Challenge for the month of August! 👏🏻
It's the #doodlewithusinaugust2018 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 'The Zoo' for this month. I seriously can't wait to start drawing!
I'm excited to announce our Instagram Challenge for the month of August! 👏🏻
It's the #doodlewithusinaugust2018 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 'The Zoo' for this month. I seriously can't wait to start drawing!
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 #doodlewithusinaugust2018 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 - August
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.
So, for August it's going to be 31 days of handwriting prompts that will hopefully get you to start practicing your handwriting every day. For this month the words have to do with 'Vacation'.
So with this theme you can practice your letters and at the same time dream or plan for your vacation! 😎
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.
So, for August it's going to be 31 days of handwriting prompts that will hopefully get you to start practicing your handwriting every day. For this month the words have to do with 'Vacation'.
So with this theme you can practice your letters and at the same time dream or plan for your vacation! 😎
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 August Set Up in my Bullet Journal + Video
I'd like to start this post by giving everyone a big virtual hug! Thank you for all the love you've shown to my July theme and that cute rubber ducky! You guys are amazing! 😍
Moving on, tomorrow we're leaving for our family summer vacations to Protara and Ayia Napa and I'm so excited! I'm also currently hiding behind a pile of summer clothes that I have to somehow fit in 2 suitcases! 😬 We definitely don't travel light!!!!
Therefore I'm glad that I've already set up my bullet journal for August, and I am in love with the theme I chose for this month! I decided to go with 'Boho Feathers' theme for this month, which I think turned out super cute!
I'd like to start this post by giving everyone a big virtual hug! Thank you for all the love you've shown to my July theme and that cute rubber ducky! You guys are amazing! 😍
Moving on, tomorrow we're leaving for our family summer vacations to Protara and Ayia Napa and I'm so excited! I'm also currently hiding behind a pile of summer clothes that I have to somehow fit in 2 suitcases! 😬 We definitely don't travel light!!!!
Therefore I'm glad that I've already set up my bullet journal for August, and I am in love with the theme I chose for this month! I decided to go with a 'Boho Feathers' theme for this month, which I think turned out super cute! I kept the colours minimal to light blues, soft pinks and purples. (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. I created an arrow with lots of feathers and beads. There's lots of pictures on line that can get you inspired in order to create your own designs. My advice is to not overthink about it. There's not a right or wrong, and it definitely doesn't have to be perfect. Plan your design with a pencil like I do, if that makes you feel more comfortable and just have fun!
The theme continues into my Monthly Spread. I went back to my separate boxes layout which as you know I love and use all the time. I liked the other layout I used in July, however I found it a bit confusing at times... I guess when you're used to something it's difficult to change things up... But the good thing with bullet journaling is that you can try new things and if they don't work, you can simply change it.
This layout also gave me enough space to continue the theme and decorate the spread with more feathers, beads, an arrow and a dream catcher.
From then on my spreads continue as usual. The next spread is my Monthly Goals with my Personal and Business categories. August is a more laid back month, so I don't plan to work too much. I've decided to spend more time with my family and to plan lots of excursions! However, I'm still going to do some planning, therefore I created all the spreads that I usually do in the previous months.
I love how I incorporated the theme in my Monthly Focus spread as well, and the two pages work perfectly together.
Next comes my 'Areas of Focus / Tasks to Complete' spread. Planning each week separately is very helpful, especially when there's lots of trips and excursions to plan ahead!
Next comes my Finances spread. I'll be going to London in August for a few days, so I think I should have made the expenses list a bit bigger!!! 😂 My wish list has grown dramatically and it looks very scary and excited at the same time!!!
Next comes my Notes page as always. I keep on adding lots of things in my notes page each month, and I think I might start making it into a 2-page spread from next month! We'll see...
The last spread is the first Weekly Spread of the month. I love the details of the arrows and how cute this page looks!
SUPPLIES USED:
- Scribbles That Matter notebook
- Faber-Castell PITT Artist Pen in S, M
- Tombow Dual Brush Markers (673, 491, 990, 533, 553, N89, N95, 451, and 800)
- Sakura Pigma Micron 0.2, 0.3, 0.4
- Sakura Gelly Roll Pens 738, 721
And that is one more month planned in my bullet journal. Have you decided on August'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
Dingbats Notebook Review
I've been bullet journaling for over 2 years now, and during all this time I've used and tried various notebooks. More specifically I've used a Moleskine, a William & Hannah one, a Jane's Agenda notebook, lots of Leuchtturm1917 ones and my last one has been a Scribbles That Matter notebook.
I'm always keen to try new notebooks! I love testing the pages and creating in them!
I've been bullet journaling for over 2 years now, and during all this time I've used and tried various notebooks. More specifically I've used a Moleskine, a William & Hannah one, a Jane's Agenda notebook, lots of Leuchtturm1917 ones and my last one has been a Scribbles That Matter notebook.
I'm always keen to try new notebooks! I love testing the pages and creating in them!
I've been wanting to try the Dingbats notebook or a while now. I kept on hearing lots of good reviews about it, and a few YouTubers that I follow use one. When the Earth Collection was released, I knew I had to buy one. And since my 4th bullet journal is almost finished, I was just about to make a purchase. The lovely people from Dingbats were kind enough to send me one of their notebooks for review and of course I jumped at the opportunity!
It arrived perfectly packaged within a few days! And I have to tell you, it was love at first sight!
I've chosen the 'Great Barrier Reef' one from the Earth Collection in A5 size, with dotted pages which comes in a lovely sky blue colour. The pictures just don't make justice of how pretty the colour and the design of this notebook is!
The quality is amazing, the finish and the details of the design are exceptional. And as you can tell I'm very pleased with my new notebook and I can't wait to start creating in it!
There is an elastic band in black colour to keep the notebook closed, and a pen holder.
The cover of the notebook is very soft and smooth. It is bound with pearlescent PU leather (100% vegan) with a Great Barrier Reef debossing. I love how cute and elegant it looks!
Printed on the inside cover of the notebook is an infographic spread for you to explore more about the reef, its threats and how we can help save it.
The next page is this lovely blue page full of fish, corals and turtles, which I think is such a lovely touch. And on the opposite page, it has a section for you to write your name and all your details, which I really like.
Then there is a page with a guide which explains how to use the new feature of page tabs that are included in the notebook, and get the most out of it. It also shows how to create your own key.
So, on the Tab Key page, you can create a list of categories of the pages you'll create in your bullet journal. For example, you can write Monthly Spreads, Weekly Spreads, various collections you might have on certain topics like family, finances, health, travel etc. You can add and personalise your notebook any way you want!
Then you assign a colour for each one of the above topics and you colour the corresponding tab on your key page. These tabs are on all the pages in the notebook, and so as you write in your journal you apply the appropriate colour to the tab on the page. So, even when your notebook is closed you can easily identify items through the colours on the visible edge.
I think that it's such a cool idea and it makes it easier for you to find things in your bullet journal!
Then you can turn the page and create your own Colour Key and add your own signifiers for the things you want to log in your pages, i.e. your tasks, birthdays, appointments etc.
Moving further, there are 3 pages for the Index, which I really like. It gives you plenty of room to write things down, and to also categorise your topics.
Then there are 4 pages dedicated to Future Log. There are also lines at the edge of the pages that help you create a grid if you want for your future log. too.
At the back you also find the back pocket that, as you can see in the picture below, it has those designs I mentioned before, throughout. These details add to the quality of this notebook.
You also get a little leaflet with all the various collections and lots of information on their products.
There's two bookmarks in two different colours - blue and black.
The pages are numbered. Each page is of 100gsm coated cream fountain pen-friendly FSC-certified paper, with a total of 96 sheets or 192 pages. And the notebook can open flat. The dots on the page are 5mm apart (like the Leuchtturm1917), and they are in light grey colour.
It has 28 boxes horizontally and 39 vertically, which is slightly bigger from any other notebook I've used.
To compair, Scribbles That Matter has 26 and 37 while Leuchtturm1917 has 26 and 38 respectively.
I have to say that even before I wrote on this notebook the feel of the pages was a m a z i n g!!! I don't have any other notebook that it's pages feel so good to the touch! I'm impressed!
After creating a pen test page at the back of the notebook, with all my most used pens and markers, I have to say that I'm in love! 😍 Apart from the Fudenosuke brush pen (hard), which I admittedly pressed a bit more than I should for some reason, everything else is almost not even noticeable at the back of the page. Very very slight ghosting, even with my fountain pen!
I'm very pleased with my new notebook and I can't wait to start using it and setting it up!
What notebook are you using for your bullet journal? Have you used a Dingbats one before? What do you think of them?