Well hello there! I’m just starting to emerge after Woollinn so I am dusting off the blog and setting my journal up for July and I thought you might like to come and join me.
In my journal the theme for July is ‘Reset’. This seems like the perfect time to sit down and plan out the summer months as this is the period of most change here at the cottage. School lets out, summer camps and holidays are in full swing and my personal projects get put into the spotlight again as more of my time can be devoted to them.
I decided that my cover for July was going to be a fox basking in the sun just enjoying the few moments of calm. I came across this image and decided that this was the perfect ‘Reset’ cover. I will probably spend the rest of July painting or ‘fixing’ the cover 🙂
A note on bujo art: I know that there is a lot of discussion happening about art in journals and how it can take away from writing and lists/ tasks etc. For me personally, painting and doodling around my writing and lists is part of the reason I love having a journal. That creative outlet is just as important as the tasks and lists I keep track of. The art is part of the calming effect of keeping a journal. There are times I keep it minimal and then there are times I have colour explosions on the page. Am I a great artist, no but that isn’t what it’s about.
July Calendar
I like having a big calendar as it allows me to track a few things and not just have appointments in here. I keep my goals to the side so I can check in once a week to see if I’m staying on top of them. I’ll probably add in some paint splashes and numbers but I’ll keep that for the end of month flip through.
Trackers
I’m keeping my trackers simple. These are inspired by Blush and May. I love the clean look of Christine’s journal and her artwork is beautiful. I just colour in the squares on the days I do the activity I want to track and for the sleep tracker I’ll just be popping in numbers for hours slept.
Weeklies
My weekly cover page is of a fox looking out to sea. I’ve come to realise that I love quick watercolour and sketch drawings that are sightly messy. The quote here is one that I use to remind myself to mentally reset:
I couldn’t imagine living in a state that didn’t reach the ocean. It was a great reset button. You could go to the edge of the land and see infinity and feel renewed.
Avery Sawyer
For those who know me and follow me on Instagram you’ll see me taking that beach walk each morning and sharing as #tensecondsofcalm. I got really upset when I lost this time in the morning so now I do everything I can to get down there each day. The each is not that far from the cottage so I really have no excuse except on the days when it means dragging the little ones along too.
Materials
(This section contains affiliate links.) My journal is an Archer & Olive dot grid A5 signature notebook. I’ve been bouncing between painting with watercolours (Mozart Komorebi Full set and Gold set) and I’m using the Faber Castell Watercolour pencils. The pencils have allowed me to have a watercolour effect but on paper that wouldn’t normally work with paint. My sketch paper is the Faber Castell Mixed Media Pad that the calendar cover is worked on. The pens I use are the Uni Pin fine liner in grey (0.5) and the Edding 1880 Drawliner (0.4) and (0.2). I also use the Pilot G1 in Silver and Uniball Signo in gold.
I will be back with more cottage garden posts and that gold bench DIY that you love so much on Instagram.
Thank you for reading!
Much love,
