5 Tips for Bullet Journal Beginners

I've been using a bullet journal for almost two years, and in that time, I've really learned a lot about the system. I've gone through about three and a half notebooks, and my bujo itself has changed, along with my mindset about it. Here, I'm going to be giving five tips specifically for bullet journal beginners, but they also apply to anyone in general who has a bullet journal.

Make sure to also check out this post I published last year with 10 more tips about bullet journaling!

Christmas Presents and Stocking Stuffers for Stationery Addicts

The holiday season is upon us, and for many people, with that comes the whole responsibility of Christmas gift shopping! If you're shopping for the stationery addict in your life, then, as a certified stationery addict myself (I mean, I have a blog about stationery . . .), I'm here to take some of the stress away by giving you ideas for presents that are fairly small and (for the most part) somewhat inexpensive, which could make them good stocking stuffers. Keep reading to let the festivities to ensue!

Ways to Use Washi Tape in Your Bullet Journal

I don't know about you, but I'm a huge fan of washi tape. If you don't know what that is, it's basically decorative masking tape that originated from Japan. The name is derived from a portmanteau of the Japanese words "wa" (which means Japanese) and "shi" (which means paper), so it literally means "Japanese paper tape". It comes in so many different patterns, which can easily leads to hoarding collecting. However, washi tape can be one of those things where you like the idea of it, but you don't know how to actually use it. Fortunately, your bullet journal is a great opportunity to use lots of it, so, here are some ideas on ways to use washi tape in your bujo!

Ways to Use Empty Notebooks and Journals

I have something to admit: I'm a stationery addict. JK, you guys probably knew that already. Anyway, this addiction extends to journals. I have a bad habit of buying more of them then I can use, so I've got quite a large collection of blank notebooks. However, I want to use them more, so I've come up with this compilation of ways to use your paper products - both for myself and for all of you out there who also have the same problem as me of buying too much stationery. Some of these ideas are things that are a little more obvious, but some of them are more niche and unique. Nonetheless, I think you'll still be able to get inspiration from this list of different ways to use empty notebooks and journals!

Bullet Journal Instagram Inspiration Part 1

The bullet journal community has an amazingly vibrant online presence, and one of the best places to see this is on Instagram. You can find so much amazing inspiration there, so I decided to round up a whole bunch of great Instagram accounts that I follow for nice bujo pics - 20 accounts, in fact. I also included a post from each account so you can get a feel for their style of bullet journaling.

I think you'll enjoy photos from these bullet journalists like I do (even if it's just for the aesthetic), but you may also discover different things that you might want to incorporate into your own bullet journal.

And yes, I'm also on Instagram ;)

Easy Ways to Decorate Your Bullet Journal

When starting a bullet journal, it's always best to begin simply and minimalist. If you're still trying to figure out and adapt the bujo system to the best of your needs, then it's a good idea to avoid unnecessary frills. I'm also a big proponent of the idea that you don't need specific tools to plan well. However, it can still be fun to decorate your bullet journal; the hard part is making things pretty whilst avoiding hours of work dedicated only to embellishing your pages. Thus, I've gathered up some ways that you can easily decorate your bullet journal!

25 Instagram Calligraphers Under 5k

Since Instagram is the main platform where I share and talk about my calligraphy, I knew that I wanted to do a roundup post about a bunch of awesome calligraphers on there. A long, long time ago (as in one of the very first posts I ever made on this blog), I wrote a post about some calligraphers and hand-letterers on Instagram. Unfortunately, that post was a complete and utter fail since I only included 6 different accounts. Thus, I wanted to redo that same post topic in order to give it proper justice.

However, I'm adding a bit of a twist to this post: I'm only featuring 25 calligraphers that all have less than 5,000 followers (at the time of writing this). Since you probably already know the "big" accounts like @thePostman'sKnock or @Chrystalizabeth, I wanted to give some smaller - but still amazing - accounts the credit they deserve. So, I hope with this roundup (that is in no particular order, BTW), you'll be able to find a new favorite calligrapher on Instagram!

DIY Christmas Calligraphy Gifts

Wow, can you believe that it's almost Christmas??? I feel like I've been waiting for forever. Anyway, hopefully you've got all of your present shopping done. If you haven't done so, don't fret! There are so many different sorts of gifts that you can make to give that are inexpensive and quick to create but are still nice presents that anyone would be happy to receive.

In this post, I'll be talking about different ways to incorporate your calligraphy skills into your Christmas gift giving this year. Personally for me, learning calligraphy/hand-lettering has made my presents to people all that much better, especially since my part-time, minimum wage job doesn't exactly give me the biggest budget to work with. If you're still trying to think of gifts for everyone on your list this year (or maybe you're just trying to brainstorm for gifts in general, not just specifically for Christmas), then you'll be able to find some good DIY ideas in here that are calligraphy-based!

Christmas Presents for Bullet Journalists

It's almost that time of the year again: the Christmas season! I love the first half of winter, with its sense of holiday cheer, the sparkly atmosphere, and of course: the gift-giving. Even though my family doesn't celebrate Christmas in the traditional manner, we still honor the custom of giving presents. And, if you have a bullet journalist in your life (whether it be a friend or family member), there are many different presents that you could give them.

In this post, I'll be detailing several different ideas for gifts you could give that any bullet journalist would like, whether they're a beginner, a seasoned veteran of the bullet journal, or completely regardless of their experience  with bullet journaling. So, without further ado, let's get to it!

60 Bullet Journal Collection Ideas

One of the main things that set bullet journals apart from normal planners are collections. Collections are basically any sort of random list or layout that you want inside of your bullet journal, and it's really convenient to not have to mentally file all of these things. Fortunately, due to the adaptive nature of the bullet journal system, you can make literally any sort of collection that you want to have. However, especially if you're new to bullet journaling, you might be confused as to exactly what sort of collections there are. Thus, I made this list of 60 collections that you could consider to incorporate into your bullet journal!

What You Need to Start a Bullet Journal (Common Bullet Journal Supplies & Tools)

Hey everyone! Today's post is mainly aimed towards people who are new to the bullet journal community, especially people that haven't even started a bujo yet and are still deciding on how to go about this. In fact, I have just started a category of posts on my blog that would be good for bujo newbies in particular. Also, if you're a student and still on the fence about having a bullet journal, then here are several reasons why you should use a bullet journal if you're in school.

Anyway, as you can probably tell from the post title, today I'm going to be talking about what you need to start bullet journaling (and I kind of have two sets of answers for this question). Keep on reading!

How to Schedule Tasks in a Bullet Journal

Something that many people gripe about when it comes to bullet journals is the limited capability for future planning. However, there are ways to note down future events, and in the same way you can easily schedule tasks for the future in your bullet journal. I'll be covering several different methods to do this in this post, so make sure to keep on reading!

18 Bullet Journal Blogs

The bullet journal system has really been blowing up in the past year or so. Just like with any other popular thing, this means the introduction of blogs about said topic - in this case, bullet journals! Thus, I've decided to compile this list of blogs about bullet journals. Keep on reading to see them!

10 Ways to Practice Your Handwriting

This summer before my courses started, I was pretty bored, so I decided that I wanted to practice and improve my handwriting!

This was a picture that I had posted on my Instagram for #TransformationTuesday - here, you can see how my handwriting improved through practice (though I will admit that it's a little biased because I was purposely trying to write neatly in the second picture) // OurJourneyinJournals.blogspot.com

To practice your handwriting, you don't need anything fancy - just some paper and a writing utensil. You can use literally any sort of text, but if you need some ideas for carefree, dedicated practice, here are 10 ways to practice your handwriting!

Where to Buy Journals and Notebooks Online

Where to Buy Journals and Notebooks Online // OurJourneyinJournals.blogspot.com

If you're like me, you don't have a lot of stationery shops near you. I live in a small-ish suburban town, so I've been to approximately three stores in person. Thus, a lot of my journal shopping capability comes from the Internet! Consequently, I've compiled this list, for both myself and all of you out there, of places that you can buy journals and notebooks online.

What is the Bullet Journal "Kara Kit?"

What is the Bullet Journal "Kara Kit?" // OurJourneyinJournals.blogspot.com

Aha, it's finally summer break! Finals week was this past week, and because fooling around on the Internet is a lot more enjoyable than studying, I've been perusing through the Boho Berry Tribe Facebook group (to sign up for the Boho Berry tribe, click on here). And plus, if you know me in real life, who am I kidding - I don't need to study! :D

Anyway, I've heard this new term floating around lately: the "Kara Kit." At first, I was wondering if Kara herself was actually selling bullet journal starter kits, but I quickly learned that it's actually just the term coined for the basic supplies that Kara uses in her bujo. It's a good starter kit for any bullet journaler, but of course, it's not necessary; you can start with any sort of notebook - or even just loose leaf paper - and some sort of writing utensil. However, it can be nice to have a good starting point from someone who is quite experienced in the bullet journal world. So, what does the Kara Kit actually entail?

60 Things to Track in a Bullet Journal Tracker

60 Things to Track in a Bullet Journal Tracker // OurJourneyinJournals.blogspot.com

School is ending really soon, and with school ending comes finals week - it's only next week! With finals week comes studying, and in the natural order of things, with studying comes procrastination. That's what I'm currently doing. But fortunately, I've been procrastinating by doing blog-related things (sometimes)! I've complied this huge (who am I? Donald Trump?) list of things that you can track in your bullet journal's habit tracker.

(Some of my Favorite) Calligraphers and Hand-Letterers on Instagram

Hi everyone, Mae-Mae here. Wow, it's been such a long time! I don't really have anything to say, but I will do a one month update of bullet journaling in about a week. But along with bullet journaling, this month I've also gotten into an obsession with hand-lettering and modern calligraphy. It is so much fun, and I feel like anyone could get good at it, even if you aren't naturally gifted with amazing art skills or beautiful handwriting. In this month, I've found a lot and followed a lot of hand-letterers/calligraphers on Instagram. You can see the full list of accounts I follow on the Our Journey in Journals Instagram page, but in this post, I'll just be doing a quick highlight/round-up of a couple of these amazing people.