Say Hello to Stormy McSexyPants

My collection is growing! This obsession really needs to get under control. Ok, Who are we kidding!? I am pleased to introduce my new boomama STORMY McSexyPants. Or just stormy for short.

 Isn't she beautiful!? I needed some simplicity in my life. I'd been carrying around the one Mac chewed up and I just wanted a dark leather cover without all the hullabaloo. The minimalist look is really working for me. As soon as I realized what I wanted, I got in touch with Yochanan Israel at ZenKraft Traveler's Notebook's and told him all the details. He is the same person that made Brownie, and I absolutely love the vintage deep chocolate look of all his notebooks.

 Let's be real. This shot is orgasmic for the journal lovers out there! Who needs Christain Grey when we have leather notebooks?

 And I can literally sniff it all....day....long. TheHubs was like "Are you ever going to put it down". The answer is no babe. Absolutely not. It smells like babies and feels like puppy kisses!

 Ummmm wait, Did I mention.... POCKETS!!!! I no longer need my clear folder to hold all my sticky goodies. I can stick the, right in the pockets. He even threw in an extra pocket in the back! AND A MOLESKINE CAHIER! You know those are my absolute favorite!

 Right now I have 4 notebooks inside. I am still waiting on A few goodies from China to complete my set up, and then I will do a video. Until then, 7 million pictures will have to suffice

 This is the cover of my daily (Chanel is ALWAYS in). Which I have now replaced with a cahier because my soft cover moleskine was too large for my slim simple baby. This is a great way to make sure that only super important items make their way in there. I loved Wanderlust, but she is too bulky for everyday carry. I just don't want to do it anymore. And I had so much stuff in there that I didn't really need.

 Here is the first page in my new daily. I dig it. Just some random stuff about what was going on.

 Here is another one of my inserts where I do all of my novel stuff. She has been dormant as of late. Better get back on that.

 Ohhhhhhh and this is my sticky note dashboard that I have in the back of my daily. They stick perfectly. May move stuff around when my other package arrives from China.

 This is the last notebook I have is a Piccadilly, which I may be getting rid of because its a little thick and it wont fit when my other stuff arrives. We shall see.

 And ---- MORE POCKETS!!!!!

I am very please with Stormy. I should have gotten her about 1 inch larger I think. Just a smidge. I think I underestimated how much I actually wanted to fit inside. But overall. I love her to bits and she had to leave my hands for quite some time today while I taught. Darn job getting in the way of my leather hahahaha!

So, what do you think when it comes to journals; Bigger is better or Thin is in?

How I Art/Bullet/Smash and NaNowrimo Journal

Happy Fall Everyone! I am beyond stoked that my favorite season has finally arrived! Ahhhh! Pumpkins, sweet potato pies, knee boots, cardigans! Well, it may be a few more weeks before I get to boots and cardi's here in South Georgia, but wishful thinking right?

Anywho, I always get this renewed sense of purpose when fall hits.  I think it has something to do with the fact that I think I was a witch in a past life of science fiction, and my novel (that I have been writing for 5 years, but semi seriously for 2 years) is centered around a witch.  As a result of my surge in motivation, I've captured a few of my most recent journaling pages.

I get a lot of questions about what I do and how I journal, but honestly, my goal is "get it on the paper". If you are someone who is a journal/stationary enthusiast like I am, you love a new journal but you hate (and are a little intimidated) by The Dreaded Blank Page. When you open that journal to feel those sexy pages, smell that parchment (because this is 1640 and I'm fancy), and imagine all the sheer creative ingenuity that will fill the page from margin to margin.

The brilliant literary prose.

The beautifully smashed pages.

The colorful art journaling.

Yes, you are just know your are going to have an epic piece in front of you. And that feeling last for about 10 seconds.  Just long enough for you to think to yourself

"What the hell am I going to do"

It can be a deafening thought, a blank page. But here are some things you can do to get out of that creativity block (what I do anyway!). Below you will find my Daily which is a soft cover moleskine square notebook.

• Subscribe to dictionary.com word of the day and write them down. This is especially helpful if you fancy yourself a writer like I do.
• Get lost in the world of sticky notes on Ebay. They are usually no more than $2.00 with free shipping.
• Go washi crazy. If you are a journaler...nuff said
• Join Goodreads and get their quote of the day sent to your email.
• Zendoodle
• Picture journal instead of using words.
• More washi tape, stickers, and sticky notes

• Bullet journal. I couldnt commit to the plain style of bullet journaling but I like it so I still use it in my Daily.
• Write down TV shows you want to see or books you want to read, or songs you want to download. Some people just create an entire page for this. I don't. I like to just go with the flow, and I don't like waiting for pages to fill up.
• Do a quick journal of your day or what is going on. Sometimes I have things I want to say and I don't feel like smashing or dumping, I just want to write...so I do.
• Don't be restricted to 1/2 page or 1 whole page. Sometime I use a page, other times I have less time or less to say. Don't be specific AT ALL. This puts the creative process in a box.

• I have an app called "Prompts" that I use to give me different ideas for things to write about. LOOOOVE it! It is my second most recommended after goodreads. 
• Read lots and write quick review of something you loved.  I do this more in my writing insert rather than my Daily. (see below)
• Try your hand (literally) at hand lettering. I am absolutely crap at it but I keep trying, I get better and better.
• Add random stuff from your day like the coffee you tried.
• Add pictures of yourself or anything else. I just recently printed a bunch of sticky back pictures of things that motivate me (examples on my writing insert below). I bought full sheets of label paper from walmart and printed pictures I stole from pinterest! Tutorial on that later!
• And most importantly...JUST START

Above is the page I am currently working on. No rules, just get started! Trust me, that is the hardest part!

Here is just a quick shot of a few of my sticky notes. the more the merrier!

Well that is a pretty good chunk to get you on your way.  I would have added more pictures but this is a new Daily and I don't have much done yet. I promise to keep you posted on the daily

And this beauty...

This is my lovely NANOWRIMO insert for writing ideas and my novel research. This is a Moleskine Cahier Squared (sensing a pattern yet!?). The link will take you to my personal Nanowrimo page. I have avoided doing this for years because I just wasn't ready but I am going to give it my best shot.  I decorated the cover with a few pictures that motivate me and I have already been doing my planning. I also printed this nifty wrimo tracker from Ray Blake at My life in one place.   And while I have high hopes, I definitely know I wont finish in 1 month, but the push is a welcome change of pace.  Besides, who can write in the summer anyway :)

I hope you enjoyed this post and got something good out of it. If you take any of my advice and just basically love all over that blank page, please put a link in the comment section so I can check it out.

How do you Journal? Any extra tips?
Are you doing Nanowrimo?