My Etsy shop: Green Lime Designs
Yesterday was my 1 year anniversary since I started my first bullet journal! Yay! It has definitely been the most amazing year full of colour, creativity and new opportunities. I'm very grateful to have found the bullet journaling system and be part of this amazing community!
Today, I'm very excited to introduce you to my new venture.
My ETSY Shop: Green Lime Designs
I've been contemplating about opening my ETSY Shop for some time now, and finally the time is right! I wanted to find a way to share my designs with everyone and help you personalise and add colour to your bullet journal or planner. So, Green Lime Designs was created :)
The name of the shop was chosen a bit in random. I knew I wanted to have a fruit for some reason in the name (don't ask why, it just makes me happy!), lots of colour and to make it fun! So, this is what I came up with :)
I get so many emails and messages every day from people that like my designs and would like to create things like me in their journal, but don't have the time or the skills to do that. So, this is all about me sharing my creations with all of you, and hoping that I can inspire you to be creative too.
In my shop you'll findprintable spreads, layouts and stickers for your bullet journal or planner.
If you'd like me to create something, I'm always open to ideas - just send me a message through my shop or email me at christina77star@gmail.com
Make sure you subscribe to my Newsletter to get notified for new listings and discounts. ;)
So, that's my big announcement! Thank you very much in advance for your support of my Etsy Shop: Green Lime Designs and I hope to see you over there as well! ;)
FREE Valentine's Day Brush Lettering Worksheet
For today's post I collaborated once again with the lovely Olivia from RandomOlive. Since Valentine's Day is coming up soon (is it really??? Time flies by!!!), I thought it would be fun to create something for our loved ones, using brush lettering.
I chose the phrase: 'I love you to the moon and back', which I find very appropriate :) The idea is to practice (and then practice some more!) in order to be able to recreate this phrase and turn it into a lovely diy Valentine's card. Or you can even frame it and make it even more special.
I like to use my Tombow Dual Brush pens in order to practice my hand lettering. Or you can use paint brushes and paint, like Olivia does. The trick is to hold the marker in a 45 degree angle. I also hold it quite far up - that helps with the thick downward strokes.
If one of your goals is to better your brush lettering and hand lettering, then maybe you should check the Comprehensive Brush Letter Practic Guide out. It promises to turn you into a pro in 45 days! Olivia even gives you a schedule to stay on track. Perfect!
Click here to download your FREE Valentine's Day Brush Lettering Worksheet
Collaboration: Christmas Card Free Printable
For today's post I've collaborated again with the lovely Olivia from RandomOlive to create something extra special for you. After seeing how many people enjoyed our last collaboration, with the Free Hand Lettering Practice Guide for your bullet journal, I decided to reach out to her and ask her to create a Free Christmas Card printable for all of you!
For me the most important part of giving or receiving is the card. It's what's written inside the card that matters most. Nowadays, people find it easy to go and buy expensive gifts, but they struggle to open up their heart and put it on paper. So this year, take some more time when you write your Xmas card, and make sure your message is thoughtful and meaningful for the person you're giving it to.
The card is super easy to make. All you'll need is some card paper (light coloured so that the message shows properly), pencil, ruler and a printer. The cards will print best on A4 size paper and they come in two sizes - A4 and 7.2x10.5cm. If you choose the smaller size, you should cut them out where it's shown on the corners like I have below. If you want a bigger card and you can go for the A4 size. You can always snip them down to the size you want, to fit your envelope.
I love Olivia's hand lettering practice sheets and I've been using them almost daily to better my hand lettering. If one of your goals is to better your brush lettering and hand lettering, then maybe you should check the Comprehensive Brush Letter Practic Guide out. It promises to turn you into a pro in 45 days! Olivia even gives you a schedule to stay on track. It's also the perfect Christmas gift!
Want to learn more about brush lettering?
Happy Holidays xoxo
Christmas Gift Tags - Free Printable
The holiday season is already here and I can't believe it's only three weeks till Christmas! I'm so excited! This is the time that I start buying the Christmas presents for all my family and friends, and I'm usually running in and out of shops with a big smile on my face or happily searching online for the perfect presents for each one. This year I've decided to make it a bit more personal with some gift tags that I've made myself. And in the Christmas spirit of giving, I'd like to share them with you too! :)
They're so easy to make and cute as a pie! All you'll need is a pair of scissors, some ribbon or twine, and a hole puncher.
Cut the tags with the scissors, and then with a hole puncher make a circle cut where it's marked. You can leave the black line around the tag or cut through it - it's totally up to you.
You can also personalize your tags, by adding some coloured paper at the back of them that matches with the colour of your ribbon. That will make them extra festive!
Let me know in the comments below if you liked the gift tags. You can also share pictures of your presents as well! Don't forget, the most important part is the message you'll write at the back of the tag to the people you love. ;)
Collaboration: Free Brush Letter Practice Guide for your Bullet Journal
For today's post I collaborated with the lovely Olivia from RandomOlive. I've talked in a previous post about my obsession with handlettering, so when Olivia asked me to share a Free Brush Letter Practice Guide on my blog I was over the moon!
When I had to think of the phrases or words I'd like to have in this Free Printable, I knew I had to make it relevant to my bullet journaling. So, I've chosen titles that are very often used in various spreads like: gratitude log, monthly focus, future log, habit tracker and monthly challenges. The idea is to practice (and then practice some more!) in order to be able to recreate these titles in your bullet journal. :)
I decided to use my Tombow Dual Brush pens in order to practice my hand lettering. I know Olivia uses paint brushes and paint (and I love it!), but I think they are not that practical for a bullet journal, so I prefer using my Tombow markers instead.
The trick is to hold the marker in a 45 degree angle. I also hold it quite far up - that helps with the thick downward strokes.
If you like this, Olivia also has a Practice Guide for the days and months, which I think can be really usefull for your dailies and monthlies. You can make them look pretty and colourful in no time ;)
Lastly, if one of your goals is to better your brush lettering and hand lettering, then maybe you should check the Comprehensive Brush Letter Practic Guide out. It promises to turn you into a pro in 45 days! Olivia even gives you a schedule to stay on track. Perfect!
Download your FREE Brush Letter Practice Guide:
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Brush Lettering Practice Guide
This practice guide has everything you need to practice and improve your brush lettering skills. In formats both for printing and for your iPad.
What do you think of brush lettering? Have you tried practicing it?
Blogging with your Bullet Journal
Back in June I decided to create a separate Bullet Journal that would be dedicated only for my blogging. I remember that I used to have second thoughts, of whether I will be able to have 2 bullet journals and manage to keep on top of them. Plus I didn't know whether I should have a daily spread on each one, or if I should have only one combining the two. Well, after having two bullet journals for almost 2 months now, I can show you how I made everything work for me. So, here's your chance to have a look into my blogging bullet journal ;)
I've chosen a Moleskine Dotted Notebook in black. It has 240 pages and it's dimensions are 13x21cm. I have a post comparing it to the Leuchtturm1917 here if you're interested. I am not overly artistic in this bullet journal but I try to keep it neat and functional.
My first spread is a 2016 Overview. It starts from June, since that's when I started using this bullet journal. Here I note down some important dates, like the days that I send my Newsletter, or any other days of the year that are interesting to mention on social media, or that could inspire me to create interesting posts or spreads about.
Then we move on to my Blog Stats. I like to keep track of my progress across my blog, newsletter and all social media. It helps me to be focused and motivates me to try harder.
The next spread has to do with any income I make through my blog. I use affiliation links in my posts for various products and sites. They provide me with some pocket money each month, that helps me pay any expenses for my blog. If you're interested in how I monetise my website, please let me know in the comments below, so that I can make a post about it. ;)
Then I created a basic weekly schedule for my blog. It helps me stay focused, but I don't necessarily follow it as it is every week. Things happen that might not allow me to have a set schedule all the time. However, I like to have a basic plan like this, so that I have a form of structure no matter what happens in my day. I still have it in pencil, since I'm not 100% sure about it yet... Keep moving things around ;)
The next page has to do with social media. The top part is my promotion schedule for each post. I tend to promote each post 5 times in different times and days. So, I've created a schedule in order to plan my promotion strategy. I tend to use Hootsuite and Buffer (for Instagram).
The bottom part is a table with all the social media sizes. It is very helpful when you are creating banners or post pictures that you want to promote on different social media, where each one has different post sizes.
Note: The table shown above is a bit out of date and I'm going to change it very soon! ;)
I've created a free printable with all the social media sizes for you to download, which is already added in the Free Resources Library.
Click here to join the Newsletter and get access to the Free Printable and the Resources Library.
Moving further, I've created a page with all the information regarding my blog. That includes a description of what my blog is all about - sort of like a mission statement - my style, the colours I use, my fonts and the picture sizes I use on my blog (post, sidebar, pages etc.).
I have a list of blog post ideas, where I list any posts that I'd like to do in the future. It's very helpful as well when you're out of ideas and don't know what to write about. I also have a brain dump list, with all the things that I'd like to do, regarding my blog when I get some free time.
I have a spread dedicated to Instagram. On one page I write any ideas that I'd like to create and post a picture about on IG. And on the other page, I have my Insta-Plan spread that I create each month. Here I like to write down what I post each day. Sometimes I use it to plan my uploads from before. But really, I like to see what I post each month. At the end of the month, I write down next to each post the number of likes it got. This way I can see which are my most popular posts, and what my followers like to see me create and post most.
I create a month at a glance spread for each month. It is dedicated to plan my posts and my newsletters. Usually I plan all the posts for the month at the end of the previous month. However, I write everything in pencil, because I tend to change my mind or move posts around. Once a post is actually uploaded, I note it down in pen.
Last but not least, I create a previous month analytics for the month that just ended, and then I have my monthly goals for the month that just started. In my monthly analytics I note down all my statistics, my 5 most popular posts for the month, most popular pics on Instagram and Pinterest and all the Projects/Tasks that I finished this month. In my monthly goals I set targets for my blog and all the social media, and then I set projects/tasks for each one as well.
I decided to have one weekly spread combined with my personal and my blog related to-dos. I find it's better to have everything in one place. I tend to change my weekly spread around, depending on what is more important for each week, so I don't have a standard set up. In the picture above, you can see one of my weekly spreads to get an idea. :)
So, there you have it. That's how I use my bullet journal for my blog. What other spreads do you create for yours? Do you prefer to have separate bullet journals - one for your personal life and one for your work, or not?
Travelling with your Bullet Journal
It's so exciting when you plan your holidays. And this time I had my trusty Bullet Journal to help me along! It's so practical, because you have everything in one place and you take it with you as well!
The first thing I did, was to create a packing list. And that's when I realised that I don't travel light! But we're a family of 4, so I guess this explains some things!
I tried to keep everything as organised as possible with labels. I also left some space on the left page just in case I've forgoten to include something, plus to write any things that need my attention before we leave (i.e. arrange for the plants to be watered, take the cat to the cattery, empty the fridge etc.)
I've also created a Packing List for a Summer Vacation Printable for anyone that's interested.
If you prefer not to write your packing list in your Bullet Journal, or if you prefer to have it on a piece of paper like that, then this list is for you ;)
I tried to include everything I could think of that someone might need for their summer holidays. But I also left space under each category so that you can add any missing items you wish to take with you. There is also a 'Before I Leave' space, as well as a space for Notes.
Join now my newsletter and get the FREE Printable . Plus get access to the library of free resources.
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Subscribe now to my Newsletter to download the FREE Printable.
Plus get access to the Resources Library!
I've also created an itinerary of our trip in my Bullet Journal, where I included all the interesting things I found about the area and that we'd like to do while we're there. That includes any nice Beaches, Boat Cruises and various Interesting Places that I know my kids would love.
I made a map of the area and noted down the relevant beaches as well. On the opposite page, I included the hotel information as well as the restaurants that would be nice to check out. I purposely left some space on the right part of the page, in order to add any stickers, memorabilia, or write interesting stuff about our trip.
We leave in less than 6 days and I'm so excited! As you can understand, things will be a bit more quiet than usual around the blog for the next two weeks. I've planned ahead 1-2 posts, but I will be mostly updating my Instagram account. I hope you understand. But when I'll be back, I have loads of ideas of new things I'd like to try and share with you!
Where will you go for your summer holidays?
My Hand Lettering Practice + Free Worksheets
Since last year I've been obsessed with hand lettering. I took the 30 Days to Better Hand Lettering Course by Caroline from Made Vibrant, which I loved. I bought countless markers, brushes and pens, including a set of Tombow markers. And for a few months now I've been practicing like crazy.
As far as hand lettering is concerned, practice, practice and more practice is very important! And you have to start from scratch. Not from the letters and the alphabet, oh no. But from the lines, the midstrokes and the coils. You won't believe how frustrating it is trying to perfect your uperstroke - arghhhh!
To my quest to perfect my hand lettering, I've found loads of free worksheets online that I've printed quite a few times and I set myself once or twice a week where I practice for an hour. I would love to practice almost everyday, but my current schedule doesn't allow me to do so. But, even the two hours per week have done wonders to my hand lettering!
The following are 4 sets of practice worksheets from some amazing websites I found online and that I've spend countless hours going through many of their posts on hand lettering. I've printed them many times and practice with them over and over again.
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| The Postman's Knock |
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| Dawn Nicole Designs |
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| Lyssy Creates |
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| Destination Decoration |
One more amazing blog with everything you need to know about handlettering and calligraphy is the Destination Decoration. Elizabeth has some very detailed posts and videos to guide you along. You can download her basic strokes worksheets here.
I've been really enjoying learning hand lettering and I intent to continue practicing. I'm thinking of joining Liss's Freestyle Calligraphy Online Course. She is amazing! I'm also thinking of taking part in one of those Hand Lettering Instagram Challenges next month. Have you taken part in any of those?
