January 2018 Bullet Journal Setup

Ahhh!!!! It's almost 2018!! For me personally, I'm not starting a new bullet journal for the New Year for reasons I discussed in a blog post on whether or not you should do the same. So, my bujo setup for this month is actually fairly similar to my normal setups.

First of all, here is my completed December monthly spread (if you want to see how it looked like at the beginning of the month, then check out my setup post from last month). Anyway, without any further ado, here is my setup for January and for 2018!

Should You Start a New Bullet Journal for the New Year?

At this time of year, I see this same question pop up over and over again in the various bullet journal Facebook groups that I am in: should you start a new bullet journal for the New Year? Today, I'll be giving my opinion on the topic (and the opinions of other people that I've collected - special thanks to the lovely people in the Boho Berry Tribe!) and shed some light on why or why not you might want to enter a new notebook for 2018 (or whatever year, dear reader, that you happen to be entering at this particular time).

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!

December 2017 Bullet Journal Setup

Hey, everyone; I'm finally keeping up with my setup posts now! I took a bit of a blog hiatus in October and November, but I think I'm kind of back on track now. It was really funny because at the end of November, I had this sudden thought of "Oh crap - it's almost 2018." Anyway, I don't really have much else to say, so welcome to my last bullet journal setup of 2017!

October and November 2017 Bullet Journal "Setup" (Flip Through/Transition to My 4th Bujo)

Ahhhh!!!! It's been so long since I've posted!!!! I don't know if there are many people that noticed or care, but I've been kind of inactive here for a couple reasons. It's mainly been that I've been super busy with school and other hobbies (mainly my music making endeavors), I've just been kind of lazy and unmotivated, and I've been in a bit of a bullet journal slump - but that's for another day and another blog post. Anyway, I'm finally getting around to making my "setup" posts - well, video in this case - for October and November. I know that it's the end of November, but because I've done setup posts/videos for every single one of my setups ever since I started using the bullet journal system, I wanted to make up for missing them - so that's why I made this video.



On a note unrelated to bullet journaling: though I still really struggle with making videos since it's pretty different from doing photos, I think my production quality has actually improved! That's because I got a much better camera back in August - my dad's old Canon Mark II, which I still don't really know how to use all that well since it's my first DSLR - and some really good audio equipment in September. If anyone has any tips for video editing (especially stuff like light and color correction), I would love to know them!

I hope to see you guys soon, and I hope you guys get to see more of my bujo soon!

Also, if there are any topics that you want me to talk about in a blog post, please please comment them down below! I'm super thankful to every single one of you that reads this blog!!

Last month's setup: September 2017

Next month's setup: December 2017

PSA: How to Pronounce Kuretake

Today's PSA is about how to pronounce "Kuretake". Kuretake is a Japanese stationery brand especially known among calligraphers for their brush pens and watercolors. I have no idea what the name itself means, but this is how to pronounce it!

"Kuretake" can be broken up like this: coo-ray-TA-kay. Here is a more in-depth explanation of the pronunciation syllable by syllable:

1. coo: like in the word "cool", but almost like you're making a bird call
2. ray: rhymes with "say"
3. TA: the accented syllable, rhymes with "la"
4. kay: like in the word "okay"

I hope this short little guide on how to pronounce "Kuretake" helped you out!

If you have any other requests on things you want to see in the PSA series (like other stationery words that you want to learn how to pronounce), make sure to comment it down below!

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!

Show & Tell of My Bullet Journal

Today's post is not necessarily a "real" post, but it's just here to announce that I have a guest post over on the Mighty Journals blog! It's a showcase of my bullet journal, so it kind of goes through some of my system. I hope you guys check it out and enjoy it!

September 2017 Bullet Journal Setup

Welcome to my bullet journal setup for September 2017! As of when I'm posting this, it'll be my birthday :) (though it most likely won't be anymore by the time you're reading this post haha). Anyway, this is actually my last month in my current (and third) notebook since I only have about 30 pages left. So, I'll be needing to get a new notebook sometime in September. In August, I was purposely quite conservative with my page use to ensure that I would have enough pages to last me through the entirety of the next month. Nonetheless, here is my bujo setup for September 2017!

PSA: Calligraphy vs Handwriting

Today's segment of my PSA series is another thing that I see so often misconstrued, especially since not only do people mess it up online (usually in the bullet journal community), but people also frequently do the same in real life if they happen to see my calligraphy. This topic, as you can tell from the post's title, is the difference between calligraphy and handwriting - and this is a big difference.

The Transformative Benefits of a Journey in Journaling

Hey, everyone! Today's post is a little different, as this is a guest post from Tabitha. Tabitha is the founder of Mighty Journals and has been an active journaler since 2008. Mighty Journals is committed to seeing people to and through their journaling journey by providing the journaling community with the just-right materials that keep them keepin’ on. Mighty Journals will launch in September of 2017 with limited pre-sales before the official launch. Anyway, as a fellow stationary lover, I hope you enjoy what Tabitha has to say!

If you’re reading this blog, then you may already know… the benefits of journaling are tremendous. If you don’t already journal, read on to discover how journaling will transform your life and then get started! If you’re looking to grow, to change, or to improve the flow of your life, journaling will take you where you want to go.

If you start to journal, here’s what may happen:

You might learn something about yourself, for better or worse, but usually for better.

I’ve been journaling since 2008, and when I flip back (and I always flip back), I see consistent patterns in

my behavior. Patterns in my happiness, in my anxiety, in my put-togetherness. Patterns, patterns, everywhere. It reminds me of that Will Durant quote, “We are what we repeatedly do.” Once I get my eyes on it, I can say, “Hm. I can clearly see now who I am. Is this who I want to continue be?” It can be difficult, but sometimes the answer is… NO! In which case, your journal will be there for you yet again. A couple of years ago, I realized that I was perpetually moody and I wanted to better understand what was causing it. I used a mood tracker to pinpoint what was going on. And *poof* I was able to deal with the problem.

You’ll suddenly find yourself in a big, warm hug from one of the most active online communities that's out there.

It’s actually biology; human beings need to be part of something, to belong to something. We all thrive most in communities, even us introverts (hi!). When you start your journey in journaling, you’ll be welcomed by large and active online groups on Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Pinterest, and blogs. Our community will offer you the opportunity to learn new techniques, to understand you’re not alone when you face challenges, and to motivate yourself to reach higher and grow.

You’ll get time for yourself to do something intentional every single day.

Journaling is a sort of active meditation; you get all the benefits of meditation like reduced stress and anxiety, AND you get a pretty journal spread to show for it. Jackpot! Literally everyone has had the experience of being stressed or overwhelmed, and we often forget to take care of ourselves. Once you’re into the habit of journaling, you will always have that sacred time with your journal that is reserved just for you.

Mighty Journals is committed to helping people make journaling a transformative habit, and habits are born from routine and commitment. That’s why, this September, we’re launching a project to help our friends in the community stick to journaling. Science shows that when people are rewarded for behavior, they stick to that behavior and start to build a habit. Reward yourself (or someone you love) for consistently journaling with our monthly box of journaling goodies - which is 30% off during pre-sales! And don’t forget to keep in touch (@mightyjournals) -- you’re part of our community now, and we want to know how journaling has transformed you!

Comment below - how has journaling transformed you?

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!

The Ultimate Guide to Bullet Journaling for Students (Bullet Journal Spreads for Students)

Back to school season is upon us, and if you haven't already done so, this is an especially great time to start a bullet journal if you're a student. I myself am in high school, and I've been using a bullet journal since the April of 2016 - or about 1.25 school years. In that time, I've had quite a bit of experience in adapting my bujo to student life. Of course, every person is different and has their own specific needs, but here are some bullet journal spreads that might be helpful for you if you're a student!

August 2017 Bullet Journal Setup (Back to School)

Since it's the end of the month, you know what that means: time to set up my bullet journal for next month! I'm (somewhat unfortunately) going back to school on the 8th, so I'm gonna need my bujo even more to keep my life together. I've added a couple of spreads specifically for school, and I'm actually publishing a post next week about how to use your bullet journal if you're in school/bullet journal spreads for students, so make sure to watch out for that!

Nevertheless, enough jabbering; keep reading to see my August 2017 bujo setup!

New York City Stationery Haul (AKA My Irresponsible Spending Habits)

Hey, everyone! If you don't follow me on Instagram, then you probably don't know that I went on a trip to New York City this past week. I was there for 10 days total - from July 9th to the 18th. In that time, I went shopping quite a bit. I actually spent almost $300 on stationery! Ahhh!!! As to be expected, that amounts to a lot of stuff. Anyway, that's enough talking; here is my New York City stationery haul!

Rhodia A5 Dot Grid Webnotebook Review (Best Notebook for Bullet Journaling?)

In terms of supplies needed for your bullet journal, there are two main components: a writing utensil and something to write in. Today, I'll be reviewing something of the latter: the Rhodia A5 Dot Grid Webnotebook. This is the notebook I've been using as my bujo for almost an entire year (since August 2016), and I'm currently on my second one. If you are trying to find a good notebook for bullet journaling, then read on to discover if this will be a good choice for you!

PSA: Talent vs. Skill (In Terms of Calligraphy and Bullet Journaling)

Today's PSA is is something that bothers me so much. The difference between talent and skill is not only confused within the calligraphy and bullet journaling communities, but also in society as a whole.

First up, here are the dictionary definitions of the two words, taken from Merriam-Webster.

• Talent: "a special often athletic, creative, or artistic aptitude (i.e. natural ability)" or "the natural endowments of a person"
• Skill: "a learned power of doing something competently: a developed aptitude or ability"

In other words, talent is what you're born with, the things you inherently are good at doing, while skill is what you work for. It's not necessarily a big deal to everyone, but you are disrespecting and discounting someone's hard work and all of the countless hours that they've put into developing their craft if you describe their skill as talent.

In terms of calligraphy, people practice a lot to get to where they are. Every person that you admire started from somewhere. People work diligently and spend a lot of time in order to improve their art. Personally, I'm not a very artistic person; I've never been good at drawing, and my handwriting is naturally really ugly. However, through lots of practice, I've been

When talking about bullet journaling, you usually don't see the behind-the-scenes: the mess that is some people's desks, mistakes and smudged ink, blank or half-used spreads, being dissatisfied with their current system, sketching out and carefully drawing spreads, etc. It does take experience to create conventionally pretty spreads and pictures. (And of course, a "good" bujo is just any that benefits its user, regardless of how "pretty"it is,)

So, in conclusion, talent = good at something because you were lucky and happened to be born with a certain ability, while skill = good at something because you put in a lot of effort and worked hard. Though it's annoying for creatives themselves, the biggest problem with people confusing these two terms is that it discourages others from trying to improve at something because they think, "Oh, I might as well give up because I'll never be able to get better since I don't have talent."

However, that is so not true. Hardly anyone ever starts out already good at their craft; though a natural affinity might aid some, it's a skill that's developed over time for the vast majority of people. See this as inspirational because anyone - regardless of natural born ability - can become good at anything that they put their mind to. Don't perceive your own lack of talent, something only a fortunate few possess, as an insurmountable barrier to success.

What other things bother you in the calligraphy or bullet journal communities? Make sure to leave it in a comment down below!

July 2017 Bullet Journal Setup

Welcome to the July 2017 setup in my bullet journal! This is my last full month of summer break, and I can't believe that summer break is already halfway over! I've been posting a lot on my Instagram since school's been out, and my bullet journal this past month has reflected my laziness throughout break so far. July for me will be a little busier than June, and I need to step it up with my bujo game a little. Anyway, I don't think you care too much about that, so here's my bullet journal setup for next month!

Modern Brush Calligraphy Alphabet (Bounce Lettering)

I've been doing calligraphy for a little over a year now, and in that time, I've improved a lot - well, at least I like to think that I have. In the very beginning, I think one of the hardest things about starting was that I was lost in terms of an alphabet. I used to have look at a bunch of different Instagram calligraphers for different letter inspiration, but through that (and lots of practice doing various headers in my bullet journal), I've developed my own style in terms of modern calligraphy.

That style happens to consist pretty much completely of bounce lettering, which is where the lettering is a little more free-form, and each individual letter isn't completely straight on a baseline (especially the strokes that connect each letter together, which tend to go below the baseline in bounce calligraphy). That explanation probably didn't make much sense, so look through my Instagram, and you'll see a lot of examples of it (such as in this photo). I personally find bounce lettering easier than "normal" lettering because you can be a little sloppy, but it'll still look good. Plus, it automatically gives it that cute and "whimsical" look that modern calligraphy is often known for.

So, I've decided to share with you today my own modern calligraphy alphabet, specifically for bounce brush calligraphy (though you can still by all means use this same alphabet for other types of mediums). If you've just started learning calligraphy or if you haven't started yet and you have no idea where to begin (or if you just want to spice up your own calligraphy style with some variation), then this'll be a great resource to kickoff your hand-lettering journey, whether you want to do weddings, decorate your bullet journal, or anything in between.

If this is your very first attempt at any type of calligraphy, I highly suggest trying out faux calligraphy before brush calligraphy. It's not required, but I think it would be helpful.

10 Tips for Bullet Journal Beginners

Starting a bullet journal can seem pretty intimidating, especially if you've seen all of the great - and frankly, maybe a little intimidating - pictures online. However, the bullet journal system (or bujo for short) is not created to be difficult nor complicated. So, in my experience of using a bullet journal for more than a year, I've decided to share some of the things I've learned in that time. Though these tips are aimed towards people who just began to use a bullet journal (or haven't even started one yet), I think these things might still help out a few of you more experienced bullet journalists. Anyway, without any further ado, here are some tips for bujo beginners!

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 ;)

June 2017 Bullet Journal Setup

Since it's almost June, I decided to do my monthly bullet journal setup today! June is going to be my first full month of summer break, so that's nice. Anyway, I don't have much to say, so here's my June monthly bujo setup!

PSA: How to Pronounce Leuchtturm

I think that this will be quite a useful post for a lot of people. A couple weeks ago, I explained how to pronounce "fudenosuke", but in today's installment of PSA, I'll be addressing a very common issue: how to pronounce Leuchtturm. If you don't know, Leuchtturm1917 is a famous notebook brand based in Germany, and their notebooks are especially popular for bullet journaling.

The word "Leuchtturm" itself means "lighthouse" in German. I've seen a video on YouTube of an employee of the brand saying the term, but it's quite a heavily Anglicized pronunciation of the word. The correct German pronunciation is something like "LUOYSH-torm". That's really confusing (just like the language itself), so here's an attempted breakdown of each syllable:

1. LUOYSH: this is the accented syllable, and it's pronounced like "loo-oy-sh" but all mushed together so that you can't hear the distinction between each part of the syllable
• "Loo" as in British slang for toilet (rhymes with "moo")
• "Oy" as in British slang for getting someone's attention (rhymes with "toy")
• "Sh" just like in other words that end with "sh" (such as "lush" or "posh")
2. Torm: it almost sounds like the name "Tom" but with an "r" in it
• Kind of rhymes with the word "dorm" (and the pronunciation of the "o" is more similar to this than it is to "Tom"), but with a softer, less noticeable "r" sound

German is a hard language to speak, and nobody is expecting us English speakers to say it exactly like a native speaker. However, people should try to pronounce things at least kind of correctly, so I hope that this guide has helped you do just that.

What other other bujo/stationery words do you want to know how to pronounce? Make sure to leave it in a comment down below!

Edit: Sabine Dio, who lives in Germany, made a really high quality voice recording, and I think this'll be super helpful, too!

Bullet Journal Hack: Numbering Tasks

Hey! Today, I'm going to be sharing a small bullet journal hack with you guys. I think this is something that has helped me a lot with my own productivity, so I believe that this will also be helpful for you.

Anyway, this bullet journal hack is numbering your tasks in your daily spreads. This is especially useful when you're lacking motivation to be productive, like when it's the end of the school year as it is for me. What I first do is brainstorm all of the tasks I need to do for that particular day and then write them in my daily spread. I try to be realistic in that I only write down the things that I know I can actually get done. I think this helps me not feel like absolute crap if I don't meet impossible expectations, and it's easier to get focused if you don't have a mountain of work ahead of you.

After I write down all of my tasks for the day, I think about the order I want to do each task. For me, I personally find it best to do the easiest (but still important) tasks first, longer and more difficult important tasks next, and then tasks that aren't as important at the end since I might end up not having enough time for them. However, the order really is up to you and what personally works for you.

Once you've figured out the order for your tasks, then you number them! I write the numbers in the "signifier" space (the leftmost column next to bullets that's reserved for symbols that indicate important notes and things like that), like you can see in the picture above. This makes it easy to see all of my tasks and the corresponding order I'm going to do them in all at a glance.

This is quite a simple bujo hack, but I find it to be super effective, especially when I'm feeling unmotivated or overwhelmed if I have a lot of (boring) things to do. Still, I hope that this post helps you in your future bullet journal/planning endeavors!

What small things help your bujo system? Let me know in a comment down below!

PSA: How to Pronounce "Fudenosuke"

This is the first "real" PSA post (other than the introduction), and today, I'll be talking about how to pronounce "fudenosuke", as in the Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pens. The word itself is Japanese, and it roughly means "Mr. Brush" in English.

According to slightly Anglicized Japanese pronunciation rules, it should be pronounced "foo-day-no-SOO-kay". Here is each syllable broken down:

1. "Foo" as "food"
2. "Day" as in "daylight"
3. "No" as in the word that's the opposite of "yes"
4. "SOO" as in "Susan" or "suit" (this is the stressed syllable)
5. "Kay" as in "okay"

However, I found this YouTube video from Tombow USA. In the video, it's pronounced kind of like "foo-dough-NO-ski". Unfortunately, I completely disagree with this pronunciation. Since the word itself is Japanese, and Tombow is based out of Japan, "fudenosuke" should adhere to the original Japanese pronunciation as closely as possible.

Thus, I have to say that "foo-day-no-SOO-kay" is the proper way to pronounce this word.

What other words in the stationery community do you want to know how to pronounce? Let me know in a comment!

May 2017 Bullet Journal Setup

Now that it's the beginning of a new month, it's time for a new monthly setup in my bullet journal! Anyway, I decided to do a video this month instead of a normal blog post since it will probably convey more detailed information (I hope), and I think it will save time on my end since I have so many school things and performances going on right now. I also think that this video is a lot better made than my last ones, so I hope you guys enjoy the video's production quality as well as the content itself.

I embedded the video down below, but you can also click on this link to go directly to it.

What was your bullet journal's setup like this month? Let me know in a comment down below!

Bujo setup for last month: April 2017
Bujo setup for next month: June 2017

Common Myths and Misconceptions about the Bullet Journal

Lately, more and more people are hearing about the bullet journal. However, there are a lot of common myths and misconceptions about it. Sometimes, these things can be enough to scare people away from trying the system out, or they just make life a lot harder than it needs to be. If you've only recently learned about the bullet journal (bujo for short) or if you just started one, then here are some things that I've learned in my experience of having a bujo that I think may be helpful to you. Even if you are a veteran to bullet journaling, then you still might discover something new in this post.

Anyway, let's get to debunking some common myths and misconceptions about the bullet journal!

PSA: Introduction

I've decided to start a new series on my blog called "PSA". Basically, there are some things in the stationery, calligraphy, or planner/bullet journaling community that bother me in terms of vocabulary, terminology, or just general ideas. Generally, it's newbies that happen to be ignorant just because they haven't had much experience with all of the different lexicon. However, I'm a big stickler when it comes to things like this, so it really bothers me every time I see someone use the wrong word if I know that it's wrong.

So, I resolved to make this series in the hopes that it will help someone out there. These posts will generally be short and sweet, but some will be longer. Most of them will be terms that are often confused (like stationery vs. stationary or embossing vs. debossing) and how to pronounce some words (like "Leuchtturm" and "fudenosuke").

I hope that these posts will be helpful to at least one person out there!

Bullet Journal Flip Through (1 Year's Progress)

Hey, guys! Today's post is a little different because it's not really a post at all; it's a video! I started bullet journaling a year ago in April 2016, so I wanted to show you guys the journey of my journals (hahaha). I decided to do it in the form of a video because it's easier for you to watch something on YouTube rather than look at several hundred photos in a blog post (and it's easier for me to make a video than to photograph and edit those several hundred photos). I also split it into 2 videos just for convenience.

The videos are embedded below, but you can also click on the following links:
Bullet journal flip through part 1
Bullet journal flip through part 2





I hope you enjoy these flip throughs! Leave me a comment if you want to see any more videos!

April 2017 Bullet Journal Setup (Transition Into a New Journal)

This month is especially exciting for my bullet journal! Okay, I know I say that a lot, but I really mean it this time, mainly for 2 reasons: 1) I'm moving into a new notebook (volume #3 to be exact), and 2) as of the beginning of this month, I've been using the bullet journal system for an entire year! My very first bujo monthly setup was from April of 2016, so I suggest checking that out if you want to see for yourself how my bujo has changed throughout the course of a year. However, I will be making a post next week all about that topic.

Anyway, without any further ado, here is my April 2017 bullet journal monthly setup, AKA transition into my third bujo!

My Calligraphy Progress in 1 Year (and Our Journey in Journals 1 Year Blog Anniversary!)

You know what's crazy? The fact that it's been an entire year that I've been doing calligraphy and writing a post almost every week on this blog.

Okay, today isn't actually my one year blog anniversary; Our Journey in Journals was made around the 25th I think, but my very first blog post was published on 3/27/2016, so that's what I consider to be my blog's anniversary. Also, I don't really know what was the exact date that I started learning hand-lettering, but I know it was around the same time that I started OJIJ, so I also think of 3/27 as my calligraphy anniversary.

One measly year is not very much compared to a lot of other people, but it can really make a difference. In this post, I'll be going through the past year in terms of my calligraphy and this blog and see how they've both changed and (hopefully) improved. I hope that you'll find it inspirational to see that no matter how bad you think your stuff is now, it can only get better!

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!

The Best Brush Marker for Calligraphy Beginners

Okay, I know that saying the "best" brush marker is a bit of a stretch, but I truly believe that out of all of the brush pens/brush markers that I know of, this is the overall best one for beginners starting to learn calligraphy. Seriously though, I really like these markers. They're amazing for calligraphy beginners, and even as a hand-lettering "veteran", I still use them all the time.

So, what are these magical brush markers? Read on to find out!

March 2017 Bullet Journal Setup

This is a really exciting month for me. Not only does March complete a full year of bullet journaling for me, both my one year calligraphy and blog anniversaries are this month! It only hit me yesterday that I've almost been using the bujo system for an entire year, and it's kind of crazy to see how it's both changed and stayed the same from when I first started back in April of 2016. Anyway, if you want to see my March 2017 bullet journal setup and compare it to April (link above), then keep reading!

Goulet Pens Stationery Haul

A couple weeks ago, I made my first order from the Goulet Pen Company. I'm really excited about the stuff that I got, so I decided to make this haul post about said stuff. I ordered late at night on February the 9th (Thursday), and I received the package on the 11th (Saturday). I bought a variety of fountain pens, fountain pen inks, notebooks, and accessories for fountain pens.

✒ My first ever order from @gouletpens arrived today!! I'm so hyped to try everything out, since all I've done so far is unpack everything and try the Kaweco Skyline Sport Fountain Pen. However, I'm pretty sure that I'm gonna love everything that I purchased. Aside from the Kaweco, I also got a Noodler's Ahab, a bottle of Noodler's X-feather, a crap ton of ink samples (17 to be exact), a notebook sampler, a Rhodia pad, a Goulet notebook, the cleaning package set, and the cartridge converters for the Kaweco and my Pilot Metropolitan, which I got back in August. As you can tell, Goulet does not mess around when it comes to packing for shipping. I also really like the whale card thing. Anyway, now it's off to playing with my new goodies!! ~Mae-Mae ✒ #stationery #stationeryaddict #stationerylove #stationeryhaul #gouletpens #fountainpens #journals #notebooks #pens #bulletjournal #happymail #unboxing #luxurystationery

A post shared by Mae-Mae Han (@ourjourneyinjournals) on Feb 11, 2017 at 3:33pm PST

Goulet is famous for their incredibly extensive packaging, and I was not disappointed; all of the liquids were wrapped in case of any spills, and all of the paper products were also wrapped for extra protection. I didn't take any pictures of the package before I took everything out, but I filmed this video of me opening all of the products. There were also a couple of extra goodies, like a Tootsie Pop and a handwritten thank you note that includes what ink color was used (though I think there's also supposed to be a Goulet bookmark, but I haven't seen it :( ). Anyway, now that I've gone through some of the non-stationery stuff, let's go to the actual meat of the post, shall we?

How to Make a Bullet Journal Monthly Memories Spread

There are so many different types of bullet journal collections out there; there are trackers, different monthly layouts, and all sorts of lists. However, one of my very favorite collections in my bujo is the monthly memories spread. I first heard about it from Boho Berry, who learned about it from Passion Themed Life, and I find that it's a great way to incorporate your bullet journal into memory-keeping. If you want to learn how to make this type of spread, then read on!

3 DIY Hand-Lettered Valentine's Day Cards (With Printables)

Since Valentine's Day is coming up, I know a lot of you will be making Valentine's Day cards. So, because of this, I decided to come up with three original ideas for hand-lettered cards that you can make yourself (if you are able to do calligraphy, that is). As a special bonus, they all feature stationery puns! Even though I don't really like Valentine's Day because it's always overrated for this perpetually single girl, I thought that having stationery puns would make it a lot more fun.

February 2017 Bullet Journal Setup

Now that it's the beginning of the February, that means that it's time for the monthly bullet journal setup! This is my second setup of the year, and most things have stayed the same from January's setup, but there have been a few notable changes. Anyway, read on for my February bujo setup!

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!