records – mamasbrush

Whimsical Tree Artwork and borders for Family Tree Record Books

I sketched out this whimsical tree illustration last year, but never got to do anything with it. This year when my mom asked me to make a cover for the book she was putting together for her aunt’s family tree, I knew the two would come together nicely. I’m so pleased with how it turned out.

My mom has gotten into the whole ancestry.com thing in the last year. She has a lot of time when she can’t do much else than to research online and so it is a good fit for her. And she loves it. I love hearing about it, but the research of it all sounds tedious and awful to me. Maybe it’s the stage of life I’m in.

I barely had the energy this time of year to make it pretty for her. 🙂 And though I procrastinated like crazy (I don’t usually want to paint after a day of being outside), I did eventually get it done.

She’s putting together a binder of all the information she found about her aunt’s family. She is going to fill in these forms, but wanted them dressed up a bit. Her original request was for me to doodle something in the margin for her to color in. She really wanted to color it herself… I offered to paint it. While we were brainstorming, I asked if she wanted something for the cover.

That’s where this was born. I love the way the root tendrils frame not only the title, but also the “researched by” area. And the whimsy of it all just makes me smile.

Have you done any research on your family tree?

Artwork and borders for Family Tree Records

Gathering here.

What is the difference between an art journal and a bullet journal? Which one is right for me?

These are great questions! And to be honest, a year ago, I don’t think I could have answered you. As it turns out, they can be as different or as similar as you want them to be. Anything with the word “journal” in it can be tweaked to fit you. There are no hard fast rules. Truly, if there were, who would be coming to make sure you are following them? Your journals, you make the rules!

But, still, what’s the difference?

Art Journal vs. Bullet Journal: What is the difference?

For me, the difference is found in the purpose.

Bullet Journals
The purpose of my bullet journal is organization, record keeping, and memories. I write what I’m reading in the Bible, what I am thankful for and the things and people I am praying for. I make a list of the seeds I’m planting and how many eggs the kids bring in each day from the chicken yard. Using a bullet journal helps me not to have loose papers all over the house.

Art Journals
The purpose of my art journal is to practice my painting and to make a memory. I follow prompts that help push me out of my comfort zone some days and other days I paint something special from that day. For me, there are no rules in my art journal and it doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s just for me.

When they cross over
Sometimes bullet journals and art journals cross over, and that’s okay too. Remember, your journals are whatever you want them to be. Some people only put words in their Bullet Journals, others make them fancy with stickers and washi tape, while others cover them with original drawings or even tape paintings inside. I love seeing form and function married into a beautiful Bullet Journal, but that isn’t for everyone.

In the end, I do a little bit of both. When life is crazy, I do less decorating in my bullet journal and leave my art journal behind altogether. When I’m feeling creative but don’t have an outlet for it, I bring one or the other out and go crazy. 🙂

Bullet journal for kids: Homeschool Assignments Pages

One more idea
We homeschool and I’ve started organizing my older children’s schoolwork bullet journal style. Until recently, I just made columns and filled them in, but in the last week or so, I’ve been trying to make them a little more fun. This week I asked my daughter what she wanted her theme to be and she picked cupcakes. She thinks it’s fun and I got to merge my form and function. 🙂 (Note: I used kid’s markers for these pages and for some of my others. I just tape together two pages so the bleed through doesn’t show.)

Do you have a bullet and or art journal? How do you use them?

Gathering here.