Make your own colorful DIY gratitude journals to help you focus on your blessings this holiday season! Colored paper and printable labels make this project quick and easy. This post was originally shared at Crafts Unleashed and contains affiliate links, which help to support this blog. Thanks!
It’s November 1st, and that means it’s time to put away our witch’s hats and candy bags, and turn our thoughts to all that we have and are grateful for. I love the idea of keeping a gratitude journal, and I have been keeping one fairly regularly for the past couple of months. I would like to take it up a notch this month though, and try to write one thing I am grateful for every day.
To help me accomplish that goal, I made myself a cute little color blocked gratitude journal complete with an awesome elastic band that keeps a pen or pencil handy at all times. Isn’t that awesome?
I thought it was pretty cool. The elastic band makes it feel extra fancy, but it was really easy to make. I think these little notebooks could make great holiday gifts too! You could leave off the gratitude journal labels and opt for one of the blank lined ones instead.
Alright, ready to make some awesome DIY gratitude journals? Let’s do this!
DIY Gratitude Journals Supplies:
- Blank Journal
- Matte Paper Decoupage
- Paper Trimmer
- Foam Brush
- Colored Cardstock
- White Sticker Paper
- Scissors, Silhouette Cameo, or Circle Punch
- Colored Elastic or White Elastic and Dye (I dyed mine)
- Sewing Machine
- Ribbon
- Fabric Adhesive
- Gratitude Journal Labels Download
DIY Gratitude Journals
Start by selecting three colors for your notebook cover. Using your paper trimmer, cut your paper into the following sizes. Two 4.75″ x 4″ (light pink), two 4.75″ x 3″ (dark blue), and one 2″ x 7″ (orange).
Using the foam brush, apply a thin layer of the paper Mod Podge to the back of a 4.75″ x 4 ” piece of paper. Place the paper onto the bottom of the notebook. Make sure to carefully line the edges of the paper up with the outer edges of the notebook. Smooth the paper down with your fingers rubbing out any bubbles. If any of the edges are lifting, add more Mod Podge underneath and smooth it down.
Repeat the process for the top color. Now you are ready to cover the binding of your DIY journals! Apply a thin coat of Mod Podge on the binding, and lay the 2″ x 7″ paper onto the binding so it is centered.
Fold the paper around the binding and crease it with your fingers. Add Mod Podge to the underside of the binding paper and smooth it down so it wraps around the bound edge of the notebook.
Next, you can add one of the labels I have designed to the front of the notebook. There are three options – count your blessings, #blessed, and a plain lined label that you can customize however you like. Start by printing the labels out on sticker paper (or, alternatively, you can print them on white cardstock and adhere the labels with Mod Podge). Once they are printed, you can cut the labels out with scissors, a Silhouette cameo, or a circle punch.
Peel the backing off your label and apply it to the front of your notebook. Easy peasy!
I finished off my DIY gratitude journals with an elastic band that keeps the notebook closed and holds a pencil in place. I super love the way this little thing turned out. It is totally an optional step, but definitely recommended.
Start by wrapping the elastic around your pencil, pinching it so it holds the pencil in place. Mark the elastic where you pinched, close to the pencil. Pull the pencil out and sew that loop of elastic in place with your sewing machine. Next, wrap the piece of elastic around the notebook so it fits snugly and mark where to sew. Stitch the loop together at your mark and lastly, cover up your seam by gluing a piece of ribbon around it.
All that’s left to do is slip the elastic band onto your journal, slide the pencil into it’s loop, and your notebook is all complete!
I love the way these turned out, and I hope you do too! If you make your own DIY gratitude journals (or just color blocked notebooks), I want to see them! Share your photos to my facebook page or tag me on instagram or twitter (@persialou), and don’t forget to use the hashtag #persialou for a chance to be featured.
What are you guys doing to show your gratitude and count your blessings this year? Tell me about it in the comments. 🙂
Happy Making!
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Marlene @ Idle Hands Awake says
These are so sweet Alexis! I’ve been trying to make a nightly ritual of writing down three things I’m grateful for right before bed. It’s hard as I prefer to fall asleep to a Netflix binge lol. But I think I sleep better on nights when I do it! Thanks for the tutorial, I LOVE the color blocking, and especially the elastic band!