{Review} Ellie Claire Art Journals

I have this quirk. I know there are others out there like me since I've met them. Want to know what it is? Well...I love office supplies. There...I said it. I'm not one who collects purses or shoes, but show me a bunch of journals, planners, pens and watch out! I have so many unused journals just waiting for me to write in them.

And pens...don't even get me started on pens! However, I have become a bit more discerning in my older years. I discovered a lovely writing pen a few years ago and now I've become a bit of a snob about what I use. In case you are wondering, I love the Uniball Signo 207 pens. LOVE them!

But journals...there is just something about an unused journal that calls to me every time. I doubt I will ever stop collecting and buying more. This is why I was thrilled to be included in the Ellie Claire Art Journal review. ::sigh:: They are simply divine!

First up is the Illuminate Your Story journal (you can purchase it HERE).

This is a gorgeous little journal. If you've ever seen medieval manuscripts with illuminated letters, this journal is reminiscence of that. It includes a two page spread for each letter that helps you create an illuminated letter. These pages are in dot grid format which makes it easier to copy the style shown.

There are also lined pages throughout for you to journal, additional drawing pages to help with extra embellishments, and a wonderful pen holder on the side (something I've never seen but now want in all my journals). This particular journal also has an elastic closure and a ribbon bookmark included.

Pages are thick and numbered. As someone who uses a bullet journal, I like that fact that the pages are numbered. I do wish there was a page in the front for a table of contents, but this really isn't a bullet journal styled journal so it's easily overlooked. Lastly, there is a keepsake pocket included on the inside of the back cover.

If you or anyone you know would like to learn how to draw embellished letters, this journal is definitely for you.

Next is the Illustrated Word: An Illuminated Bible Coloring Journal. (You can purchase it HERE.)

This is a straight forward journal. It has lined pages interspersed with coloring pages. The lined pages also include a color photo from a piece of illuminated manuscript. The coloring page is a black and white line drawing of that manuscript and/or drawing. While they are intricate coloring pages, they aren't ones that would take oodles of time to complete.

The pages are lovely. It is a wonderful hardcover book slightly over sized.

Lastly, there is the Faith & Lettering Journal (you can purchase it HERE).

This may be my favorite of the three. It is full of fantastic ideas. As someone who has a rather plain bullet journal because I lack the skills to do fancy lettering and embellishments, this journal shows you how to do it! There are two page spreads where you can trace an embellishment and then practice doing it on your own. 

Pages inside include fully lined (go from margin to margin), line grid, dot grid (my favorite for journaling), and lined with bigger margins (see photos below). 

                                                          Fully lined                                  Fuller margin

Throughout the journal are also full colored verse illustrations that are simply stunning. Along with all the various journal pages, there are also practice pages (as already mentioned) that covers everything from various lettering styles to embellishments. I will be keeping and using this journal!

The last two features of this journal make it shine even brighter. There is a pen loop on the spine which I think is just genius. And this journal is also designed so that the pages lay flat. This is a great bonus when not only writing but drawing and coloring. Overall, this was a simply gorgeous journal.


Disclaimer: I was given copies of all three journals in exchange for my honest review. There are no affiliate links included. 

I Caved...

I've been hearing chatter on some of my Facebook groups about using a "bullet journal." And recently an "in real life" friend showed me hers. I decided to cave and jump on the bandwagon.

Bullet journaling appeals to me for various reasons. I'm a list maker. I typically have post its and papers everywhere with notes and reminders on them. I liked the idea of having everything in one central location. I wished I was more artistic. One can really get bogged down in looking at others ideas and pages and quickly begin to feel inadequate as well.

However, if you embrace that it is yours and should be your creation and there are no rules to follow - it can be anything - then it releases some of that guilt. At least it did for me.

I did indulge in the journal of choice for a lot of journalers - a Leuchtturm 1917. I mistakenly bought the lined one. I had actually wanted the dotted one, but that's a minor detail. The journal comes with numbered pages and a table of contents area for you to create at the beginning.

I started planning my journal the end of February and began using it on March 1st. So far I am absolutely loving it!

I use it for my daily to-do lists.

I also have monthly calendars created. I do these as I need them, but I really do need to sit down and create more. I have March and April only done. I still do use my Google calendar to manage long-term planning. 

This the bulk of what I use my journal for - daily and monthly planning. I also created a "future log" with small monthly calendars with the big events in each month written out beside the month. I also added family and friend birthdays to this area. For that reason, I'm not going to post it but it's based on an idea I found on Pinterest. My future log takes up the first four pages in my journal and has three months per page.

Then there are things I've learned that are called "collections." These are planning pages for various things. You can see that I have some fancy ones (for me) and some not so fancy ones.

This is my workout schedule for the next two months. It includes the classes I teach (Zumba and Vive) plus the other classes I take. This photo was taken mid-week last week. There are a lot more "x"s on there. 

I'm reading through the book of John during Lent so I created this checklist in my journal. The schedule was posted online and I actually am in an accountability group for this as well. The heart is there because I messed up...in pen, but it works.

This is my tracker for inches lost plus some "fit testing." 

I just went to New York for my sister-in-law's baby shower. I spent six plus hours in the car with my five year old niece on the drive out and the same amount on the drive back. Since my mother-in-law and my niece's mom (my other sister-in-law) get carsick, I was in the backseat with Grace. While we were waiting at one point I taught her how to play the "dot" game (which is when I really regretted not getting the dotted journal!). She enjoyed it a lot and wanted to play over and over. Now I have this page in my journal as a reminder. She even signed it for me. 

And of course...a list of the books I have completed reading so far this year.

I've been using my journal now for almost a month and I love it. I have more pages and collections completed as you can see by my table of contents. It will continue to grow as I use it throughout the year and will end up being a journal of my year.

Some, as I mentioned, get very fancy with their journals. I don't have the ability or time to do that. This is my take on a "minimalist" style and it's definitely working for me.