A theme inspired by Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas.
For December, I decided to gain inspiration from Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas, or at least scenes I thought I could easily recreate in my journal.
Edited 12/31/2020 to correct formatting issues under the "Xmas Wishlist" and "2020 in Review" Activity Pages section.
The Design Theme
I chose Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas movie as my inspiration because I regretted not doing more Halloween-themed arts and crafts projects a few months ago. I figured this movie was a great excuse for me to combine another Halloween design that ties in with the Christmas season.
In fact, that's what I liked most about the movie. I liked the twisted way it combined the two holidays I loved most as a child. I enjoyed stories that made two different worlds merge and answered, 'what if?'
I considered attempting a Rise of the Guardian themed journal design because it combines other holidays and worlds, but I thought that would be best saved for Easter since that's when that movie took place.
I did an online search for "Nightmare Before Christmas movie scenes" and referenced the images of scenes I thought would work well with my journal design.
Title
For the title page, I drew inspiration from holiday wreaths based on the movie. This wreath may have been featured in the movie, but I don't recall seeing it. Then again, there's just so much to see in the movie.
For some reason, these wreaths came up when I did my online search for movie scenes. I loved the look of the wreaths and decided to reference it for my title page design.
Tim Burton's visual aesthetic typically consists of dark and muted colors. It represents something like gothic expressionism. However, I wanted my design to appear lighter. You can say I tried to represent his movie with my own style and color choices.
I thought watercolors would work well for achieving the lighter look I wanted. I used watercolor pencils to fill-in my sketched designs. I then used a wet paintbrush to spread, smooth, and soften the colors.
I also used a fine-tip Sharpie marker to outline the image and Firefly markers to write "December 2020" along the top of the page.
Calendar Overview
The calendar overview is where I note important dates and tasks I want to remember to do. There will be a lot happening this month alone!
The larger December calendar fills much of both pages. I note events such as birthdays, appointments, and holidays within the appropriate block that represents a day in December. During the month, I'll make a short note of something that happened.
In a box towards the top-left, I note things I want or need to do in December. Below that box, I have a mini-January calendar and another box I note events coming soon in December. I like being able to visually see ahead to things I may need to be aware of before those days come.
As for the design, I added a couple botched toys the citizens of Halloween Town created when Jack decided to take the lead on Christmas for a change. The teddy bear is a toy Jack operated on in one scene. The doll's head was decapitated by another citizen in another scene.
The snake eating the gifts and Christmas tree was from a scene I really enjoyed in my youth. I wanted nothing more than to include it somewhere in my overall design, and it seemed to be well suited for this page.
The lights hung around Halloween Town were only orange, but I decided to use some yellow on a few of the hanging light bulbs. You can't see it in the images or the YouTube video, but I used a shimmer pen and silver gel pen to add shine to the Christmas tree.
Highlights and Trackers
Every night, I write a line of text highlighting one good thing about that day on my highlights page. Usually I write about a simple thing that made me happy. Even on the worst days, I try to find a highlight to write for that day.
On the trackers page, I note when I complete my favorite hobbies. While many journal enthusiasts track multiple habits, tracking my favorite hobbies reminds me to not forget to dedicate time for myself and happiness. The hobbies I track are:
arts + crafts,
writing, and
gaming.
My dogs' care and happiness are equally important. I track the following for my dogs:
when they go for a joy ride,
when they received teeth care with brush chews or tooth brushing,
when I've cared for their coat with a brush, leave-in shampoo, or bath, and
when they participated in extended or extra playtime.
I kept the design of the page simple with an image of Zero, his bowl, and a candy cane. I used the shimmer pen on Zero's body to have him shine. He doesn't sport a gold bell in the movie, but I wanted him to wear it in my journal.
Mood and Websites & Stuff
As always, the mood tracker page serves as a simple coloring page for me. I drew a couple stacks of books inspired by the scene where Jack read various Christmas stories. Each book represents a day in December. Each night, I'll color-in a book cover that represents my overall mood for that day: awesome, meh, sad-bad, or sick.
It seemed fitting to me to include Jack wearing his nightcap and reading a book in the background. I'm glad I included him because he's my third favorite character from the movie.
Zero is my ultimate favorite because I like dogs more than people. Oogie Boogie is my second favorite. After all, he is "the shadow on the moon at night filling your dreams to the brim with fright." I shouldn't push my luck and get on his bad side by claiming him as my third or fourth favorite character from the movie.
My websites & stuff page is where I'll note changes and updates made to this website, my YouTube channel, and my Instagram account. I decided not to include a notes area because I didn't use it last month.
I drew Jack when he camouflaged himself as the snowman while visiting Christmas Town for the first time. I again used the shimmer pen to add shine to the snowman's body.
"Xmas Wishlist" and "2020 in Review" Activity Pages
I loved creating Christmas wish lists in my youth. I was raised to believe we were poor and unfortunate [souls], so I never expected to receive anything on my list. If I did get something I wanted, it was a huge surprise! That, or I received cash and went out to buy what I wanted on my own.
I decided to create a couple activities for me to complete this month. I really wanted to do another bingo as I did last month in my November 2020 Journal Design. However, I didn't visit my Mom and family for the Thanksgiving holiday, so I wasn't able to achieve a bingo.
Instead of a bingo page, I created a simple Xmas Wishlist with nine blocks to fill-in. I loved creating Christmas wish lists in my youth. I was raised to believe we were poor and infortunate [souls], so I never expected to receive anything on my list. If I did get something I wanted, it was a huge surprise! That, or I received cash and went out to buy what I wanted on my own.
My inner child still loves making wish lists. With the exception of one ridiculously expensive tech toy I've wanted for years (my coverall prize for last month's Thanksgiving Bingo page), the items I'll likely add to this page will be simple in nature like a slice of cheesecake. I haven't had a slice of cheesecake in over a year. I'll also include things I want for my dogs like new collars, harnesses, and leashes.
I drew the toy duck that was painted in the movie. I don't know why, but it's my favorite nightmarish toy of all! I've tried recreating it in the past with no success. Hopefully, my crafting skills will improve, and I'll successfully recreate with time.
I also dedicated a page to 2020 in Review notes. Here, I'll summarize my thoughts on the following prompts:
Best Moments [or Memories]
Worst Moments [or Memories]
What Worked [Well for Me]
Big Regrets [and Stupid Mistakes I Made]
What I Learned [New Skills and Lessons Learned]
Ways to Improve [and Make 2021 a Better Year for Me]
My Thoughts
I loved the movie and therefore loved the design theme I picked for this month. I wished my sketching and painting skills were better. I feel like the images and colors could use improvement, but perhaps I'm simply my harshest critic.
I wish I added Sally somewhere in the design. It seemed incomplete without her. She's a central character in the movie and I should've considered how to incorporate her onto a page. If I choose to create another activity page or two, I may just add her in the design layout.
What's Next?
This month, I'll share tech accessories I've obtained and crafts I've created recently. This Thursday will focus on a gaming backpack I bought for extended travel with my many tech (assuming I'll go on an extended trip one day.)
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Thanks, and have a great day!
Simply Jelly Jam