I’m definitely not one of those bullet journalers who creates my monthly spreads well in advance, and I’ve often not even decided what theme I’m going with until I sit down to make my spreads! I try to keep my themes seasonal and prefer not to repeat them, so I thought it would be useful to share a few autumnal bullet journal theme ideas that you can refer back to year after year.

Don’t worry, there will be winter, spring and summer versions of this blog post too! I’ll be keeping an eye out for spreads to feature in future blog posts - as well as the fortnightly Nikki’s Supply Store newsletter - so please keep tagging @nikkissupplystore in your photos on Instagram for a chance to be featured. It’s really handy if you can tag the photo as well as the caption, as this makes them easier to find!

Right, that’s quite enough Instagram housekeeping, let’s crack on with some autumnal bullet theme inspiration! I think this is going to be a long one…

Autumn Leaves Bullet Journal Themes

This is definitely a very popular one at this time of year! There’s so many ways to incorporate autumn leaves into your bullet journal spreads whether that’s drawing them, adding washi tape or stickers, cutting shapes from coloured paper or maybe even sticking some artificial fabric leaves in!

By @acornishgeekletters - shared with permission

Emma AKA @acornishgeekletters used a leaf-shaped punch to cut these adorable leaves from our autumnal dot grid pads, and used them throughout her September bullet journal spreads. I must confess I’m not the best at keeping my spreads on-theme later in the month, but this is a great way to keep yourself on track. Emma said her glue pen came in very handy for attaching them!

By @gem_plans.and.letters - shared with permission

Gemma of @gem_plans.and.letters creates seasonal divider pages in her bullet journal which is such a lovely idea, and one I think I’ll be trying next year. This lettering must’ve taken absolutely ages to cut but it’s so eye-catching, and the autumn leaves washi tape coordinates perfectly!

Mushroom Bullet Journal Themes

I nearly went for an autumn leaf theme for September, but changed my mind at the last minute as the white dots on the “red fox” dot grid paper put me in mind of toadstools! You can see more of my September spreads in my blog post. I hadn’t realised mushrooms was such a popular theme for September, but I saw so many mushroom bullet journal spreads popping up on my Instagram feed and in journaling Facebook groups!

By @ruthie.journals - shared with permission

I always go for a classic colourful red and white spot mushroom and very much associate autumn with reds and oranges, but @ruthie.journals’ lilac and brown mushroom bullet journal theme goes to show how well others colours work for autumn themes! Ruthie’s cosy creations have me itching to try my hand at collaging. The “light lilac” dot grid paper is available here.

Woodland Creatures Bullet Journal Theme

Can’t decide between leaves and mushrooms? Wanna throw some woodland creatures into the mix but don’t want to draw them yourself? Nikki used these adorable woodland nature paper stickers for her September theme, and you can see her full set up in her September Plan With Me YouTube video.

Autumn Floral Bullet Journal Theme

I love botanical line drawings. They’re very forgiving as no two flowers look the same! I incorporated a few different early autumn flowers into my September 2021 bullet journal spreads including a sunflower, cosmos and dahlia. Ok, so most sunflowers flower in August but they’re easy to draw! The “perfect peach” dot grid paper is available here.

Gilmore Girls Bullet Journal Theme

I actually did a Gilmore Girls theme in February to match the pencil case one of my friends made me for Christmas, but it arguably works much better as an autumnal bullet journal theme! I themed each weekly spread around a different character or Stars Hollow establishment: Rory, Luke’s, Lorelai and Kim’s Antiques. My spreads were mostly black and white line drawings, which I complimented with the slim star doodles washi tape tape.

Moon Phases Bullet Journal Themes

I think this is one of my first ever decorative bullet journal spreads, from early 2021. I hadn’t started doing monthly themes but I used this layout for a couple of weeks. It’s remained a favourite and one I’d like to re-visit at some point. I might even try and get the moon phases in the correct order next time! Obviously, a moon theme works for any month, but it definitely feels a little spooky, doesn’t it? I used days of the week washi and a gold Stabilo 68.

Spooky Doodles Bullet Journal Theme

I tried my best to reign it in and not do too many overtly spooky themes, but I don’t think it’s a secret that both Nikki and I are big fans of Halloween! Last October was my first as a bullet journaler, and I felt a little overwhelmed trying to choose a theme as my mind was buzzing with ideas! Eventually, I decided to doodle and not overthink it, and this was the result: A colourful and chaotic stream of spooky consciousness! The spooky doodles washi tape goes so well with this theme, and I used it throughout the month.

Pastel Halloween Bullet Journal Theme

As last year’s Halloween theme was a riot of bright colour, I decided to go for something a bit different this year. Pastel Halloween is such a vibe right now and I couldn’t resist turning the new rainbow ombre dot grid pads into adorable pastel ghosties! I used a white gelly roll for this faux brush lettering. Oh, and I absolutely traced it because - spoiler - a year on and I’m still terrible at lettering! 

Let’s move on to some themes inspired by TV and films…

Stranger Things Bullet Journal Theme

Nikki did a Stranger Things bullet journal theme in July to coincide with the release of season four, but this would work so well as a Halloween theme too! She used Mildliners to recreate the rainbow room’s decor, but you could focus on some of the darker imagery to make a super creepy October theme. You can watch Nikki's full July Plan With Me YouTube video here.

The Shining Bullet Journal Theme

…and last but no means least: Nikki’s October 2022 bullet theme is this incredible Hello Kitty x The Shining mash up! She’s used her pastel blue dot grid pad, Hello Kitty washi tape and Overlook washi tape to recreate this iconic scene, with an adorable twist! Head to her Plan With Me video on YouTube to see all of the incredible details she’s included!

I hope that’s given you a little inspiration for your autumn bullet journal monthly themes! Why not bookmark this page so you can come back to it every year?

If you’ve been inspired by any of the suggestions 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.