 Want to learn how to make the most effective habit tracker? Chances are you've played around with a few different types and perhaps haven't found the one that works best for you. You might find the right fit in one (or more) of these three habit trackers. 1. Weekly Grid Habit TrackerThe Weekly Grid Habit Tracker hones in on six or fewer habits. Maybe these are the habits that glue your life together. Maybe three of these habits are old hat and three are behaviors you are trying to turn into habits. Or maybe you are just paying attention to how many times per week you do these things.
Regardless, this handy little 6 by 7 grid box tracker can be made quickly with The 4 Piece Essential Stencil Set. You can use Distress Inks or a damp makeup sponge and watercolors to create a colorful grid. Then you can trace the box in black pen once you've completed the habit. (Pro tip: I find if the habit tracker is a bit of eye candy, I tend to use it more.) This tracker will more than likely live on your weekly spread, where it will be easily seen and therefore worked. Seeing the tracker there will be the trigger to get the behavior chain going and the habit formed. 2. The Graduated TrackerSome habits or tasks are not all or nothing, right? Maybe you didn't walk 10,000 steps today but dang it you walked 7,667! Or maybe you went above and beyond and walked 15,000. The Graduated Tracker shows if a habit/goal/task is complete or if it is partially done. It also allows room for growth to show that you surpassed your initial goal. For example, if I decided to tackle Mt. Laundry on the day in the photo below, I could use the 4 Piece Essential Stencil to pen in another square or 2 and color them in as I completed additional loads. Likewise, if I wash and fold but don't put away, I only get to color in part of the box. Make the plan, work the plan. Wash, rinse, repeat.  3. Completed Task TrackerThe Completed Task Tracker is an alternative to the full page monthly habit tracker. Just looking at all of those tasks exhaust me and I never remember to flip to that page and fill the boxes in. The result is a depressing page of incomplete tasks every month. The Completed Task Tracker is more of a "Done" list than a "To Do" list. You list the habits or tasks you would like to complete. Then you pen a box (or a star, heart, or water drop) after the task and color it in when you complete it. If you want to reset your goal, draw another box and go for it! This way you'll see a tracker of the habits and tasks you have completed.  Habit Trackers are great ways to maintain or create new habits. They serve as triggers for the desired behavior and act as accountability. Your challenge is to find the tracker that works for you and not the other way around. Best of luck! If you have any questions or want to see more tips and tricks like the ones you saw here, hop over to our Facebook Group Bullet Journaling Tips and Tricks. We also have a curated Pinterest Board of Bullet Journal Trackers over here.   OH BLOODY HELL, IT'S SHARK WEEK... AGAIN When I was younger, I used to be completely surprised by the arrival of my period. I was also a little fuzzy about when exactly I was most fertile each month, even after I became a mother. Twice. (I know... right?) Fast forward to last year when, in my late 40s, I decide to study up in order to answer a frequent Bullet Journaling Tips & Tricks request, "Let me see your period trackers." Thanks to you all, I am now far less clueless about the female cycle! Oh, how I would have loved what I'm about to show you when I was younger. Better "late" than never I guess? (Har, har!) Anyways, below I'll describe how to track the length of your cycle, better predict the start of your next period and identify the portion of each month you're more likely to be fertile. I'm using the Period Fertility Tracking Stencil we designed to make the whole process both simple AND lovely.
LATHER, RINSE, AND REPEAT Since the length of your cycle can vary slightly from month to month, keep track of your cycle for at least 5 or 6 months initially in order to get an overall average of your cycle lengths. FERTILITY AND FAMILY PLANNING Intercourse during the first seven squares on the circle will have a very low likelihood of resulting in pregnancy. However, somewhere between squares 8 through 19 will be a fertile period of approximately 6 days, during which there is a higher likelihood of getting pregnant if you have unprotected intercourse. Here's how you can get a little bit closer to figuring out where your 6 days will fall each month using trackers.
Becoming more aware of your cycle can give you an idea of when to use additional birth control methods if you want to avoid pregnancy or help highlight the days during which you're more likely to conceive if you're hoping to start a family. Identifying the day you actually ovulate and the days that proceed and follow it when conception is actually possible is a more involved process. It involves tracking your menstrual cycle as described above, combined with the Temperature Method where you take your temperature in the morning every day before you get out of bed and the Cervical Mucus Method where you check your cervical mucus (vaginal discharge) every day. We've included the icons in the center of the Period Fertility Tracking Stencil to make recording these types of details in your daily, weekly, or monthly spreads more enjoyable as well. LASTLY, PLEASE NOTE: NOT EVERYONE IS THE SAME
This tracking technique is effective if your menstrual cycles are regularly between 26 and 32 days long. Determine if your cycles are in this range and whether they stay in this range first before you use a tracker like this for family planning purposes. If you have cycles outside this range, you should use a different family planning method to prevent pregnancy. It's also advisable to use more than one method of birth control at a time if you want to avoid becoming pregnant.  Join me in creating a mandala using these simple, step by step instructions. Grab your Compass Protractor, Mandala Maker or compass and protractor. Also gather a pencil, your bullet journal and a pen such as an 03 Tombow Mono Drawing Pen. Let's get started! Step 1: Draw Concentric CirclesPencil a light dot where you want your circles to be centered, then using the MoxieDori Compass Protractor™ or Mandala Maker™, create about 6 - 8 concentric circles at a variety of distances apart. Step 2: Divide the CirclesUsing the notches of the Compass Protractor or Mandala Maker, make a light mark at the top (12:00), bottom (6:00), right (3:00) and left (9:00) of the circles. Make additional marks halfway in between each, again using the notches of the stencil. This will result in eight marks total around the perimeter of the circles. * For a more detailed mandala, make one more round of light marks halfway in between all the existing marks, using the notches provided by the stencil. This will result in sixteen marks total around the perimeter of the circles. Using the straight edge of the stencil or a ruler, connect the opposing marks (12:00 to 6:00, 3:00 to 9:00, etc), lining them up with the registration dot in the center of the circle. Step 3: Add Center CirclesAdd a few smaller circles if you’d like, using the straight lines to help place them on center. Step 4: Pen in the Mandala ElementsBeginning with the center circle, start adding mandala elements with a non-smearing pen. Use the circles and the straight lines to guide the height and width of the elements, remaining inside the lines of each pie-piece section to create a balanced and consistent look. Repeat the same element 16, 8 or 4 times as you rotate your notebook in a 360 degree circle. (Rotating your notebook makes drawing consistent elements easier.) Decorate each subsequent circle, adding elements of varying in shape and size. Do not fret about the perfection of each individual element. The mandala as a whole will be beautiful regardless of a few imperfections. Enjoy the process as well as your final product. Erase your pencil marks, leaving your penned in decoration plain, or color them in for additional creative or meditative expression. Please share your mandalas or questions with us in the Facebook group Bullet Journal Tips and Tricks. Also, if you would like a pdf download of written directions on how to draw a mandala, hop over here: https://www.moxiedori.com/members.html#mandala   Looking for a fresh theme for your March layout? Here are 10 inspiring layouts with gorgeous elements that can be expanded upon throughout the month of March.  Stars Spring Cleaning Floral Spring Green Honey Bees Dream Catcher Plant Doodles Feathers International Women's Day Mandala   Great photos are key for catching attention, sparking interest and kick-starting engagement. Whether you want to improve your bullet journal Instagram photos or lure clients with great product shots, these five simple steps will help you do just that. 1. LightingNatural light is everything. Turn off overhead lights, as they create shadows and cast yellow hues in photographs. Find a window with filtered light (not direct sunshine) and set up there. I find the light to be the best between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm in my north facing window. You'll have to find your personal sweet spot.
2. BackgroundIf you want to convey the color of your item, use a white background. I use a white foam board from the Dollar Store. If your item is mostly white and you want to set it off, use a dark background. I like to use a dark wood table that doesn't have a lot of grain to it as I want the focus to be on the bullet journal spread, the stencil and the journal rule.
3. CompositionPut three things in your photos. Number one will be your main item of interest. It should go in the center and be in focus. Now add items two and three and create an upside down triangle with the three objects. The observer's eye will start at position 1, travel to either 2 or 3 and then back to 1. Then the observer's eye will travel to the opposite item and finally land back on item 1. This causes people to look at your main item again and again. Attempt to use items in positions 2 and 3 that tie in thematically and/or have a similar hue as the primary item. Finally, get your hands in the photo. Hold your item and take the photo from the angle and distance that would naturally occur during normal use of that item. Psychologically the observer enters the photo and they feel as though they are holding that item. I have noticed that photos with my hands in them get much more engagement on social media than traditional flat lays do. 
4. iPhone Camera EditMy first photo edit is on my iPhone's camera app. I always shoot in Square and crop if needed. When editing, I start by adjusting the Light. I almost always increase the exposure first. I slowly adjust the brightness and brilliance. At that point I go over to Color and adjust the cast. I then go back to the Light and adjust the shadows, the black point and sometimes the highlights.
5. Snapseed EditI make my final editing touches on Snapseed. It is an amazing app and it is really easy to use. I resist using the "Looks" and head over to Tools. While I use Selective and Healing the most, I sometimes use White Balance to adjust the color of my bullet journal page. Selective allows you to choose certain points on the photo to adjust Brightness, Contrast, Saturation and Structure. Use the Healing tool to "erase" small flaws in your photo.
We hope this was helpful. Hop over to MoxieDori on FB and share your before and after photos with the community. We'd love to see! Before and After
  Join our blow out party to celebrate our website expansion!!! There will be a fabulous giveaway and a discount code for the new shop. MoxieDori Launch Party!!!!!
Do you love galaxy watercolor paintings? Today is your lucky day! Rosanne Schuurmans of @rosannecreates is sharing her galaxy watercolor technique with us. Grab your Tombows and create along with! 1. Gather your supplies.  Gather your supplies! It’s very important to use watercolor paper for this technique. It doesn’t have to be the best/expensive you have, but it should be at least 200gsm in weight and smooth (so you don’t fray your markers). I love blue, but you can use any color Tombow markers you have. 2. Draw a window using the Journal Rule Tape your paper down to a flat surface, and use the MoxieDori Journal Rule and a black alcohol marker to draw out your window frame. It is important to use an alcohol marker, because that will not react with water in later steps. 3. Start coloring! Lay down the colors with your Tombow markers. Start with the lightest color and work your way out to darker tones. 4. The fun part! Use a wet brush to go over the colors. Start with the lightest parts again and carefully work your way out. You will see the colors start moving on the paper and blending into each other. Don’t use too much water, only enough to blend. Let your work dry completely before moving on to the next step. 5. Draw the cat. Draw a cat silhouette with the same black alcohol marker. You can use the Moxiedori Cat Doodle bullet journal stencil for this step! You can of course draw a different silhouette. You could try a vase with flowers, or a Christmas tree for December. Get creative! 6. Draw the stars. I use a white gel pen to draw the stars. You could also paint them on with white gouache or acrylic paint, or splatter them on with a toothbrush! 7. Peel off the tape. Your artpiece is finished! All that is left to do is peel off the tape. Do this very slowly and carefully, you don’t want to rip the paper! It helps to heat the glue of the tape a little with a heatgun or hairdryer. 8. Tadaaa! Marvel at the beautiful painting you made! You can paste it into your journal, make it into a card or hang it in your house. Rosanne also has a lovely etsy shop full of her original works. Hop over to RosanneCreates to check out her beautiful watercolor paintings.  Are you looking for the perfect bullet journal Christmas gift? Check out these seven themed bullet journal kits. You will find just the right kit for your favorite bullet journal enthusiast.  1. Cat Lover Bullet Journal Kit The Cat Lover Kit contains a Cat Doodle Stencil, a Cat Lover Stencil, a cat Planner Clip, Kitty Bookmarks, and a card cat themed washi tape. The Cat Doodle bullet journal stencil contains seven cat silhouettes and four kitty facial features. Mix and match to make your kitty express herself or himself in their own unique way. The Cat Lover Stencil hosts four large cats that lounge, walk, or play on your bujo layouts. Just like real life. The Planner Clip is a metal clip that fashioned into the shape of a cat. The Kitty Bookmarks measures approximately 2" x 3" and made of black flexible plastic. You will receive one front view and one back view. The cat themed washi card has a generous sampling of four types of cat themed washi tape. 2. 2019 New Year Bullet Journal Kit The 2019 New Year Kit has everything you need to get going on your 2019 bullet journal. This comprehensive bullet journal kit contains a Moon Stencil, a 2019 Calendar Tracing Cards, a Lunar Calendar Card, washi tape, and planner clips. Check it out! 3. Mandala Bullet Journal Kit The Mandala Kit has the tools you need to draw a mandala with ease and precision. This kit contains a Mandala Maker Stencil, a Compass Protractor, and a Supplies Zipper Pouch. The Mandala Maker Stencil is a flat compass and protractor used to make mandalas. This 8" by 8" (200mm x 200mm) transparent compass stencil makes 32 circles in 2.5mm increments. The smallest circle is 45 mm in diameter and the largest is 200 mm in diameter. It is also a protractor that divides the circles into 2, 4, 8, or 16 segments. The Compass Protractor is a compass, a protractor and a straight edge. It makes concentric circles from 5mm to 120mm in diameter. It also measures out segments that divide the circles into 2 to 32 equal parts. The Mandala Zipper Pouch is 8.5" by 11" zipper journal pouch is big enough to bullet journaling supplies and your journal. The pouch is made of a cream durable canvas cotton fabric and closes with a grey zipper. 4. Brush Lettering Kit The Brush Lettering Kit has everything you need to get gorgeous brush lettering results now. This kit contains a Lettering Composition Guide, an Pentel Sign black brush pen, The mini lowercase and uppercase Brush Letter Tracing Strips, and the lowercase and uppercase Brush Lettering Tracing Strips. The Brush Lettering Tracing Strips™ sets have the letters A through Z are professionally printed on waterproof plastic vinyl. The letters are easily visible through your journal's page. UPPERCASE CURSIVE - 2.5 cm - 3 cm tall LOWERCASE CURSIVE - 1.5 cm - 3 cm tall MINI UPPERCASE CURSIVE - 1.5 cm tall MINI LOWERCASE CURSIVE 1 cm - 1.5 cm tall The set of Lettering Composition Guide Cards are double sided. In all there are 14 word shape containers that act as guidelines for your creative lettering. You can mix and match the shape box guidelines to create your perfect A5 sized composition. The card is made out of a durable vinyl and is waterproof. It will not tear and is meant to last. 5. Beginner Bullet Journaling Starter Kit for Adults or Children The perfect Journaling Christmas Gift! The MoxieDori Beginner Journaling Kit has everything they need to begin bullet journaling. The journaling kit includes a Beginner's Guide to Journaling, a Practice Journal filled with dotted, grid, and plain paper, an exclusive journaling stencil, a sampler of useful, fun washi tape, and a set of 2019 calendar card bookmarks that double as a straightedge ruler.T 6. Minimalist Bullet Journal Kit The Minimalist Bullet Journal Kit has everything you need to get down to business in your bullet journal. This comprehensive bullet journal kit contains a Journal Rule, a 2019-2020 Linear Calendar Card, an Ink Joy black pen, a planner clip, and a card of minimalist washi tape. The Journal Rule a straight edge, a ruler, a column and row guide, a bookmark, and likely to be one of the most useful planner accessories you own. It is made of flexible, durable, plastic, with 5mm increments printed on both edges that perfectly align with a standard 5mm grid. The 2019 -2020 Linear Calendar Card is a reference and tracing card. It is made of durable waterproof vinyl and is made to last. Slip it under your page to the appropriate month and trace your calendex on your page. You will be able to identify days and dates at a glance. The Ink Joy Black Pen is a superior writing tool that will not bleed through your page. The Rose Gold Planner Clip will mark your place. The Minimalist Washi Tape creates bullet lists immediately and provides borders to separate your information. 7. Van Gogh Art Kit The Van Gogh Kit contains a Brush Color Swatch Stencil, a double sided Van Gogh Art Tracing Card, and a card of 8 generous samples of Van Gogh washi tape. The Brush Color Swatch bullet journal stencil allows you to track the true colors of each pen, marker, or colored pencil in your journal and eliminate the guesswork with this creative, durable 12mil matte stencil. The stencil itself is approximately 5" by 7" so it will tuck into you journal with ease. The Van Gogh Coloring Card is a double sided durable waterproof vinyl card. One side of the card displays an image based on Van Gogh's "Starry Night." The opposite side has an image based on "Sunflowers in a Vase." The card itself measures 5 3/4" x 4 3/4". The Van Gogh Washi card has a generous sampling of eight Van Gogh washi tapes.  If you are looking for even more bullet journal gifts, check out these Stocking Stuffers!
Last week got away from me, what with the kids being off from school and all the eating and eating and eating (Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving 4 Breakfast! Thanksgiving Leftover Dinner with friends! etc.) So this week, the final week of November, I have TWO doodles for you. Two of my favorite things this time of year; MITTENS and TEA. If you need some additional hot beverage flair in your journal, Amy made a sweet Coffee Tea stencil that can help with that. Enjoy and thanks for doodling with me! P.S. Want to keep on doodling through December? Check out our December doodle how-to collections (printable or printed) available in our etsy shop too! 
Evenings are getting colder and many of us have picked up our knitting needles again to finish up projects in time for the holidays. Here's a cute little doodle step-by-step how-to of a ball of yarn and set of knitting needles that you can add to your journal layouts. I added a cat with mine for a little extra added fun (because ours is ALWAYS up in my business when I knit) with this great little Cat Doodle Stencil on etsy.   Here's the how-to for the yarn and needles!  If you're looking for knitting related spread and layout ideas, check out this incredible Craft-related Journaling board on Pinterest!  'Till next week, happy doodling!
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