Another 365 day project – have you taken up the challenge?

Monday morning has come round again – and as usual the weekend was crammed with errands. While my OH was battling with the bank, I took the opportunity to dabble in Oliver Bonas. For those of you who have not ventured into Oliver Bonas, they sell a mix of clothes, furniture, homeware, jewellery, gifts, books and of course the reason I go in… Notebooks.

I came across the “one good deed a day” journal. As readers are probably aware, I don’t really need another journal and I am currently continuing along quite happily with my simple diary (also available from Oliver Bonas I will add) so I did not make a purchase this time. But it is a great idea, and a pretty journal.

The journal contains 365 good deeds – you can do them in any order (and just write in the date you do them with reflections) or as I suspect would be more challenging – try to do them in order. I might be a little too naughty for such a book, but it is certainly inspiring and a great challenge for those who love daily projects.

I’d be interested to know if anyone has taken up the challenge and bought this journal?

The Simple Diary

I am a big fan of snap shot journals that simply record moments in life – I mentioned a few in my y is for year post as part of the a to z challenge.

One I didn’t mention is Keel’s Simple Diary. This is because I think of it as more of a diary than a memory journal. But it does have a similar aim. Think of it as a journal for busy people who still want to keep a record of their life/make memories, but maybe don’t have the time. It is engaging and only takes a moment of your time. Their website has a great interactive view of the book, which shows it off better than any pictures would.

With an any date format, and a daily fill in the blank exercise, and some wit and wisdom.

There is also a companion android and iPhone app for those of who want to use it on the move. This is also pretty great as it allows you to add pictures, and tag people and places. A more fun, interactive diary for those who maybe aren’t as used to keeping a diary, but like sharing what they are doing on Facebook. The basic app is free and the full volume one can be purchased for 69p. Below are some screenshots, to show you a few examples from the app.

Unfortunately there is no iPad app for me (and I hate iPhone apps on the iPad, they just aren’t neat) so I’ll be sticking to the paper version – for now.

What is your Canvas?

The sky is your canvas with the skywriting journal, it is similar to the walls notebook which is perfect for graffiti doodles. The pictures in these notebooks are your pages, your canvas. Unfortunately for me they more likely to inspire me to doodle, than write but i find them inspiring nonetheless (and relaxing in the case of the sky journal).

Pictures and photos make a great canvas or backdrop for a notebook, and a recycled or up cycled notebook is frequently made up of such images. Ideally what pictures do you think make the best canvas?

Personally I love postcards. Postcards as a canvas are great, provide inspiration but leave room to write and you get so many classic images on postcards. My favourite postcards as landscape scenes, quirky sketches and vintage art.

Inspiration…or the lack of

Lately I have been too busy to really dedicate some time to writing. I need to be inspired, relaxed and “in the mood” these days to put a pen to paper.

Putting a pen to paper (or even typing) requires effort at the moment – I no longer have my commute to fit in some writing. Even if I wasn’t writing during my commute I would be reading, doodling, people watching: experiencing something outside of work. This inspired me, allowed me to daydream and allowed for ideas to form.

Where do your ideas come from? Do particular things inspire you? Do you set aside time?

Some friends simply play around with google, others favour youtube or wikipedia. Personally, I get a lot of inspiration from twitter, bouncing ideas off fellow bloggers and having a good old gossip at work. But most of all – my daydreams – my thoughts running wild.

As any regular reader will know I like having a notebook dedicated to such random daydreams and doodles. Lately I have not have time to do such things, and I will have to get back into it: after all – this is the main purpose of my monthly notebooks.

This month: a paperchase passport notebook has been perfect for some quick scribbles…