A new journal page and my Christmas gift to you

Update: The journal page in this post is no longer available for download. For a selection of free, printable journal pages, please visit my Printable Journal Pages collection. 

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I have to admit it, Christmas is a bit of a mixed bag for me.  There are so many things to love about this time of year: the joy of the season, the company of loved ones, homemade treats and feasts, and goodwill toward all.  But there are also the crazed shoppers in malls filled to bursting and the stresses of finding perfect gifts and cooking perfect meals and making sure that everything is perfect, perfect, perfect.  And not to make light of the stresses, Christmas is a very difficult time for many.

I wasn't sure if I was going to mark the season with a special journal page.  I didn't want to offend those who might celebrate differently than I do or not at all, for I know that Christmas is not a universal celebration.  Most of all, I want this to be a place where we all feel welcome and appreciated and included. 

I mentioned this to a friend who also has a blog and who also thinks a lot about the issues she chooses to discuss on her blog.  I can't speak for her, but I think we both decided to put our thoughts out there, responsibly and respectfully, and just be happy about it already.  Or something along those lines.

So, after this long introduction, I bring you my very first themed journal page.  It's quite different from my usual fare -- not nearly as introspective and way over the top, design-wise.  If Christmas stresses are getting you down, I hope this page will lighten your load. 

And as a little gift from me to you, I'd be delighted to personalize your page -- right at the top there, so that the your journal stocking has your name on it.  I've hand lettered mine, using type as a guide, and then coloured it red with one of my daughter's markers.  (Side note:  I'm still practicing my hand lettering and next year, with any luck, I'll be able to create some spectacularly original script!)

You'll find this week's Christmas-y journal page here.  If you'd like your stocking personalized, just let me know in the comments or send me an email at christie (at) graceisoverrated (dot) com.  Please be sure to tell me exactly which name you'd like to see and be sure to leave me your email address so I can send you the pdf.

Happy Wednesday friends!

New journal page

Update: The journal page in this post is no longer available for download. For a selection of free, printable journal pages, please visit my Printable Journal Pages collection.

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This was a good week, a magical week.  Something shifted in me.  Somehow, this week was lived in the moment, in my own skin, happily.  I can't point to any event in particular that was any different this week than last, except to say that this is something I've been working on for over a decade and I got a glimpse of it this week.  The best word that I've come up with so far to describe that nebulous something is contentment . . . contentment with the choices I've made that have led me here.  They haven't all been good choices or popular choices, but I have been shying away from owning them and from being the person I am now as a result of those choices.  This week, after a very long journey, I finally feel as if I'm up to the challenge, whatever it may be; as Louisa May Alcott put it so eloquently, "I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship."  Bring. It. On.

So today, I think I'll leave you with a few images from this week's journal page and the links, which as always, are below.

This week's page is available in its usual configurations here (border-free) and here (borderful, but colour-free) and here (borderful and colourful).

Happy weekend friends!

Stopping by for a chat . . .

Today feels like a day to post in point form, which I don't think I've done before, so let's give it a go, shall we?

• This is the border I've been working for this week's journal page:

• This might be the colour version . . . haven't decided yet:

• Whenever I call anyone, even my mom, I always ask if it's a good time to chat. Giving people an out; that's what I do.  I had a friend at school who used to start all of her telephone conversations with, "Sorry to pester you, but . . . "  My version, I think, is the slightly less spineless one.

• And with that in mind, I've been making a tentative return to the world of Twitter.  Still very shy with the whole @soandso conversation thing.  In fact, I've only ever @ed anyone who @ed me first.  I'm also shy about RTing.  And forget about DMing.  But I'm totally going to work on all of those things.  And I used my first #hashtag thingy today.  Most mornings for the next little while, you'll find me on Twitter giving myself pep talks ('cause that's what Twitter feels like when you don't @ or RT or DM; it's like talking to yourself.)  Yesterday, I went with a quote from Finding Nemo.  I can totally hear Ellen DeGeneres's voice . . . "When life gets you down, you know what you gotta do? Just keep swimming.  Just keep swimming.  Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming."  Today's quote is all about clubbing inspiration over the head or something along those lines.  Good fun. 

• I've also been looking into finally putting my pages into some sort of book form.  Not the pages I've already created, though.  New pages.  Like a journal.  Well journal-sized anyway.  Something in the neighbourhood of 8.5"x5.5" with nifty wire binding.  I've spoken to one printer who I'm pretty sure was not into the whole fill-in-the-blank journal scene.  Looking back on our conversation, she kept trying to steer me toward less expensive options.  "If you want colour, that will cost a lot.  If you want a thick cover, that will cost more.  If you want nifty wire binding, that will cost you your weight in gold.  If you want pages smaller than letter-sized, I'm afraid you'll have to hand over your firstborn to pay for paper cutting."  (I am paraphrasing a little here.)  After working out the most cost-effective version, I realized that the journal will be cheap, but it will also be ugly.  And that is just sad.  So it's back to the yellow pages and the drawing board.  That's not to say that I'm daunted in any way.  I'd like to make my first non-virtual, niftily bound, carry-it-with-you-and-fill-it-out-while-you-wait-for-hours-at-the-doctor's-office, journal-sized journal a reality in early January. 

• And that's about it for points.  I'm out.  What about you?  What exciting new projects have you been up to?