What makes bullet journaling so fulfilling for all of us creative people is that each month can look totally different – I’m talking new layouts, new theme, new pages, new illustrations. Your April bullet journal monthly spread doesn’t have to look same as your December bujo monthly spread, and that’s the magic of it.
But how exactly does one choose a theme for their bullet journal monthly spread?
How to choose a theme
The first thing you need to consider is what attracts you the most? Are you a fan of clean, minimalistic themes like monochromatic/black and white, or do you like to go all out on big, vibrant themes like flowers or Christmas? Choosing something you enjoy drawing will definitely make it more enjoyable – after all, bullet journals are meant to boost your productivity through creative planning, so it’s important to enjoy the whole process.
When it comes to choosing a specific theme, I like to think of the month itself. Are there any specific celebrations happening? What does the nature look like – is it snowy, sunny, raining? You can find inspiration in types of flowers that grow during that month or season, and even activities you’re likely to do then (e.g. going to the beach in the summer). Finding the perfect theme is all about your own personal experiences and inspiration.
If you’re looking for more bullet journal ideas Pinterest can also be quite a goldmine for designs, themes, and layout inspiration.
Sometimes, coming up with one theme can be difficult – let alone 12! That’s why we’ve prepared a list of amazing bullet journal themes to use for each month of the year, as well as supplies you can use to bring more sparkle into your spreads.
Theme ideas for each month
Let’s have a look at some creative bullet journal theme ideas for each month below:
January – Snowy mountains
When I think of January, few things come to mind: snowy landscapes, skiing trips, short days, and long nights. These can be a great starting point for a January bujo monthly spread theme.
My favourite thing to do is leave some space at the bottom of each page and fill it up with snowy mountain drawings. The top of the page can then be filled with stars or clouds, and even snowflakes falling to really sell the idea of a mountain landscape in mid-winter. Feel free to add doodles of pine trees, wooden logs or even wild animals like deer and wolves throughout your monthly spread.
Don’t forget to add a New Years Resolutions page to your January spread. If you’re just starting out on your bullet journal journey, this is also a good time to experiment with layouts and bullet journal page ideas, to see what fits your style and what doesn’t.
February – Valentine’s Day
Nothing says ‘Love’ more than a Valentine’s Day themed bullet journal spread. Think pink and red hearts, ribbons, chocolate, roses – it might seem like a very straight-forward theme but there’s actually a lot of variety in what you can include.
To keep in theme with the celebration, you can also include a gratitude page dedicated to your loved ones, or even to yourself. I like starting a gratitude page with the sentence: “I love this person/myself because…” and spend some time reflecting on the answer.
March – Cherry blossoms
If you want to go for a soft and elegant March bujo theme, cherry blossoms are the go-to option. In Japan, cherry blossoms (or Sakura, as they call it) are the symbol for nature’s rebirth in Spring, so why not showcase that in your diary as well?
Feel free to draw branches of cherry blossoms all over your monthly spread, or use Sakura washi tape to bring more variety in your decorations. Since cherry blossoms are a quintessential Japanese symbol, you can also take this theme one step further and bring more traditionally Japanese elements into it, like traditional lamps hanging from the branches, or drawing Mount Fuji.
April – Garden
What’s more beautiful in Spring than a garden in full bloom? This April bullet journal theme is your chance to go for full maximalism – I’m talking flowers over flowers, butterflies, bees, and LOTS of pastel colours.
Don’t worry about drawing the perfect flowers. After all, they come in many different shapes, forms, and colours, so don’t be afraid to experiment and let your imagination run wild! Alternatively, if you’re like me and want to get to painting as soon as possible, consider using some reusable flower stencils.
May – Cosmic/Outer Space
Not every theme needs to fit the month perfectly. Sometimes you just want to experiment a little or add some variety to your bullet journal monthly spreads.
For your May bujo monthly spread, I recommend trying out a Cosmic theme. You can interpret this however you want, but I personally enjoy drawing suns, moons and stars, constellations, galaxies, comets… This theme can be both minimalistic or more vibrant depending on what you feel most comfortable with.
A way to get creative with it is using black paper instead of white (if you don’t have black paper, just paint it, or cover a white page in black tissue paper), as well as a white fineliner pen to really sell the idea of a starry night sky.
If you’re a fan of using stamps in your bullet journal, I also recommend this stunning celestial bodies stamp set.
June – Greenery
This June bullet journal monthly spread theme is for all plant moms out there. While April was all about colourful flowers and insects, this one is more about using green to draw things like house plants, succulents, cacti, or just leaves in different shapes and sizes.
Sometimes, monochromatic themes can actually stand out quite a lot. Even if you are using a single colour, there are lots of different shades you can use. You can also add stickers, washi tape or even photos in the same colour scheme for more variety.
July – Ocean/Sea
For a lot of people, summer is all about sunny weather, trips to the beach or just traveling in general. In July, I like going for an ocean/sea themed bullet journal monthly spread to get that holiday feel even when I’m still at home.
This is also the perfect time to add some new pages to your bullet journal – think of a destination bucket list for future travels, a trip planner or even a packing list page for your upcoming holiday.
August – Fruits and berries
You can’t go wrong with nature themes. Since August is all about harvesting fruits and berries, it seems fitting to use that as inspo for your bullet journal spread. A bountiful harvest is usually a sign of prosperity and good luck – so I try to bring that into my bullet journal by adding as many drawings, stickers, and photos of seasonal fruits as possible.
September – Orange leaves
When autumn is coming, all I can think of are the orange maple leaves that will fill the streets and parks.
To fully represent the orange and brown tones of these seasons, I love incorporating some brown tissue paper on my monthly and weekly spread pages, as well as lots of stickers. This set of washi stickers contains Japanese maple leaf stickers alongside 3 other different flower sets which you can use for other monthly spreads.
October – Halloween
October is all about the spooky, the witchy and the mysterious, so a Halloween bullet journal theme seems like a no-brainer. You can go in different directions with this one: you can stick to an autumnal colour palette (with browns and oranges) and draw Jack-o-lanterns throughout your monthly spread, or go for a more witchy, gothic vibe using a darker colour palette.
For a more gothic feel, free to use gothic-themed stickers, but also make sure to have black and red ink brushes on hand – adding a little ‘blood’ can turn this theme into one to die for!
November – Vintage
If you’re nostalgic for an older era, then this November you can go for a vintage monthly spread full of photos, book quotes, and even newspaper scraps.
Even though every monthly and weekly spread starts out as a simple layout, it’s always satisfying to see those pages fill up with decorative elements like these vintage stickers as the month goes by. If you’re a bit more nerdy, these fun dictionary definition stickers can also be a great, creative addition to your vintage bullet journal pages.
December – Christmas
What can be more iconic than doing a Christmas theme for your December bullet journal? If you’re the type to decorate your entire house using Christmas decorations, why not bring that into your bullet journal spread as well? You can draw strings of colourful Christmas lights at the top of your page or little present boxes at the bottom.
Since this is also the last month of the year, this can be a great chance to reflect on the last 12 months with a special page. You can add here your favourite memories and accomplishments of the past year. If you’ve done habit trackers or mood trackers throughout the year, you can also take a look and see how well you’ve done, and if there are things to improve on in the next year.
Don’t forget to end your bullet journal with one last page saying “Goodbye, 2026” to fully close this magical chapter of your life.
Next, check out our post on creative bullet journal key symbols to organize your life.