Plan With Me October 2019

Spooky season is here, and it's right here in my bullet journal! October 2019's spreads are extremely exciting for me; I love all things cryptic, supernatural, and magical and I was more than happy to include these vibes in this month. Please enjoy my journal and help yourself to the downloadable sticker printables.

Download October 2019 Plan With Me Stickers

September 2019

Theme: Supernatural and superstitious beliefs, places and beings from traditional folklore and fairytales.

Did you know that Sirens weren't always creatures of the sea? I didn't! Until I wanted to feature them as the monthly trivia! I write all about how they were originally winged women of the sky in The Odyssey, and how their reasons for seduction, along with their physical features, changed over time.

Unfortunately, these beautiful illustrations were found on Pinterest and I wasn't able to find the artists. If you know who they are, I'd love to give credit for them! I believe they are two separate artists, although the two artworks really complement each other.

The monthly spread's washi is a blue-green, mountainous rock formations in the sea. It reminded me of where you might find dangerous sea or sky creatures, like any of siren interpretations from the page before; I can imagine them waiting to lure in a lone, passing boat with promises of knowledge or sex—the grey, weeping skies make the tape look all the more haunted.

The word of the month, guileless, describes the exact type of victims that bogeys like; someone who is open and trustworthy; someone like this may often assume the best of others, trusting others easily as well.

The colors of a peacock are so beautiful and mesmerizing, as seen in this week's washi tape and sticker. Turns out that there's plenty of superstition about this animal across several cultures! I gladly wrote some examples why in the trivia.

Ghost town week! In my state, there's a State Park dedicated to the ghost town of Bodie (located near the California-Nevada border, a bit north from Yosemite) and I've dedicated this week's trivia to it.

The washi tape is of hills, similar to the ones surrounding Bodie.

The Witch's Cottage in the Woods is such a prevalent image across several cultures, so it's no surprise I chose this washi tape and an illustration by LinaForrester on Etsy. her award-winning art often has magical subjects. This painting is literally called Where the Witch Lives. And, although it is lacking some visible chicken feet, I can imagine they're hiding behind the sloping walkway—and Baba Yaga is just waiting for someone to knock on her door!

Baba Yaga is a famous figure from many Slavic folklore. I learned a little about her in my bogey-themed English class, she's such an interesting figure. It's so funny that Studio Ghibli has often inspired influence from Baba Yaga in both Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle.

Perhaps in your culture, too, butterflies are associated with ghosts and spirits. Filipino culture has many superstitions and plenty of spooky mythological creatures, and this happens to be one of the more well-known beliefs. I've featured it in my fourth week of October!

 I haven't experienced a situation where I 'met up' with a dead loved one via their visiting the mortal realm in a fluttery form, but I certainly think it can happen. You know, the world works in mysterious ways...

The ending week of October 2019 will not actually have a full moon but it's included here anyways á la washi tape, in the spirit of Halloween. I've paired it with this handsome werewolf illustration by @aprilsolomonart, and write about why they're associated with the full moon and then some.

The little excerpt on the bottom left corner felt so small to write it because I could go on and on about werewolves. I wrote an entire paper on werewolf iconography and portrayal for an English class, it's probably my most favorite paper I've written thus far! I readily included some of my own writings in this week's trivia.

(via Gfycat)

With spoopy season coming to a close, I get a little sad... Thankfully, my 2019 October pages embodies the spirit of all things spooky, I can be slightly less sad moving onto the next phase of Autumn, knowing I can look to this month's spreads for some supernatural vibes... for all eternity! Mwahahaha!

Review: Buffy Firm Cloud Pillow

It was time to replace my pillows. Since the beginning of this year, my extremely flattened and compressed one led to painful stiffness in my neck and shoulders... the quality of my rest decreased dramatically! After deliberating on which pillows to buy, I took a gamble on Buffy's Cloud Pillow via an Instagram ad, and it turned out to be a great purchase. Read more for general background information on Buffy and my review of their Firm Cloud Pillow.

My bed is a hot mess, so enjoy this picture of my décolletage and my new Cloud Pillow. Also peep my beautiful piece of flesh art by @catdaggers from Temperance Tattoo.

About the company

(via AngelList)

Buffy is a home goods company that aims to "[rediscover] the powers of combining plant-based materials and sustainable production innovations". Their first products are bedding-related: first a comforter, and now the Cloud Pillow... These type of goods are usually made from either cotton or down, both of which are environmentally and/or ethically harmful (cotton is water-wasteful and then some; down being reliant on plucking geese for their feathers).

(via buffy.co)

Buffy's comforter and Cloud Pillow outright reject unethical materials for the more eco-friendly, sustainable option: eucalyptus!

I'm familiar with the tree's blue gum variant because you see it everywhere in California, where it is a moderately invasive species. It was mistakenly planted as a timber substitute for building material during the Gold Rush, yet it proved not only unfit for that but extremely hard to get rid of, fast-growing, extremely thirsty, and most of all, an awful fire hazard. Having had one in my childhood home's front yard, I held a mixed opinion for it—liking its 'medicinal' scent while wrinkling my nose to its' constant shed of bark and leaves.

(via buffy.co)

As thirsty as eucalyptus is it still rates lower in water and land usage as cotton—and is much faster to grow. Other perks include better air-circulation: the material stays cool so you're less likely to overheat in the night.

Besides the naturally-derived eucalyptus, Buffy utilizes manmade materials too. They turned to one material most wouldn't normally relate to bedding: plastic water bottles. I recently bought Rothy's durable, flexible shoes also made out of plastic bottles... I didn't think one could make a soft, fluffy fabric out of them, but here we are. Here's what they say about it:

Rayon
We use eucalyptus fiber, also known as lyocell, a sustainable form of rayon. It’s sourced from the wood pulp of renewable eucalyptus trees, which consume 10x less water than cotton to cultivate, and transformed into fiber using a closed-loop system which reuses 99% of solvents to create little-to-no waste. 

Polyester
We do not use virgin polyester in our fill. Instead, we use 100% recycled BPA-free, PET plastic water bottles. These bottles are diverted from oceans and landfills, transformed, and given a second life as a soft, fluffy fiber.

(via buffy.co)

Buffy's inventive use of eucalyptus fiber and recycled water bottles is a large part of what sold me on trying the Cloud Pillow. Likeminded individuals can rest well knowing their purchase does not fund animal cruelty or the conventional cotton industry.

As my partner and I suffered through our old pillows—which were on the more expensive side—I was hesitant to snatch up another so fast. My scant student budget didn't allow me to buy similarly-priced replacements, yet I also didn't want to settle on the cheapest pillows I could find... As a product I use every single night for hours at a time, quality is a very important factor! As far as household items to splurge on, it's your mattress and your pillows.

The Cloud is priced somewhat competitively to the nicer down-alternative pillows found in department stores but more expensive than the super-affordable options. They were cheaper than the brand we were using (forgetting which one specifically but they were from Bed, Bath & Beyond if I remember correctly).

At the time of my purchase, Buffy offered a sweet deal: $70.00 USD for two pillows (originally priced at $90.00 USD for two, or $45.00 USD for one pillow). The original sticker price isn't so bad but the deal made it even better! And if I really didn't like the pillows, I could easily return it within the 7-day trial period.

I bought it directly from the Instagram ad through an easy, straightforward process. Within a few days, it arrived; I wrestled it into our pillow protectors and used it the same day it arrived. Here's my honest review...

4.5 out of 5.0 stars

They're pillows, alright. They do exactly what they're supposed to: support my neck and head while I sleep. I don't have any complaints, which is probably a good thing. It stays puffed and fluffed during the night.

I've had these for about a ~month and a half and noticed that the eucalyptus-fabric-and-special-polyester fill gets a tad lumpy if you don't fluff it out each morning—doing so quickly fills it out nicely. Such a practice is something you should do each morning anyways to extend your pillow's life to the fullest.

Buffy touts their comforter as a breathable, cooling option for those who overheat easily during their REM cycle. Over this summer, we've had a few hot days in the Bay Area and the pillow cooled me down efficiently by turning it over just once during the night as opposed to several times with my past pillows. My partner, who runs really hot and only sleeps under just a single blanket (in comparison, I sleep with three) has mentioned that his head doesn't get as sweaty as it used to get with our old pillows. All in all, there is some small bit of truth regarding breathability and coolness to these pillows.

The only care instructions I've found is the
'Dry Clean Recommended' on its label!

Purchasing them was seamless, they give accurate shipping updates over email and the process could not have been smoother. Yet, as beautiful as it is, their website leaves some room for the Cloud Pillow's imagination when it comes to the FAQ page. They have care instructions for both their comforter and their eucalyptus sheets, but not the Cloud Pillow! Prospective buyers would probably want to know that the Cloud Pillow's only recommended instructions is dry cleaning. But honestly, who takes their pillows to the dry cleaners?

Although you can easily find instructions on how to wash your pillows by machine, some company-endorsed washing machine instructions would be helpful as well. Can we treat the Cloud Pillow, with its unique PET-bottle fill, the same as you would a synthetic-down pillow? I can only assume they're as delicate as down pillows and wash it accordingly.

As far as I'm concerned, these pillows get the job done while the customer service(?) leaves some to be desired. I wouldn't say this is the only pillow brand I'd ever use, but it is a good pillow for what it's worth and I like the eco-friendly alternative fabrics and fill they utilize. I expect that over time, other companies will develop and use eucalyptus fabric and other sustainable fibers for similar products... but perhaps I'd consider buying more Buffy's products, especially if they keep up their innovative ideas.

(via buffy.co)

Plan With Me September 2019

Hi everyone, here's another opportunity to see my bullet journal! Here are September's spreads, they've arrived a bit late because I just came back from vacation. As always, the printables are free available in the link below.

Download September 2019 Plan With Me Stickers

September 2019

Theme: Muted, secondary colors, transitioning from soft pinks to yellows and oranges.

September is the month of summer's end and autumn's beginning. Thus, the theme isn't exactly a concept but visually through the hues of the washi tape and "stickers" used.

What more the symbolize beginnings and ends featuring the adorable Hagu from Honey & Clover, along with an ethereal-looking washi of four-leaf clovers? These plants are also the highlight of the monthly page.

The Japanese-themed washi tape featuring adorable traditionally-dressed chibis have a peaceful, floral theme that can fit both summer and fall color schemes.

The first week of September is still technically summer, and our trivia ties into the color scheme by wanting to hang on to summer's flavors with cocktail ideas. Flamingos are a classic summer aesthetic, fitting well with the refreshing glasses that are pasted on the page.

Even though cherry blossoms are typically spring-related, I supplemented a beautiful muted magenta washi with a painting by (artist) in relation to the phenomenon which occurred last year: Japan's cherry blossoms bloomed for a second time within a year! Due to unusually warm weather where regions normally became colder, cherry blossom trees were subsequently triggered to release their blooms and seeds in the fall.

The artwork is by the famous 20th-century painter, Hiroshi Yoshida.

Losing the 'blossoms' from last week, the following has several cherries suspended throughout the page in a cherry-and-lemon dessert theme. My partner and I have been watching quite a lot of the Great British Baking Show and this dessert made its appearance... I included a recipe for it in this week's spread.

The art is from illustrator Enya Todd's Instagram page!

(via gfycat.com)

Our third week brings us to this beautiful ginkgo washi tape. Did you know that ginkgo nuts are edible? I didn't either, so I wrote all about it in this week's trivia section.

Artwork featured here is by Anna Mason.

That's all, folks! I can't wait to show you my October spreads, they'll be especially spooky this time around. Thanks for looking, happy journaling, and see you next time!