Hey guys, Masha here from Masha Plans. I’ve been dreaming of getting the Blackout Book by Archer and Olive for a long time and now that I finally got one, I’m endlessly excited!

To be perfectly honest, I actually never had any experience working with black paper, so it was a huge challenge for me to figure out what should be my next step. Which was definitely one of the main reasons why I held back on getting this beauty for quite a while.

That’s why today I’m here to share with you how you can use your Blackout book, so you’re ready to embark on your own creative adventure in no time.

Recommended Supplies: 

Archer & Olive Blackout Book – something I’m sure will become your favorite creative outlet in no time, especially with the high paper quality it offers.

Also remember that if you want to get anything from Archer and Olive, you can use code MASHA10 to get 10% off.

Your Favorite Supplies – don’t hold back and let’s play with all your favorite supplies. 

Creativity – get ready to be creative! 

1. Start With Pens, Brush Pens, Markers

Of course, the first and most obvious thing is to use pens, markers and such. Bonnie has an amazing post with all the different pens you can use in the Blackout book.

I’d say that the basis of it all should be gel pens, and I definitely recommend Sakura Gelly Roll pens. They are super smooth and come in different colors, and the white ones also come in different sizes.

You can also use pretty much anything metallic, like my new favorite Staedtler markers or Kuretake Fudebiyori brush pens.

In the end, you get pretty much the same selection of supplies as for any other journal.

2. Add White Paper

Writing with gel pens really takes time, and sometimes you might just not have that much, like in your daily boxes or notes sections. The solution is simple – just add cut pieces of white paper.

In the weekly setup below, for example, I cut out some pages from my normal Archer and Olive journal and added them as my daily boxes. The contrast with black and white creates a very unique look, and now I can also use my usual black pen to write down all my tasks.

(Created by me, @mashaplans on Instagram)

You can also use that trick to add drawings with stationery that otherwise wouldn’t be well seen on black paper. The contrast will look good and will highlight your illustrations.

3. Use Stickers

Stickers are a great way to decorate your Bullet Journal, even if the pages are black.

(Created by me, @mashaplans on Instagram)

You can use stickers for more than just decoration though. If you choose a sticky paper you can write on, you can design and print out different elements for your BuJo setups, such as already made habit trackers or daily boxes for your weekly spreads.

In my spread here, I used some stickers I got from my Pipsticks subscription.

(Created by me, @mashaplans on Instagram)

4. Create Black On White Spreads

Another thing you could do with your Blackout book is to use the pages to add emphasis to your usual BuJo. I, for one, absolutely love how it looks. 

(Created by me, @mashaplans on Instagram)

While it might not be a legit reason to get the full journal, it’s definitely a cool add on to play around with in case you have some empty pages left in the blackout book.

5. Paints

If you’re someone who loves playing around with paints, any Archer and Olive journal is perfect for you! The 160 GSM paper can withstand it all!

Paint is a great material to use in your Blackout notebook as well. First of all, it’ll allow you to cover larger parts on the page.  Drawing a box with paint takes very little time, but you can use your usual pen to write down all your tasks.

Moreover, paints will allow you to bring more color to your pages since they don’t just disappear on black paper but stand out brighter. A great example is this fantastic spread by Bonnie herself, who is, of course, a master of using paints.

(Created by Bonnie, @archerandolive on Instagram)

Hope these ideas charged you with creativity and the Blackout Book doesn’t seem that scary anymore.

If you want to get your copy of the blackout journal, make sure to sign up for the email list to be the first to know when they are in stock. These beauties sell out in no time!