August 2025 Fireflies Journal Design
- Simply Jelly Jam
- Jul 29
- 4 min read
An easy design theme.
Simple doodle trees and fireflies on black pages seemed fitting for this month's journal design theme.
I used acrylic paint markers, gel pens, metallic pens, paintbrushes, rulers, and a white colored pencil. I also printed mini-calendars that I adhered onto several pages.
NOTE: While the page layouts are like 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 wanted a fireflies design theme for August. I first painted the pages black with an acrylic marker. It took several coats/applications of paint for full coverage. Because the pages curled when the paint dried, I placed a stack of heavy items over my closed journal.
Out of habit, I laid out and drew the boxes before painting a couple of trees. I initially used the markers directly on the pages. I then decided to dab the paint onto a palette to paint the trees traditionally with a paintbrush.
Unfortunately, I misplaced my calendar stamps. I did not want to draw the mini-calendars by hand, so I printed and cut mini-calendars that I adhered onto the pages. Quick and easy!
I never drew fireflies before, so I searched "fireflies drawing" for reference images. Unfortunately, I disliked my fireflies. I would have redrawn them if time permitted. In an attempt to make the bugs look better, I added 'sparkly' trails to indicate flight patterns.
Hobbies & Dogs' Pages
I drew some boxes and adhered the mini-calendars onto the pages. I then painted a couple of trees to fill the negative space. There may be too many fireflies, but I could not decide how many were enough for a decent looking design.
I wished I added more yellow to the leaves like I did on the previous pages. Fortunately, the metallic pens give the pages a nice shine that pleases my eyes.
Highlights and Mood Pages
I painted a tree that overlapped both pages. The highlights page is mostly empty for now and will be filled by the end of the month. I should be able to write over the leaves and 'sparkly' trails with a gel or metallic pen of a contrasting color.
The mood tracker is a simple circular design that did not take me long to draw. By the end of August, both pages will look cluttered with text and color.
Detailed Info About the Pages
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.
While many journal enthusiasts track their habits, I track my favorite hobbies as a reminder to dedicate time for fun. I also track the 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. Unfortunately, I am horrible with training. We have a long training road ahead of us.
The BINGO game is just a goofy activity to note and track a wish list of things I would like to accomplish during the month.
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? Doodle designs inspired by a fun holiday celebrated that month!
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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