gratitude junk journal

I love this time of year...the weather gets cool enough to pull out my comfy sweaters and scarves, the trees explode with color and I’m overwhelmed by a deep feeling of gratitude. Maybe that’s because the year is almost over and I’m happy to have made it this far, perhaps it’s all the comfort food I’m consuming. Either way, November has always been a good month for me and documenting that is important.

A junk journal is really just a wonderful combination of papers...usually the offcuts of larger sheets, hence the word “junk.”

You can fill it with all sorts of ephemera ranging in color and size. I decided to make the cover 5“x7” using a 12x12 sheet of patterned paper.

Once I had my mix of papers in order, I bound them together using a simple pamphlet stitch and wax thread to make it stronger. Depending on how thick you make your journal you can use a variety of binding methods including staples or binder rings. Wax thread can be purchased from Amazon and a pamphlet stitch tutorial can easily be found on You Tube.

Now your journal is ready to be filled. In addition to including a few words of gratitude every day, I also like including poetry and quotes on the subject as well as on this season of Thanksgiving. I include ephemera like my favorite tea bag wrapper or the packaging to a beloved autumn candle, and my book is never complete without tucking in a few fall leaves.

Rather than just write random things each day, I decided to base my journal on prompts. I think this is a really good way to get things started...especially on those days when nothing much is happening, yet I still want to be mindful of the things in my life for which I truly am grateful. I found several lists on Pinterest and just picked the ones I preferred/applied to me. Here‘s a look at some of the inner pages:

The good thing about creating a prompt based journal is that you can have something ready for everyday. I typed mine up and then stitched around them before adhering them into my book. In the back of my book I created a small pocket where I will put a list I made of daily gratitudes that are a bit more personal.

I really hope you consider making one of these journals...either for yourself or for a friend. They make a lovely handcrafted gift and helps to put your supplies to good use.

*This post first appeared on The Gossamer Blue blog in November 2016