Good Stuff!: A Printable Mini-Journal (Some assembly required.)

When I'm writing journal prompts and designing journal pages, I often think in terms of balance -- the good and the bad, the ups and the downs, the successes and the challenges. They are the realities of life and I think it's important to explore them all.

Then, after a whole lot of exploration, I sometimes need a bit of a nudge back to the positive. With that in mind and on a whim (which is mostly how I operate around here), I cooked up a mini-journal devoted entirely to the good stuff, and I made a copy for you, too.

I warn you, there is some assembly required, so I've also prepared my first ever tutorial to help you assemble your very own Good Stuff! mini-journal.

Before we begin, I've included two photos to show you what your mini-journal will look like when it's completely assembled. You can see that it is indeed mini, measuring less than 3 inches wide and just over 2-1/2 inches tall.

Each prompt is one-off. You'll probably be able to finish the whole thing in one sitting. Then you can put it away somewhere and take it out again when you need to be reminded of all of the good things in your world.

This journal's folded book format is adapted from Esther K. Smith's awesome book, How to Make Books: Fold, Cut & Stitch Your Way to a One-of-a Kind Book. It's the very first book in her first chapter called Instant Books. In a moment you'll see why.

The first thing you'll need to do is assemble your production materials. You can download the mini-journal template page here. It's a two-page pdf file with a colourful version and a colour-free version, as always. You'll also need a cutting tool of some sort. I used a craft blade and ruler, but scissors will also do the trick.

Begin by cutting along the long dotted grey line to separate your journal from the title info. Then, fold the remaining part of the page in half, lengthwise.

Fold it in half again, this time at its width.

Next, fold up the two ends to meet at the middle. When you're done, you'll have a page with large accordion folds.

This is the last part that required cutting. Fold the page back in half again at the width and cut along the dashed grey line. This is what you'll end up with:

Pinch the two ends together along your original lengthwise fold line.

Push the two ends together.

Now flatten out your mini-journal. You'll end up with one side that looks like this:

And one side that looks like this:

The last step is to make one final fold, folding the prompt "One thing I'm totally looking forward to:" backwards so that it ends up being the back cover of your mini-journal.

Et voila! A complete journal, ready for your pen, pencil or markers!

One final word before you begin. Do not be discouraged if, upon completion, your mini-journal is not perfect. All of the folding involved means that edges might not be exactly straight and corners might not be just right. After I finished my journal, I spent a few minutes massaging the folds, pressing the page edges and corners with my fingers, and I'm really happy with the end result.

So there you go. A nearly instant mini-journal devoted to the good stuff in your world. I hope you love it! Let me know if any of the instructions are difficult to understand and I'll make any necessary changes to the tutorial. Also, let me know what you think of this new journal because I think I can see myself making a bunch more!

Creative thinking -- and a new printable

Where do your creative ideas come from?  I don't mean where in the world or where in your psyche, but specifically, where do you tend to be when insight strikes?  What time of day is it?  Are you at home, in the car, out in the garden?

I've been reading Jonah Lehrer's book Imagine: How Creativity Works and I'm only a few chapters in, but there's already so much I love about it.  He writes that creativity is hard-wired in the human brain, that we're all creative.  Which I love.  You and I, we all have the innate capacity for amazing feats of insight and creativity.

He also writes about the conditions that stimulate creative thinking and there's one section early on, about 30 pages in, in which he writes about the importance of relaxation to creative insight.  He gives a few examples of times when people tend to have creative insights:  in the shower, first thing in the morning (before the bustle of the day begins) and when we're happy.  He relates all of this back to relaxation.  Those are the times or activities during which we tend to feel relaxed.

As I was reading, I was thinking, wouldn't it be great to have a sheet of paper handy during those times or in those places to record some of the awesome insights that float to the surface?  You know, like writers or inventors who keep a pad by their bedside or in their pockets when they're out and about.

So.

If you know me at all, you know what comes next.  I started thinking about a new printable.  In my mind's eye, I envisioned a sheet of paper with tear offs to write down ideas and an envelope in which to keep them.  Because it's important to write this stuff down before we forget, but also because sometimes we can't make use of our awesome insights right away.  We need somewhere to store them until we can put them into action.

Why not an Idea Repository?

With a few suggestions thrown in for good measure . . .

And a few places to get you started . . .

And a few blank frames so that you can put pages in the places where you're at your most creative . . .

It's a simple printable, but ultimately I really like the idea of thinking about the conditions, times, and places in which we are most creative.  I like the idea of having a tangible, physical thing lying around (much like a notebook, but with happy borders, of course) to take note of those creative moments and how, when, and where they occur -- so that we're paying attention when inspiration strikes.  For me, a few tear-offs in close proximity to the shower is definitely must.  And, now that I think about it, maybe a few in the glove compartment, as well.  :)

If you'd like to have your own Idea Repository, you'll find it here (colour-free) and here (colourful).

Tell me, friends, where (or when) do you think your most creative thoughts?

hugs,
Christie

New journal page -- a variation on last week's birthday-themed page

I received an email the other day from a good friend who is currently in the midst of her family's busy birthday season.  She was getting ready to celebrate her son's birthday, a milestone birthday, and she wrote about quickly the years had passed.  In addition to nodding along in agreement with her at the lightning quick passage of time, it occurred to me that perhaps the birthday-themed journal page could be imagined in a whole new way.

The cakes I've made for you today are still for your guided journaling projects, but they are intended to record the birthdays of the other important people in your life, to give you a spot to reflect on the highlights of their yearly celebrations and to look forward to what's in store in the coming year.

I'll use them to record my daughters' birthdays, so that I'll have another sweet memento to look back on when I marvel at how quickly they've grown. They could also be used for partners or spouses, nieces or nephews, or anyone, young or old, whose birthday milestones you'd like to remember.

I've created his and hers versions and varied the colours slightly, but I'll also include links to the usual colour-free versions as well. 

Hers:

His:

You'll find birthday journals for her here (colour-free) and here (colourful) and for him here (colour-free) and here (colourful).

Who will you be writing about?

hugs,
Christie

New Birthday-themed journal page

Guess what?

I made you a cake!

Sort of.

It would be more accurate to say that I've made you a new birthday-themed journal page in which cake features prominently. 

In any event, the end result looks a little something like this:

Not sure what prompted today's page.  The idea has been percolating for days and, as it also simultaneously turns out, I've been needing a little pick-me-up, a little whimsy to balance the scales against the weight of dreary daily challenges.  When I sat down at the computer, this is what emerged.  Which made me feel a whole lot better, actually.  I'm pretty sure it has something to do with living life in colour.  Which is always a good idea.

If you'd like a whimsical confection of a journal page to have on hand when your birthday arrives, you'll find it here (colour-free) and here (colourful).

I sense there are a few more theme-type pages on the horizon.  Most likely, some simple note pages next, and then who knows?

hugs,
Christie

Baby Shower Printable

Oh, you guys.  This printable gave me angst.  Actually, it would be more correct to say that this is a project in which I created a whole lot of unnecessary angst for myself.  From which I am trying to learn.

Tomorrow, or possibly Friday, I'll write about the angst in a do that thing update, but for today, I'd like to show you a fun, printable, fill-in-the-blank, baby shower note card that I created for the lovely Jamie who threw a fantastic, beach-themed baby shower for her friend Natalia and who, by the way, has also been wonderfully gracious in waiting out my many months of indecision regarding this project.

Jamie used the printables in place of a guest book.  After her guests had completed their cards she punched holes in the corners, tied them together with ribbon, and gave them to the mom-to-be as a mini-book of best wishes and baby predictions.

The version I sent to Jamie was a diy, colour-free version, but for today's post I've added a colourful option as well.

Front view

Inside view

Inside view

Back view

The diy, colour-free version

If you find yourself in the planning stages of a baby shower and would like to download my fill-in-the-blank baby shower card, you'll find it here (the colour-it-yourself version) and here (the colourful version).

Just one more quick note -- The printable file contains a two-page pdf.  To create the card, print the first page of the pdf on one side of your cardstock and the second page on the other side of the same sheet of cardstock.  Then fold in half and you're done!

hugs,
Christie

A twist on the mid-August journal page

This is quite possibly my favourite journal page so far.  It's a little different from previous pages and for that reason I haven't assigned it a number.

This month I was thinking about those gallery walls that people have in their homes and how much I love them and how much I love doodling frames lately and, on a completely different note, how nice it is to have a record of a specific day and how I am in awe of day-in-the-life doodlers.

It all sorta came together like this:

In my mind's eye, I see this day-in-the-life page as one that you can intersperse with all of your other pages when you have one of those days that you want to remember specifically with a few quick thoughts.

If you'd like to record a day in the life of you, you'll find my mid-August journal printable in the usual varieties -- plus one! -- here (border-free, colour-free) and here (with border, but no colour) and here (with colourful border) and here (with far too much colour, colour everywhere, coloured the heck out of this one.)

One last thing.  I'm going to be away for a couple of weeks on a little road trip to the North Atlantic with my sweetheart and our kiddies. Can't wait to dip my toes in that steely blue-grey water along a rather moody stretch of shoreline.  Can't wait to watch our girls explore some new, wide open spaces.  I don't expect that I'll have much access, if any, to the web, so I'll be out of touch (even more so than usual) with plans to return to this space in the beginning of September.

Happy Tuesday (and waning days of summer) friends!

All-purpose teeny tiny note kit

A few weeks ago, in the midst of a battle with my inner critic, I posted some printable doodles -- tiny spaces for writing upbeat reminders, quotes or notes to self whenever I need them.

In the comments section, Joan wrote in part, ". . . I am a stealth poster of self esteem notes in ladies rooms. I post them on the mirror and they say stuff like "I love your smile" etc. Makes me feel good every time I do it, and I walk out with a beautiful smile too."

I have not been able to get Joan's words out of my head.  Stealth poster of self esteem notes.  How sneakily wonderful is that?  It makes me smile whenever I think of it.

Jessi J. also wrote that her grandfather used to leave love notes in her lunch.  And all of that sweetness and stealthiness made me want to doodle something -- a space to write happy little notes to others . . . 

So today's offering is a bit of a companion piece to the notes to self.  It's an all-purpose tiny note kit for all of you stealth note posters and deliverers out there.

This one's going in my husband's computer case:

And wouldn't it be fun to leave a little quote or cheerful thought in a library book?

Here's a shot of the page, well most of it anyway.  There are two envelope options -- one with a little message on the front and one without -- and two notes sizes because the tiniest note doesn't leave a whole lot of room for extended commentary.  The larger note can be folded, then inserted into the envelope.

If you'd like a copy, you'll find it here.

Happy writing!  Oh, and if you have a sec, I'd love to know where you'll be leaving your note!

Edited to Add:  Almost forgot!  There's a new journal page in the works.  Should be ready early next week.  Tuesday probably.  Okay.  That's it for now.

Notes to self

To post or not to post.  I had sort of a strange idea this week.  It's light and positive and mildly wonky, but that's me.  The thing is, I'm not entirely sure it's widely applicable outside my own imagination, so . . . well . . . that's where we're at.

Anyhoo, I started the week thinking about how it's May now and this new year keeps right on marching along and I have completely lost my rhythm.  I've been trying to put one foot in front of the other, even though neither one of them (my feet) have the foggiest clue where they're headed and I've been making lots of lists and plans, and searching my soul for all its worth, but I still can't find the beat.

I know I'll sort it out eventually, but until then, I've been telling myself that stuff happens (only I don't use the word stuff) and life's a big freaking mess a lot of the time and get over it already and it will all work out exactly the way it's supposed to.  And these things I say to myself, these little notes to self, they're helpful.  When it comes right down to it, I think it's really important to remind yourself that you're doing fine, that you're not a failure, that this too shall pass.  (This is not to say that I don't have a lot of positive input from outside my own head.  Every comment on this blog is a blessing and tremendous source of encouragement and I have an extremely supportive circle of family and friends.  But sometimes, I don't know; I need to silence the inner critic, who is quite relentless lately, and hunt down that part of me that believes in herself and force her to speak up.)

So, as a person who thinks in words and loves to see thoughts and ideas written down, I doodled out a few spaces to write out the various and sundry notes to self that become necessary every once in a while.  They're love notes really. 

Here are a few of mine, right over my computer where I can see them:

I'll write more of them as the mood strikes.  Maybe fold up a few and put them in my purse or the back pocket of my jeans to find on laundry day.

Like I said, a little wonky, but nice too.

I made up a pdf, just in case you're in the mood to write a little love note to self . . .

Happy Thursday, friends!

A printable bookmark . . . just because

I don't know.  This week I took a side trip away from the usual journal page.  I was thinking about books and information overload and my inability to pair the random thoughts roaming through my brain with their sources and wouldn't it just be smarter to write them down while I had the book/magazine/article in my hands instead of trusting my increasingly rusty memory to keep it all straight . . .

I tinkered a little and ended up with this:

A handy-dandy, fill-in-the-blanks, cut-and-paste, folded bookmark.  An easy place to jot down a few impressions, memories and quotes from the latest read . . .

Below, I took a sample shot of a completed bookmark parked on page 204 of Molly Wizenberg's A Homemade Life.  Page 204 is the home of her wonderful recipe for French-style Yogurt Cake with Lemon, the only from-scratch cake I've ever been able to make successfully.  It is utterly delicious, simple and elegant, and amazingly resilient when left to the devices of rudimentary bakers such as myself.

Anyhoo, my plan is to generate a collection of bookmarks, file them close by for frequent reference and pat myself on the back for taking a little wind out of the sails of information overload.

If you'd like to try it out for yourself, the pdf is here.

Happy Friday, friends!