Use that notebook!

Have you always wanted to use that notebook you bought?

If you like me, have a thing about stationary but a lot of the things you buy, remain unused. This is the place to be! Lets make time to change that habit, lets start a journal or maybe baby steps, lets fill that gorgeous notebook with life – your life. I have tried a few different ways to get going but lets start with a very beginner friendly version, the all in one notebook version. This version is great as you can put anything in the same notebook and keep track of special pages with tabs. Your notebook will soon get that professional notebook look – as if you knew exactly what you were doing. It is a matter of faking it until you have gained momentum. You will be more likely to feel successful. And the best of all have that notebook that I know you have wanted for so so long.

First of all – Find your why

First of all, you will need to find your why! Why do you have a desire to fill a notebook? What do you want out of your writing? Writing and scribbling is a great way to soothe your mind and to get intrusive thoughts out of your brain. Simply said, it is a great way to care for your mental health. This is my main reason, and of course also the fact that I would love to get my creativity back, my love for creating. Of course i would love to be one of those who just sit down and scribble something and it all looks fantastic, and yes of course that gorgeous well filled journal with lots of art and wise quotes. I would love to be that quirky and creative, I know I could be! I just need to get into the flow. Maybe that is the way you feel too.

But where do we start?

The most important thing if you are going to succeed is filling the notebook. The amount of notebooks I have lying around, with just a line or two in them is staggering. Just because i wanted to keep it to one subject and it all just got too overwhelming. Add to that the number of notebooks that are completely empty just because they are too pristine and beautiful to start off with. You get me don’t you.

There is a way though…… The multimedia, multisubject gorgeous notebook with lots of tabs, colour and text. Just fill the notebook with everything, and no, you cannot start a new one until this one is full!!! Push through the barriers and let YOU out!

Do not restrict yourself to a theme or colour scheme. Let this notebook be a deep dive into what journaling could be for you. And remember: Done is better than perfect!

Choose the notebook!

The outside is of course important but as we have vouched to get more creative we can surely do something about the outside. But the inside is set, so you better get this right. The paper is important, have a good think what type of colours and markers you want to use. Mildliners are fab as they do not bleed through but markers or watercolour?! Make sure the paper can withstand your wildly artistic colour loving side. Most papers will at some point fall victim to colours or inks that bleed through, do not get too worried about this though, it is part of the journey. The notebook is supposed to look a little messy. You will also have to decide if you would like lined paper, dotted or blank? If you want to write a lot, do not be scared of the lined books, you can do art on lined paper too! Have a look below for some notebook ideas.

Things to fill the pages

Diary entries

Write about your day, what did you experience. Include photos and drawings, maybe even tickets and receipts. If you are going on a journey draw up timetables. When did you start? Where did you stop along the way? How long did the journey take? Can you recommend where to stop? Should you avoid some places next time? Did someone say something funny? What made you laugh? Not just memorable days out but also totally normal workdays.

Diary entries can also be about your feelings, how you tackled problems and so much more.

Recipes

Have you eaten something extra special? Or maybe seen a recipe in a magazine? Write it down and put a tab on it, colour code your tabs so you can find your way back to the goodies. Ad photos, drawings or illustrations or maybe even magazine cut-outs.

Gratitude

This is a good one, do your daily gratitude in your notebook. 10 things you are grateful for every day. Use highlighters to highlight what you are grateful for. Add some illustrations, maybe some stickers or calligraphy quotes. Why 10? Stay with your gratitude for as long as you can, get that feeling of gratitude inside. Form a smile with your face as you write and more happiness will come to you.

Practice makes perfect

Practice beautiful writing. Try your hand at calligraphy, a word a day and you will be a lot better at the end of the notebook. This goes for drawing too, draw small little things to decorate your pages. Maybe you have a book on how to draw or use YouTube for inspiration. It doesn’t matter how it looks, the main thing is that you practise! It will all look lovely in no time. Allow yourself to be proud of yourself for all that you create in your notebook.

Diagrams

Trackers, diagrams etc can be a fun addition to your notebook. you can choose to track your gratitude, miles walked, metres in the swimming pool, mood or indeed books read. It all adds up and these are all things that you can be proud of, bask in the spotlight and pat yourself on the back. A little colour will also help get that funky journal look. Fill the pages to the brim.

Goals

What are your dreams? Where do you see yourself in 5 years time? The first and foremost reason why the law of attraction sometimes fails us is just that! We are not clear in what we want. We know what we don’t want but not what we actually want. Since this book can be as secret as you like, lets just spill the beans, put all those fantasies about the Maldives, lottery wins, fast cars, adventures in nature in there. Lets get clear about YOUR wishes, and give those dreams life.

Things that make it all happen

Pens, all kinds, markers, highlighters and of course paints. I just love them, the feel of new art material simply lifts my world. If you have any material at home please use that, having said that, there is always dreaming about new stuff. These are the things I love the most right now;

Notebooks

The Moleskine notebook, a total classic, good quality paper and plenty of pages. Perfect if you want to write a lot.

Yop & Tom dot grid notebooks. I love these, the paper is thick and it rarely bleeds through, it even takes watercolour well.

Pens and paint

Mildliners combined highlighters and markers in mild (surprise…) colours. They do not bleed through so are perfect for journals with thinner paper.

Uni Pin fineliners – fab for both writing and line drawings

Uni ball eye are fantastic too. These are writing pens that produce a really smooth result.

Posca paint pens – these are lovely pens to add dimension to your art and lettering. These are absolutely lovely and they are an asset for a lot of different arts and crafts.

Copic markers are fabulous but they do have a tendency to bleed through so therefor requires a notebook with thicker papers.

Winsor & Newton watercolours, beautiful colours that work well and make your art sing. If you opt for watercolours in your notebook you will need a slightly thicker paper and keep your painting fairly dry. Do remember that it doesnt matter if the pages curl a bit or it gets a bit messy. This adds character, think shabby chic.

Mini printers

HP Sprocket a miniprinter for photographs. This is a lovely little machine. It speaks to your phone, making it so easy to print the photos straight away. The photopaper is sticky so you can put the pics in your journal. Perfect for holidays and memorable moments.

Memoking mini sticker printer – black and white mini printer that does a brilliant job at a fraction of the cost as it uses thermopaper on a roll.

Glue, tape and notes

Pritt stick, yes this brings us back to school, but they are still the best way to stick tickets, cut-outs, flowers etc etc into your journal.

Tabs perfect way to find your way back to pages you will want to visit again and again.

Post it notes with a twist – see-through.. For add-ons and important notes.

Washi tape not entirely necessary but oh so nice and it does brighten up your day, choose a variety pack that corresponds with you.

Masking tape. Once you find ways to use this marvel you will love it. Choose an easy to remove version as this will not damage the paper.

Most of all remember to have fun! Check back to see how I get on with my Notebook! Links for updates can be found below.

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