A wacky journal design theme!
I decorated my journal pages with Animaniacs' characters to celebrate my inner child (and birthday) for the month of May!
NOTE: While the pages are like those who setup their Bullet Journals (BuJo), I use this journal more as a memory keeper/diary. 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 topics covered in this post:
Calendar Overview Pages
I wanted this month's design to be colorful and have a theme that made me smile. After thinking back on cartoons I watched as a child, I decided to decorate my journal pages with Animaniacs' characters to celebrate my inner child (and birthday)!
I included Yakko, Wakko, Slappy Squirrel, Dot, and Skippy Squirrel. I thought about including Hello Nurse somewhere on the page, but decided not to since I never cared for that character as a kid.
I used a mix of stamp ink (for blending the background colors), stamps, archival pens, markers that did not bleed through the pages), and colored pencils.
The calendar overview is where I note important dates I want to document in my journal.
The larger calendar fills much of both pages. I note events such as birthdays, appointments, and holidays within the appropriate block that represents a day in the month. During the month, I will make a short note of something that happened.
On the right, I will note the best and worst things to happen during the month. While I write a line of text highlighting one good thing about that day on my highlights page, I believed it was important to document the bade things as well. It will allow me to reflect on the past and press on with the future.
I also have a mini calendar for next month and another box where I'll note next month's events coming soon. I like being able to visually see ahead to things I may need to be aware of before those days come.
Productivity-related notes like to-do lists are managed in a separate and more simplistic Bullet Journal.
Hobbies and Dogs' Pages
These pages were so much fun to draw! I included Rita and Runt, Buttons and Mindy, the Hip Hippos (Flavio and Marita), and Chicken Boo. Honestly, I have no memories of the Hip Hippos, but they filled the empty space of the right page beautifully!
My hobbies & dogs are tracked across a two-page spread. While many journal enthusiasts track their habits, tracking my favorite hobbies reminds me to dedicate time for fun. The hobbies I track are:
arts + crafts,
writing, and
gaming.
For my dogs, I track the following:
when they go for a joy ride,
when they go for a good walk,
when I've cared for their coat with a brush, leave-in shampoo, or bath,
when they received 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 puppy's training progress. We will focus on mastering several skills.
Highlights and Mood Pages
Unlike the previous pages, I kept the background colors minimal. These pages will look a tad cluttered by the end of the month.
I included the Good Feathers (Pesto, Bobby, and Squit), Pinky, and the Brain. Since I am celebrating my birthday this month, I filled my mood page with balloons. I also made sure Pinky and the Brain wore party hats.
Every night, I write a line of text highlighting one good thing about that day on my highlights page (left). I will write about a simple thing that made me happy.
Even on the worst days, I try to think about a highlight of that day to write down. This page is intentionally left blank since I will fill it in throughout the month.
I treat my mood tracker page (right) as a coloring page of sorts. Each night, I will normally color-in a part of an image (or shape) that represents my overall mood for that day: awesome, okay, sick, or bad/sad.
What's Next?
Do you remember a cartoon or comic from your childhood that made you happy? Why not include some of your favorite characters on your journal pages this month?!
Have you set up your journal design? Comment below to share what theme you went with and what materials you used to create it.
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Thanks, and have a great day!
Simply Jelly Jam