My Bullet Journal: Favorite Spreads

This is the sixth in a series of posts about My Bullet Journal Journey. I’ve sequenced the posts so that they chronicle my journey and are step-by-step guides for those of you considering starting your own. 

• #1 – My Bullet Journal: Taking the Plunge (materials)
• #2 – How to Get Started (terms and basic set up)
• #3 – My Collections
• #4 – Oopsies & Reinvented Pages
• #5 – Tools in the Toolbox
• #6 – Favorite Spreads

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I have loved and hated and loved and hated my bullet journaling journey. I can’t compare to the more professional photos you’ll find online (particularly Instagram). Just like with blogging, sometimes it does seem like a competition. I will admit – I can’t compete. I don’t have the time or the steady hand or the creativity. But I do enjoy this and I do have fun, and today I’m going to share my favorite spreads I’ve done so far.

Favorite Spreads

Weekly Spread

This was one of my first weekly spread layouts I used from about January through some of March. I slowly started incorporating washi tape, and with this one I used two artisan stencils for the blue badge-like outline around the days, and the corner design. What I loved about this spread was the combination of the colors, the stencil designs, and the clean look.

Monthly Calendar Companion

This is the very first monthly calendar and companion I set up for January. I LOVED the bookshelf at the top and that’s why this is one of my favorites. However, designing just the books took up so much time and I will only ever possibly fill all of them in the summer months, so I nixed that feature after January.

Free Hand

This spread was featured on my Oopsies! and Reinvented Pages segment a few weeks ago. If you look closely you’ll see the mess-up and White Out. While I am a perfectionist and having inconsistencies bothers me, I really liked the free hand lettering and numbers I did on this weekly spread.

March Creativity

One thing I will lament always is that there is NO WAY I am as creative as any of the amazing artists featuring their work on Instagram. (Seriously, just look up #bulletjournaljunkies. I’m in awe.) But since I already had two months under my belt and had a little ground accomplished, I decided to start finding little ways to add some designs and color to my boring spreads. I adore the March calendar. Everything is completely free hand except the boxes and it looks so good! I was proud of how it turned out.

And on the bottom is the monthly calendar companion. I was trying to think of cool ways to incorporate March’s biggest day into it. While my little leprechaun didn’t turn out quite how I wanted, I still think he looks cute. I now have the right type of markers to do the rainbow, so if I ever try something like that again it will look better.

SCIENCE! 

A lot of my eighth-grade students decided to focus on a current topic for their own bullet journals back in March. They had just finished studying the moon phases in science, and several of them did different renditions of their own. When they presented their two best collections, I had two different students present their moon phases and I liked it so much that I decided to do my own.

Travel Destinations

Another collection a couple of my seventh-grade students did was a travel destination spread. I liked the idea and had wanted to do my own, but didn’t know how to do it. I was inspired by one of my veteran officers. She put little icons next to most of her places. For example, Disney World was one of hers and she put the classic black Mickey Mouse ears. One was overseas, so she used an airplane. I went home and researched the spread and modeled mine after an amazing one I found. Later I found a sticker set and placed those on the page.

Wish List

This is in the front of my bullet journal. For a long time, I only had one item on my list. I couldn’t think of anything else! It defied the whole point of the list! Then I came back and added the dandelion. I love that dandelion so much, that’s why it’s a favorite. I slowly added a couple more items after about four months or so. I think I can now add a couple more.

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 Thanks for reading! Do you have a bullet journal? Which monthly and weekly layouts work for you?

Check back for my next post in the BUJO series. The next two will be about changing things that aren’t working and some recent things I’ve done.