Stitch Journal Collection + Ideas To Try

March 30, 2019 An Artistic Journal

Having mini stitch journals to quickly plan out your tasks is a very simple, fun, and effective way to organize properly. I dedicated one stitch journal to a specific topic that way I can go into depth with the goals I set.

Often times we use one universal planner to set our entire goals. This may not be productive to do because the goals you set may be too broad as you aren’t able to focus exclusively on one. Instead, try purchasing mini journals that may you are more likely to use all the pages and feel less overwhelmed.ll

All my stitch journals were purchased at Michael’s Art’s & Craft’s Store for $2 each! There were many stylish front covers to choose from with different layouts inside.

Below I’ll share some fun ideas on how you can use these stitch journals:

Artistic Journal:

Ideas:

Searching through Pinterest may lead you to discover fun DIY’s you’re eager to try, try noting some to create, make a list of all the art’s and craft’s project you want to make for the month
List your favorite DIY supplies
Create an artistic wish-list of things you want to try/buy

My Use:

For the paint-stroke journal, I record all my art plans and blog ideas. I like to plan out each blog post with a breakdown of how I will create it from planning, filming, editing, and posting. To add, I love creating my own DIY projects within these journals as well with the latest supplies I’ve purchased!

School Journal:

Ideas:

Write down all your goals for the school semester from overall mark, studying habits, or challenging yourself to learn a new course
Set a fixed schedule with all your courses included to do your homework

My Uses:

I love to use this journal to plan out the work I have to do for the rest of the week by creating a schedule tailored for that specific week. I also like writing some academic goals like choosing to book appointments with my professor or to earn a certain mark on an assignment.

Personal Journal:

Ideas:

Fitness goals and workout routines to try
Motivational quotes
Productive morning/night routines to start doing

My Uses:

I love use this journal to set my own personal goals which includes fitness, creative, mental, and bucket list goals. The goals I set are usually simple but effective to making my days more manageable.

Layout

The journals I have came with two different layouts: lines & dotted

Let me know what your thoughts are? Do journals help you to organize your creativity and goals?

Thank you for reading,

Jessica

Honest Zebra Mildliners Review

March 8, 2019 An Artistic Journal Leave a comment

If you haven’t heard already about Mildliners, they are the viral buzz in the Bullet Journal community. They are the perfect addition for your BoJo and are the new aesthetics to add to your collection and pictures!

Here is some basic information of Mildliners:

What are Zebra Mildliners?

Zebra Mildliners are double ended with a bold and fine tip. The bold tip is used for highlighting and the fine tip can be used for any type of calligraphy.

Are Zebra Mildliners worth the price?

YES! Many do complain about the price of the Mildliners however, keep in mind that you are paying for two types of applications in one pen. They’re an extremely versatile tool retailing for $2.79 CND each.

I purchased all my Zebra Mildliners at Michael’s Arts and Crafts Store using their weekly ad coupons reducing the cost per a pen by 40% and 55% with my coupons!

Colors & Ideas:

I would recommend these pens for Bullet Journals specifically because they’re convenient to use and can help you format your spreads. You can color code your spreads making it easier for you to refer back to your content and quickly organize all your information.

Due to the diverse range of colors, you are able to select a color to your preference. The highlighters could be used for going over days of the week, titles, and dividing sections.

The application is smooth and not too saturate that will make text difficult to read. There are an assortment of sets to choose from such as pastels and fluorescent.

With the consistent color (bold & fine tip from each Mildliner) being used for each page, the overall appearance looks much cleaner and well rounded as oppose to using a separate highlighter and marker.

I hope you gained a better perspective on the Mildliners.

Let me know in the comments below what you’re favorite Mildliner color is?

Thank you for reading,

Jessica

Study

5 Tips to Deal with Procrastination for School

March 4, 2019 An Artistic Journal 2 Comments

Last week, I had experienced my greatest academic learning experience thus far. The midst of the semester sneaked up so quickly behind me that I never got a chance to plan as effectively for all my tasks.

I usually face at least one day in the semester where I don’t even realize how much I actually have to do until the night before.

For this reason, below I will share with you 5 tips that worked extremely well for me to help deal with procrastination in the least stress-free way possible.

1. Create a To-Do List

Write out every single thing you need to do even the simplest things too, because when you’re stressed it’ll be to overwhelming for your brain to actually remember to keep track and you wouldn’t want to miss any minor detail.

2. Work Smart NOT Hard

There’s no need to spend 3 hours on an assignment worth 1%. Start with concepts you barely grasp then review concepts you have a better understanding towards.

Things you should stop doing, if you already do them:

Creating a full set of flashcards on concepts you know
Taking unnecessary item to write your notes with 5 multicolored pens

3. Keep Track of Time

Procrastination unfortunately does have a time limit – your assignment deadline. If you’re on a time crunch at least try to get a base down for each assignment. That way you won’t get a flat 0 on your assignment and drop your GPA. Create a foundation for each assignment and then go back to future complete it once you have the foundation done.

This tip has seriously helped me so much with lower how stressed I was! Knowing I at least have something down motivates me because it feels like I’m actually accomplishing something. Plus this give you move time to reflect on your work when you later come back to it.

4. Plan an End Treat

Whenever you’re feeling unmotivated, you may find it hard to actually want to complete your assignments. To help give you a boost, try planning something when you’re done all your hard work to have something to look forward to.

5. Learn from this experience

If there’s one thing you should take away from this post, it’s to learn from what you did and try not to put yourself in this situation ever again (or at least for the rest of the semester… realistically).

Yes the feeling is so relieving once you are done, but going through the process was never any fun. Try focusing on how much more better you could’ve planned your work better for the future.

I hope you learned a useful tip to apply for the next time you face procrastination. Let me know in the comments below what school tips you’d love to hear!

Thank you for reading,

Jessica

Inspire

How To Achieve Every New Years Resolution

February 25, 2019 An Artistic Journal Leave a comment

Coming into the new year, I feel that I always create an envision to achieve all my biggest wishes for the year. But as the months goes on, none of my wishes actually come true and before I know it, the end of the year is quickly approaching.

We joke around with how January is our “trial” month due to how most don’t actually achieve any of their New Years Resolutions.

Why might this be?

Because the new year is such a broad time and may be too overwhelming for one to follow. Instead, try to make monthly goals and if possible even break them down into weekly and day goals.

These wishes we imagine are stuck as wishes and aren’t transformed into a plan. So next time you make a wish, transform it into this:

A dream written down with a date becomes a Goal. A goal broken down into steps becomes a Plan. A plan backed by Action becomes Reality – Unknown Author

This quote is the mindset that you should follow along from your day to day basis.

Whether it’s your goals for work, school, or passions, set a goal that’ll allow you to grow towards success.

Stop wishing and start doing!

Follow the formula above to improve your life, trying to make 2019 the best version of yourself by creating a plan!

I hope you enjoyed this little Monday Motivational Mindset! Let me know what your thoughts are of possibly turning this segment into a weekly series.

Thank you for reading,

Jessica

Study

How To Study Effectively when Stressed in College

February 18, 2019 An Artistic Journal Leave a comment

The midst of second semester is approaching and school work may start to be overwhelming at this point in the year. Here are some tips I have to share with you to help achieve academic success free of stress and get you in the right mindset!

1. Set SIMPLE Goals

Before you begin studying, take a moment to realize why you have chosen to study. Ask yourself: What exactly are you trying to achieve today?

Set goals that are realistic and specific. Make a plan that is specific and actually something achievable.

If you have an upcoming essay, don’t tell yourself “finish essay today.” Yes, it may be bearable to do but you probably won’t earn a mark that you want nor learn anything from completing the essay.

Try making a plan like this:

Monday – Introduction
Tuesday – Body paragraphs
Wednesday – Conclusion

This plan is broken up into sections which will make it easier for you to follow and accomplish. This will help you to feel less stressed and overwhelmed, plus you will practice creating good habits!

2. Find an on Campus Study Spot

We often think that studying at home is the best option for us. However, with working at home comes many endless options of other activities you can do. There are many distractions around us at home and we may find our selves so quick to loose motivation to do any schoolwork.

I feel that I am not as productive at home than I am at school because of the environment I am in. I personally like to find the a scenic view, comfy seat, and a good set playlist to get me into my study mood.

Working on your school work around other students doing the same thing, may motivate you to keep focus! Plus, you may have resources that are easily accessible and free to use, such as the library/study spaces, computer labs, and even the time to seek out additional help from your professors.

You’ve probably heard the common saying “you are who you choose to surround yourself with” so try to follow this mentality the next time you need to study.

3. Plan an END Goal

Why are you attending university? Why are you showing up to class and following the instructions from your professor?

Understand The Purpose – mines is to learn the content effectively to prepare for a career in the future.

Not having a set career is totally fine, in fact most people either don’t know what career to follow or end up switching their set career.

Realize one day you no longer will be in school anymore and will need to apply what you learned from school to your occupation. So pay attention, create good study habits, and start learning! Work towards your end goal and keep this mindset as motivation when you feel at your lowest points of studying!

Which leads me to my next point…

4. Stop focusing on Statistics aka your Grades

Grades do not define who you are and never allow them too.

If you aren’t earning the marks you would like – think what do I need to learn to understand this course better rather than how can I get an A in this class.

Once you begin to start learning the course work and worrying less about your marks, you will begin to develop an interest towards your content; and ironically earn high marks because you may find yourself wanting to learn additional areas of the subject having yourself be more knowledgeable of what you are studying.

Understand that in your future career, you will need to effectively apply what you learned from school accurately. Which is why you need to practice doing your homework to know how to do it rather than for the sake of completion.

I hope you learned some helpful tips that you can apply towards your overall school experience! Let me know in the comments what your go-to study habit is?

Thank you for reading,

Jessica

Bullet Journal, Journal

Beginner Bullet Journal Essentials

January 19, 2019 An Artistic Journal 2 Comments

What is a Bullet Journal?

A Bullet Journal is a modern planner that uses a more fun and personalized system to organize your life! Many inspired posts on Pinterest and Instagram share creative pages for you to add to your BoJo.

The essentials I share below were all purchased at Michaels Arts and Crafts Store for afforable prices. Keep in mind, the prices listed below are in Canadian pricing (CAD) and the links for the items are in American pricing (US). If you want to find where you could purchase the item, click the name of the item!

Mildliners // $2.49 Each

Mildliners are convient to use as they are double sided with a highlighter (bold tip) and finer highlighter (fine tip). The highlighter is perfect for hightlighiting titles and the days of the week. The tip side offers flexibility in creating calligraphy within your journal for titles, subtitles, and doodles. Finding these are challenging as you will need to purchase them most of the time online like Amazon, however mines I found at Michaels! They’re water resistant and bleed-proof though there is a heavy ghosting of the ink and may bleed when lifted. There are up to 15 colours at Michaels and the colours are extremely unique making your bullet journal aesthetic more unique than ever!

Artist Loft Dotted Journal // $9 Each

The Artist Loft Dotted Journal is clean and simple and offers a string clasp to hold your journal together. The edges are rounded which is prevents it from being damaged when put in places such as your bag or purse. It’s extremely afforable too and offers a wide selection of colours as well as formatted pages. If a dotted journal does not fit with you they also offer a grid and lined journal. The grid journal is a smart choice if you will be using your bullet journal for trackers or anything that may require charts as the setup for you will be much more easier to create and view upon when referring back to it.

Washi Tape // $0.50 Each

Adding washi tape to your pages are a fun way to spice up your journal. There are so many types of designs to choose from and they’re very cheap. They could be found at any craft store and used for organizing and decorating your page. I usually use my washitape as a way to divide up sections within one page such as my weekly spread.

Overall, these three must-haves are essential for bullet journal beginners because they offer you exactly everything you will need to create a long lasting bullet journal. The supplies are verstile making your bullet journal more personalized and hopefully will keep you motivated for the rest of the year!

Let me know in the comments what your bullet journal must have is? Would love to hear what your thoughts are!

Thank you for reading,

Jessica

PINTEREST // ANARTISTICJOURNAL

Bullet Journal, Journal

Bullet Journal: January Spreads

January 10, 2019 An Artistic Journal Leave a comment

Creating fun spreads is a perfect way to organize your trackers. I kept a mimnimlist look and followed an indivudal theme for each page.

Jan Notes is a clean and fresh design to quickly jot down any notes for the Month of January.

Podcasts is a section to list all my favourite podcasts as well as music for the month. This is a fun spread to create and reflect upon in the later months.

Meal Prep is to organize and prepare a healthier snack, breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Planning ahead will save you time and help you plan what groceries to buy.

Healthy Things to Do is to hightlight fun activies you can do for the month but with a healthier alternative.

Let me know in the comments below what your favourite spread to create in January is?

Thank you for reading,

Jessica

Bullet Journal, Journal

How To: January Bullet Journal Spread

January 9, 2019 An Artistic Journal Leave a comment

Bullet Journaling is an excellent way to organize all your plans for the new year! I’ll be sharing with you my weekly spreads and fun pages to help motivate me to achieve some of my goals for the month of January.

Weekly Spread Overview

I organized the weekly spread into two cateogries: General & Specific

The left side I placed an overview of all my major plans, cateogrized into school, work, or personal. The right side is to put my major plans into action by breaking it up into days.

General Tasks Categorized

For each weekly spread, I provided a month overview of the dates to quickly reference for my notes and highlighted the current week.

Three Categories: school, personal, and work are the three main types of tasks I have yet to do for the week.

TIP: Include a section for other just incase one of your tasks does not fall under any of your cateogries, I used personal as a place for my “other” tasks.

Daily Breakdown of Tasks

Breaking up the day along with the weekday for the whole helps organize your tasks more efficently. You can clearly see the date you are working with as well as an overview of everything without having to flip back and fourth between pages.

Bullet Journalling is a great start to the new year, let me know in the comments below what your resolutions are?

Thank you for reading,

Jesssica

Autumn

Autumn Wreath

October 6, 2018 An Artistic Journal Leave a comment

Happy October Everyone!

I’ll be sharing with you how to make a Autumn Wreath. This is perfect to hang on your front door and place on your fireplace mantel. Adding this definitely creates a warm and personalised feel to your home.

Here is what you will need:

Wreath Base – I purchased my wreath base of twigs at Michaels for $5.00
Burlap Ribbon (Fall) – 2 1/2 in X 9ft // $3
Orange Wired Ribbon (Halloween) – 2 1/2 in X 9ft // $3
Letter Block // $1
Optional – Accessories (Pines, Acorns, etc.)

Accessories (Optional – Mini Block Words)

All my materials were purchased at Michaels for the exception of my accessories with totaling price of $12 (including in store promotions and coupons)!

Here’s how to make it: