Plan With Me February-March 2019

Throughout the long school breaks, I lay out as many upcoming months in my bullet journal so I don't worry about setting up spreads needed during the semester. I managed to complete through March, which is when my Spring Break begins (when I'll lay out April and onward.

Above are the "stickers" I used for February and March, with a few stickers for New Year's and Martin Luther King Jr. Day. When printed at 100% scale, they'll be the same size as seen in my own journal below. Download these PDFs here for free (for personal use only):

Download February-March 2019 Plan With Me Stickers 1
Download February-March 2019 Plan With Me Stickers 2

How I make these PDFs:

• Grab images from various sources (Google, Instagram, Pinterest)

• Paste them into a Blank Document in Pages or Microsoft Word

• Edit images to the correct size or color needed to match my washi tape

• Print them on regular paper, cut them out, and tape them into my bujo—however, you can save time by printing on special sticky-backed paper, like this Avery Sticker Paper 20-pack from Amazon.

Scroll onward to see how I put these stickers to use in my bullet journal! Please enjoy my February & March spreads below~★

Happy New Year 2019

Theme: Bright rainbow colors, Year of the Pig

First, my Word of the Year. I chose ‘kaleidoscopic’ as an acknowledgment of ever-changing life. The rest of the page is a journal entry about 2018 and my hopes for the new year:

“[A] reminder that nothing is ever constant [and] when it seems like all there is in life is unforgiving or hopeless, just as rapidly as it darkened can it always shift into something bright, colorful [and] radiant. In order to make the most of 2019, let me embrace the beauty of the world's ups & downs by enjoying, savoring, its precious moments and riding its rough waves with the utmost grace and persistence.”

Above is my homage to the Lunar New Year, the year of the Pig; a few 'Aspirations for 2019' in lieu of new year resolutions; and the memorable, inspirational quote by Shia LaBeouf, "Just DO It!!"

The image of the watercolor pig was originally quite darker. By playing with the picture's exposure and brightness, I achieved this pastel color seen above, which matched the color scheme of the smaller image (ornaments in the shape of pigs) and the colors used in my Word of the Year.

February 2019

Theme: Whimsical daydreaming, soft colors

I typically write in some interesting facts or information that's loosely based on the month's theme. Here, I divulged into possible reasons why humans dream at night.

Can you spot the cover-ups? I accidentally cut the wrong page for my monthly spread, taking it from the front decorational page instead! I ended up using this abstract pink-cream-seagreen washi to tape it together. There's also the top-right corner where I went crazy with markers before even testing it out; I didn't like the results, and so extra washi strips went over it, too!

Overall, I'm still pleased with how this cover page turned out despite the minor errors. Bullet journaling should strive for perfection anyhow, and making mistakes like these are perfectly OK—I think of mistakes as opportunities for getting even more creative, to make them work for me.

Out of all my monthlies in this journal (including the ones from last year) February 2019 is definitely my favorite! A lot of my washi tape has themes (green/spring theme, snow/winter, etc.) but this month, I chose a more abstract approach to use washi that didn't seem to match any theme.

The muted blues and greens in the cotton flower washi are so dreamy. This pastel, watercolor aesthetic is throughout the rest of the month's weekly spreads.

The first week is plant-themed. I had to modify the colors of the images I used as stickers, making them slightly more cool-toned to match the Crayola markers and washi tape.

The next two weeks are examples of how I use quotes—instead of stickers—to decorate my pages. BrainyQuote and Goodreads are great sites to find memorable sayings and quotes.

For the week of Valentine's Day, I anticipate taking pictures of whatever romantic celebration I'll hold with my partner. This is why the bottom-left space, where I normally write fun trivia and facts, is left empty.

The vivid green incorporated with the calm purples in this washi is such a beautiful combination. I thought a quote and simplistic doodles of lavender bushels would complement the washi better than a sticker image. This approach is best with washi with that has eye-catching high contrast and colors.

The last week of February uses a washi tape with bows of several hues of blue and bright sea green. It was a touch difficult to choose an image that matched this color scheme, as well as the watercolor aesthetic.

Besides presents, bows always remind me of girls sporting them on their clothes or hair—especially my homegirls the Sailor Senshi with their iconic outfits. I also thought that goddess Naoko Takeuchi's iconic art style would be a perfect pair to this particular washi tape.

I couldn't find original concept art that matched (without needing excessive editing to match color schemes). However, I stumbled @terry_haku's gorgeous artwork in Instagram who, inspired heavily by Takeuchi's signature style, creates stunning Sailor Moon fanart. This beautiful portrait of our dear Ami included the exact blues and greens as the washi tape, and she is even wearing a blue bow as a choker!

March 2019

Theme: Yummy fruit, delicious food

For my birthday weekend in early March I'm celebrating with my sisters and cousins in Napa! One of the things we'll be doing is wine tasting, so naturally I made March cover page's theme all about grapes and wine.

March, my birthday month, is aptly food-themed because I love to celebrate any occasion by eating! This lemon-cherry washi is similarly stylized to last month's selection, using light pastel colors.

The next three weeks' washi tapes are from Daiso. While individually wrapped, they are a matching set featuring colorful food caricatures and fancy edges.

The first week has tomatoes, mainly because I wanted to use an off-handed quote from Card Captor Sakura's Kero, "Hit 'em with the fruits of your labor!" albeit he wasn't talking about actual fruit when he said this.

The next week has a washi tape that looked like oranges (or, donuts?) Either way, it reminded me so much of the illustrations from the children's book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. At one point, this was my favorite book—having it in my journal is a nice homage to how far I've come since my kindergarten days!

This third week, I wanted to include a more extensive trivia section. What better way to write about the uses of banana leaves? I included this awesome illustration of Filipino desserts by artist Cynthia Bauzon-Arre, or @arncyn on Instagram. Much of her art is inspired by Philippine pop culture and heritage, and this pictorial of desserts I've eaten my whole life was too cute that I had to include it in my journal.

While March is only the beginning of spring... and the watermelon is best enjoyed in the heat of summer... this was the only other fruit-related washi tape I had on hand! I saved it for the last week of the month to mirror the pastel watercolor aesthetic the monthly has.

BONUS PAGE from January 2019

Theme: Snowy, quiet winter

Only showing one week from January! This is a glimpse at what my spreads (sort of) look like after they've been filled in. The bottom-left bonus area has lyrics to one of my favorite winter songs, Blindsided by Bon Iver, which fits well with the winter forest scene on the washi.

This 4th week of January was super busy, so I added a Dutch Door mid-week for extra space. I went to a concert on Thursday and spent the weekend at a friend's out of town—I wanted to print pictures to commemorate these two events.

Besides bullet points of the original Bullet Journal method, I incorporate random doodles and information on tarot cards I pulled that week. Such little things can be used as filler if you have empty page space; throwing in these small things are really fun and eye-catching, and also make for interesting reads when looking back at your spreads in the future.

(via ala.org)

Thanks for visiting! I realize my pages may not be as exciting as other bloggers, who experiment with a large variety of layouts each week—but even though my monthlies & weeklies have the same structure with different washi, it's much faster and easier for me to create them, and it really works for me. I hope taking this little peek fosters your curiosity and interest in bullet journaling. Feel free to download the PDFs of the stickers, or be inspired to curate and print out your own. Cheers, and until next time ~ ✾

Review: Rothy's The Point

Almost the entire year, I'd been ranting and raving about Rothy's shoes to friends and loved ones. To my excited delight, my sisters got me a gift card for Christmas for my very first pair.

I ordered The Point in Mink. For most shoes, I float between size 5½ to 6. I took the advice of sizing up for wide feet and got myself 6's.

Mink is an incredibly beautiful color, described as a "warm taupe" but I think it does lean towards purple in some lights. It's versatile and can be paired with so many outfits, which is why I chose it. 

These shoes costs well over $100 so I want to get my (sisters') money's worth out of it! This high price is because they're machine washable and made from recycled plastic bottles; therefore, they should theoretically last me years and years... plenty of time to get good value from these shoes. I won't tout too much about sustainable & ethical aspect behind Rothy's shoes, but it is one of the reasons I'd been vying for a pair in the first place. Recycling plastic bottles into usable fabric thread, on top of other production costs—like paying their workers a fair wage—is what factors into the price of Rothy's shoes, and I'd be more than happy to invest in product that stands behind these causes.

Back to reviewing the actual shoe: Yes, they are super comfortable. I'm not typically a flats person, but these feel like house slippers. In fact, I'm wearing them as I type this in the comfort of my own home. I love the seamless construction ("Live Seamlessly"!) which translates into the absence of uncomfortable lines or bumps inside of the shoe. The recycled plastic fabric reminds me of canvas, it's textured but still relatively smooth to the touch. Overall, it's incredibly pleasant to wear.

One drawback to The Point is that they're definitely not for very wide feet. I'm probably the maximum width for The Point to feel very comfortable in—if any narrower, I may have exchanged these for The Flat, the rounded-toe version. Several reviews say The Flat is more accomodating for wide-widths. Rothy's also has two other styles, The Loafer and The Sneaker, which are most likely wider in comparison.

(via Rothy's)

Aside from sizing and width troubles, the overall contruction of the shoe is still quite attentive besides the seamless style. What's really nice is the addition of built-in moleskin at the heel, and the heel itself isn't "deep"—for several old flats, I'd buy foot petals or moleskin sheets for the heel to a) prevent blisters, or b) fill in the too-deep heel space. I didn't have to worry about these with Rothy's, which were wearable right out of the box.

I recently went out of town and had a pleasant time leisurely walking flat, metropolitan areas in my Rothy's Points. I had only packed my Rothy's and a pair of sneakers, and these suited me well for non-active occasions. They're comfortable, casual everyday shoes wearable for work, school, dates, and even more formal occasions so long as they're dressed up accordingly.

4.9 out of 5 stars

(via Time Magazine)

Although The Point runs narrow & small, and are on the pricy side, Rothy's flats are incredibly crafted and wonderful to wear; if not for its thoughtful, seamless construction and ultra comfortability, then for its inventive, ingenius use of recycled plastic bottles as a durable fabric material and the company's ethical practices. These won't be the only pair of Rothy's in my lifetime, and I'm already saving up for another style.

I feel lucky wearing such well-made, sustainable clothing. I hope to incorporate more pieces like this into my wardrobe; they may be pricy, but they'll last so much longer than cheaper, mass-produced items. I'd also like to minimize the amount of "stuff" I have, so by focusing on pieces that really spark joy (like Rothy's shoes!) I can metaphorically feed two birds with one seed.

PLEASE GIVE THIS BOX NEW LIFE

It was built to hold more good things

Fun fact: Their boxes have a very strong construction, and Rothy's even requests they be given "new life" in the inscription at the bottom of their boxes.

I repurposed the two boxes (I ordered shoes and the cleaning kit) to hold some undergarments. Following the KonMari folding methods, the shoe box is perfect for folded soft bras and bralettes. 

The smaller box is used for sorting my underwear. I MacGyver'd its top panels, which has some sticky backing for returns, to use as separators (pictured on the right). It isn't large enough for all of my underwear, so I'm using it in addition to another—tinier—box to keep my panties organized.

I'm absolutely loving my first pair, and so can you! Get $20-off your first pair of Rothy's shoes. Here's my referral link for $20-off your first pair (I'll get $20-off too!)  The company has expanded their line to 4 styles: Flat, Point, Loafer, and Sneaker, in both Women's and Kid's sizes. Thanks for reading and be well ~ ❧

Secondhand: Surprising Benefits of Used Goods

Have you been curious about thrifting, or you're already hooked and wanna convince your loved ones to shop secondhand? Here are 3 reasons why buying recycled fashion and other secondhand goods is super beneficial, with a few suggestions that may help you get started.

Shameless plug here for Pick of the Litter in Burlingame—100% of sales benefit the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA.
They also have an online eBay store and 100% of proceeds to support our local shelter animals. (via Yelp)

So, the 3 reasons why you should shop secondhand are...

The environment will thank you!

(via classic-play.com)

By extending the life of used goods, you do these 3 key things:

• Saving perfectly usable things from the landfill
• Reducing your carbon footprint
• Opposing chemical pollution & water overuse

New things are constantly manufactured for ever-changing fashion, cultural, design and technological trends. Most things (mass-produced goods) require raw, unprocessed material. This overproduction for material is what makes buying new things problematic.

As I've mentioned in my post on sustainable period products, the conventional cotton industry is a top user of pesticides, alongside human rights abuses and excessive water use. Cotton, oil, and plastic production take a considerable amount of carbon, water, and insecticides which poses threats to the earth and our environment.

By choosing used goods, you financially divest from harmful processes required to manufacture a new version of that item. You say "NO" to excessive overproduction by piggybacking on a secondhand item's embedded carbon and water (the amount already used during its initial manufacturing process). It also helps that most used items no longer have their packaging. New things are incredibly wasteful due to excessive, and often plastic, packaging. Since your used item's packaging has since long been discarded when it was first opened, that's less packaging to fill your disposal bins and your local landfills and recycling centers. If buying used goods online, request that any packing material is made from recyclable paper.

Easy DIY planters made from
wine corks (via Upcycle That)

UPCYCLING

Besides a secondhand store, there are businesses and creators everywhere crafting things from "upcycled" material: already existing items or their waste byproducts. Repurposing an item often requires additional materials with embedded water or carbon (metal hardware, paint, cleaning, etc.) depending on how the materials are manipulated or refinished, but this amount is negligible compared to corporate overproduction waste. It also gives new life to the old products, and the resulting object is unique and performs just as well (if not better) than a brand-new item! You can also try your hand at upcycling at home, too.

The Buy Nothing Project 

Buy Nothing, Give Freely, Share Creatively

Click here for NPR's article about
a Philadelphia Buy Nothing group.

The idea behind The Buy Nothing Project is a supportive, local  community whose members give & lend things to each other, free of charge!

The Buy Nothing Project is a network of hyper-local gift economies with the founding principle, “Give Where You Live.” Buy Nothing Bainbridge was co-founded in July 2013; by the end of 2013, there were 80 Buy Nothing groups in the United States and Canada. Throughout 2014, over 350 more groups had been added. By the end of 2015, that number had nearly doubled, with groups in 18 countries worldwide. The project continues to grow by leaps and bounds.

Consider starting or joining a "Buy Nothing" Group in your area (Click here to see existing groups all over the world). Because of its hyper-localized nature, only join one group in the area you live in. Post pictures of stuff you're giving away or request something specific. Besides building community, this project is all about using what is available to you already (instead of buying new).

Affordability, Quality & Style

The most visible difference between buying secondhand and brand-new is cost. Although you face takeaways with thrifting, such as a limited selection, you will definitely save money with your awesome finds!

You can find like-new items that function just as well or better than brand-new. Older household items and furniture may even be hardier and sturdier than new items on the market, considering how businesses today cut costs of production by using cheaper, lower-quality material.

(via Pinterest)

If you're a lover of books, Christmas ornaments, various knick-knacks and other miscellaneous decorations, buying secondhand is THE way to maximize your dollars while curating a unique, personalized collection.

This also goes for both vintage and modern-day fashion brands. You may find a designer dress or a pair of real leather shoes—considerably cheaper than buying new, even if they practically have never been worn!

It takes time sifting through secondhand stores but with little effort, you can find plenty of things by thrifting that fits like a dream and speaks to your very soul.

*Always thoroughly inspect your potential items in-store before purchasing for any signs of damage, wear, or malfunction. A store might examine goods for visible cosmetic damage without looking at its interior or underside closely or testing its functions (i.e. a electronic gadgets, a sofa or table's underbelly).

Shopping to Donate for a cause*

Secondhand stores are almost synonymous with being nonprofit, or to raise money for a cause. This is a great concept! However, one must be scrupulous about where they donate and shop to ensure their money goes to causes they actually stand behind.

The most well-known thrift stores are big-name and religious organizations. The issues with these are that, when taken at face value, they seem like they are working a charitable cause. However, a quick Google search can reveal troubling information about them.

(via The Medium)

For example, Goodwill's name evokes this feeling with its advocation of job training and hiring disabled and special needs workers, yet they exploit loopholes in the Fair Labor Standards Act to pay their employees less than minimum wage while Goodwill's CEO takes home $400,000 and $930,000 annually.

*My personal rule of thumb: avoid shopping or donating to religious organizations, which hold anti-gay or anti-choice views. This includes the Salvation Army and St. Vincent de Paul. I look for smaller store chains, or even non-chain stores, which raises funds for local organizations in your area. Family-owned stores are acceptable because you're giving business to a local within your community.

Below, I'm showcasing secondhand stores who have passed my ethical criteria. These can be found near me (the San Francisco Bay Area) and one specific to New Mexico. Also peep Pick of the Litter, which I've mentioned at the very beginning of this post.

Out of the Closet

Out of the Closet, 20 stores across 7 states

This nonprofit was founded in Los Angeles 1990 after the HIV/AIDS epidemic began an era of homophobic fearmongering and thousands of deaths within the gay community.

"96¢ of every dollar collected by [Out of the Closet] directly fund AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s HIV/AIDS programs and services in the U.S. and abroad. Providing cutting-edge HIV medical care, regardless of a person’s ability to pay."

Buffalo Exchange

Buffalo Exchange, 49 stores across 17 states

Although privately-owned, they deserve mention for their Tokens for Bags® system. For each reusable bag you bring they'll donate 5¢ to a local nonprofit, represented by a simple token. Customers have a choice of 3 boxes, or local nonprofits, to drop their token into.

Since its creation in 1994, Buffalo Exchange has raised over $778,660 for thousands of local nonprofit organizations [...] Many of the beneficiaries are animal rescues and shelters, community food pantries, children and family funds, women’s support shelters, homeless aid, LGBT organizations, environmental causes, and local library or school organizations.

Community Thrift Store

Community Thrift Store in San Francisco

Founded in 1982, this nonprofit allows donators to choose which charities benefit from their item sales. Donators give directly back to the community and NOT to some wealthy, corporate CEO. The full list to choose from includes LGBTQ+, children & women's services, environmental causes, animal rescues, and so much more.

[Working] with over 200 Bay Area charities, [we] accept donations on behalf of our charity partners, sell the items in our store, and then disburse the proceeds.

Thrift-A-Lot

(thriftalotnm.org) Local news covered Thrift-A-Lot's opening.
Revenue generates funds for the TGRCNM, which provides
resources such as medical care, clothing, support groups,
and much more to the trans community in New Mexico.
 .

Thrift-A-Lot in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Newly opened, this store provides a safe space for trans and non-binary folk to explore fashion with their drop-in closet and household needs programs, while revenue generated support NM-based nonprofit, the Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico.

Habitat for Humanity ReStore

Habitat ReStore, 900+ stores across 49 states

Habitat’s vision is of a world where everyone has a decent place to live, and as a global nonprofit housing organization they're the largest non-profit global builder. They work in 70 countries and help over 1,400 communities in the US alone. Founded in 1976, not only do they help secure affordable housing for those in need, they provide low-cost secondhand & new home improvement items through the ReStore chain. Proceeds go directly to Habitat for Humanity's efforts in aiding impoverished communities.

(via Habitat for Humanity Tucson)

I also found two great stories of Habitat's LGBTQ+ friendliness:

• Habitat San Francisco was founded by Steven Jacoby, who tragically passed from AIDS complications shortly after Habitat SF's very first meeting.
• Since 2013, The Twin Cities Habitat in Minnesota holds an annual Rainbow Build, an event that "aims to raise awareness for issues involving affordable housing in the LGBTQ community [and] the unique housing challenges that impact this community".

While Habitat was founded on Christian values, some local affiliates have actively helped the LGBTQ+ community. Additionally, the organization as a whole has a non-proselytizing policy in which they "will not offer assistance on the expressed or implied condition that people must adhere to or convert to a particular faith, or listen/respond to messaging designed to induce conversion to a particular faith" (Habitat).

In conclusion...

(via esnoulu.org)

There's so many great reasons to buy secondhand. These range from personal benefits (such as saving money and finding unique items) to global causes towards helping those in need and environmental preservation.

Even if you can't buy used goods all the time, buying one or two things secondhand still impacts you and the environment positively!

You may need to trade some extra time and effort out of your day, but the perks of buying used goods definitely outweighs this drawback. Please join me and millions of others who frequently shop secondhand. Thank you for reading and have a lovely day! ❁