Today I am showing you how you can use paper bags in a bullet journal. This is part 2 of my bujo junk journal series. I think I’ve decided to call it UWUH – pronounced U WOO :D. Basically it stands for Use What You (U) Have. If you missed the first part, this is me, trying to use all of my supplies and see what works in a bullet journal for creative expression/journaling/planning. I wrote all my supplies down on pieces of scrap paper and threw them into this cute, acrylic dumpster fire (yes! It’s amazing! You can check it out here), and once a month, I pull a new supply. Part one was stencils and you can check out that post here.
As the title says, this month I (randomly) selected paper bags. What I’m referring to are paper bags you get from the grocery store, or the ones you get if you shop on Etsy that they send your goods in. A few years ago, I bought some of these craft/paper bags from the JoAnn’s (American craft store) clearance section and never used them. But I thought this would be a perfect opportunity. So, without further ado, here is the video and here are my supplies.
Paper Bags in a Bullet Journal: Supplies
- Archer and Olive Kraft Paper Notebook (dot grid)
- Ms. Sparkle & Co Paper Sacks – Black and White
- Ms. Sparkle & Co Craft Bags – Birthday Chic
- Paper and plastic bags from various online stores (repurposing them)
- Stampin’ Up! Hexagon punch (no longer available but many options available here)
- Papermate Flair, Medium Tip in black
- Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen in black and grey
- Tombow Mono Drawing Pens
- White Gelly Roll in size 08 and 05
- Tombow Mono Permanent Adhesive
Tips and Tricks for Using Paper Bags
I just want to take a moment and be clear: this is a post on using paper bags in your bullet journal, not lettering (although those are coming). So the tips below relate directly to using paper bags.
When adding paper bag pieces to your bullet journal, you can tear pieces, punch pieces with a die cut punch like I have, you can use a cutting machine, or just some scissors. I decided on the hexagon punch to tie into a bee theme. Layering pieces on top of one another creates a really cool effect so definitely give that a go.
The biggest tip/trick I have to offer is to keep design theory elements in mind. That way you are still creating a balanced, cohesive layout while still using what you have. I guess the bigger than that trick would be to play around and see what you come up with! That can be fun too!
Paper Bag in a Bullet Journal Weekly Layout
I didn’t want to sign off today without showing you how this can be adapted to a weekly layout. I adapted this creative layout you see here into this (video here):
But to give you some more options, I created this layout here (part of the video linked above):
While I was having fun putting some layouts together, I looked on Instagram and found some other bullet journal enthusiasts and wanted to take an opportunity to share their work too. I have linked their IG accounts if you wanted to see more of their work.
I hope you enjoyed today’s blog post and videos. If you see this and decide to give paper bags a try, tag me so that I can share in the fun! As always, if there is something else you would like to see, reach out and let me know!
Talk Soon!
