by Planning your monthly bullet journal themes in advance is a great way to avoid overwhelm throughout the year. One of the most common reasons we get ‘stuck’ when creative journaling is due to a lack of ideas and inspiration. Brainstorming theme ideas before you even start your journal will help you stay on top of your page decorating. You’ll be more likely to have your pages ready before each month begins, leaving more time for planning, organisation and memory keeping! I’ve put together a list of twelve monthly bullet journal theme ideas, with tons of inspiration, tools and ideas, to help you journal consistently all year round.
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How to choose the best monthly bullet journal themes for you!
When choosing monthly themes for your bullet journal, consider the different ways each theme can be used to decorate your pages. Some will be easier to decorate with than others, so choose themes to suit your personal interests, creative ability and available resources.
Avoid trying to copy exactly what other bullet journalers are doing. Instead, use Pinterest and social media for inspiration, then have fun adding your own unique twist. Your journal pages will be ‘uniquely-you’ and you’ll be less likely to feel overwhelmed.
Twelve Monthly Bullet Journal Themes
To help you brainstorm monthly theme ideas, I’ve put together a list featuring twelve of my favourite bullet journal themes. Plus, I’ve included tools and resources for each one, to help you get started. Choose only the themes that are just right for you, or try all of the themes over the next twelve months! Download a free printable version of the list from my Planner Lovers Resource Library and keep it inside your journal for easy reference.
Best tools and accessories for creative bullet journaling
Before we explore the themes in more detail, I want to mention that there are plenty of tools available to help you decorate the pages of your journal. Having a collection of these tools and accessories on hand is a good way to avoid overwhelm and save time. Here are some of my favourite bullet journaling tools and accessories that help me stay up to date when decorating and designing pages:
I’ve put together a small collection of bullet journaling goodies from Etsy, to help you work through the twelve themes in this post. There are stickers, stamps, stencils and more, all designed to help you get started with the themes in your own journal. Click on the images below to shop the product on Etsy, or browse the sellers store!
Art Deco Pattern Stamp by BelettePrint
Floral Rubber Stamps by Stamp Worlds
British Wildflowers Washi Tape by Sarah Frances Art
Coloured Brush Markers by The Fine Print Paperie
Bullet Journal Stencil by Stick With Kate
Christmas Paper Pad by Red Finch Studio
Galaxy Foil Washi Tape by Pinky Elephant Craft
Rainbow Stickers by Pretty Little Stickers
Watercolour Seashell Stickers by Mons Cuttie Lindo
Travel Stickers by My Little Angel Arts
Paw Print Stencil by Order Of The Planners
Wardrobe Planner Fashion Stickers by Killer Views
Want more ideas and inspiration to kickstart your creative bullet journaling? Here are twenty-four gorgeous page ideas from Instagram, to help you choose which of the twelve themes you’d like to try in your bullet journal. Click through to each creator’s Instagram feed for even more journaling goodness!
Theme Idea #1: Floral
From beautiful watercolour flowers, to simple line drawings, a floral theme is a lovely addition to any bullet journal. Keep it soft and flowing or simple and monochrome. Both styles work really well!
Theme Idea #2: Galaxy
Think shiny, sparkly and metallic! A galaxy theme provides an opportunity to experiment with new mediums and techniques for adding colour and sparkle to your pages. Use anything from deep, dark blues to pretty purples and shiny gold. Blend colours, add glittery stickers and draw planets, stars, the sun and moon.
Theme Idea #3: Sea Life
The theme ‘sea life’ can be interpreted in many different ways, and used over and over to decorate your bullet journal pages. Some of my favourite ideas for a sea life theme include: fish, dolphins, whales, shells, waves, the beach and anything that conjures up a summer holiday feel!
Theme Idea #4: Garden
Pot plants, leaves, flowers, birds and butterflies! There are literally thousands of ideas on Pinterest and Instagram to inspire a garden themed bullet journal spread. If you love to garden, take this theme one step further and create a whole journal dedicated to gardening! Design your garden layout and keep track of your planting, fertilizing and watering habits.
Theme Idea #5: Fruit
Choose one fruit to decorate the whole month, or a different fruit for each bullet journal spread. Keep this theme bright and colourful or pretty and pastel, the choice is yours!
Theme Idea #6: Sweet Treats
Got a sweet tooth? Feature your favourite candy, cakes and desserts on the pages of your bullet journal. This theme is well suited to cute and quirky kawaii-style food, but will also works well with beautiful watercolour images and gorgeous brush lettering.
Theme Idea #7: Pets
Including a pet theme in your bullet journal is the perfect opportunity to capture cute photos or illustrations of your actual pets, or even drawings of the pets you would love to have. If you are a pet owner, consider adding a few pages profiling your pet/s, including their breed, birth-date, personality, favourite toy and habits! For a ready-to-go page layout, complete with printable stickers, try my printable Dog Lovers Collection or printable Cat Lovers Collection.
Theme Idea #8: Rainbow
Decorate your pages with rainbow illustrations, stickers or images. Or, simply use the colours of the rainbow to create your page design!
Theme Idea #9: Shapes and Pattern
Choose simple shapes that can be repeated over and over to create beautiful patterns for your bullet journal pages. Another easy way to decorate with the ‘shapes and pattern’ theme is to use pieces cut from patterned paper or washi tape. Stick the paper or washi to your pages to make borders, boxes and cover pages. Why not combine this theme with the rainbow theme above, and decorate your pages with rainbow coloured patterns?
Theme Idea #10: Travel
Travel is a fun theme to use in your bullet journal, regardless of whether or not you are currently on vacation. Add snapshots and details that capture your favourite moments from current or past travels. Or, create layouts that are inspired by places you would like to visit. Another great way to use this theme is to decorate using travel themed images, drawings and stickers such as world globes, maps, flags, cameras, forms of travel (eg bicycles, planes, hot air balloons), tickets, weather, camping or well known destinations.
Theme Idea #11: Fashion
Decorate your journal pages with the colours that inspire your wardrobe, draw your favourite outfits, or add images you love from fashion magazines or websites. Decorate with stickers and illustrations of clothing and fashion accessories. Try my Printable Fashion Drawings and Drawing Prompts.
Theme Idea #12: Christmas
No year would be complete in the bullet journal without a Christmas theme! Keep it cute and colourful, or if you prefer decorate in a more traditional Christmas style.
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