Now that I’ve completed my “Bullet Journal Themes for Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter” series, I thought I’d round up a few of my favourite non-seasonal bullet journal theme ideas which work for any time of year! While I do love a seasonal theme, sometimes it’s hard to get fully into summer mode when it’s pouring with rain outside. This may or may not be based on actual events at the time of writing this blog post!

Whether you love to illustrate your themes or prefer simple minimalist pages, I hope this post will give you some inspiration for your 2023 bullet journal themes. Let’s dive in…

Cat Bullet Journal Theme

First up, if you follow Nikki or I on Instagram, you’ll know we are both totally dedicated card-carrying cat ladies. I am so obsessed with this illustrated cat theme that Nikki did last month, using just a Livework 2.0 ballpoint pen! The addition of the toe bean close ups and doodled hearts and paw prints are just *chef’s kiss* and as far as I’m concerned, every day is Cat Day.

How perfect are those Paw Sticky Page Markers for a cat theme too?

Tarot Card Bullet Journal Theme

Still loosely in keeping with the cat theme, I was inspired by Deth P Sun’s washi tape and stickers to create this tarot card themed cover page. Many of Deth’s illustrations feature cats, so of course I had to turn my silly darling Juniper into The Fool.

I used Deth’s washi tape throughout my spreads that month, and used gothic-inspired lettering for my titles.

Stationery Bullet Journal Themes

Bullet journaling and a love of stationery seem to go hand in hand, so I think it would be remiss of me not to include a stationery theme or two! While it certainly does lend itself to a “back to school” September theme, you use stationery all year round, right?

How cute is this simple yet effective stationery bullet journal theme Nikki created with our old school vibes washi tape, perfect peach dot grid pad, Zebra Mildliner brush marker and Pentel Fude Touch calligraphy pen? If you’d like to learn or improve your brush lettering, there’s a blog post for that!

Lastly, if you want a more illustration-heavy stationery theme, check out Amanda Rach Lee’s September 2019 set up on YouTube.

Food Bullet Journal Themes

For someone who’s pretty much permanently thinking about their next meal, I’m amazed I haven’t done more food-inspired themes! Thankfully, Nikki has us covered. She created this fun Nutella theme in February 2022 in honour of World Nutella Day on 5 February, but I think we can all agree that Nutella is for life, and not just for World Nutella Day.

Apparently, February is Nikki’s favoured foodie theme month, as she drew this fun breakfast foods cover page in February 2023. While pancakes are definitely associated with February, the addition of croissants, toast and coffee make this a cosy theme for any time of year.

For more food-themed bullet journal inspiration, check out the bakery and picnic themes in my summer themes blog post.

Seasonal Floral Bullet Journal Theme

Ok so I’m cheating a little here as I’ve definitely featured floral themes in my seasonal round ups *but* they totally work for any time of year! They also happen to be one of my favourites to draw. I went with hellebore - also known as Christmas rose - for my January 2022 theme, and kept it simple with Sakura Pigma Microns for the illustration and lettering.

You could either choose flowers that bloom during the month you’re in, or just draw whatever you fancy because it’s your bullet journal and who cares! I quite like the idea of doing an entirely floral-themed year, with seasonal flowers for each month. Here’s some ideas to get you started:

• Spring: Anemone, bluebell, daffodil, hyacinth
• Summer: Dahlia, hydrangea, peony, zinnia
• Autumn: Black-eyed Susan, fuchsia, snapdragon, waterlily
• Winter: Cyclamen, daphne, pansy, snowdrop

Washi Tape Bullet Journal Themes

If drawing’s not your thing, fear not. Why not create a super colourful cover page by covering it in washi tape? Either swatches, stripes or woven strips as I’ve done here:

If you’ve got a bit more time on your hands, you could try a washi art doodle theme like Nikki’s July cover page. Doodle some intersecting lines and shapes, cover your chosen shape with washi then very gently cut around it with a kraft knife. Archer & Olive journals have 160 gsm paper which is great for avoiding slicing through the page, but you can also glue two pages together to make a thicker surface. Don’t forget that you’ll need to see your pen or pencil lines beneath, so avoid dark, opaque or metallic washi tapes.

You can watch the washi art process here and here, and see loads more fun ways to use washi tape in your bullet journal in this blog post. Our Biggest Ever Washi Sale is still taking place, with almost all own-brand washi tape designs reduced to clear from just 80p a roll!

Zentangle Bullet Journal Theme

Nikki’s washi art cover page reminds me of Zentangling which leads me nicely onto my next theme suggestion! Now admittedly I included this image in my winter round up because I did a Zentangle theme last November, but it totally works for any month. It’s a great one to do if you’re short on time during set up as you can add to it over the course of the month.

I used a mix of Sakura Pigma Micron sizes and coloured larger areas with a Stabilo 68 marker.

Paper Shapes Bullet Journal Theme

My February 2023 theme was loosely inspired by a piece of art briefly visible in the background of Bless This Mess although I believe that featured red, yellow and blue triangles. I went with dark green as the Ocean dot grid pads hadn’t been released at the time! I cut a bunch of different sized triangles from “fox”, “turmeric” and “forest” A5 dot grid pads, and played around with them until I was happy with the layout. I stuck them down with a Tombow Mono glue roller, and used the leftover triangles throughout my monthly pages.

This was such a fun and mindful theme to put together, and I was so chuffed when one of my favourite journal accounts @plannedandplanted did her own spin on it, adding in black to represent the Black History Month colours.

Image shared with permission

“Ransom Letters” Bullet Journal Theme

I’m sure there’s a better way to describe this style of lettering where it looks like each letter has been cut from a different document a la ye olde ransom letters but hopefully you catch my drift. I created this spread in April 2022 after Nikki sent me a surprise box of items to inspire my bullet journal theme that month! You can read more about my experience here. The basis for this theme was the mixed number stickers, and I took the opportunity to work on my lettering. I love the combination of the perfect peach dot grid pad, Kraft paper and metallic pen!

I was so pleased with how it turned out, that I actually used a similar idea for the set-up pages in my new bullet journal that year. You can see more pages from my set up here.

Multicoloured Stripes Bullet Journal Themes

Last but by no means least, I personally believe that the same rule can be applied to bullet journaling that I apply to my outfits: Stripes are always a good idea! They’re a fun and speedy way to add a splash of colour to your page and I particularly love how Nikki incorporates them into her weekly spreads:

She’s used Zebra Mildliner brush pens for the full rainbow, and regular Mildliners for the partial-rainbow stripes.

I hope that’s given you a little inspiration for your bullet journal monthly themes! Why not bookmark this page so you can come back to it whenever you need a little inspo? If you’ve been inspired by any of the themes in this post, we’d love to see! Please tag @nikkissupplystore and #NikkisSupplyStore on Instagram, where you can find heaps more journaling and stationery inspiration. You can also follow me, @joy.margot, for more craft content and pictures of my cat, Juniper.