In honor of September as National Mushroom Month (US).
In honor of September as National Mushroom Month (US), I decorated my pages with much 'shrooms! (Get it? I made a funny!)
I used calendar stamps, stamp inks, archival ink pens, water-based markers, and gouache paints. I also used a pencil and eraser for my initial sketch.
NOTE: While the page layouts are similar to Bullet Journal (BuJo) setups you have seen online, I use this journal as a diary/memory keeper, not for productivity. 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 main points covered in this post:
Calendar Overview Pages
I love looking to see what fun thing is being celebrated each month. That is why I sometimes write about Random Days of Celebration. I was inspired to add mushrooms to my pages.
I initially wanted to make a colorful spread with elaborate mushroom houses that may be seen in a vibrant fantasy world. For simplicity sake, I decided on a variety of realistic mushroom sketches. Doing so encouraged me to use fewer colors for a Earthy color scheme.
Looking back at the design, I wished I added mushrooms to the blank squares of the large calendar. It looks too plain to me, so I may add to it another day.
The calendar overview is where I note important dates I want to document in my journal. For example, I will make a short note of something that happened on different days.
I also highlight the best and worst things to happen during the month. I primarily want to document positive things on the decorated pages, but I feel it is also important to document bad things, especially if it is a lesson learned.
Hobbies & Dogs' Pages
I again added a variety of mushrooms along the bottom of the pages. I included a few more along the top of the right page and in the center of the BINGO game where the "free space" would be.
I hated the way the 'bubbly' page title looked after I outlined it. I attempted to match the lettering I used on the calendar overview pages, but I did not get it to look the same on these pages. I will leave it as-is since it is legible, but I could have done better.
While many journal enthusiasts track their habits, I track my favorite hobbies as a reminder to dedicate time for fun. I also track things I want to do for my dogs to ensure their happiness and well-being.
The hobbies I track are:
art + crafts,
writing, and
gaming.
I also track the following for my dogs:
when they go for a joy ride (their favorite thing to do),
when they go for a long walk,
when I care for their coat with a brush, leave-in shampoo, or bath,
when they receive 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 young dog's training progress. We will focus on mastering a few skills. I would love for her to become a Canine Good Citizen one day.
I created another BINGO game. This is just a goofy activity to fill what would otherwise be negative space. It serves as a wish list of things I would like for the month.
Highlights and Mood Pages
These pages are the most simplistic of all since I will be adding to them throughout the month. They will eventually look like the busiest of all pages.
I especially kept the mood page simple with a circular tracker design. I could have drawn thirty mushrooms to represent each day in September, but my injured shoulder discouraged me from doing so. Despite not sticking with my initial plan, I believe it turned out OK.
Every night, I write a line of text highlighting one good thing about the day on the highlights page (left). It forces me to think on the bright side, especially on the most challenging days when my depression hits hard.
I treat my mood tracker page (right) as a coloring page of sorts. Each night, I will color-in a part of an image or shape that represented my overall mood for that day.
What's Next?
Struggling to come up with a theme for your journal design? Search for that month's holidays for inspiration! I personally refer to Days of the Year, National Today, and other similar websites to see what fun days I can celebrate and pull inspiration from.
Have you set up your journal design? Comment below to share what theme you went with and the materials you used.
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Thanks, and have a great day!
~Simply Jelly Jam
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