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Writer's pictureSimply Jelly Jam

November 2023 Journal Design

Using watercolor, archival ink pens, and rub-on transfer stickers.

I decorated my journal pages using autumn-themed rub-on transfer stickers I bought from my local Dollar Tree to save some time.


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.


In case it's helpful, below are the topics covered in this post:


Calendar Overview Pages

Calendar Overview Pages
Calendar Overview Pages

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 will make a short note of something that happened.


On the right, I will note the best and worst things to happen during the month. While I write a line of text highlighting one good thing about that day on my highlights page, I believed it was important to document the bade things as well. It will allow me to reflect on the past and press on with the future.


I also 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.


Productivity-related notes like to-do lists are managed in a separate and more simplistic Bullet Journal.


To save me time spent on decorating the pages, I did a light wash of watercolor on the pages. I also used watercolor to emphasize the boxes and headers. Personally, using watercolor is a quick way to color, but I also could have used a variety of pens and markers to achieve a similar look in a short amount of time.


I used autumn-themed rub-on transfer stickers I bought from my local Dollar Tree. It was a matter of cutting out the images I wanted to use, sticking them onto the page, rubbing them firmly to ensure a strong adhesion, and removing the protective film.


At times, a part of an image did not want to stick the page. It was quick and easy to re-rub and peel again. I found that using my scissors handle or fingernails worked well.


Hobbies and Dogs' Pages

"Hobbies & Dogs" Pages
"Hobbies & Dogs" Pages

My hobbies & dogs are tracked across a two-page spread. While many journal enthusiasts track their habits, tracking my favorite hobbies reminds me to dedicate time for fun. The hobbies I track are:

  • arts + crafts,

  • writing, and

  • gaming.

For my dogs, I track the following:

  • when they go for a joy ride,

  • when they go for a good walk,

  • 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, and

  • when they get to relax with a picnic in the park.

I especially wanted to track my new puppy's training progress. We will focus on mastering the following skills:

  • heel,

  • come,

  • under,

  • carry,

  • and quiet.

I decided to overlap several of the stickers to give the illusion of layers and depth. I believe it turned out alright, but I guess it would be hard to make the pages look badly with stickers that were designed beautifully.


Highlights and Mood Pages

"Highlights" and "Mood" Pages
"Highlights" and "Mood" Pages

Every night, I write a line of text highlighting one good thing about that day on my highlights page (left). I will 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 will fill it in throughout the month.


I treat my mood tracker page (right) as a coloring page of sorts. Each night, I will normally color-in a part of an image (or shape) that represents my overall mood for that day: awesome, meh/OK, sick, or bad/sad.


While I used the rub-on stickers along the bottom of the left page, I used a stencil to draw leafy outlines on the right. I will color a leaf based on my mood at the end of each day.


What's Next?


Do not have time to sketch or draw your own artwork for your journal pages? Use stickers to fill the pages and make it look lively!


Have you set up your journal design? Comment below to share what theme you went with and what materials you used to create it.


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Thanks, and have a great day!

Simply Jelly Jam

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