This post is sharing with you my July Bullet Journal Set Up which is a bunting and party theme.
A party theme was chosen, inspired by my July Bullet Journal Cover Ideas post as I wanted something simple. July is also a month comprising of a lot of birthdays therefore, a bunting theme was perfect.
Bunting and Party Theme – July Bullet Journal Set Up
Usually if I was making a party theme I would go for brighter colours however, this month I really felt like going for some pastel shades. The pens that were used were the zebra mildliners in ‘mild violet,’ ‘mild green’ and ‘mild blue green.’ I think the colours really compliment eachother and still gives off a fun vibe. The ‘mild grey’ mildliner is used for the titles.
I decided to go for big habit trackers this month to make myself more accountable for blogging, reading and posting on Instagram. The ‘books read’ section follows the trackers, continuing on the bunting theme.
This post is all about some must have bullet journal supplies you need to increase both your productivity and aesthetic of your journal!
After five years+ of bullet journalling, 4 full journals, countless roles of washi tape and many, many empty pens later, I’m confident enough to say I can recommend some must have bullet journal supplies you need to know about as you are starting or in the middle of your bullet journal.
This post is all about must have bullet journal supplies!
Must Have Bullet Journal Supplies
Now I am not in any way coercing you to buy these things but they do help your journalling, some in terms of productivity, others in aesthetic and some in both. As a previous student, these essentials range in affordability, with most being on the very affordable side. I am going to put all of my essentials in categories, these include:
Journals
Fineliner Pens
Marker/ Brush Pens
Other Pens
Miscellaneous (washi tape, stencils, stickers.)
Already have a bujo but want to see some pretty spread ideas? Make sure to check out my monthly theme posts – April, June and July!
1. The Ultimate Must Have Bullet Journal Supplies: A Bullet Journal
Do you get lined? Do you get a grid journal or a dotted journal? It really is up to you and what you think will work best for you. The majority of people go for dot grid journals. Dot grid eliminate any harsh lines whilst still keeping your lines straight.
There are multiple sources you can buy your journals from, each with their own pros and cons.
Therefore it really is up to you. I have personally had three brands of journals (leuchtturm, lemome and scribbles that matter,) where Scribbles that Matter exceeds the other two purely for its thicker and brighter pages.
2. Essential Fine Liners
I’ve learned over the years that having multiple sizes of nib for fineliners is so important for aesthetic purposes. Having said that, having fineliners is also important to help conserve space in your journal and make things appear neater and easier to read.
These Staedtler Triplus fineliners have been a bullet journal staple of mine ever since I started journaling. Their cheap price and range of colours appeal to a mass market of journallers and have hardly any bad reviews. These pens are so amazing for titles, colour coding, filling out habit trackers and trying to fit a number/ letter into a tiny box.
Stabilo Boss also have some cool fineliner pens, which I have not tried, but I know that some people prefer Stabilo over Staedtler.
Both the Staedtler fineliners and the Stabilo Boss fineliners have a nib of 0.4mm giving a nice fine nib.
These Sakura Pigma Micron pens are amazing as they come in various nib sizes, perfect if you are someone who likes to draw in your journal and like having calligraphy in your journal. I loved these pens for the short time I had them (yes, I am still gutted I left them on the train in Paris.) They do come in different colours but this pack of 6 is all black with different nib sizes.
Similarly, Faber Castell also do fineliner pens which belong in their Pitt Artist range. I have heard nothing but good things about these pens, including their price range.
When I started bullet journaling, brush pens hadn’t quite made it onto the Bujo scene just yet so marker pens were all of the rage and still are. Marker pens and brush pens add so much to your journal; both in productivity and aesthetically. They are great for making titles, highlighting key info/ dates and making lovely spreads.
My favourite brush pens are most definitely my Hethrone Dual Brush Pens. I have not stopped raving about these. I had only ever tried one brand of brush pen before Hethrone and didn’t like that brand at all but then I tried these. For £25/ 24USD I was able to get 72 brush pens. They are so amazing and easy to work with and are great starter brush pens. You can check out the amazingess of these pens here in some of my recent bujo spreads.
Once my current brush pens start deteriorating, I am going to go with the amazing and a bit more pricey Tombow Dual Brush Pens. Everyone in the BuJo community has heard of them. Why, you ask? They are truly amazing. I have gone through two black Tombows already and I am super impressed. The brush side really does stay as a brush which is amazing as it means thy are durable and provide great writing throughout the pen’s life. The nib at the end however, is quite thick, making it more of a marker, rather than a fine pen.
Crayola Super Tips are markers I personally have not tried but they are the most popular marker pen to use in your journal. With their extensive colour range, they also provide minimal ghosting and are widely available at cheap prices.
Where marker pens just come with the marker tip, brush pens are mostly always dual brush pens, meaning they have two tips; one a brush and one a fineliner. The great thing about both is that they are easy to write with, with the dual brush pen allowing more flexibility with calligraphy due to its flexible brush tip.
Check out these awesome markers and brush pens out:
Other Bullet Journal Must Have Essential Pens include….
The best white pen I have ever used in my journal is my Uniball Signo White Gel Pen. This thing writes on so many mediums; I love it so much. If you want a white pen so you can write on a black background to make something *pop*, get this pen.
Zebra Mildliners – I cannot believe I had been journalling for 2 years without these. If you are to get any highlighters for your journal, these are the ones. They come in so many colours and different packs have different themes. I got these three packs for £15 from Amazon and I’ve never looked back. The magical thing about these is that they are also dual pens – one side is a highlighter and the other is a marker.
On the subject of highlighters, these Stabilo Boss pastel highlighters are a dream. They are a bit bulky to carry around but they work so well and the colours are stunning.
Post It Notes are a great tool for both aesthetic and productivity purposes. I use post its for brain dump information and things I need to do but do not have a specific date for yet. These post it’s are so cool and fun and provide a great stick. This brand is also so cute; take a look at all of their cool designs here. *honorable mention look how amazing this sticky note book is!? it makes me want to go back to school!*
Stickers! For those like me who are not the most artistic of people or those who just want to add a bit of fun and dimension to their spreads, stickers are perfect. Now obviously stickers are really personal to the journaller but here are some of my favourites: these inspirational pink themed ones | these gorgeous butterflies | tropical leave theme |
9. Washi-Tape
Washi tape. < 2018 bullet journal community is cheering wildly at this one. My first bujo was attacked with washi tape; any free surface I had, washi tape went on it. It is such a great way to be artistic in your spreads. It acts as a divider, a border and a cover up of your mistakes. I love these packs: space theme | geometric bronzing theme | this amazing 20pack of black, white and gold tapes.
10. Tip-Ex
Speaking of mistakes, getting some TipEx may be beneficial if you do not like seeing your mistakes.
Now if you are still a bit confused and unsure about your journal and do not want to spend money on supplies you may/ may not use, bullet journal kits are great!
I’ll link a few now. These kits come with a journal, some pens and cool stickers/ washi tape.
Cocopin have a similar kit with a notebook, dual brush pens, ruler, scissors, a clip, washi tape, stencils and an organiser bag! (only on US Amazon.)
Stationery Island have a kit comprising of a journal, pen, ruler, sticker sheets and post-it notes. (Amazon UK only.)
I think I may be done… I think. Knowing me I am going to think of something else as soon as I hit publish (I should have used my bujo to plan this haha.)
I really hope you enjoyed reading aboout the must have bullet journal supplies you need, it took a while to write but we got there in the end. If you have any other recommendations that you can not journal without, leave them below! 🙂
This post was all about must have bullet journal supplies.
This post is showcasing some of the best June bullet journal cover page ideas you need to see!
I’m gonna say it; I cannot believe it is June already. Personally, I love the month of June as it signifies the start of summer, long evenings, and beach trips! On the down-low, it is also my birthday- I am not a big fan of my birthday but I like making a big deal out of it in my bullet journal.
In this post I am bringing you so many June bullet journal cover ideas, that by the end of this post you will be so inspired and have an awesome June bullet journal cover idea spread!
Naomi has done such a beautiful job with this cover page. This cover page really gets me so excited for summer! I cannot wait for sunflowers to start popping up all over the place and daylight finishing at 8pm!
I think this spread needs a minute of silence because it is absolutely stunning! This was made with watercolour so definitely be careful with that but the dutch door is gorgeous!
These blue and green florals from the gingered journal are so cute! They’re quite simple and easy to recreate and you can build your garden however you want and incorporate more colours/ florals as you go!
I have so many florals in this june bullet journal cover page but this one is, by far, the most minimalistic. If you just want something simple and effective, definitely consider doing something like this as it is gorgeous!
How cute is this? This June bullet journal cover page screams summer with all of out favourite summer fruits within this tasty looking drink. This is great because you do not need massive artistic ability for it, so it’s pretty easy to recreate.
Using some tombows, or any dual brush pen, Claudia made this simple celestial cover page. I love this idea and I am actually thinking about centring a quote page around this theme.
This summer cover page is so cool. Thrifty Journal used kraft paper to add another dimension to this june bullet journal cover page. I have done a cover page similar to this in February 2020, where I used pink, purple and blue (check it out here!)
If you are looking for a June bullet journal cover easy and simple, definitely give this a go!
Another absolutely gorgeous June dutch door cover idea from Aly! Hopefully by June, travelling will be allowed again and we can all use a spread like this to get us all excited!
How cool is this theme? I love the blues and bright red! Everything being stuck onto the page gives the cover page another dimension and just looks really cool.
I did a very similar theme for August 2020 (check it out here!) I absolutely love this theme. It is so cool and personalisable in terms of colours and sizes.
There we have it, the cutest June Bullet Journal Cover Page Ideas.
This post is showing you a great Harry Potter bullet journal theme, with great spread ideas!
My latest post gave you a list of ideas for April themes for your bullet journal. I decided for April that I am going for a Harry Potter bullet journal theme as I am participating in the O.W.Ls readathon on booktube! This was so therapeutic for me to sit and create these spreads. I sat down on Netflix party with my friends and unleashed. They were so simple and easy to create and I hope you enjoy them.
I love this quote from the sorting hat. It’s a lovely reminder that we have mental blocks in our head, we just have to try and push through them to feel more positive and achieve our greatness! I also had to go with a lightning blot for the title page. The title page does look a little bare but I have no idea what to add to zush it up. If you have any ideas please let me know.
This page is so colourful and I love it! I am a huge fan of the yellow accent, using my amazing mildliners to add much needed pops of colour. This month, unlike previous months (here), I have decided to track my reading stats as I am participating in the readathon! As I am a huge fan of tracking things so my reading stats will be cool to look back on.
I am so excited to read the books on my TBR for the magical readathon, especially Harry Potter and Clockwork Angel (which will both be rereads.) I fell in love with my tombow dual brush pen whilst making the owl title and can’t wait to get more.
I immensely enjoyed creating these spreads. They were super simple to make so that means anyone can create them. I love the simplicity and pops of colour in my Harry Potter Bullet Journal theme. I’ve got to say this may be my favourite month to date (surpassing my cotton candy and leaf theme!)
I would love to see your April set ups so please link them below.
This post is letting you in on my March bullet journal spreads!
Welcome to my March Bullet Journal Set Up. I am so excited to be sharing my set up with you today as it took me forever to complete. I opted for a leaf theme this month as March symbolises the start of spring. Thankfully, Amanda Rach Lee posted her March set up as soon as I sat down to do mine. I did end up taking a little inspiration from her, which you will see below, in the leaves and quote but the rest of it came from me.
I am really digging my tracker spread as I love being able to visually track things and colour things in when i have achieved them. It gives me such a sense of accomplishment when I colour something in (especially with my exercise tracker) it motivates me even more.
After January lasted about 17 years, we are finally onto the month of February. For my February bullet journal set up I decided to keep to the sky theme, like I did in January. As I did not want to go for the traditional hearts for Valentines day theme, yet still wanted that pop of pink and purple, I thought cotton candy skies would be perfect.
Solely using the Hethrone dual brush tip pens and my Uniball white gel pen, I created this months spreads. The pops of colour and the greys paired together is gorgeous. Also, there is zero bleed-through with these pens and they are so easy to work with.
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For this month, I decided to re-do my whole monthly dashboard. I was not utilising a grid calendar as I already have one in my life planner. Instead I have the calendar down the side so I can just place blog dates and important reminders there.
Another change for this month includes my ‘Book of the Month’ spread. This is such a cool thing to look back on and will help me make my top 20 books of 2020. No changes were made to my gym tracker apart from switching up the theme. Here’s hoping i fill out all of the clouds!
That’s that. I hope my February bullet journal set up has given you some inspiration for your February spreads as I know some people haven’t even started theirs yet. At the beginning this was a bit too neon for my liking (I really wanted some pastels) but I’m really liking it now. Therefore, if you do recreate any of these spreads, please let me know.
What does your bullet journal for February look like? I would love to see some pictures/ your posts.
It’s the start of the year and what does everyone attempt to do in January? Get their life together. A bullet journal is a great, creative and mindful way to get and stay organised. This post is going to give you full access into my journal by showing you my bullet journal set up for 2020. This is my fourth bullet journal since starting in 2016 and I must say this is possibly my favourite yet. If you are looking for some bullet journal spread ideas or if you just want a peak inside of my journal, keep scrolling!
What I Used:
Before we begin, I know I am going to receive a few questions on what I have used to create these spreads, so I’ll share them with you now. Hethrone dual brush pens, were used in every spread and are both phenomenal and affordable; I highly recommend them! I also used one other white gel pen from Uniball, which also amazing and cheap. This is a huge contrast to my 2018 and 2019 set ups where I must have used about 20 different utensils.
Still unsure on how to start a bullet journal? No fret, in this post I strip thing back to basics and provide spread examples and tips on how to start a bullet journal here.
The 2020 Bullet Journal…
That concludes my very minimal bullet journal set up. Previously being a student and living alone meant I had more things to track such as, deadlines, exams, meals and bills. As a result past bullet journal set ups were DENSE. I also used to track movies I’ve watched and my weight which I’ve missed out on this set up whilst watching Netflix. In other words, Henry Cavill in The Witcher was clearly a distraction. Alas, if you want to check out previous movies watched, weight loss and student spreads, click here!
I hope you enjoyed my mini bullet journal set up for 2020. I will be posting my January Bullet Journal Set Up next week, so stay tuned for that!
Picture this, you’re counting down to bring in the new year, the new decade: ’10…9..’ and suddenly you freeze. ‘What have I done with my life in this decade? How can I pull my life together for the ‘roaring 20s?’ This is the year that will change all. Yes we say that every year but this year you have a life changer on your side. You have a bullet journal. You’ve heard of a bullet journal, Pam next door has one and the studious student lives by hers. You are so intrigued and would like to start one but with all of the elaborate bullet journals you see now a days you do not know even how to start a bullet journal. Don’t worry, I am bringing you the ultimate guide on how to start a bullet journal in time for 2020. I am going to be stripping it back to the basics giving you the cores of a bullet journal to give you the foundations to start a bullet journal and make it your own.
What really is a bullet journal?
With all the pretty pictures you’ve probably already seen of people’s bullet journals, in fact maybe the very ones who inspired you to create one, you can see that a bullet journal comprises of lists. Lots of lists. Essentially, to put it sweet and short, a bullet journal is your ultimate friend for when it comes to getting and staying organised. By making manageable, daily/ weekly/ monthly lists to achieve your goals, the bullet journal is perfect for those who want to get on top and stay on top of things.
Bullet Journal Essentials
First we need to establish some of the basic things you will need to start your journal. Here are a few things I use every single day:
If you would like to see an extensive list of things I use and have used in my journal, check out my must have bullet journal supplies for 2020 (great for beginners.) I have also summarised some things below:
Washie Tape: Assorted here, here and here (this one!).
Other: Stencils– these are amazing for beginners!, Watercolour paints and brushes, watercolour brush pens, stickers – here and here (for those of us who cba to doodle!)
For an updated extensive list of affordable ‘Must Have Bullet Journal Supplies for 2020’ please click here.
The KEY to Bullet Journal Basics
The bullet journal was created, at first, as a very simple list making concept to help people stay on top of things. Ofcourse, as humans we had to overcomplicate things. Ryder Carol, the creator of the bullet journal method, established a key which many people still use when making their lists and when they are marking things off. I for one do not use this key, only because I do not want to learn a whole key method when really what I will do is make up my own as I go along. This is the beauty of the journal, it will evolve as you do as you are the maker of your journal. Here is an example:
Indexes are used for you to pin point where certain pages are in your bullet journal (it’s basically a table of contents.) I personally do not use an index, I tried in my first and second bullet journals but it quickly became apparent, both times, that I would rather flip through my pages than look at the index. Many bullet journal notebooks such as, STM, lemome and leuchtturm all have indexes prior to the key. However with moleskin you will have to make your own index and also number the pages.
2020 at a Glance / Future Log
Every new bullet journal I create I make sure to add a year at a glance. This is a very simple calendar spread where you show a brief view of the year. This is so handy to have to flip to when making new spreads and planning ahead. The most popular utensils (?) used to create spreads like this are highlighters such as, Zebra Mildliners (my personal faves) and Tombow brush pens as well as some fineliners (i just use a regular pen though tbh!) In regards to the Tombows though, you can find cheaper alternatives here, which i recently bought.
Future logs are used to plan ahead key dates you already have. This could be holidays/ events and birthdays, although some people do a separate spread on that.
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Collections
Post index and key, most people, myself included do not jump straight into making the traditional to-do list. Instead we make collections. Collections are a great way to track things throughout the period of your bullet journal. Some popular collections includes tracking moods, tv shows you have watched, your spending and even that time of the month for us ladies. Some of my personal favourites include a gym tracker, books I’ve read and movies I have watched that year. During university, I even had a master shopping list and meal ideas.
You can make your collections as simple or as elaborate as you want. As you can see my gym tracker spread is pretty simple, just colouring in some boxes; yet this master shopping list required a bunch of doodles. With spreads like this you can go as crazy as you want! I love using coloured pens such as my Staedtler Triplus Fineliners, inexpensive Crayola Supertips and some Faber Castell Pencils.
This is the perfect spread to have the whole month right infront of you. This is essentially your monthly dashboard where you include key dates, appintments, goals etc.
Before I get into my weeklies, I LOVE including monthly habit trackers and collections. These include gym trackers, tbrs and books read. I am not one to track my habits (anymore) so I don’t use those. When going on holiday I even include a packing list!
These little sections within the month are totally dependent on your preference so I do recommend dabbling and trying both. For those of you who have tonnes to do on a daily basis try dailies. Dailies are when you dedicate one day to a page. Weeklies, which I use, is when you dedicate a whole two page spread to a week. In both dailies and weeklies you can have goals, trackers and even meal plans.
Not wanting weeklies or dailies is perfectly okay to! During the summer months when I was at school and not working I would just make a master to do list for the month! This is basically just making a to-do list but labelling it ‘June To-do’
Well there you have it. Once you find what you like, you will never go back! Bullet journalling, journalling in general, is so therapeutic you will love it.
