A Walt Disney World design theme.
With Walt Disney World's 50th anniversary coming soon, I setup my journal/diary with a WDW design theme for September.
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.
The Design Theme
If things go well and nothing bizarre happens, I'll take a road trip to Walt Disney World (WDW) in Florida this fall season.
Of course, there's always a possibility I'd have to cancel my travel plans due to COVID, bad weather, or everything dying a horrible death in my house. There's been plenty of homeowner challenges this year alone.
Still, I'm excited about the potential of traveling somewhere other than my Mom's house. It's been over two years and I'm ready for a road trip!
To celebrate my excitement of what could be, I went with a Disney design theme in my journal.
Title
I originally wanted to sketch only Disney cartoon characters on the journal pages. However, I later decided to step out of my comfort zone by attempting to sketch and paint Cinderella's castle.
For the title page, I referenced online photos of Cinderella's castle with the new 50th anniversary decorations. I opted to only include the "50" emblem in my sketch because I struggled with details.
I didn't know when to stop adding details. I found myself erasing and re-sketching frequently. Eventually, I had to quit sketching, or I would've been stuck in the loop I made for myself.
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 added Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Pluto, Orange Bird, and Chubby to the pages. I initially only sketched Mickey, Minnie, and Pluto. Before I sat at a table to record painting my design, I decided to add a couple birds better known within the Disney parks. I liked the splash of orange both birds add to the pages.
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,
gaming, and
workout.
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.
I kept the design simple with a single monorail. I didn't want to add much more since the pages will be filled with text by the end of the month.
Mood
I treat my mood tracker page as a coloring page of sorts. Each night, I'll color-in something that represents my overall mood for that day: awesome, meh, bad/sad, or sick.
I'll color-in a balloon based on my overall mood at the end of each day. I love seeing the colorful balloons upon entering Main Street USA in Magic Kingdom. I've never purchased a balloon myself, but I'd miss the sight if a Cast Member didn't stand on the sidewalk with colorful Disney balloons tied to a themed cart.
If you've seen my past journal design themes before, you may wonder why there's no photo of a bingo page. I did create a bingo page, but I didn't do so before today. I'll share that page along with other special journal pages within the next week.
My Thoughts
I'm a full-grown adult who loves most things Disney. I never let go of my inner child which is likely why this was one of my favorite design themes of the year.
Looking back at the images as I write this post, I regret not incorporating Stitch, my favorite Disney character, on at least one of the pages. Then again, I could always include the character on a journal/diary entry page another day.
I also regret not using my gold metallic pen on the mood page. I used it on all but the mood page. I'll need to go back and find some way to add that color somewhere on the page.
What's Next?
Check out the second part to this journal design, Tracking Road Trip Memories, where I created additional pages to document an upcoming trip to Walt Disney World!
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Thanks, and have a great day!
Simply Jelly Jam
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