Trapped in a YouTube Bullet Journal Vortex

Back in 2015 when I was off work because I was sick with mono, I passed the days with Pinterest and Netflix. I even ended up pursuing new hobbies, like wood burning, because they were the current trend. In fact, I overdid it so much with both Netflix and Pinterest that I’ve never really gotten back into either. Sure, I still periodically watch something on Netflix because a friend mentions a show or I open Pinterest to find a recipe I pinned during what I've termed "the mono period," but I don’t indulge in marathons all that much anymore.

Last week, however, while I was off work again, I found a whole new vortex in which to become trapped: the black hole that is bullet journaling on YouTube.

Wow. Seriously. Wow.

I mean, I had seen a few videos on bullet journaling over the past two years -- enough to know it was a thing, anyway -- but I hadn’t actually done a deep dive into it as a lifestyle (to call it anything less wouldn’t capture how encompassing it appears to be). There’s little question that the ornate style with hand lettering using brush-tipped markers is beautiful and appealing. But how does one find time to do that? Often the pages are sketched out in pencil first before being traced in pen or marker and enhanced with colour and, of course, populated with content. Custom calendars, spreads, and layouts. Collections of collections (movies, books, bucket lists, podcasts). Habit trackers, meal planners, mood trackers. Social media accounts and their reach. Doodle pages. It seems endless. And how valuable is it?

(Disclaimer: I am aware that the ornate version was not the intent of the original bullet journal method, but it’s become a phenomenon unto itself.)

I recently saw an ever-so-helpful post on Facebook reminding people that they have the same number of hours in their day as Beyonce and that it’s all in how you use your time. I'm not sure comparing oneself to Queen Bey is fair. I bet she doesn’t have to wash dishes or pick up groceries or spend hours on end arguing with telecommunications businesses to get good service at a decent price (an annual saga for many of us).

Still, I understand that we all choose how we invest our time. And I don't in any way judge those who choose to invest theirs in bullet journals. I just would truly like to understand how much time goes into creating these layouts, populating them, and revising them. And beyond that, do they work? Are people getting out of them what they want and need? I've seen a lot of flip-through videos where a layout is described as not having worked for the user or where the user just stopped filling it out part way through the month. More than that, is it really better than the plethora of digital solutions we already have at our fingertips? I already have a Fitbit that tracks my exercise, which I then track in Sparkpeople because I prefer their system. Do I also need to colour a block in my planner? 

I say this as someone who was a devout user of a planner for decades. I always purchased the academic year instead of the calendar year. I liked the week-at-a-glance layout. My preference was for coil bound. But even I -- who in grad school coached a university professor on how to use a planner effectively -- have switched entirely to an electronic calendar. It wasn't by choice -- I still prefer a paper planner. That feeling when you've found the perfect paper and your pencil glides smoothly across the surface as you write cannot be matched! And I still feel lost in August when I am not out shopping for this year's make and model. But, in our tech-based world, I just can't see a reason to duplicate my effort. I would either have to transcribe electronic calendars into analog or vice versa because at work we use calendar invitations. [And I'm aware that for some people it causes frustration if all of an individual's appointments aren't logged there when it comes time to pick a meeting date and time.] So, it just isn't practical.

Still, I love stationary -- and notebooks in particular. Heck, as you all know, I actually make my own as a hobby (for example, this one, this one, and this one). So I feel compelled to get into bullet journaling just to use up my notebooks! At least I did until I found a new black hole on YouTube. There are videos on how to use your notebooks. Clearly, I'm not the only person with this issue.

And so after several hours of watching videos of how to use up notebooks, let me draw the following conclusions to save you some time:
1) They basically just suggest that you expand your bullet journaling to multiple volumes, putting your collections into their own distinct notebooks (for example, a travel notebook, a one-line-a-day notebook, a gratitude notebook, etc).
2) Notebooks can also serve as a practice space for your bullet journaling (hand lettering, borders, etc).

Interestingly, none of the videos I watched suggested you turn an unused notebook into a recipe book -- I guess handwriting recipes is too old school even for the bujo fanatics.

So, what would I do with my notebooks?

I tried a habit tracker. I made a few pages while watching TV. Every time the pen slipped and resulted in a less than perfect line, a little piece of me died. This is not an activity for someone who is Type A or a "perfectionist" -- I abandoned it.

Next, I thought about this blog and how sometimes I find it hard to remember what I've already blogged about or to come up with a topic if I'm in a blogging mood. I decided a log of the posts and their topics at the front of the journal and a list of future blog posts at the back of the journal might actually be helpful. I added dates. When I decided yesterday to schedule a few old posts on Twitter as #ThrowbackThursday content, it was actually helpful -- easier to flip through than to scroll and search on Blogger. But, of course, the Type A in me isn't loving the experience. Somehow while writing out my blog titles, two pages stuck together and upon my final flip-through, I discovered two blank pages right in the middle.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Incredibly annoyed with myself, I sketched out the Blogger logo to fill the space, but will probably eventually take a glue stick to it so that I don't have to be reminded on a daily basis of my error.

I'm really not cut out for this. Too much Brain, not enough Heart for bullet journals maybe?

I think in the future, I'll use my notebooks for note-taking the way I used to in grad school.

I'm still buying the brush-tip markers though...

Now I Understand Why Men Love Power Tools

I've been away from crafting and my blog for far too long. Maybe life got more busy than usual. Maybe I was travelling too much. Maybe my focus was on other ways of filling my "spare" time (what precious little of it exists). Maybe I just wasn't feeling inspired. But I still love the process of bookbinding and I renewed my interest in it recently when I stumbled upon a new material to use for covers.

My newest journal was inspired by a find in the trading zone in my building. Many of you will know that all sorts of gems can be found there if you visit it regularly and are quick to pounce on the good stuff. Lucky for me, I pass it everyday on my way out of the building and, since I often leave before 7am, I'm one of the first to pass it in the morning (which seems to be prime picking time). Now, I don't often take items from there (though I love decluttering and leaving stuff there), but once in a while something catches my eye and is worthy of being brought upstairs. I've happily claimed office supplies, labels, a few 1L Mason jars, some Christmas ornaments, and two juicers (I kept one and gave one to a friend who has been wanting one for a long time). On rare occasions, I've also found craft supplies there.

The craft supplies I found recently were thin, pre-cut pieces of wood from Michaels. Ok. Confession time. When I say "recently," I actually mean that I found them sometime in the past two years. I rediscovered them in February of this year while doing some organizing in my office. Among the pieces were two small plaques and three door hangers. I took them initially thinking that I would use them to practice wood burning. That never happened. And when I did see them again in February, I thought that the two plaques would make a nice set of covers for a notebook -- something a little more rustic, perhaps for a cottage. Instead of burning an image on one of them, I decided to pick up a wooden cutout from Michaels to give the cover some dimension. The anchor, purchased back in March or April, sat on my sideboard for a few months before I was so motivated to finish the intended project.

Now, back when I first got into wood burning (during the mono period), I decided that I needed a dremel-type tool for drilling small holes in the pieces of wood I was using. My parents gave me one for Christmas that year and I put it with my craft supplies, but a project for which it was needed never really materialized -- until about three weeks ago. I decided it was time to finish the anchor notebook and, of course, I would need to drill holes in the wooden covers to be able to stitch them onto the notebook. I unboxed the dremel-style tool and was thrilled to find that it had held its charge after more than a year (amazing, no?). I quickly marked off where the holes would go, clipped the two pieces together using binder clips, and drilled the holes.

What. A. Feeling. I now understand why men love power tools. The sound. The rpm. The power. This was far more satisfying than punching a hole through a piece of heavy cardboard using an awl and brute force. The bit passed through the two pieces of wood like they were butter. In the blink of an eye, I had perfect little holes through which to pass my binding needle. I felt triumphant as I lightly sanded the cover.

Next, I glued the anchor to the centre of one of the covers. I pressed it under heavy books for several hours before proceeding to be sure of a solid bond. Then, out on my balcony, I sprayed both covers with a matte clear coat. While that was drying, I prepared my paper.

I had seen a tutorial recently (again, a relative term -- sometime in the past six months) where the individual making a notebook put a different colour of paper on the outside of each signature and I decided this would work for the anchor notebook. I chose a seafoam green and prepared my folios and signatures. And then I sat down to stitch it together.

I have to say that it was much easier to stitch this notebook because the cover was so rigid. And I'm incredibly happy with the way that it turned out. I think there may be more in my future! Especially since it means using my dremel tool again!

Random Acts of Craftiness 2

Apparently March is National Craft Month. At least that's what Amazon tells me. But I'm not sure if that's because it really is craft month or because I purchased some craft supplies and I'm now being targeted by them as a result. Either way, it's been a good month to craft! I made chalkboard wine glasses for a silent auction that is being held today -- St. Patrick's Day, spent some time painting, and used my Silhouette Cameo to cut vinyl lettering for my cake tote (it now says "Ginger Snaps").

I also made some progress on my 2016 Random Acts of Craftiness resolution. Since my last update, I've made items for two more individuals on the list and so I'm now two-thirds of the way through the challenge.

My friend Nora received a set of four handmade cards. I had some leftover paper from a birthday present I made in February. I decided to use my Cameo and a new punch that I purchased in the States in October when I visited Neil. I'm pretty happy with the results.

I think my favourite is the feather, but I also love the LOVE.

For my friend Jenny, I stitched a journal with covers made from a Purity crackers box. Jenny and I met in Alberta and had some fun Newfoundland adventures together there -- I remember eating cold plates with her before attending a Buddy Wasisname concert. I figured she'd like a little piece of home!

And the recipient of this installment's bonus was Leanne, who received the peppermint version of the mints I made during RAC 1. I still don't think they're all that great, but the peppermint ones taste better than the cherry ones. And at least I used up my leftover gum paste. (Sorry, Leanne!)

So that's the second RAC update. Stay tuned for the next installment!

Scrabble Score Book

This Christmas, I've been searching for a present for my father. Somehow he is always the most difficult person to find a gift for. Initially I planned to get him a new wallet -- but my mother bought one for him a few years ago that he still hasn't taken out of the box. I also found a gadget for canning that I thought he'd like, but then wasn't sure one would be enough considering how large his batches of jam are (it separated the lids while they are are being prepared in water -- but it only held 12 at a time). My mother suggested socks and t-shirts, but I've given him those gifts so many times that I just couldn't do it again. Eventually, I decided on a custom t-shirt (fingers crossed that it'll turn out).

Despite ordering a custom t-shirt, I still wanted to find something special. I thought about a new Scrabble board, since we usually play that together at our cottage in the summer when I'm home. But there's also nothing really wrong with the board we have (although I do sometimes suspect that there are tiles missing...). Then I hit on an idea -- a Scrabble score pad, since we usually find ourselves searching for a scrap of paper to write on. Well, I found them online at a popular retailer, but they were insanely overpriced. When I found them for a reasonable price at another site, the shipping was three times the cost of the pad of 80 sheets!

So next I started googling to see whether score sheets were available online. I found several options made by individuals, some offered for free, others for a small fee. And then I clicked on a link and discovered that Hasbro provides a PDF score sheet online! Awesome! If they're providing it free of charge, then they surely can't be concerned about me printing a few, right? (Obviously, there is no re-selling going to occur).

I printed several copies using a booklet approach. I must admit, I was wishing I had a colour printer for this -- and there may be one in my future depending on how the sales go after Christmas. Then I trimmed the paper and prepared the booklet for saddle stitch binding. Next, I used some card stock to make a cover. With my Silhouette Cameo, I cut a letter and number to mimic a Scrabble tile (I found font suggestions here -- and I may have to make one of these giant tiles in the future!). When I was finished, I popped the booklet into my book press (made by my dad!) for 16 hours. And... Voila!

I'm very happy with how it turned out. It'll make a great addition to the custom t-shirt I ordered and it will be fun in the future to have a record of our Scrabble games.

I've Lost That Crafty Feeling

I haven't been feeling very crafty lately. I'm not sure why that is, but I suppose one can't feel that way all the time. As the days have passed, I've thought about doing something almost every evening, but inspiration never really hit (even after scrolling through Pinterest). I've also thought about my withering blog (and felt a little guilty in the process), but until just now -- this very minute -- I had no idea that a full month had passed since I last blogged! I honestly have no idea where the last month went.

Tonight, after finding a kernel of inspiration on Pinterest, I decided to use up some leftover paper from previous bookbinding projects to make small notebooks. Nothing fancy here. The pages were end pieces that I didn't want to recycle because they could be used for scribbling notes.














In the first notebook, I used a Christmas card from a neighbour as a cover.

In the second, I used a Kashi granola bar box and decorated it with some washi tape (Kashi, washi -- they go together).

Perhaps not very exciting, but at least I did something!

And hopefully that crafty feeling will return very soon.

My Bookbinding Hobby

I was first inspired to get into bookbinding when I saw a Scrabble notebook on Pinterest. I thought it would be the perfect gift for a friend who adored that particular board game. I did a great deal of research into various types of binding methods, from stab binding to metal ring binding, to determine which would be best for my planned project. After watching a few tutorials on YouTube, I decided that I was most interested in coptic stitching -- it produced a notebook that would lay perfectly flat, it was attractive, and it was an ancient method that is not commonly found today. I had a plan. I needed the tools and materials. 

After searching Michaels, the only local craft store, for the required tools and supplies, I determined that I would need to place an online order with Curry's Art Store. I selected a heavy weight awl, an X-ACTO knife, some binding needles, a metal ruler, a cutting mat, and some black masking tape, and was thrilled my order met the minimum for the free shipping promotion. While I waited for my order to travel from Toronto to Cape Breton, I made a few trips to local stores to find an old Scrabble game, a nice weight of paper to use with it, and some cotton thread in an appropriate colour. I decided to buy twice as much paper as I needed so that I could make a prototype journal before proceeding to the Scrabble notebook that would be, I thought, the best Christmas gift ever. About a week or so later, I had everything I needed assembled in my apartment. 

I once again watched a YouTube tutorial by Sea Lemon and then set about making my first journal. There were a few missteps along the way, so I was glad that I practiced in advance to get the technique down. When I was finished, I felt confident I could stitch the Scrabble notebook. It took several hours to cut the game board, fold the paper, punch the holes, assemble the signatures, and stitch the journal. Finished, it was 6x9" with six signatures of five folios each. The pages were 70lb paper, perfect for sketching. I was proud of my work and hid the journal away for Christmas. 

Enamoured with the process and the results it produced, I continued to make notebooks in my spare time, sometimes from candy boxes, sometimes from board games. I made them for friends and family members, selecting just the right cover based on their favourite products. And as I made them, I added photos to an album on facebook. 

Soon, Christmas was nearing and I couldn't wait to give my friend the Scrabble notebook. That's when something went wrong. My friend, who had previously proclaimed a love of hand-made, unique items, made fun of my new hobby. For a half hour, she asked what I would do with all of the journals I was making and commented that it was ridiculous how much I enjoyed it. That's when I decided a hand-crafted book probably wasn't for her. And instead, on Christmas morning, my mother received the Scrabble hand-stitched journal, which she appreciated for the craftsmanship and creativity that went into it.

My friend's reaction to my bookbinding hobby hasn't slowed me down any, but it has made me picky about who receives one of my journals. While I did take a bit of a hiatus the past several months (I've been busy with a professional development program), I'm now back in action and enjoying passing the evenings by hand-stitching journals.