Make a Gratitude Journal

Step One: Take yourself on an artists date. Go the your local craft store of visit the craft section of a super center. This is important because you need to take time for yourself to bond with the creative process and that includes picking out the right materials for your project.

Here's what you'll need:

1: a package of plain paper (if you choose to go to the super center, a package of copier paper will serve well)

2: stickers (Try finding some with inspirational quotes on them.)

3: a package of themed scrapbook paper (They sell all sorts of individual papers, but that can get confusing. Choosing something that is already assembled according to theme or color will help move this process along with less frustration. Particularly if you're working with a tight schedule.)

4: embellishments (Have fun with this, if you have the budget. Stores carry a wide assortment of brads, eyelets, book plates, corners, sparkles, beads, gems, ribbons and so on.)

5: a package of colored gel pens (to use to write your entries with)

6: items you need to restock (Do you need more colored pencils? Are you out of staples? Do you have enough gel medium? Have you run out of glue sticks? Now is the time to take note of these items and pick up what you need.)

7: a special bookmark (or supplies to make one) to keep in your journal at all times

Step Two: Supplement your supplies. Go through your recycled items and pick out an empty box similar to the size you'd like to use for the cover of your book. Then, grab a paper bag and set everything aside. The paper bag will be used as a covering for your cover during the next step, the construction of your book.

Step Three: The basic construction of your book. There are several tutorials available on-line about how to construct a book. Here are some links that'll prove useful during this step of the process:

1: Five-stitch Bookbinding
2: Bind it fast
3: Book Assembly
4: Bookbinding tutorials
5: Discussion Thread With Tutorial

When assembling your book, pay careful attention to the fact that you need enough pages to be able to write daily. You might want to dedicate one page per day or you might want to write several days per page. It's important to make this decision now so you're not running short on pages at the end of the year.

Step Four: Embellishing your creation. This is where you can step out of construction mode and into creative mode. Have fun with this step. Add quotation stickers scattered on random pages throughout the book, add themed papers to the front and inside covers to add more flair, attach a book plate to the front and embellish the rest of your cover. You may choose to rubber stamp various pages in your book rub ink along the edges of your pages and adhere envelopes to the inside covers.

Step Five: Experience gratitude daily. Now that your book is complete, you're free to express gratitude daily. Be sure to date each entry and try to find five things you're grateful for daily. You might write simple sentences and create quick, to the point, entries. Or, you might choose to reflect on each thing you're grateful for. This is your book and yours to do with as you will. Find what feels right for you and use this tool to its fullest potential.

Step Six: Share this experience. Talk to at least five people about what you've created and why. Encourage them to create one of these books and, if they're not the "bookmaking type," to buy one. Explain to them what this experience has been like for you. Share with them some of your entries. Reflect together, in an open conversation, about things you're grateful for in life and for that day.