Hello, friends! Elizabeth here from Plant Based Bride on YouTube and @elizabethturn on Instagram. Today I’m sharing how I create a foldout grid spacing spread in the inner cover of my bullet journal for easy reference!

In my case, I like to use the foldout spread for my grid spacing guide, but you can put whatever spread you find yourself referencing the most while bullet journaling. Some great options could be a year at a glance, an ideal day spread, or your key.

I’m moving into a new bullet journal for the second half of 2021 and just had to use the B5 cloth sunset notebook from my collab with Archer & Olive. Isn’t it beautiful?

If you'd prefer to watch a timelapse of the process rather than following along with this blog post, check out this video:

SUPPLIES

• Notebook - Archer & Olive x Plant Based Bride Cloth B5 Sunset Notebook (link when collab is released*)
• Sheet of Paper - I’d recommend using something heavier weight like construction paper or light cardstock for durability
• Pencil, Eraser, Ruler, and Glue
• Black Pens or Markers - I used the 0.7mm Black Acrylograph from Archer & Olive and the Sakura Micron Fineliner in 03
• Paint - I used Winsor & Newton Designer’s Gouache in Burnt Sienna and Zinc White as well as the Finetec Metallic Watercolour in Olympic Gold

STEP ONE: PLAN YOUR SPREAD(S)

It’s always a good idea to start by planning out your spreads; considering both your layout and design! I folded my cardstock in half and then cut it to fit the inner cover of my notebook. Once that was done, I sketched my spreads in pencil, adjusting elements until I was happy with the layout. 

Then I glued the cardstock into my notebook:

STEP TWO: INNER COVER

I decided to make the ‘cover’ of the foldout sheet a place to put the name of my notebook: Eara. I used my burnt sienna gouache mixed with different amounts of zinc white gouache to make a gradient of shades from peach through terracotta to rust. I painted circles and blobs of different sizes, slightly overlapping. I also decided to add a few gold circles and blobs to the mix using my Finetec watercolour in Olympic Gold. This is so fun because there’s a lot of freedom to make abstract art your own! 

Once the paint was dry I added the lettering using my 0.7mm Black Acrylograph, my notebook’s name on the left and my name on the right. I also added a few wavy lines and dots of varying sizes using my Sakura Micron in 05.

STEP THREE: FOLDOUT SPREAD

Now it’s time for the foldout spread! 

When you unfold the cardstock you will reveal two more spreads inside. The spread on the left will be visible no matter where you are in your notebook when it’s open, so put your most referenced spread here (in my case, that will be my grid spacing spread)! The spread on the right is not quite as easily accessible so I decided to put my key here (since I’ve used the same key for a while now and don’t need to reference it day to day).

For these interior spreads I’ll start again with my painted blobs and then add my lettering, wavy lines, and dots.

For the grid spacing spread I decided to write out only the dimensions of the pages in my B5 notebook that I use most. In my case, that’s the full vertical height in spaces (46), half of the vertical height (23), and a third of the vertical height (15.3), as well as the full horizontal length in spaces (32), half of the horizontal length (16), and a third of the horizontal length (10.6).  You can, of course, add more quick reference dimensions if you tend to use them often!

And that’s it!

An easy and fun way to add extra spreads to your bullet journal that are easy to reference as you plan.

I'd love to see your version of the foldout spreads if you try them. Tag me on Instagram @elizabethturn so I can see them! You can also download the printable version of the grid spacing spread here: