Author: justablankspace

Working on my journaling habit

justablankspace March 5, 2019 Journaling 0 Comments

This Blog post is from my old website before I switched to self-hosting. It was published on October 22, 2017

I haven’t been writing in my diary journal as much as I want to lately. So far in October, I only wrote about five entries while I wrote almost every second day in the last couple of months.

I think the main reason why I did not journal as much as I used to was the lack of time and the lack of ideas I had. I don’t know I just rather spent time with some important people in my life than sit down to write and I also kind of got tired of writing about the same things over and over.

Today, I decided to change this. I wrote down a list of things I can journal about and I set myself a list of things I want to change to achieve my goal of writing more often.

Things to write about:

my day
my thoughts
my weird dreams
people in my life
what is happening in the world at the moment
things I am dealing with
writing prompts
ideas I had during the day
Random lists

Things to change:

set aside more time to journal
take your journal with you wherever you go
don’t worry about how much you write at once
don’t worry about how the pages look
journal at least every third or second day
journal throughout the day. You don’t have to write a whole entry at once
REMEMBER YOU ARE JOURNALING FOR YOURSELF
keep it simple

But why am I telling you this? I want you to be part of my journaling journey and it also is some extra motivation to work on my journaling habit if I shared it with you guys.

Do you journal? How often do you journal? Do you have any tips?

Lots of Love

Just A Blank Space

6 reasons to journal

justablankspace March 5, 2019 Journaling 0 Comments

This Blog post is from my old website before I switched to self-hosting. It was published on August 31, 2017

I am a huge journaling addict. At the moment I have three different journals and I journal every day in at least one of them. There are so many reasons why I love journaling and why I think everybody should try it sometime.

There are so many types of journals, whether they help you stay organized like a bullet journal, are a place for your creative outlet like an art journal, a place for your travel memories like a creative journal or just there to listen to your thoughts like a diary. There is a journal for everyone and every situation.
There is no time limit. You can journal whenever and how often you want. You don’t have to do it on a daily or weekly basis you can do it whenever you feel like it.
Your journal is always there to listen to you and nothing makes me feel better as writing down my thoughts and dealing with whatever is going on on paper.
Your journal your rules. You can do whatever you want with your journal. You can drown or burn it, you could even eat it if you want to. You can make it look as pretty as possible or as ugly as possible. You decide if you want to share it or not and you decide what to put in it.
There is no right or wrong. No matter what you do if helps you feel better and relaxed it is the right thing to do and even if it doesn’t help it is the right thing to at least try it out.
Journaling helps you realize things you would never realize otherwise. While journaling I have learned so many things about myself and other people in my life I would never have realized without journaling.

Do you keep any kind of a journal? If yes what is your favorite thing about journaling?

Lots of Love

Just A Blank Space

Easy DIY notebook

justablankspace March 5, 2019 DIY 0 Comments

This Blog post is from my old website before I switched to self-hosting. It was published on August 17, 2017

I am obsessed with cute notebooks but they tend to be a little expensive sometimes. Well, I came across some videos on YouTube on how to make your own notebooks but for a lot of the tutorials, you would need to buy some fancy materials. Since I am not patient enough to order something and wait for it to arrive at my home I came up with a quick and easy way to make my own notebooks.

What You Need

To make a little notebook yourself you don’t need any fancy supplies. All you need is:

some normal copy paper (I used white and orange paper for this notebook)
cardstock for your cover
liquid glue
scissors (or a cutter)
some paper clips or heavy books to press your paper together
If you want to make it a little bit fancier you can also use some patterned paper as well

How To Make Your Own Notebook

Step1:

Take your copy paper, fold it in half and stack it on top of each other. For this notebook, I used 23 sheets of paper, which adds up to 92 pages.

Step 2:

Take another piece of paper and cut it in half. This will be glued to the inside of your cover and secure your pages.

Step 3:

Add the first half on the front and the second half on the back of your already folded papers. If you used patterned paper make sure the pattern is facing the inside.

Step 4:

Now it is time to glue your pages together. Apply your glue on the back of your folded papers

Step 5:

While letting your glue dry use your paper clips to press the pages together. If you don’t have any paper clips you can also use a heavy book for this. Once everything is dry remove the paper clips.

Step 6:

The next step is to cut your cover in size. The easiest way for this is to use an unfolded sheet of paper. Place it on your cardboard and add a little bit of space on the top and bottom. Since your cover needs to hold your pages you will have to add some on the left and right of your piece of paper. If you are not sure how big your cover needs to be it is always good to make it bigger rather than smaller because you can easily cut off the left over cardstock in the end.

Step 7:

Once you have cut out your cover you need to prepare where to fold it. The easiest way is to measure it with your bundle of pages and draw a line where you will have to fold it. Go over the line with the unsharp side of your scissor or your knife

Step 8:

Fold the cover.

Step 9:

Glue in the front and back side of your paper bundle. I used double-sided-tape for this because I was not patient enough to wait for my glue to dry.

Step 10:

Enjoy your new notebook.

I hope all of my instructions are understandable. If not feel free to ask me in the comments.

Thank you for reading and Lots of Love

Just A Blank Space

My first happy mail

justablankspace March 5, 2019 Happy Mail 0 Comments

This Blog post is from my old website before I switched to self-hosting. It was published on June 2, 2017

Just A couple days ago I have received my first happy mail. I always wanted to try it and it turned out to be even better than I expected to be.

I was the one to reach out first to my two pen pals. Here is a list of things I sent them:

Washi Tape swatches
a random postcard
a short letter telling them a little about me
a polaroid picture of me
paint chips
some stickers
my favorite zine

I can’t tell you how excited I was to hear back and how much fun it was to open the letters once I have received them. Here are some of the things I got

Do you have any pen pals?

Lots of Love

Just A Blank Space

Journaling Essentials

justablankspace March 5, 2019 Journaling 0 Comments

This Blog post is from my old website before I switched to self-hosting. It was published on May 1, 2017

Today I want to share my five favourite journaling supplies that are either cheap or even for free.

1. A bag

Since I take my journals with me almost everywhere I go I got this little bag to put them in. I decorated it myself and I love how it turned out to look. The best think about this is that you don’t need to buy an expensive bag. Instead, you can use an old Shirt and sew it together. If you guys want to know how please tell me and I will make a tutorial on it.

2. A set of fine liner

When I started bullet journaling I bought the cheapest fine liner set I could find. You don’t need anything fancy. I love switching between different sizes. It makes your page look a little bit more “professional”.

3. Washi Tape

There is nothing better than Washi Tape. I have a huge collection. There are many different sizes, colours, patterns and ways to use it. I think I will never get satisfied. I will always need more.

4. Sticky Notes

Sticky notes are a great thing to use for your bullet journal. Whether you use it to write little to do lists or draw some doodles on. They always look great. You don’t even need anything fancy, although fancy sticky notes are great too.

5. Magazines

Something I do to save some money is to go through old magazines and cut out illustrations as well as patterns. This way I don’t have to buy any expensive stickers.

Lots of Love

Just A Blank Space

Where to find inspiration

justablankspace March 5, 2019 Journaling 0 Comments

This Blog post is from my old website before I switched to self-hosting. It was published on April 18, 2017

Lately, I have been talking a lot about journaling. You might have noticed that I am obsessed with it but sometimes I’m just out of ideas. I hate that feeling when I really feel like creating something but don’t have any ideas. You might know that feeling too. This is why today’s post is about inspiration to journal and where to find it.

1. Listen to your inner-self

I get a lot of ideas just from listening to my thoughts. Now, how do you listen to your own thoughts? Well, I usually go for a walk, listen to music or just lay down in my bed and start to think about the things going on in my life. How do I feel? Are there any images coming up in my mind? If you truly listen to yourself I am sure you will find something.

2. Look at other peoples work

Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Tumblr… are packed with pictures of other people’s journals. You just have to know how to find them. Here are some Hashtags that can be helpful and accounts I really like:

#journal #journaling #bulletjournal #creativejournal #artjournal #journaladdict #journallove #journalinspiration

@NoorUnnahar, @sincerely_lib, @art.intheclouds, @megjournals

3. Listen to music and look up quotes/poems/pictures

Listen to songs you love. Songs with lyrics that touch you are a great source of inspiration. Try to find out why you like them. Why do they touch you? Do they relate to anything in your life? You can use them as an inspiration for your own poem or just write down the lyrics.

Same for quotes and poems. I find them really inspiring whether I just write them down or I add my own thoughts about them on the page.

20170418_084643079_iOS — I wrote the poem on the right based on the picture

Pictures are a great way to find inspiration too. You can glue them in, trace them, use them as inspiration for a poem… The possibilities are endless.

4. Ask yourself questions

I believe that asking yourself questions is the best way to find inspiration as for me journaling is about dealing with the mess in my head. I already mentioned some questions you can ask yourself but here are some more.

What am I feeling right now?
Why do I feel like this?
Is there anything I worry about?
Is there anyone on my mind?
How do I feel about certain other people? Do I like or dislike them?
What is happening in my life?
What do I want to do in the future?
Is there anything scaring me at the moment?
Is there anything I would like to change?
What do I like or dislike at the moment?

Where do you find your inspiration to journal?

Lots of Love

Just A Blank Space

Self Portrait

justablankspace March 5, 2019 About me / Q&As 0 Comments

This Blog post is from my old website before I switched to self-hosting. It was published on February 28, 2017

I am a lot of things:

I am what my past made me.

I am a dreamer.

I dream of travelling the world someday.

Me wearing some of my beanies

Of course, I am insecure in a lot of situations…

happy

…but I am pretty happy too.

Me with my current journal

I just love the tombow dual brush pens

Most of all: I am creative.

This was supposed to go a lot faster

I am a lot of things. I am me

Lot of Love

Just A Blank Space

Twitter, Instagram, Bloglovin’, Tumblr

Bullet journal set up 2017

justablankspace March 5, 2019 Bullet Journal 0 Comments

This Blog post is from my old website before I switched to self-hosting. It was published on January 21, 2017

On Wednesday I finally got a bullet journal. I bought it on a creativity stroll and I am absolutely in love with it.

The notebook

The notebook itself is a drawing notebook by PAPERWAYS. It is called the PATTERNISM NOTE 03 and made of 25% post-consumer recycled paper. It was 12,90€ and the money was definitely worth it. Guess where I found the notebook? I found it in the bookstore I have fallen in love with, which makes it even better. The notebook consists of graphic patterned pages which I think look cute.

My new journaling supplies

Along with the notebook, I bought three new pencils I fell in love with at the store and some cute alphabet stamps. The pencils are by a brand called ICONic. I haven’t heard of them before but I loved the colour. The pencils each have a fine tip and a little marker and were 2,90€ each. I got three colours. Cloudy blue, mustard yellow and pale vermilion. I really want to go back and get some more because I love them so much. The alphabet stamps are by Paper Poetry and were 12,90€. I already used them quite a lot and plan to use them in my creative journal too.

The key

I started setting up my bullet journal with a key. I decided to go with few symbols because I was afraid it would get too confusing. I did leave some free space so I could go back and add some new ones as I go along. I also left the left side blank because I want to add a quote to it. I just haven’t decided which one yet.

Monthly spread

I’ve decided to divide my bullet journal into months. I have a monthly overview for each month followed by the weekly spreads of that month. I only have January and February yet because I wanted to leave myself the freedom to change my monthly spreads over the year and find out what works best for me.

Weekly spread

My weekly spreads are rather clean and structured but who knows maybe they will change over the next couple of months. I definitely want to get more stickers to decorate them. I do love to change up the way they look every week and I am still experimenting with it. It is also a great way to use my Tombow dual brush pens even more. I’ve got a quite big collection now.

Some more supplies I love to use

Besides the Tombow dual brush pens, the ICONic pencils and the stamp set I usually use the STAEDTLER pigment liner. I have a set of six different sizes and they always come in handy. For the outline, I usually use the 0.5, for the things I write in the boxes I use the 0.3 and for little doodles the o.1 or o.05 pigment liner. Last but not least washi tape. I am obsessed with washi tape and have a big collection. Of course I can’t resist using it in my bullet journal.

This is it for my bullet journal. I am excited to keep using it for this year and to see how it will turn out. Do you have any tips on bullet journaling?

Lots of Love

Just A Blank Space

Twitter, Instagram, Bloglovin’, Tumblr

How to turn a book into a pencil case

justablankspace March 5, 2019 DIY 0 Comments

This Blog post is from my old website before I switched to self-hosting. It was published on May 4, 2016

I love books and I think most of you do too.

What I love to do is turn old books into pencil cases. I have done that quite a few times now and because my old one is slowly falling apart I decided to make a new one. I figured if I do it I might as well tell you guys how you can make one too. I tried to take pictures along the process but I failed. I hope you still will be able to understand the steps.

Material

Old Book
Sticky foil
Cutter
Cardboard
Glue
Paintbrush
Ruler
Elastic band
Something heavy
Plastic Wrap

Step 1:

The first thing I do is to wrap the book in sticky foil. The foil protects it from water and other things such as dirt. You can also decorate your cover before you apply the foil to make the books more personal. I didn’t do it this time because I liked the cover of the book already

Step2:

I take the elastic band and measure how much I need of it by wrapping it around the book. Then I cut two lines in the back of the book. One on the top and one on the bottom. Through those cuts I put the ends of the elastic bands and apply them with glue. I also glue a couple of the last pages together.

Step 3:

To makes sure the paper doesn’t curl while the glue dries I add some pressure by putting something heavy on it.

Step 4:

I take the cutter and start to cut out all the pages. This might take a while depending on how much pages your book has. To make sure I cut straight lines I use the ruler.

Step 5:

After cutting out all the pages I glue some cardboard on the bottom of my hole.

Step 6:

I take the paint brush and apply the glue on the inside of the hole I just cut in the book. This way the pages hold together but it still feels like a book on the outside.

(I am sorry I totally forgot to take pictures of this step)

Step 7:

I add some pressure again to prevent the pages from curling. To make sure the glue doesn’t stick the cover to the pages I put some plastic wrap between those two. Once the glue is all dried you can put your pencils or whatever you want inside.

I actually have done this quite a lot. I use those books to store my Washi Tape in it. I use them as pencil cases and I hide my money in one.

Lots of Love

Just A Blank Space

New Journal

justablankspace March 5, 2019 Journaling 0 Comments

This Blog post is from my old website before I switched to self-hosting. It was published on February 6, 2016

Today I started to write in my new Journal because my old one has no pages left to write on. I don’t know why but I am really sad about it. It feels strange. For six month I carried around this book. I wrote in it whenever I felt like it and I looked through it when I was sad. Although I love how my new journal cover turned out I am feeling like I lost something important. My old journal became such a part of me. I never thought I would get attached to it that much. When you skip through the pages you can see how I got better and better. It is like a hidden diary. Every quote, every poem and all the lyrics represent what I was thinking and how I felt while writing it. I told my journal all the things I needed to get out of my head but was too afraid to tell somebody else about it. I think I am in a weird relationship with it that I will develop with my new journal over time too. I know it sounds crazy but I don’t know how to describe it otherwise.

I hope you had a great day today or if you read this in the morning will have a great day. Lots of love.

Just a blank space