A Thanksgiving "Giving Thanks" Journal

                

Today I'm sharing an altered art project just in time for Thanksgiving, a "Giving Thanks" Journal. 

                            Thanks.

                            Hopes.

                            Actions.

                            Noteworthiness.

                            Kindness.

                            Sincerity.

                            Giving Journal.

Giving Thanks.  Thanksgiving.  Any way you say it, it's important to recognize and appreciate everyone and everything you have to be thankful for:  your loving family, best friends, your cuddly little puppy dog, your favorite teacher.  You get the idea.

A great way to remind yourself about all the wonderful people and things going on in your life is to create a "Giving Thanks" Journal. 

First, gather your supplies.  Select your paper, and then go through your craft stash, choosing embellishments you may want to use in altering your journal including ribbon, buttons, brads, metal findings, flowers, tags, chipboard, etc.  

Next, measure the front of your notebook, and cut the paper to size. 

Since my notebook has a spiral edge, I used a spiral punch down one side of the paper and carefully decoupaged it onto the notebook cover, gently sliding the paper underneath the spirals.  You will get a better seal if you apply decoupage to both surfaces.  In this case, I coated the front of the journal as well as the back of the paper.

After a few minutes, you can then decoupage the top of the paper.  This will help the surface resist wear and tear.

 

Now comes my favorite step:  Embellishments! 

I am a self-appointed ribbon queen.  I just love how ribbon adds so much color and texture to a project.  I cut 7" lengths of eight different ribbons, and tied them around the spirals. 

I added a metal frame and coordinating cardstock. I typed out "GIVING THANKS JOURNAL" using my label maker (which I have owned since the 1960's!), and centered the labels inside the metal frame.

Then I punched out six divider tabs and glued them to the journal pages, creating six sections.

I added the words, 
Thanks, Hopes, Actions, Noteworthiness, Kindness and Sincerity.  
When you put the first letters of each word together, it spells THANKS.

This journal has a pocket on the inside front page which I embellished with paper, ribbon and a metal heart paperclip.  I tied ribbons through manila tags, which will be used as bookmarks).  If your journal does not have a pocket, you can add one to the inside back cover.

A few more embellishments including extra ribbon, sunflowers and brads complete the journal.

This would be a great time to start a new tradition in your family.  Pass around the journal at the Thanksgiving table, and ask everyone to jot down who and what they are thankful for, their hopes, their actions, etc.   Bring it out every year and add to it, read the previous year's notes, and continue adding to it year after year.

Wouldn't this be a great journal to pass down to future generations?  

I hope this altered "Giving Thanks" Journal inspires you to add something special to your Thanksgiving traditions.

And here's a quick and easy Thanksgiving project:

Thanksgiving Hostess Gift

Put your party hat on at:

g2b The Handmade Hangout

Dwellings

refresh restyle

Simply Sweet Home

Delightful Made

Tikkido