Today is Heritage Day here in Nova Scotia. It serves as an annual reminder of the people, places and events that make up our Province’s unique history. It’s one of the few Statutory Holidays here and so most businesses are closed. Interestingly though it’s not a federal holiday, so federal offices and federally regulated businesses like Canada Post remain open. Other provinces also mark the third Monday in February although with a different name e.g. Family Day. Regardless, it’s good to take a moment and be grateful for the past.

GRATITUDE JOURNAL

This morning as I was deciding what to make I came across a 5″ x 7″ Gratutude Journal I’d found a while ago in Dollarama. Like many notebooks I wasn’t excited by the cover but liked the gratitude prompts that were inside. So I began by choosing the Soft Succulent sheet from the Brushstroke 12″ x 12″ Specialty Designer Series Paper (DSP) pack.

Next I cut a 12″ piece of 3/8″ Sahara Sand Twill Ribbon and using Tear & Tape Adhesive fixed it to the outside of the original back cover, at the top about 1/2″ from the spine. Then I cut a 7″ x 12″ piece of the DSP and wrapped it around the journal, folding the ends inside the existing cover. Finally I opened up the paper so I could attach it to the original covers using Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow).

Every journal needs a pen so I chose an RSVP ballpoint pen made by Pentel. This was a very deliberate choice as the bottom of the pen can be unscrewed. With that done I cut a 1-1/4″ x 3-1/4″ piece of the Brushstroke DSP and rolled it into a tight cylinder 3-1/4″ long. Then I fed the rolled paper inside the barrel of the pen. Once it was completely inside I allowed the roll to unfurl and in that moment I’d created a pen to match my journal. All I had to do was reinsert the pen refill and screw the bottom back on.

Now I needed one last piece of the Brushstroke DSP, this time 3/4″ x 4-1/2″, together with an identical piece of Thick Very Vanilla Card. After gluing the DSP to the card I created a loop to hold my custom pen. Then I glued the ends of the loop together before gluing them inside the back cover of the journal.

IN THE MOMENT

At last I was ready to decorate the journal and I began with the In The Moment Stamp Set. Gratitude is all about reflecting and I thought the window scene from the stamp set was perfect. So using Crumb Cake ink I stamped the image onto some Thick Very Vanilla Card.

Then I set to work adding colour using Stampin’ Blends alcohol markers. For her clothes I used light and dark Soft Succulent and Mint Macaron. Her hair and skin used the Ivory and Bronze Stampin’ Blends Combo, as did the mug. Next I used light and dark Daffodil Delight to add a pop of brightness to the cushions. Finally I added some light Daffodil Delight across the bottom left corner of each window pane.

For my sentiment I found the very appropriate “Endlessly grateful” in the Very Best Occasions Stamp Set. So using Crumb Cake ink once more I stamped it onto some Thick Very Vanilla Card.

Now I needed to cut out the stamped pieces and after a moment or two of searching I decided on the stiched circles from the Stylish Shapes Dies. First I used the #4 circle (counting from the smallest up) to cut out the sentiment, while using the #6 (largest) circle for the scene. Then I cut two plain pieces using the #1 and #2 circles, just because. While I liked how things were coming together, I decided to tone down the bright card with a little Crumb Cake ink around the edges applied using a Blending Brush.

As I was playing with the arrangement of my pieces I realised I needed something to anchor it all together. It was then that I remembered a lattice piece I’d cut from Copper Foil after attaching Adhesive Sheet to the back. This piece was left over from a different project but perfect for what I had in mind.

After removing the backing from the Adhesive Sheet I pressed the lattice piece firmly onto the front of the journal. Then I layered on the die-cut circles using liquid glue and my gratitude journal was finally complete.

PRODUCT LIST

BUNDLE BONUS – I bought the Organic Beauty Dies and coordinating True Beauty Stamp Set (not used today) in a bundle. Ordering these items using the single bundle item number meant I saved 10% off the cost of buying the two items separately. So I’ve included both options below in case you want to explore them for yourself.