How To Fix Bullet Journal Mistakes (8 Easy Fixes That Work)
There will be that one time when you’re on a roll and you’ve just inked a portion of your journal and you end up moving your hand just a teeny bit . . . that’s when you realize you’re completely doomed.
If you want to know how to fix bullet journal mistakes, it’s really simple. The quick answer? Grab a few craft supplies like stickers, washi tape, paper, or even a correction pen, and you can cover up any mistake you make – it’s as easy as that. In fact, this could work in your favor to create an unexpected masterpiece.
It happens to most of us and making mistakes in our bullet journal is something that’s going to happen most of the time so don’t beat yourself up over it because there’s always a solution to everything.
Before we show you the crafty ways of using these art supplies to camouflage your mistakes, let’s consider a few factors as to why this may be happening more often than not.
Why You’re Making Mistakes
When I first began journaling, I was super scared to make mistakes and funny enough, because I was so nervous, I ended up making more mistakes.
What I learned is that if you just enjoy the process and be willing to embrace mistakes, you’ll find yourself being more open to creativity and being less afraid of messing up your journal.
So, If there’s one tip I recommend to avoid making a mistake, it’s to not care about making a mistake.
Yup, it’s as simple as that. Once you start to follow this tip, you’ll be more confident to try new art styles and make your spreads look even more beautiful and creative.
Remember: If you do make a mistake, there’s always a way to cover it.
Tips to cover up mistakes
1. Stickers
An easy and quick way to cover any marker streak, paper bleeds, or misspelled words would be to use stickers.
There are many different kinds of stickers you can get of Etsy or Amazon for really cheap that look so good.
My personal favorites are flowers but you can pop on any sticker you like to cover up a mistake. It works every time!
2. Textured/Patterned Paper
Here’s another smart way to cover really large mistakes. Let’s say you messed up your header and this could really make or break a spread.
Grab a piece of colorful or a patterned paper of your choice, ripped it on the sides to give it extra effect and stick it over your mistake.
You could also place another piece of plain paper over that to write your header.
Or keep it simple with a dull brown paper and colorful washi tape to hold it in place created by Blush Pens:
By using patterned paper, you now have the opportunity to create a new and fresh spread.
Take a look at this wonderful page using a bright yellow textured paper at the very end over at Rebel and Radiate:
If the mistake is anywhere else on the page, you can easily stick a piece of paper and write an inspirational quote.
3. Correction Marker
This is a quick and easy fix that you can do in seconds.
Many artists use a correction marker for many things and if you don’t want to add paper or tape to your mistake, use a white correction marker over it and you can easily rewrite on top of it.
Depending on the type of fluid marker you use, there will be an obvious white mark on the page if you’re using a dotted grid journal.
But if your page is a stark white sheet, then you don’t have anything to worry about.
Also, opt for a fine correction marker pen rather than a brush. This will help contain the area and it’s just easier to use than the one with a brush and bottle.
If you hate waiting for the paint to dry, opt for a correction tape. There is no waiting time for it to dry.
It’s preferable to use the tape rather than the marker but it all depends on your preferences – either way, both works.
4. Washi Tape
If you’re being around long enough you’d know how popular and well-loved Washi Tapes are.
It’s amazingly cheap and you can fix just about any mistake but most of the time these decorative tapes are used to enhance a spread that makes it out most beloved craft supply out there!
Since they are semi-transparent, you’ll need to use thick washi tapes to cover up a mistake or opt for the metallic washi tapes.
In fact, you’ll be glad to make a mistake just for an excuse for using your wonderful collection of washi tapes.
5. White Gel Pen
This is another option if you don’t have any correction marker or tape. You can make use of a white gel pen that will color any mistake you make.
However, what I found is that if you stick a black piece of paper on your mistake and use a white gel pen to redo what you wanted, the effect looks 100x better.
Have you seen how gorgeous those black pages with white markers look?
Here’s an example that will definitely convince you to go for this option instead:
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6. Doodles/Banners
Another fantastic way to cover up mistakes is to just doodle over it. This may be challenging at first but there are plenty of doodles you can try drawing to make a mistake look intentional.
Ever seen how to draw a puppy from just a number? If you can do that, I’m sure you can doodle over just about anything.
If doodling isn’t your thing, just go ahead and draw a banner on top of your mistake and you can write a few encouraging words to make it blend in.
7. Add Another Page
Just in case you’re dealing with a really big mistake that’s covering most of the page, grab another page from the back of your journal and stick it on that page.
Or if you can add part of another page and doodle large flowers or stars over just that piece.
This will make it look even more artistic and busy enough that your mistake will no longer be of concern anymore.
8. Last Option: Scrap The Page
If all else fails and the mistake is too large to cover, you’ll just have to rip the page from your journal.
It happens sometimes but I like to avoid this, especially if you’re using an expensive journal.
You wouldn’t want other pages to start falling out because of ripping too many pages.
Conclusion
The thing with making mistakes in your bullet journal will be extremely common and will happen many times.
Just know that it’s totally okay to make mistakes and never be afraid to do so.
At the end of the day, it’s your own personal bullet journal and it hardly matters that much if you see an ink splotch here and there.
If you do find yourself making more mistakes, just take a step back and figure out if you’re maybe feeling too nervous or you’re trying to do something you’ve never done.
It’s best to always test out your new idea on a scrap piece of paper before you start inking in your journal.
Either way, a mistake is pretty easy to cover. Use those tips above and you’ll never have to worry again about making a mistake in a bullet journal.
