Although I’ve finished doing my four traveler’s notebook journals where I documented each season of the year including my bucket list items, I decided to continue making a seasonal bucket list and adding it to a double page spread in my bullet journal as I really enjoy making them. Today I’m sharing my Autumn 2024 list in which I’ve included some seasonal activity favourites and new things to try. I hope my bucket list inspires you to create your own, whether by simple writing them down in your journal or getting creative and adding hand drawn pictures or making stickers like mine which complement the items.
Before I created my Autumn 2024 bucket list, I revisited my autumn 2023 list so I could be sure I wasn’t just repeating last year’s items. I then spent time writing down all the things I love about the season such as seeing the beautiful colours on the trees, spotting autumn visitors at my local nature reserve, making my home warm and cosy and putting out seasonal decor, trying out new comfort food recipes and warm desserts and so on. I also added new activities I would like to try such as making caramel covered apples on sticks and planning out my TV viewing for the next three months so we can have plenty of series to look forward to as we cosy up each evening.
Having made plenty of notes, I turned lots of them into bucket list items on a scrap piece of paper before making stickers for each of them in Cricut. I also used Canva Pro and downloaded images to go with each. For a few of them, I also downloaded mini pictures either using Canva photos or via Google and turned these into little stickers too. Finally, I used Cricut Design Space and Canva to download watercolour leaves to add further decor in the spaces on the spread.
My finished bucket list BuJo spread
Photo credit: Laura Jones for Keeping It Creative
Final words…
I’m really pleased with how my pages turned out and I hope you like them too. I won’t be creating TN journals to record my progress but I might stick a few photos in my BuJo weeklies to evidence the items as I tick them off. I hope today’s post has encouraged you to give making a seasonal bucket list a go and I would love to see your creation if you would like to share yours to your own blog or email me at laura.j.jones77@gmail.com
A few days ago, I watched a YouTube video from content creator and maker Emma at Plan Inspire Create. It was all about selecting a word of the year, thinking about different meanings for the word and setting some intentions for the year based on the term. As I was watching, I was aware that we are almost half way through January, which might seem a little bit late for such an activity but, then I thought about the fact that there are still eleven and a half months remaining, so plenty of time to set intentions and live by the selected word. Today I’m going to share tips for choosing your word and ways in which you can set aims with regard to different aspects of your life. I’ll share my word of the year and the bullet journal spreads where I explore the term in depth.
Choosing your word
Personally, my ideal word, ‘create’ popped into my head straight away and I was brimming with ideas to bring into fruition. However, if you’re in need of some inspiration, you may want to look at lists and select words which seem appealing. A good way of doing this is to pop on Pinterest and search ‘Word of the Year’. It’s important not to rush the process as there are likely to be a number of words which resonate and feel like they might be the one. When I need help deciding, I create a list of words which have potential and then take time to consider each one before making my choice.
After choosing my word, I used letter stamps and one of my new embossing powders (which I got from my lovely friend Bev) to create shiny letters which I then cut out individually. I also used smaller letter stamps to create a ‘Word of the year’ title. These are going to be used in a dedicated bullet journal spread where I explore what the word means and my intentions for living by it. This will create a record which I can refer back to regularly. I’ve already shared my vision board for the first quarter of the year and this shows some of the ways I’m focusing on being creative too.
Look how many times I used my chosen word in the above paragraphs and you’ll see why I selected it!
Considering different meanings of your word
Emma recommended a website called WordHippo which has a ‘thesaurus and word tools for your creative needs’. I found it really useful for considering different meanings for my word and synonyms too. I copied down the particularly relevant definitions/contexts and also made a note of similar words to use in my BuJo spreads. I was amazed by how much information I took from the site.
Create
To bring into existence
To design with a new shape or form
To be creative or imaginative
To start or establish
To cause or bring about through action
To take the first step into something
I created a list of synonyms and used Word It Out to make a word cloud:
I love creating word clouds and I like to print them and stick them in my bullet journal.
Setting some intentions relating to your chosen word
To help you set intentions you can refer to the segments of The Wheel Of Life or The Wheel Of Wellness as your categories or create your own based on the areas of your life that you feel need most work. I decided to combine ideas from both wheels and create a few of my own titles. The following should help you with setting up yours based on your chosen word. You might also find information from WordHippo useful too.
Health and fitness
Continue to eat a balanced diet, keep up with getting plenty of active minutes each day and maintain a good sleep routine so that I have plenty of energy for creative persuits.
Practice self care to maintain good mental health e.g. engage in mindful activities and find ways to relax each evening and on weekends.
Financial
Set aside some money each month for creative projects.
Try to use the craft materials I already have rather than buying new things.
Continue to make myself available for PCPI work so I have income to use for creative resources.
Family and friends
Meet regularly with Bev so we can share the results of our creative endeavours, celebrate our achievements, offer praise, encouragement and ideas.
Contribution / giving
Post regularly on my blog sharing motivational and inspirational content related to my bullet journal, living your best life and being productive
Continue to consider how I’m making a difference to the students I work with – find ways to record experiences in my journal
Physical environment
Make tidying and organising my craft room a priority so I know where materials and tools are and have room to work on creative activities.
Use my garden journal to identify tasks for the different months, record new plants and include photos to document changes over time.
Social connection
Create opportunities to connect with others through shared passions e.g. animal welfare, nature, crafting, blogging, fitness, bullet journalling
Be open to all types of PCPI work and consider how my roles are helping others in their chosen profession
Passion
Continue to choose a highlight for my day so that I have dedicated time each week to focus on journalling, blogging and particular creative projects I’m currently working on.
Make time to regularly think about my progress towards goals and how I am living my life in a way that reflects my word of the year and my personal values.
Emotional
Create balance between the different aspects of my life and regularly check in with how I’m feeling.
Remember that my energy levels are lower at certain times of year and ensure that I don’t take on too much to retain emotional wellness.
Assess how I’m coping with changes and any challenges.
Marriage
Find opportunities for new experiences with my husband. Harness the power of firsts to create happy memories together.
Find a different vegetarian/vegan recipe each week and enjoy the experience of creating dishes together in the kitchen.
Final words…
I hope that today’s blog post has been helpful and encouraged you to take steps to create a life you love. If you prefer to work with images more than words, you could even create a vision board of pictures which represent how you would like to instill your word of the year. Let me know in the comments if you’ve chosen a word for 2023 and what it is.
Keeping it creative 