Each year I like to go back through my previous journal and look at how it progressed, what worked, what didn't work, what I enjoyed, etc. This year is no different. I flipped through my 2019 bullet journal notebook and have some things to share. Let's rewind and tackle the good, the bad, and the indifference of my 2019 bullet journal.
Favorite 2019 Planner Products
- Leuchtturm1917 A5 Dotted Hardcover in Navy
- Faber Castell PITT Artist Pen
- Zebra Mildliner Pens
- Sakura Pentouch Paint Markers
- Sakura Gelly Roll 10, White
- Watercolor Paint Set
- Arteza Acrylic Paint
- Mosaic Tile Stamps
January 2019 - Blue Mosaic
For January, I began with a weekly that worked with what I had liked from my 2018 bullet journaling experience. I knew I enjoyed filling the empty space with color and had recently gotten mosaic stamps that I wanted to use. Naturally, I left the space with words untouched so that it could be read. However, over time I realized that I did not like the weirdness of this composition. You'll notice I make this change in future layouts.
February 2019 - Gold
For February, I decided to mix things up and use paint. To this day, this may be one of my favorite theme concepts. The paint seemed to work the best for the sake of mess and appearance. No fundamental changes were made to this spread and it continued to work just fine for me!
March 2019 - Geometric
I cannot quite remember what inspired this fun and geometric layout, but I still love it! White is one of my favorite colors if you can call it a color. Additionally, I LOVE the incorporation of black and gold and shapes. This modern geometric style has always been one I enjoy.
April 2019 - Pink Mosaic
Next, I decided to bring back mosaic stamps with a spring flair and fix the header issues. So, with my new pink ink pad, I decided that using the color under the headers would be best. However, I do not have a paint to match the ink so I had to figure that issue out. Luckily the stamp pad was smaller and I was able to just stamp straight from the ink pad. I really enjoy the way the white looks over the pink color.
May 2019 - Night Sky
At this point, I realized I had not yet used watercolor and decided to do that. I love the look of a watercolored night sky and was inspired. I love that the gold paint pen I used is not obvious and you really only see the "stars" when the light catches. Also, this layout continued to work for me, but if you've not noticed, I began using the theme color in between the columns as if they float over the background instead of linking them up to one another.
June 2019 - Purple Floral
I am not a purple lover, so I was testing my limits with this theme. However, I do not hate the theme. I think that in adding the flowers, the concept was very much improved.
July 2019 - Yellow Sunshine
To drastically change the theme, I went with yellow and used washi tape. This is in my top 4 themes from 2019. I love the way gold looks with the yellow and the washi tape adds a nice contrast to the yellow!
August 2019 - Green Watercolor
I enjoyed the use of washi tape so much in July, that I chose to include it into my august spread. Another thing I decided to change was my use of gold. Up until this point, I tried to use gold or copper ink in my spreads. However, for August, I decided to stick with primarily black.
September - Teal Mosaic
I was very excited to use a teal ink for my September spread. I had searched for this ink color specifically and found it. However, when I started this layout, I realized that the ink bled very badly through the pages. What you are seeing in the images is no bleeding, this is because I skipped every other set of pages and when stamping I stuck scrap paper behind in order to stop further bleeding. I then glued the pages together so they would flip normally. I actually like the thicker pages! But do not intend to use this ink or the brand again.
October - 90's Inspired
October is one of, if not my, favorite theme from 2019. I did a video of me creating it and it was so fun but so time-consuming. I love it when I come across October when I am looking through my planner.
November - Burnt Orange
I loved that I use two pages for my October cover page, so I decided to do that for November as well and I thoroughly enjoy the way this turned out. I also made a huge change to my weekly spread. You can read more about that in the article, but I have since kept this spread, it works the best for me for sure!
December - Red Mosaic
Every December, I like to use a red and gold theme and 2019 was no exception. I decided to end where I began with mosaic stamps and include some watercolor as well. I really like how it turned out.
Favorite 2019 Planner Products
- Leuchtturm1917 A5 Dotted Hardcover in Navy
- Faber Castell PITT Artist Pen
- Zebra Mildliner Pens
- Sakura Pentouch Paint Markers
- Sakura Gelly Roll 10, White
- Watercolor Paint Set
- Arteza Acrylic Paint
- Mosaic Tile Stamps
Final Thoughts
I absolutely love how I tackled 2019 and only wish I had the time to do it the same way in 2020. Completely filling in the background of my layouts with some kind of pattern or color with paint is super fun and creative too. I love painting but have not had time to paint in a while and this was a great outlet and source for self-care for me this year. If you are interested in keeping up with my personal planner, you can check it out HERE.
