My Kawaii Journal Setup For the Second Half of 2025
With July being the halfway point of 2025, this meant it was time to switch into a new journal! I started using two journals a year last year. I used to always struggle keeping up with multiple journals for different subjects and as a result, would rarely ever finish a journal, that was until I started combining everything into one journal. This has been a game-changer for me! I use my journal as a planner, bullet journal, goal tracker, art journal, vision board, etc. I do a lot in my journal, and it works out for me.
Because I read so much more now, I created a book journal to track all the books I’ve read so I no longer keep a book tracker in this journal. I like to write little notes about the books I read to make my monthly “What I Read” posts easier to write. I’ll write a separate post about my book journal later.
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If you haven’t read my first 2025 journal blog post, go read that post for more information. I’m transferring the vision board I made in that journal into this journal by scanning and printing out a copy of it on sticker paper. Most of my pages from my first journal are also going to continue to appear in this new journal. Such as my monthly favorites, music playlists, tarot pages, love notes, weekly, and monthly setups, so I won’t be discussing these in this post as I already addressed them in my first post.
Watch me decorate the cover of my second journal of the year in my YouTube video above. I linked most of the shops where I got my stickers from in the description of that video.
Journal
I’m still using the same brand of journal. I have now bought this journal, but in different colors and variations 4 times! I love their color selection and their affordable price. I’ve had a LEUCHTTURM1917, a Moleskine, and various other brands of journals throughout the year. Out of all the journals I’ve used, this budget-friendly journal is my favorite! You really do not need to have an expensive journal. It’s not about the tools but how you use the tools.
Inside Cover
In the inside cover of my journal, I placed an adhesive pouch on the left side. These are clear-label pockets that teachers use for their students. I bought a pack of 20 for like $3 a few years ago and still use them in all my journals. I place loose stickers I want to use, strips of white sticker paper (I use these as “white out” to cover over any mistakes), die cuts, and other cute stuff in this pouch.
On the right side, I decorate the intro page with a bunch of cute stickers and a little note to myself. I may have gone overboard with this page. lol
2025 Goals
After looking back at my first journal, I realized that I may have overestimated my goals for this year. I must have been very optimistic the day I sat down to write my yearly goals because I’m not kidding when I say I had over 30 goals! So, instead of copying my same goals into my new journal, I decided to start all over! This time, I’m simplifying my goals and being realistic given the time we have for the remainder of 2025.
I separate my goals into 4 categories: fitness/wellness, personal, blog/online content, and other, anything not related to the 3 categories. Because my goals are all personal, I’m not sharing them online, but maybe I’ll share the ones that I can accomplish at the end of the year.
Travel Pages
Because I went to Savannah, Georgia, at the beginning of the month, one of the first pages I decorated in my new journal was a travel page. I believe the kids would call this a “junk journal” spread, which I hate that term because I don’t consider the things I’ve used and consider keeping as junk, ephemera makes it sound much more magical. This spread is made up entirely of Savannah ephemera.
Special pages
It was also my birthday in mid-July, so I created a birthday spread using photos from the day, celebration stickers, and ephemera from some of my birthday gifts. I also wrote a little love note to myself which I cleverly covered, because your girl can’t be too vulnerable online. lol
I always tend to wait and put these spreads/pages off for some reason. I guess I assume they’ll take too long to create. But after sitting down with a good playlist and decorating my travel and birthday pages, I want to sit down and make more!
How many journals are you currently invested in?
It’s always a good idea to recalibrate mid-year. It means you’re trying to adhere to your goals. I think simplifying it from 30 is a grounded move. I love the spread you made for your “ephemera pages.” I also don’t like the term junk journal. Kinda like the phrase “photo dump” because it makes me think of something else lol. Ephemera is a much better term for it. How long did it take you to complete these pages? Is it the same amount as you would to complete blog posts?
Both of these pages took maybe less than 2 hours, but I did them on different days and took breaks in between these journaling sessions. That’s a good point! I usually take a few hours to write up a blog post, but they take around the same amount! I guess I’m hesitant to journal more because it’s messier than blogging, and I hate making messes. lol โฅ