Library Themed Bujo Tutorial

Continuing with a book theme I expanded it to libraries for the weeklies.

More books and bookworms and some library-themed prompts on these weekly spreads. Take a look around:)

September Weekly Bullet Journal

^{5 minutes read}
Continuing with the book theme I created these weeklies for September planning. The first spread is just an open book with pages on each side:

Open book – I quite like this design and I haven’s seen it anywhere so far.

The next week is a bunch of books laying around waiting to be filled with all the to-dos.

This spread couldn’t be simpler if I tried – a bunch of books – literally across the page.

For this one, I had a fun idea to make the library pockets and cards out of paper and card and actually glue the pockets on but decided against that because the bujo will travel with me for quite some – you’ll hear more on that in the video tomorrow;).

Library cards as my dailies.

The last September weekly is just a focal image in a central layout – because I need one of those each month;). Which one did you like the most?

The central layout design always works:)

Book Themed Bujo Tutorial

Watch this quick tutorial to learn how to make a hole in your bujo and how to plan the rest of the pages (and another mistake;).

Let’s create this book-themed bullet journal. It is very easy to draw, has a lot of simple lines and it uses a very limited colour scheme that you can change to your favourite colours and even more limited supplies (literally a fine liner and 2 watercolour pans:).

September Bullet Journal

^{5 minutes read}
September is a tricky month to choose a theme for. It’s definitely not real summer anymore since the holidays are over and school and work are back to usual so the feel is different, the nights are colder and it can be quite rainy sometimes. But – it’s also not real fall yet, either. No colourful leaves, no foraging for mushrooms and chestnuts…

September cover with a bookworm peaking through the hole.

So I’m always in a rut about what to pick. Last year I did a back-to-school theme that seemed appropriate (in our little country and all over Europe, school usually starts in September or late August). But I don’t like to repeat themes – there are so many more ideas to try so why waste a month when I could be doing something new?:D

Monthly bullet journal from a stack of books.

So I had to find something I haven’t tried before. I came up with a book theme – something I haven’t done but I love books, I love libraries, I love book shops (old and new), and I spent the majority of my spendable money on books and art supplies… So books. And bookworms – because I need something alive;).

Trackers: a big one on a bookshelf and little ones in books.

I know not many people are that into worms but… I like bookworms. And many other worms as well for that matter (I am a biologist, after all ;).

Ideas page with the simplest “always works” composition.

I renamed my brain dump page into an ideas page and left a lot of room because I have a feeling I will need it in September. And tomorrow you get the tutorial on how to make it:).

Here’s a list of supplies used:
– brown fine liners (Pitt pen fine liner)
– watercolours (this was a student-grade travel set from W&N)
– a scalpel
– a mini cutting mat (came with a riveting set)
– walnut brown distress ink and something to apply it (sponge works just fine)

Bento Tips

Themed lunches for all three kids for Candlemas/groundhog day.

What you can make:
– themed bento – special bento for holidays or just on any given day: if your kiddo is crazy about something, google that + bento and you’ll probably get some ideas;) Then you just adapt them to the ingredients you have at home and that’s it.
– ABC (alphabet) bento that I described above
– you can shape the bread into animals (dinosaurs, pigs, fish, whatever your kid likes) and then bake or steam it
– you can make a classic bento from a rice ball and nori algae (you could put a piece of veggies inside the ball)
– calzone or any other stuffed bread is great because it holds the ingredients nicely

One of the ABC-lunches – this one was “letter D”: dosa (Indian stuffed pancake), dates, and dahi (Indian yogurt). I can’t believe how little they ate :D.

Some tips and what to avoid (I know most are common logic but sometimes it’s good to have a reminder;)
– quickly perishable foods that get squashed easily – especially if the kiddo will walk to school and carry their lunchbox in their schoolbag
– ice cream – no need to explain, right? 😀
– putting together foods of distinct flavors that don’t play together nicely. You can include a dessert in the bento box together with fruits and veggies (separated) but put it in a separate container (separate box) if the main dish is hearty otherwise the smell from that will infuse the gentle dessert. If the main lunch is something very simple like a rice pudding and fruits and vegetables, the dessert can be in the same container but separated, of course.

A bag for carrying lunch – big enough for a thermos flask for hot food (like soup, pasta, casseroles, chili con carne, baked beans, etc…) and a lunchbox for other foods: fresh fruits and veggies,… and there’s still room for a bread roll if needed;).

How to carry a bento? Now, that my kids are bigger, I like to combine several containers – they often get a hot casserole, leftovers, or soup in the thermos bottle and something on the side in a box (usually some fruits, veggies, a bread roll, or similar and a piece of dessert – but not always everything). Above is an example of how my little one is carrying his lunch in his lunch bag and an example of what’s inside the box:)

Veggies, a bread roll, dip in a separate container on the right, and salt cookies made from buttery dough (usually used for quiches).

Bento Tutorial

Don’t know where to start? Let’s make a simple bento together!

Let’s put together a cute little sea-themed bento for the little ones in your life (or even for the bigger ones who love the sea:). You don’t need any special equipment for this, you can cut everything with a knife but I show you a nice trick with a cookie cutter, too. So check the video and enjoy the rest of the summer!

Bento

What is bento, you might ask? Well, simply put, that is a nicely decorated meal that you take to school or work (and you get a tutorial on how to make one tomorrow;). It usually consists of all main categories of food: carbohydrates (originally rice but now it can be anything from bread to potato, pasta, whatever), protein (originally usually fish, nowadays also meat, milk products like cheese and yogurt, nuts…), lots of vegetables and fruits.

This mermaid-themed lunch covers all the categories: protein – fish (for the tail), rice (body) and noodles (pasta), veggies – lettuce and cherry tomatoes, fruits (strawberry), and dessert (a piece of chocolate). This was a lunch for a small child;).

Dessert is optional but needless to say, I often included it (we all have a sweet tooth and homemade dessert is usually not that unhealthy;) although I sometimes include something else as well (like a piece of chocolate).

This could pass as a dessert but it’s very healthy – berries and cottage cheese with lemon juice.

This approach worked well for me because I wanted my kids to have a balanced meal – but that is more important while kids are little. The funny thing is – now they do it themselves:).

The stuffed tomatoes that kids made:).

Bento was traditionally just a layer of rice with some meats or fish and veggies aesthetically placed on top that Japanese wives made for their husbands when they went to work.

One of my first bento boxes – a classic with rice balls and nori algae:)

But in recent years it became very popular among moms who make sometimes very elaborate lunches for their kids for school lunches.

Our first bento box that the kiddo designed and I put together and it actually won a competition.

It is not known in our country because kids have lunch at school (and many workplaces have kitchens or restaurants nearby) but I still made it for my kids since they weren’t fond of school lunch and the homemade version was healthier.

Steamed bread shaped in cute shapes can be a nice addition to a bento box.

It was also a way to get my kiddo through a period of adapting to school – she was looking forward to her bento – I made a bento with foods that started on one letter that they were learning that week each week (she usually went home early and only ate lunch at school when she had extracurricular activities afterward). But more on that on Sunday when you’ll get some ideas about different bentos and what to take into account;).

Lighthouse Inspiration

An old stone-built lighthouse – the original beautiful white colour shines gold in the evening light.

For all of you, urban sketchers or landscape enthusiasts – here’s the best of both worlds – an old lighthouse:).

Lighthouse day

I know I’ve written about it last year but since I made such a big deal around lighthouses this year when they are my theme in bullet journal I couldn’t not mention the lighthouse day (7th of August).

My favorite lighthouse.

Elephant Pendant Tutorial

Let me show you how to make this little chunky guy:)

Let’s make this chunky little pendant, perfect for summer days! It’s quick and easy to make and very suited for summer evenings:).