gratitude journal 2022
Hello, friends, and welcome to what is becoming one of my most favorite months of the year. We here are in the midst of fall. Almost half way through the season. It's been a very busy time at that. These past weeks have been full of illness already. Some travel. The daily of school and sports schedules. Yet everyday there is something to be thankful for.
With that I want to chat about this year's gratitude album.Thank you to those who have been asking about this year's version and anticipating my 2022 approach. I've been thinking about this November project for awhile now. I was not able to set it up early as I had hoped. Life has it's lovely little way of getting in the way of our plans. It can be tricky. I've decided to stop trying to control it all, and just go with it. So this year's album is a tad behind, and I'm going to embrace that. I find embracing is always better than wrestling.
This year there are a couple of things in mind I would like to share with you. The gratitude album approach has been different every year now. Which is OK. I've loved every one. Seems that when we go about making that it is often a reflection of where we are mentally, emotionally, and spiritually at the time. This too is something to embrace. Instead of trying to make an album look like someone else's, this is a great opportunity to tap into one's own style and desire for their own creativity.
This year I am using Elizabeth Craft Designs Sidekick Planner. It's not a planner in the specific sense, it's actually a sort of pleather binder. It's not very large. The binder rings should hold about a 4 x 6 inch paper. When I purchased this binder from ScrapbookCom I also grabbed a sidekick die to be able to simply die cut the substraights. Pretty sure, however, that these will be cut by hand and then use the die for the hole placement. I don't know. We'll see. I purchased another die with file folder type pockets. Being new to Elizabeth Craft I picked up the wrong size. It's larger than the Planner, but I will find a way to make it work. Don't want a die to go to waste.
This year I am thinking to lean more towards the 'junk journal' way of keeping an album. Junk journal has many connotations. For me it's sort of an anything goes. To start, as seen above, I have trimmed BoBunny Vellum to be the first page. I have been Distressing watercolor paper lately like an obsession. So a layer of that with stamping and a stamped phrase, plus that tiny butterfly is setting the stage for the rest of the pages. This is a great opportunity to create in a way I have sort of been preaching: 'if you are making one make three'. Distressing a card of watercolor paper turns into many cards of distress ink and spray. To that I just turned on some evening jazz, sat at my workspace, and played with stamps and ink and paper.
Which leads me to the next idea for this album: This year I want this journal to be a quiet mediation. Just as I described above, the quiet evening, background music, and some simple making, that is a meditative exercise for me. It's one I have not utilized in my assignment busyness of the past many months. This was a welcome respite to the crazy that is my life. I think you too could find the same. As I was quietly creating, it hit me that this is actually what I want this gratitude album to be: a quite contemplation. I do hope that makes sense.
The last thing I would like to share: this year I will not hold to a strict daily adding to this journal. If I have 15 entries by month end, I will be thrilled. October Album taught me about that. (More on this in another post). If there is a photo that strikes me, I will add it. If I need to journal and write it down on pages, I will do that. If it's simply a creative exercise, well then, that's what it will be. These entries will probably be dated, for that is storytelling all of itself. (Don't forget the date, friends!)
Just as a reminder, because I would love to impart this to you too as I know how life changing and powerful it can be: I exercise gratitude daily. It's the first thing (after the making of the coffee) that is accomplished. Writing down five 'thankfuls' is a morning ritual cultivated for several years now. This discipline is not a seasonal practice, but rather a daily and vital observance. My hope is that you too would be curious enough to want to know how that kind of regular activity could be a game changer. And if there is more you would like to learn on the subject, please let me know in the comments below.
So that's it for today. For this first day of November 2022. Gratitude month. Let me know to if this is a creative endeavor you will be pursuing as well. And remember, this too is a way of telling your story.
#tellyourstory
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Jamie, this is absolutely beautiful. Thank you for your inspirational words. It is easy to let gratitude slip by these days especially when life is hard. And it is hard, but we persevere. These are such soft coloured pages and they are very soothing. Thank you so much for the reminder of always pushing me to tell my story even though their little stories they make up part of the big story.
ReplyDeleteYes. Absolutely. The little stories make up all the big story that is our life. I believe this wholeheartedly.
DeleteThis is so beautiful and meaningful Jamie! I so love Fall! I am learning to disregard the crafting ‘rules’, and it is amazing how freeing and fun it is. I have punched out pink leaves….and they are lovely. Thanks so much for inspiring me. You have taught me so much! Martha
ReplyDeleteOh my word!!! Pink leaves for the win! I love that so very much. Thank you as always for sharing!!!
DeleteFinally, it's November and November means it's time for "Gratitude" project time. I am jumping with pure joy because as I have commented on many occasions on your channel your Gratitude Journals/Mini Books/Albums, etc. are my absolute favorite thing you create each year and each year I soooo look forward to when November finally rolls around again to see your amazing and beautiful gratitude creations. Thank you so much for sharing your creativity and ideas with all of us! Jaime - I'm grateful for you! God Bless!!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Anonymous, for your kind words. I appreciate them so much. It's input like this which helps me continue to move forward and share and bring these ideas and projects to this blog, YouTube channel, and all the social media places out there. I really do delight in you sharing your thoughts.
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