Good morning, everyone.
I know it's been a while since I made a video, and that's because
I haven't found a way to stay on track,
be productive with my projects and my time.
I would love to progress towards my goals
instead of feeling like I'm stuck or going backwards.
So I'm changing how I manage my time by changing how I bullet journal
with this binder that I'll show you how to make today.
To make this binder, you'll need the binder mechanism.
Most importantly, I combed through so many pages on Amazon
to find the specific bronze or copper color.
So I'll link this
and anything I'll use in this tutorial in the description of this video.
These are affiliate links.
So if you purchase from the links it'll benefit me and support me
as I get back into making more motion pictures for the interwebs.
So thank you.
You'll also need sturdy
paper or cardboard for the cover that isn't too thick for you to manage.
And what I mean by that is we'll be cutting it and putting holes into it.
So it needs to be easier for you to do that.
I'm using my favorite paper of all time, arches, watercolor paper,
because it's so thin.
I'm going to have to use Double-Sided tape to attach two pieces together
so that it fits into the mechanism
Right now you see me
using a tiny thin tape to fill up this entire space,
and that's because I didn't want to go out and buy new tape for this project.
I wanted to use what I had so I'm using my one quarter inch double-sided tape
and I'm slowly making it work, making sure I fill in all the gaps
and get to the edges so that everything is together
after you put your screws into the binder mechanism,
you'll see a gap where the cover goes make sure your paper is thick enough
for that gap or even thicker so that it's not too loose
in your cover.
Next I measure and cut the cover to size, which is 9 1/8 by 14
and 3/4 inches and in centimeters that
is 23.17 by 37.45.
In order
to make this process
so much faster and easier for you, I created a free cheat sheet
that includes the instructions, extra tips and measurements for you to reference.
And I linked all of this in the description below.
And there's also space for you to add your notes as well.
I know when I work I need to triple check measurements
and having a printable right there when you're making this is going
to make the process so much more manageable.
After accepting that, I deal with anxiety, which means that
sometimes I can worry a lot and have a hard time turning off my brain.
I realize that the way I've been journaling and planning was it helping me.
On top of that, I'm also a recovering perfectionist and people pleaser.
They all go hand-in-hand, and I really needed
to change how I talk to myself and how I think
switching to this system is going to be so different than what I'm used to.
I'm used to using a bounded dot grid notebook
where everything was compact and set.
But with the binder, I'm really looking forward to being able to print out
templates, not use my energy or time on drawing calendars or boxes,
and change the templates as I learn more about anxiety, perfectionism,
self-awareness, and how to think better thoughts.
It's a big change in how I journal, but this change is so exciting.
Albert Einstein once said "We can't solve problems
by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."
So I'm changing my thoughts.
I'm changing how I journal, and I'm hopefully changing my days.
In my next video, I'll go into how I plan my days, weeks
and months to help me manage my worries and thoughts and the details of it all.
So make sure you're subscribed for that.
But for now, it all starts with this
A5 DIY binder
Okay, so
back to the binder to find the placement of the spine, measure
the center of the cover, and then measure half an inch from the center
on either side to create a one inch spine section.
This will be where your binder mechanism will sit.
Put a small mark on the top and bottom of the spine on the inside of the cover.
You don't want to draw a full line from the top to the bottom
because it is going to be hard to erase after you score the line.
But if you're okay with it being marked,
Go for it.
Once you have a mark use a bone folder or anything
that has a narrow edge, but it's not sharp and it's also sturdy to press and fold.
Repeat as many times as you need to get it to fold.
From the outside of the cover.
I actually used my mat knife and lightly cut the outside of the cover
so that it bent easier.
If you do this, make sure you are really light with your knife.
You don't want to over cut it
for my bullet journal binder.
I want my corners rounded to make the edges feel a lot softer.
To do that, I'm using this crop-a-dile tool with the one quarter inch rounded side.
It's like a hole punch, but four corners so worth it
Next,
I want to add my illustration to the cover with my stamp and embossing powder.
I highly recommend this specific embossing powder
if you want a neutral champagne color
and not super yellow gold.
After putting embossing ink on the stamp,
I carefully placed my stamp and pressed it to the paper.
Make sure you keep the stamp in the same position.
And put pressure on it.
Otherwise you'll get a double image like me.
At first I was a little bummed, but I just use my gelly roll pen
and I filled it in and it looks pretty good.
When something
like this happened before, especially as I was recording a tutorial.
I would scrap the whole project and do it all again.
It would take me hours
at least to film and redo things all for the sake of perfection.
I was so afraid that someone would see that I was less than perfect,
and underneath that I actually didn't want to see myself
being less than perfect to the rest of the world.
It's actually really interesting to see where
I came from over a year ago to where I am now.
Being okay with making mistakes
We've arrived at the best part of this entire process
the finale, the poking holes and putting things together
apart
I ordered plain
and dot grid paper from Amazon for this binder,
and that's actually my favorite part of this journal. With a bounded notebook,
You're stuck with whatever paper it comes with, but with the binder
you can use an A5 hole punch on any kind of paper you want.
So you can have watercolor paper, you can have vellum,
you can have any kind of paper you want in your setup.
And it's all in one system.
I have so many ideas for how to use this binder,
and I know it's going to help me leap from one goal to the next.
And speaking of goals,
I have news to share and things to show you this shine in the light.
After a long, long time.
My shop is finally launching on October 2nd.
2022 and 9 a.m. EST
This isn't just any shop launch, it's a celebration of a brand new chapter
that is more stable and more present than ever before.
I can't show you everything in this video, so I highly encourage you
to visit the shop like you would any museum and read all of the stories
I put in each listing to see why and how I made what I need.
But I will share some of the new enamel pins I've made,
and they each have a little story to tell.
But most importantly, I wanted them to be inspirational and calming
and to have waterproof and clear stickers that I cut here in my dining room
slash studio for now, and I have new gold foil prints
and this limited edition, one of the bunny with the help of her friend,
the bear, who's building her sky one star at a time.
I made these prints last year hoping to launch then.
So getting to this point where they shop launch is actually happening now
in 2022 makes this print even more memorable.
The date 2021 signifies the effort and determination
it took me to get here and the beginning of the dream.
My biggest goal for this shop launch is to sell out of this print.
It is the image that started this whole storytelling journey.
And it's the perfect way to celebrate this chapter with you.
I ambitiously, very ambitiously ordered
not 100, not 500, but 1000 of these.
And it would be a dream come true if they all go to new homes.
So share this with your friends and family.
Send them out as gifts and just let them be in the world.
Head over to my website at www.christinemylinh.com
and sign up to my email list for early access.
And if you're watching this video after October 2nd,
then just head on over to www.christinemylinh.com
Hit the shop link and just enjoy.
Take your time and explore.
Thank you so much for making it all the way to this part of the video
and for listening to a teeny tiny part of my story.
I'm so excited to begin working on the inside of this new bullet
journal binder system,
and I want to show you how I use it to help keep me calm and productive.
So please subscribe to be notified of that.
And I'll also be starting to clean and design my studio,
which is a storage room right now.
And it's going to be such a big transformation.
So make sure that you're here joining me on this journey of being a little braver
and more kind in general and big thanks to my patrons
for supporting my work and being down for seeing the imperfect side of things.
Until next time. Bye.