February 2026 Happy Frog Doodles Journal Design
- Simply Jelly Jam
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
I doodled frogs because it made me happy.
I doodled simple frogs with various facial emotions to fill my journal pages for February!
I used archival ink pens, gouache paints, paintbrushes, calendar stamps, archival stamp ink, acrylic stamp block, and pencils (for initial sketches).
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
One year after a health scare, I decided I needed whimsy on my pages. I also did not want to spend a lot of time designing the pages.
I originally planned to doodle pigs, but I messed up a pair of ears. My initially looked like a wonky frog, so I stuck with the frog theme for simplicity sake.
Before I started doodling, I painted the pages with a lime green gouache paint. I also splattered pale green paint onto the pages (and my desktop).
I chose to work with a limited color palette. In addition to the two greens, I used pink gouache to add warmth to the pages.
Hobbies & Dogs' Pages
As I did with the other pages, I doodled several frogs with goofy expressions across the top of these two pages.
I stuck with the minimal color palette for simplicity sake. These pages will look more lively with pops of color by the end of the month.
Highlights and Mood Pages
Fewer days in the month meant I had more negative space for frog doodles. I liked the doodled group of frogs along the bottom of the left page, but I am unsure about the large frog on the right page.
I doodled the frogs without looking at reference images. Had I searched for something like "chibi frogs" for reference images, I believe the large frog would look better. To me, the legs and feet look wrong.
Otherwise, all the frogs looked cute and whimsical. I am bound to smile when I open the pages each night.
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,
gaming, and
workout.
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. I rarely complete a bingo (straight line or otherwise), but it is fun to track what I actually get done that 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? Maybe your journal cover can spark inspiration!
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
Hi, Jelly Jam!
I switched computers, had to reformat several things, and only now am I catching up on my correspondence. What a meticulous job! My planner isn't nearly as elaborate. I focus more on my handwriting than on visual organization. I definitely don't have your talent, and as I said before, I think you should teach classes on the subject. Your work is always so beautiful and creative! Thank you for sharing! I hope you're well. Hugs