A travel-theme based on sheets from a paper pack.
The year 2020 threw a few surprises at me days prior to the new year, so I thought I'd make a quick design using sheets from a travel-themed paper pack.
The Design Theme
I didn't have a plan for this month's design theme. I lost track of time after some sudden 2020 surprises. It wasn't until late last night that I realized New Year's Day nearby.
Since I didn't consider a design theme prior to setting up my camera and starting the design, I decided to see what I could do with sheets from The Maps, Text & Ledgers Stack paper pack in my craft cabinet.
I've watched a few junk journal videos and liked how journal enthusiasts make torn paper look good in a page design. I thought I'd take some inspiration from that concept and hope for a decent design.
I used: pencil and eraser, various Firefly and Tombow brush markers, various Pen Gear pens, gold gel pen, brown Posca paint marker, double-sided tape, and sheets from "The Maps, Text & Ledgers Stack" paper pack.
Title
For the title page, I tore a sheet to imitate what I've seen in some junk journal videos. I adhered it onto the page with double-sided tape leaving a gap between the piece along the top and bottom of the page.
Within the gap, I used a brow Posca paint marker to write "JANUARY 2021" to complete the title page. I then cut the excess sheet around the edges of the page and threw it in my recycling bucket.
Calendar Overview
The calendar overview is where I note important dates and tasks I want to remember to do.
The larger January 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. For example, on December 28th I noted it was Shadow's birthday and my car less than 4-year-old car died on me.
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-February calendar and another box I note events coming soon in February. 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 continued with the torn sheet style for consistency. I tore thin strips and adhered them along the top of each page. I used the brown Posca paint marker as the base for heading areas and wrote over it with a gold gel pen.
I also cut out a few postcard designs from a sheet and adhered it to the bottom of the pages to fill-in blank spaces. The calendar overview appeared busy to me, but I thought it imitated what I've seen with some journal enthusiasts' junk journal designs. It was fun and quick to do.
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.
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 strips of torn sheets adhered to the tops of the pages.
Mood and Websites & Stuff
The mood tracker page typically serves as a simple coloring page for me. Each night, I'll color-in something that represents my overall mood for that day: awesome, meh, sad-bad, or sick.
However, the paper pack had a design that listed months and days on it. I knew using this design would save me lots of time I'd normally devote to planning and drawing a coloring page for my mood tracker. This design would still allow me to color-in a bubble that corresponds with a day in the month of January.
My websites & stuff page is where I'll note changes and updates made to this website, my YouTube channel, and my Instagram account.
Again, I kept the design of the page simple with strips of torn sheets adhered to the tops of the pages.
New Year Resolutions
If you read My 1st Blog Post or when I Completed a Resolution, you may recall that I never really made resolutions before 2020. In 2020, I made myself too many resolutions not expecting to complete any, but I ended up completing half of my resolutions. Starting this blog and giving it a try is a resolution I made, completed, and enjoyed!
This year, I want to commit to no more than four resolutions, or goals, to achieve by the end of 2021. I cut a few notecard designs from the paper pack and adhered them to the pages. I used the brown Posca paint marker to mask some text on the designs and relabeled them with my gold gel pen.
Instead writing that I want to "Create a Coloring Book," I'll also note a few things that'll help me complete this resolution. For example, below "Create a Coloring Book," I'd likely note that I also need to decide on a theme, draw so many coloring pages' images, and decide how and where to share my coloring book.
Hopefully by writing my resolution and a checklist of things to do to complete the resolution, I'd be able to commit to the resolutions instead of hitting a roadblock wondering where to start or what to do next. I believe that's why I didn't complete half of my resolutions for 2020.
My Thoughts
Using sheets from a paper pack made deciding on a theme and designing the pages quick, easy, and a bit mindless. I didn't worry about perfection since I went into the design without much of a plan. Yet, I was pleased with the results because the paper pack had some awesome designs for me to work with.
What's Next?
Now I just need to decide what resolutions I want to make for myself. I'll probably mull over it during the next week before putting pen to paper.
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Thanks, and have a great day!
Simply Jelly Jam
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