Journaling with Derwent

Hello and happy New Year!  How is 2020 treating you so far?  To be honest it already feels like we are on day 81 of January and Christmas was a lifetime ago, roll on February!

I know the blog has been quiet for the last couple of months, I have been working on another project for a stationery company and I've taken on some extra work too but I do have some posts lined up for you and they should up soon.  

I have also been on the Derwent blog this week with post about journaling if you want to check that out, you can find it here.  Please pop over and leave me a comment!

Thanks for stopping by!

Planner Friday - July

Who's ready for another Planner Friday?  Please pop over to the Trendy Twine blog and check out my latest post!

It's finally summer and the schools have broken up for the holidays here in the UK!  I am all set for fun in the sun, days out and lots of adventures which I want to document in my cute little travellers notebook and Annie's Paper Boutique have the perfect stamps to help me do it!

Products used: Choose Happy stamps

Documenting The Everyday stamps

Documenting The Everyday #2 stamps

Used but not pictured: Mini calendar card

Camera paper clip

Kraft tag-its

How's The Weather stamps

You & Me stamps

Perfect Pairs stamps

Foodies stamps

Drinks & More stamps

I wanted to create a spread I could fill in whenever something memorable happened during the break so I got out my stamps and planning essentials and set to work!

My summer holiday spread

I started with a strip of washi tape along the top of the page and then added a sweet mini calendar which I filled in with the dates for August.  I am going to use this to record any important dates during the month and the week my husband has booked off work.

I used stamps from the Documenting The Everyday #1 & #2 sets to make sections for my memories and stories so now I have space for Family Time, So Fun, Time With Friends and room for my favourite photo I take over the summer.

Creating sections

I stamped my kraft tag-it with the Details stamp from the Documenting The Everyday #2 set and glued it next to the place I had made for my photo so I can write about when and where the picture was taken and why it is important to me.

You can read the rest of my post here.

Thanks for stopping by!

Artline Monday - Plans for the summer holidays in my bullet journal

I started counting down the weeks until the summer holidays some time ago, I just can't wait for the schools to break up and to have my children home with me!  We are going to have so much fun whatever the weather is like (but I'm crossing my fingers for lots of sun!) so I thought I'd jot down a few ideas in my bullet journal to keep me going until they begin. 

My summer plans made with Artline Stix & fineliners

I split my pages into two sections, things to do on rainy days and things to do on sunny days and then I used my Artline Stix brush pens and Fineliners to create this spread.  The Stix brush pens are great to use for larger cursive writing and pairing them with the much smaller nib of the fineliners makes a nice contrast and my lettering look more interesting.

I don't actually mind the occasional rainy day over the six weeks, especially if I don't have to leave the house.  It's quite nice to curl up on the sofa with the kids and watch a film or read a book together.

We also have lots of board games packed away for wet and windy days, our favourite is Pay Day but if we have a lot of time to kill then we get out Monopoly.  Splashy the Whale isn't really a board game but it's still lots of fun if you don't mind getting squirted with water!

Summer fun on rainy days

My girls enjoy doing all kinds of arts and crafts when we are stuck inside, the last time they were off and it rained a lot we painted some #ArtlineRocks and made lots of colourful pompoms.

My youngest daughter still loves to build forts, I give her blankets, sheets and pegs and she will cover the room until she is happy with her creation.  I sometimes think she will be an architect when she grows up as she makes different areas and rooms inside the fort like bedrooms and reading corners.   

If we have to go outside in the rain then we will wrap up warm, put on our wellies and grab the giant umbrella to keep us dry or just the wellies and jump in the puddles, it's still fun to do even as an adult!

Summer fun on sunny day

I am looking forward to the sunny days the most though, I love spending time outside with the kids!  This summer we are going to go rock hunting and explore new places we haven't been before.  We will pack a picnic and take our dogs to the forest near us and have an adventure, I'm picturing some kind of Famous Five story but without the smugglers or crooks!  Oh and definitely no ginger beer, I really don't like that!

Long sunny days were made for barbecues so we will be having quite a few of them over the summer.  My favourite thing about a BBQ is that my husband does all the cooking and I am just on salad making duty while the children play football or tennis or their own version of cricket which no one really knows the rules to or how to win!

I really enjoyed creating this spread in my journal, it was lovely to spend some time day dreaming about the holidays and then using my pens to write and doodle all my plans.  Putting pen to paper makes them all feel more real and within reach, I hope the next five weeks go by quickly! 

If you are interested in setting up your own bullet journal then take a look at my Bullet Journal Basics post to get you started or if you'd like to give hand lettering and calligraphy a go then read this post for some ideas.

Have you started making any plans for the summer yet?

Artline Monday - Quick journalling

Sometimes journalling can feel like hard work.  It isn't always easy to think of things to write and it can become just one more task you have to complete instead of a way to reflect on and record your day.  Last year I came across a quick and easy method to record my feelings in my travellers notebook that I want to share with you today.  It is called My year in pixels and once you have created your layout journalling will only take you a couple of minutes each day.

Quick journalling with my Artline pens

The great thing about My year in pixels is that you can use it in any kind of journal or diary.  It is perfect for bullet journals, notebooks, TNs and planners so whatever system you use you can give it a go!  You can also start it at any time of year so you don't have to wait until January rolls around again.

Draw a grid 31 x 12 squares

The first thing you need to do is draw a rectangle, I have found grid or dotted paper is the easiest to use for this but if have plain paper you can measure it out with a ruler.  Make your rectangle so you have 31 boxes by 12, you can do this either vertically or horizontally it is up to you which way you prefer it.  I drew mine on dotted paper so I used a ruler to join all the dots together to give me a proper grid.  

Each small square or pixel in the grid represents one day, label the 12 squares with the months (so if you want to start journalling today start with February and label through to January) and the 31 squares with 1 through to 31.  If your boxes are quite small like mine you might want to just label every 5 days like I have done as it's hard to squish all the numbers in.  For the months that have less than 31 days in them cross out the extra boxes or use some skinny washi tape to cover them up.  You should then be left with 365 days to colour in.

Journalling key

The next step is to create the key for your pixels.  Choose six different colours and label them with sets of feelings.  You want the feelings represented by the same colour to be similar to each other so for example you shouldn't make happy and sad both the same colour otherwise when you look back at your journal you won't know if you had a good or bad day.  I have split my six colours into two sets of brilliant and happy feelings, two sets of okay and fair to middling feelings and two sets of sad and anxious feelings.  I think these sets cover all of my emotions so they work well for me.  If you usually have more happy and upbeat days than sad or upset days (yay!) then you will want more colours that represent positive feelings and less for the negative ones. 

When I used this system last year I coloured the squares in with pencil crayon but I found as time went on the crayons looked wishy-washy and I wrinkled the paper by colouring harder to make the colours brighter.  This year I am using my Artline200 fineliners as the nibs are nice and small for the boxes and the colours really standout on the pages.

You can decorate the blank spaces on your pages if you want to, I used some washi tape and stickers but you can paint, draw or doodle on them if you are more artistic than me!

My year in pixels

Now you have set up your yearly grid all you need to do is take some time each evening to reflect on your day and then choose a colour that most represents how you have been feeling.  Once you have decided use that colour to fill in the pixel for the day and you are done!  It takes up so much less time to journal this way but you still get a record of how your year has been.

So does this way of journalling appeal to you or do you prefer to write down how you have been feeling and what you have been up to each day?

Thanks for stopping by!

Artline Monday - Christmas memory keeping

Can you believe that by the end of the week it will be December?  I don't know about you but I always feel like everything speeds up at this time of year and then suddenly it's January!  This year I've decided to keep a record of December, my youngest won't be little forever and I want to remember these times with her while she still believes in the magic of Christmas.  

Bullet journal style memory keeping

I've have a couple of ways to document the month I want to show you.  The first is my bullet journal layout.  You might remember my previous bullet journal post where I showed you how to get started and set up your journal, well I have a new journal which I am going to use solely for Christmas.  It is bright red and I thought it would be perfect for keeping track of our festive period over the years and it would become a nice keepsake for us to look back on.

The first spread covers the first week of December.  I used some stickers and washi tape for decoration and then gave myself sections to record things that happen that week using my Artline brush markers, fineliners and permanent markers.  The headings are Made me smile, Noteworthy, Favourite memory, Traditions, Holiday deliciousness and Elf mischief.  I feel the need to explain the elf one, we have an elf who visits us every December and he gets up to all sorts of things while he is here like covering our tree in toilet paper or filling the children's shoes with sweets.  Anyway I would like to record what he gets up to while he is with us, mainly so he doesn't repeat the same tricks each year.

I have also created a space for me to glue in a photograph for this week.  I usually take a lot of pics during December so I want to get a few of the best ones printed and keep them here inside my journal instead of left on my phone or camera.

More bullet journal ideas

For the second week I used more washi tape and stickers but I also used a couple of my Artline stamps as they matched my gold theme.  The gold star xclamations stamp is really easy to use because it is self inking so you just need to put it on the paper and press the top down.  The Merry Christmas stamp is the same design as well so I don't have to mess around with ink pads and stamp blocks to use these images.  For this week's headings I changed things up so I won't be writing about the same things over and over, the only sections I have kept the same are for the photograph and the elf's activities.  I used my yellow Artline brush marker and fineliner for the headings and then my gold Supreme metallic marker for some extra decoration.

I will be setting up the final three weeks of December over the next couple of days, if you have any suggestions for me please let me know!

  

December spread in my art journal

If bullet journalling isn't your thing you might prefer my art journal spread.  I have used two pages to record some of my favourite things about December and what I am looking forward to.  I love watching Christmas films, to be honest my girls and I have been watching them since the start of November but we have saved the best ones for December and I have a list of them on the first page.  On the second page I have a few different sections, the list on the journal tag is the things I need to do but they are also things I love to do too!  Then there are a few of my favourite festive food and drinks and a reminder to leave out some cookies and milk for Father Christmas and a carrot for Rudolph.  Lastly there is a space for a photo of my children that I am going to take on Christmas Eve when they are in their new pjs and excited about the big day!

Will you be keeping a record of your December?

Artline Monday - Ways to relax

So it's the middle of November and my Christmas plans are in full swing now but I still find myself stressing over getting everything ready in time, I guess I'm just a worrier!  I thought I would share with you some ways I relax when I feel a little frazzled in case you find yourself feeling more frustrated than festive over the next few weeks!

Ways to relax

Colouring books

I love how colouring in has become a big thing for adults now, there are so many different types of books to choose from so finding one to suit your style is easy.  Taking ten or twenty minutes out of my day to work on one of my pages relaxes me quickly, colouring in such small pieces with my fineliners takes my mind off everything but staying within the lines! 

Mindful colouring book & Artline fineliners

Baths 

A long hot soak in the bath or a refreshing shower washes away worries!  Take as long as you need until you feel ready to face the day again with a smile.

Journalling

Putting things down on paper is a great way to clear your mind.  Keeping a journal or diary can feel quite therapeutic as you have to spend some time reflecting on your day.  This gives you a chance to record your highs and lows and helps you address anything that is niggling away at you.

My journal

Walking

Go outside and get some fresh air, stretch your legs, wrap up warm and enjoy the chilly weather.  I love going for a walk in the evening when it is just getting dark and people have turned their Christmas lights on, it makes me feel excited about the holidays and takes my mind off my to do lists.

Art journalling

I'm not a great artist but I do enjoy drawing, doodling and painting and the best thing about keeping an art journal is there are no rules about how to do it.  I fill my journal with all kinds of things, memories about holidays and celebrations, things I want to remember and I usually do a spread dedicated to what I am looking forward to each month.  If you decide you want to start an art journal all you need is a notebook and a selection of pens and pencils while you work out your style of journalling.  Once you have found your groove you can try adding other materials into the mix like paints, collage and different kinds of paper and markers, the possibilities are endless.  Have fun!

My ode to Autumn in my art journal

What do you do to help you relax when you are feeling stressed?  I'd love to know!

My year in pixels - quick journaling in my travellers notebook

I hadn't heard of "My year in pixels" before but I came across the idea in a planner group I am in on Facebook and thought it was great!  Using grid paper you draw yourself a box 12 squares by 31 squares (either vertically or horizontally, whichever you prefer) and then label the 12 squares with the months of the year and the other 31 squares represent the days of the month.

My year in pixels

As some months are less than 31 days long you need to block out the extra days for February, April, June, September and November, I used some skinny washi tape to cover over mine.

You then need to choose some colours to code your moods and feelings and make yourself a key.  I went with purple (joyful, silly, satisfied, content), pink (happy, thankful, motivated, alive), blue (average, okay, uneventful), yellow (lazy, tired, irritable), green (unsure, lonely, sad, insecure) and finally orange (angry, anxious, exhausted).  You can pick as many colours as you like to record your moods, it is up to you and you can decide what you need to label them too.  I just picked ones that would suit me. 

Colour coding

I did label my date boxes but I was unhappy with how they looked so I ended up covering them with some more washi tape.  I have some nice gold date stickers from Filofabulouss which were slightly too big to use here for every day so I used them to mark out the 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, 25th and 30th instead.  I took the photos for this post before I realised how hard it was to keep track of which day it was without some kind of numbering so you can't see the stickers in them.

I wanted to make these pages fun as I will be looking at them at least once a day so I decorated them with my most colourful tapes and stickers for some added inspiration.  

Mood pixels

Taking a few moments each evening to look back on my day and decide on a colour to represent it is a quick and easy way for me to journal.  I still get the benefit of reflection and a record of my year without the hassle of thinking about what to write and worrying that nothing interesting enough had happened for me to talk about.  I tried daily journaling last year but gave up after a couple of months because I really struggled with things to record and it took up too much time.  I can definitely commit to colouring in one a square a day though so this is a good system for me and if anything really interesting happens then I can record that on another page in my notebook, I am not limited to just this two page spread. 

2017 in my travellers notebook

Had you already heard of my year in pixels?  Do you fancy giving it a go?  You could start it now and record February through to January instead of waiting until next year to begin.  Or do you find it easy to write about your day and have plenty to say?  I might write a second post about this later in the year to let you know how I am getting on with it and show you all my pixels.

Thanks for stopping by!

Planner Friday - Halloween special!

Hello!  It is Planner Friday again on the Trendy Twine blog and this month I am sharing with you the Halloween pages I have created in my journal...

Last month I showed you a peek inside my journal, well this month I wanted to show you how I will be documenting our Halloween celebrations!  

Happy Halloween!

I absolutely love Halloween!  I have so much fun getting ready for it, decorating the house, carving pumpkins, making spooky treats and watching (family friendly) scary movies with the children, it's one of my favourite times of year.  This year I want to record some of my memories so I have broken out my Annie's Paper Boutique stamps and some colouring pencils.

Products used:

 Happy Halloween stamp set

Documenting the Everyday stamp set

Documenting the Everyday #2 stamp set

Foodies planner stamp set

Hello Fall planner stamp set

You can read the rest of my post here.

Thanks for stopping by!

Planner Friday - Documenting the Everyday stamp sets

There's an extra Planner Friday this month on the Trendy Twine blog, I'm showing off two new sets of journaling stamps and giving you a peek inside my Van der Spek Travellers Notebook.

Hello!  I am back today to share with you a couple of new stamp sets from Annie's Paper Boutique.  The Documenting the Everyday sets are perfect for journaling, I used them recently to record my holiday memories and I want to show you how some of those pages turned out.

Products:

Documenting the Everyday Stamp Set

Documenting the Everyday #2 Stamp Set

Camera, Coffee, Plan, Love Letter & To Do Planner Clip Set

Journal Tags

Stamp Block

Ink

I love the look of combining different fonts together to make my writing more interesting but to be honest the only two I can do properly are print and cursive!  That is why I love these stamp sets, they have so many fun fonts and doodles and using them really makes my pages come alive!

Pages in my Travellers Notebook

You can read the rest of my post here.

Thanks for stopping by!