Writing and journaling matters to me... A lot! I couldn't be without my journals, it's my form of expression and a much needed means of relaxation.  Plus I am a complete stationery addict.  And so to mark World Stationery Day and National Stationery Week I have decided to write why writing matters to me.

I have to admit, it did take me the best part of a day to think about what to blog about for National Stationery Week, it could have been a number of things; My favourite types of stationery, an up to date post about my favourite UK shops (click to read my post from last year), a list of my planners and journals or what to include in them.  However the message of the week is about writing and as a teacher myself I know the importance of it.

On the 2nd February this year I was fortunate enough to grab a ticket for the UKPA Big Meet and wow I'm so glad that I did.  What an amazing event; a coming together of like-minded people, planners and creatives at the CEME Centre in Rainham, near London.  If you only attend one planner meet up next year, then this should be the one, the golden halo of planner events (or should that be crown). Best of all Erin Condren was there, which means it is now the second time I have met her.

Do you often struggle to find the right sticker kits for your planning, especially when using a travelers notebook?  I have the solution; use a blank notebook.  I love the freedom of a blank book and it means I can use any type of stickers, especially the lovely kits many of the shops make for the Erin Condren planners.  Below I have two different layouts using EC sized kits, with a full chatty plan with me of how I put the layout together.

​This post uses affiliate links via Etsy, but they are all for shops that I love and recommend.

Planner shops used:
www.hazydaysuk.etsy.com
www.silentbeautyplans.etsy.com
www.theplumpplanner.etsy.com

Hard work does indeed reap rewards, I had a great year last year and wanted to incorporate working hard and rewarding myself into both my journaling and my Word of the Year for 2019.  Last year I focused on the word 'Happy' and it was a great success.  You can see more on last years word here Word of the Year 2018.

Self Care is so important, if you don't look after yourself then you will struggle in other aspects of your life.  I love adding a bit of self love into my journaling as you can see from my self care and mood tracking journaling pages.
Self Care and Mood Tracking ideas in your Bullet Journal.

This years pages are an extension of this idea, but with the added notion of working hard to receive it.