An imperfect snowflake design theme.
I kept this month's design theme simple with a blending tool, stamp inks, snowflake stencils, and markers.
NOTE: While the pages are like those who setup their Bullet Journals (BuJo), I use this journal more as a memory keeper/diary. The BuJo-inspired pages encourage me to make note of the good things in life, even on the worst days.
Title Page
I couldn't think of a design theme for February. I wanted to create artwork that challenged me, but I ended up keeping it simple with a blending tool, stamp inks, snowflake stencils, and markers.
For the title page, I dedicated a blank, horizontal space for the month and year. I didn't realize it at the time, but I wrote "January" instead of "February." I covered this mistake by adhering a strip of scrap cardstock with the correct month written on it.
I used a finger blending tool to add a couple blue stamp ink colors to fill the empty space above and below the text. I then used the same stamp ink colors and a sad looking stencil of snowflakes over the inked area.
While I liked the look of layered inking, I wanted to use a white paint marker to add more snowflakes for contrast.
Calendar Overview
The calendar overview is where I note important dates I want to document in my journal.
The larger calendar fills much of both pages. I note events such as birthdays, appointments, and holidays within the appropriate block that represents a day in the month. During the month, I'll make a short note of something that happened.
On the left, I have a mini calendar for next month and another box where I'll note next month's events coming soon. I like being able to visually see ahead to things I may need to be aware of before those days come.
I used the blue stamp ink colors to create a blended background and add some stenciled snowflakes. I also used a white paint marker to add a few more snowflakes to contrast the blue colors.
The brush lettering isn't great, but I tried my best. I used a dark blue brush pen to write the header, but it wasn't easy to read again the background. I used the white paint marker to add highlights to the letters for a little contrast to make it somewhat easier to read.
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 think about a highlight of that day to write down. This page is intentionally left blank since I'll fill it in throughout the month.
On the trackers page, I note when I complete my favorite hobbies. While many journal enthusiasts track their habits, tracking my favorite hobbies reminds me 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 I've cared for their coat with a brush, leave-in shampoo, or bath,
when they received teeth care with brush chews or teeth brushing,
when they participated in extended, extra, or hyper playtime, and
when something unusual happens with my senior dog.
Since I'll fill the pages throughout the month, I kept the design minimal across the top of the pages where I write my headers. In doing so, I realized the table to track my dogs' happiness and well-being had too many rows.
I attempted to mask my mistake with the darker blue stamp ink. Like my weak brush lettering, I tried my best to mask my mistake. It's not so bad, but it's obvious there was something there I tried to cover up.
Mood Page
I treat my mood tracker page as a coloring page of sorts. Each night, I'll color-in a part of an image that represents my overall mood for that day: awesome, meh, bad/sad, or sick.
I sketched a weird looking snowflake made up of shapes I would color-in throughout the month. I searched online for "mood tracker snowflake" inspiration and saw many images like what I ended up drawing.
My Thoughts
While it's not one of my favorite design themes, it was easy to complete. This may be an idea to keep in the back of your mind if you're short on design time or don't want to create anything complex.
Blending stamp ink with a blending tool is easy. Using a stencil made adding simple design elements quick. Yet it wasn't as easy as taking a white paint marker and tapping dots on the page to loosely resemble falling snow.
What's Next?
I've been dealing with a brain fart and lack of creative ideas. I'll spend the weekend sparking my inner creativity... somehow. Don't worry. I'll have something fun to share with you next week.
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Thanks, and have a great day!
Simply Jelly Jam
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