Gratitude notebook tutorial

How's it going everyone? Good I hope! So I wanted to kick of my project a day until Christmas thing yesterday but then...it snowed and snowed and snowed us in. Which would have been just fine, except I didn't have all the supplies I needed to do my 12 days of Christmas project that I wanted to start this whole thing off with. So the last shall be first and the first shall be second or third???


I have been thinking a lot about gratitude lately and no matter where you find yourself in life there is ALWAYS something to be grateful for. What better way to bring in a new year then to be prepared to write down what it is I am grateful for, it will keep me honest and content with my live. Not to mention if the thing I am grateful for is someone or what someone has done for me then it's a great reminder to show them gratitude...ok so let's get to it.

  *I put a few quotes on gratitude at the end of the post*


1) Gather your supplies, yes for me that included a slightly overcooked, partly whole grain nutella muffin (Here's where I got the recipe if your interested.)

2) Use your brush of choice and cover the front cover of the notebook with a thin coat of glue. Next line up your scrap book paper with the black spine of the notebook press paper down firmly in all directions. You will repeat this step for the back cover as well. Sorry there's no pic for this, somehow I omitted it, couldn't have been my kids getting into everything or the puppy nipping at them and my kids freaking out. Nah...

*** I down loaded a font, uh...scratch that like 50 fonts I liked from Dafont and printed what I wanted it to say on the cover. I the used Poisoned apples font for my front cover and sweetly broken is the font on the second pic below. I also crumbled up the paper and then flattened it out to give it a worn look*** 

3) Let it dry well it will make the next step easier. I put one of my hubby's ridiculously big law books on it while it dried. 

4) Use an exacto knife to go along the edge of the book to cut off the paper that is hanging over the edge. This is super easy with a sharp exacto knife.

 5) Add whatever establishments you want. I used some black chalk around the edge of the cover to add to the worn look. I added the blue electric tape to add emphasis to the 365 expressions of gratitude phrase. I also used the tape to further make it look worn. By putting tape down in a few small spots and then pulling it up, which pulled up tiny bits of paper with it. 


6) Put it where you WILL see it. I took this easel I had up and put my gratitude notebook on it instead. I also moved some stuff on my desk around so I could put it there.


7) You know one more thing that would really make this fun?  Adding pictures!   

Here's a few quotes that I liked. 

There is no such thing as gratitude unexpressed.  If it is unexpressed, it is plain, old-fashioned ingratitude.  ~Robert Brault

Gratitude is the memory of the heart.  ~Jean Baptiste 

Gratitude is an art of painting an adversity into a lovely picture.  ~Kak Sri

I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.  ~G.K. Chesterton

If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness.  It will change your life mightily.  ~Gerald Good
 

We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.  ~Thornton Wilder

*Above quotes courtesy of*

"Don't ask for more then you can be grateful for" -Bob DeBuck

"An attitude of gratitude"  - Thomas S. Monson

This is a simple project but one that I know can have profound results in our lives and the lives of our families. 

Come back tomorrow for another fun project!

How do you think doing this project for a year will impact your life? Love to hear from ya!