Tweaking the System...

Hi friends!  At the beginning of the year, I posted how I was going to assign a separate journal for each project, challenge, and class I'm doing in 2016.  Here's what the pile of journals looked like...

I was having lots of fun with all these journals in the beginning; but I started to feel overwhelmed at the idea of keeping all of them up to date.  You are probably saying to yourself - well duh!  But hey, I had to try it!  :)  A few days ago, I got a new idea, and I'm super duper happy about it!  Here's what my pile of journals for 2016 looks like now...

I've now got almost everything combined into the top journal, which I will call my Book of Days.  The bottom two are staying separate.  I shared my Fauxbonichi setup in the last post; and I will show you the Artfully Inspired Life journal later.  But for today, I want to share my Book of Days plan with you...

This journal will combine a handmade weekly/monthly planner, along with (almost) all of my art journaling, in a chronological format.  It will hold:

The Documented Life Project
No Excuses Art Program
Journal 52
Book of Days
and/or any other random journal pages I decide to make.  Here's how it looks so far...

I handbound the journal in an 8x10" size. The cover is canvas, and the inside pages are all 140 lb watercolor paper. I painted it an ombre pink with acrylics and gesso, but still need to decorate it and give it a title...

Inside front cover...

 

I did the intro page using watercolors and a technique I learned from Danielle Donaldson's "Watercolor Words" DVD...

 

Then, there's the January quote page...

There's a collage page, which I haven't started yet;  and then comes the monthly view.  Still a work in progress...

 

The weekly pages, complete with tip-in, of which I only have one finished so far...

Then, my plan is to add in any art journaling pages for January, after the last weekly page.  Haven't gotten to that yet, but I will.  :)

Michael and I laugh about how I am constantly changing systems, but I really think this one is going to work great for this year.  What do you think?

Do you have a system set up for your 2016 creative practice? Was it the first one you came up with, or have you made any revisions?  I'd love to hear about it in the comments!

Thanks so much for visiting!  Next time, I will share what's in the Artfully Inspired Life book so far.  Have a fabulous Friday!

Planner Memory-Keeping...

Hi friends!  Thanks for your comments on my last post. It helps to know I'm not alone in the world of being overwhelmed by choices! I'm still mulling over my options, and I will keep you posted on how it goes!

Today I've got my latest page in this year's memory-keeping planner to share with you, complete with a tip-in...

The Documented Life challenge this week is to focus on words; so that's what I did on the front of my tip-in...

 

 Here's how it looks in my planner...

 

When you open the flap, you can see the whole calendar spread.  These pages are so much fun to do! I used my little PoPo pocket printer to do the photos.  That thing is so super handy! We originally bought it for travelling, but it's perfect for printing photos for my planner too!  They come out on 2" x 3" sticker paper!  I must say tho, that the color on the inside of the Kiwano (the orange and green fruit) is way off.  It really is more of a pretty lime green.  If you've ever cut one open, you know what I mean...

On the inside of the tip-in, are my No Excuses "card peeks"...

Here's a closeup of the card peeks. They are fun to do cuz their small size makes them relatively quick and easy...

Thanks so much for visiting!  I wish you a wonderful day!

Too Many Options - I'm Overwhelmed!!!

Does anyone else get overwhelmed with all of the planning options, programs and challenges out there? I am feeling that way right now, as I'm trying to figure out my plan for 2016. In 2014 I was very focused. I had one memory-keeping planner, and I had so much fun with it.

 2014 - No Excuses/Documented Life Project in a Moleskine Weekly Planner

This year has been the exact opposite. I changed my mind about how to plan/memory-keep every month or so. Which resulted in a whole bunch of different half-filled planners (these photos are actually missing a couple of planners I forgot to include). It feels very disjointed. 

I want to come up with a good focused plan for 2016, but I'm having a hard time. These are all of the planners I have purchased and ready for 2016. 

The bottom one is planned to be a catch-all graph paper notebook.  Fauxbonichi, Bullet Journal, and Notebook in one.  

The Kraft Ring-Binder is the new kit for the Documented Life Program for 2016.  Not sure if I should combine this with my No Excuses stuff or not?

The Blue one is a Blue Sky Agenda.  Cheap but also beautiful and well laid out.  My original idea for this one was to do my actual daily planning in it.  (What?  Actual planning???)

The top one is the beautiful and beloved Inkwell Press Planner.  My original idea for this one was to use it for No Excuses Art.  The paper is thick and luxurious.  But now I'm not sure???  Maybe I want this one for actual planning???

All of this is not to mention any art journaling - ha.  That's for another post.

I don't want to be redundant, but I want to use them all.  Do any of you have this problem?  And if so, how are you solving it???  Do tell - I need help!!!  :)

Combining the Fauxbonichi with the bullet journal...

Just a quick post to share my Fauxbonichi/Bullet Journal pages from this week with you...

 I'm LOVING filling up these pages lately!  I wanted to dress up my bullet journal a little; and combining it with my Fauxbonichi has been a good solution. I don't do these pages every day, but I try to do at least a couple each week.  I like practicing different styles of drop caps.  Sometimes they are inspired by fonts I find on pinterest (like the "I" above); and sometimes I make them up (like the "f" below).  The three patterned squares on the right are from the Tangle Tuesday challenge in the Fauxbonichi Journalers Facebook Community.

On this page the present, monogram, and List of Things that Make Our Home Cozy, are all my take on prompts from the Fauxbonichi Journalers.

I've wanted to do an illustrated journal for quite awhile, but my efforts to do a formal one have never gotten going; and I think that's because, well, because it felt too formal!  HA.  The fauxbonichi doesn't feel that way and that's why I'm loving it!  I can do a quick drawing, or no drawing, or stick stickers in or WHATEVER.  It's fun to make each page different, with no pressure.

Thanks for visiting!  I really appreciate you! 

National Journaling Month Comes to a Close with Days 29 and 30...

Hi friends!  I'm happy to say that I finished days 29 and 30 of the NaNoJouMo challenge!  Together they create the back and front side to this week's tip-in in my Planner Journal...

Day 29:

Watercolor Test Strips

 

This was another exercise in the "Creative Girl" book that I'm reading.  It's really a fun book - I highly recommend it, if you are interested in learning more about watercolor techniques.  The two columns on the left-hand side of the page are experiments in letting the different colors bleed into each other while wet, to see what happens and what new colors arise.  The right hand column is about adding salt to the mixture.  This was fun and it didn't take long at all.  Even tho it's just test strips, I still think it makes a beautiful page - I love all that color!

Day 30:

"More of This Please"

I was just playing with collage here, while thinking about the state of the world right now.  I made the background with color crayons and Liquid Watercolors. 

Thanks for hanging in there with me throughout this 30-day challenge!  It was lots of fun to be able to come here and share my progress each day!  Did any of you take on the NaNoJouMo challenge too?  If so, how did it go for you?

Coming up on Inspiration Everywhere - December will be a month of wrapping up 2015, and getting ready for the new year! I'll be sharing my creative plans and goals; and I'm hoping to hear about yours too!

Thanks again for visiting, and I will be back very soon!

Day 17 of National Nonstop Journaling Month - This week's Planner Page...

Hi friends!  Sorry I'm a bit late with posting today's page.  I always do my memory keeping planner page on Sunday nights, and this week it was a little more time-consuming than usual.  Not sure why - some weeks just take more time than others I guess. 

Day 17:

This Week in my Memory-keeping Planner...

 This week's pages are full of emotion - both happy and sad...

I added in two flaps to show my new art supplies that arrived this week; mostly stuff for upcoming workshops.

I want to give a special shout-out to Carolyn Forinash Kirstine and Angel of Hope Animal Rescue for helping us out this week.  We had a sweet little stray kitten show up at our door last week. We don't know where he came from, and despite exhaustive efforts, we couldn't find his owners. Carolyn and AOH were kind enough to offer him shelter and help him find a forever home.  With Carolyn's blessing, I am sharing her Facebook post about the little guy here (isn't he adorable?!)... Thank you so much Carolyn and Angel of Hope!

Here's the whole spread with the flaps open.  At the bottom of the right page is a buddhist prayer that felt right for all the emotion of this week...

For more info about National Nonstop Journaling Month (NaNoJouMo), click here.
For more info about Angel of Hope Animal Rescue, click here.

Thanks so much for visiting!  Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Day 16 of NaNoJouMo: Fauxbonichi...

Hi friends!  It's day 16 of NaNoJouMo, and my page for today comes from my Bullet/Fauxbonichi Journal. I've included the elements from the Fauxbonichi Journalers "Five on Friday" prompt, which include:

1. The fifth sheet down in a paper stack
2. Something calendar related
3. An image of someone special
4. An arrow or two
5. A clock

Day 16:

"We All Grieve In Our Own Way"

The bird on the flower is hand-drawn and colored with Tombow Markers. He is inspired by a photo I saw on pinterest.  The two little kitties are stamps from the Cocoa Daisy December planner kit.  I colored them to represent Willie and Johnny.  :)  The alarm clock is a stamp from the Sweet Stamp Shop.

I wish you a beautiful Monday!  Thanks so much for visiting!

Day 11: Fauxbonichi/Bullet Journal...

Hi friends!  It's day 11 of the National Nonstop Journaling Month (NaNoJouMo) challenge!  Today's page is in my Inkwell Press Journal, which I'm using as a combo bullet journal (task list) and fauxbonichi (daily writing and drawing).

I combined a bunch of stuff on this page, so it took me awhile.  Two prompts from the Fauxbonichi Journalers group (Tangle Tuesday and Hand-lettering Graffiti Style); and the Decade Thirty Question (What do you want to remember from today)

Day 11:
Fauxbonichi

For more info on NaNoJouMo, click here.
For more info on the fabulous Inkwell Press Journals, click here. (They are out of stock now, but will be restocked after Jan 1st.)
For more info on the Decade 30 prompts, click here.
For more info on the Fauxbonichi Journalers Facebook group, click here.

Thanks so much for visiting! I will see you again tomorrow!

Day 9 of NaNoJouMo: Weekly No Excuses Journal Update...

Hi friends!  For day 9 of the challenge, I completed the weekly layout in my No Excuses Planner Journal. These layouts take a long time, but they are loads of fun...

Day 9:
No Excuses Journal for November 2 - 8, 2015

I attached a Hello Kitty pocket as a tip-in, to hold some notes I took during the week...

For more info on NaNoJouMo, click here.
For more info on No Excuses Art Journaling, click here.

Thanks so very much for visiting! I wish you a wonderful week!

Day 5 of NaNoJouMo: Fauxbonichi Journaling...

Hi friends!  It's time for day 5 of the NaNoJouMo Challenge!  For day five, I created a page in my Fauxbonichi Journal.

You may already know this, but just in case you don't - A Fauxbonichi is based on the Japanese art of Hobonichi Journaling.  A Hobonichi is a specific journal you can buy, that has a page-a-day, grid format. It is used in all kinds of ways - here's a link to a  promo video. The first time I saw that video I was like WOAH - I'm in LOVE!  But I didn't get around to getting one of the journals or trying it, until I found the Fauxbonichi Journalers group on Facebook.  This group is so much fun!  They have a new challenge for most days of the week, which makes it fun and easy to fill up your pages, plus they are a super nice and supportive group of people! 

For my "faux-bonichi," I am using a Leuchtturm 1917 A5 notebook, and writing/stamping the header each day. For this particular page, I combined their "Tuesday Tangle," and "hand-lettering" challenges, along with my journaling for the day.

Day 5:

"Much Ado About A Notebook"

Pitt Pen, Tombow Marker and watercolor.

For the hand-lettering challenge, I referenced this video on youtube...

For more info on the Fauxbonichi Journalers Group, click here.
For more info on the NaNoJouMo challenge, click here.

Thanks so much for visiting!  I appreciate you!

Day 3 of NaNoJouMo: Memory Keeping Planner...

Hi friends!  Today's page was a more time-consuming one.  It is this week's page in my memory-keeping planner.  These take a full evening, but they are lots of fun - like putting together a puzzle.  I am currently using an Erin Condren Life Planner, but I am not happy with the paper quality, so I will be changing to an Inkwell Press Planner for next year.

Anyhoo, here's today's page. It incorporates elements of the No Excuses Journaling System, and this week, I included some prompts from the Fauxbonichi Journaler's Facebook Group too. 

DAY 3:
Last week in my Planner

For more info on National Nonstop Journaling Month (NaNoJouMo), click here.
For more info on Erin Condren planners, click here.
For more info on Inkwell Press Planners, click here. 
For more info on No Excuses Journaling, click here.
For more info on the Fauxbonichi Journalers Facebook Group, click here.

Thanks for visiting and I will see you tomorrow!  Have an awesome Tuesday, my friends!