Journal-booking

2.16.15- 

Happy Monday, hi everyone.  Yes, I'm blogging again. Sorry I've been a little sporadic with my posts lately.  For some reason sitting down, finding time to write & coming up with what to write about has been kind of hard for me lately.  Not sure why other than the idea I have that a post has to be something big, grand & profound. I think I've fallen into that trap a bit in my thinking.  When it dawned on my yesterday, as I posted this pic on Instagram {really, that's the reason for my blog neglect.  Instagram is so gosh darn easy to do!}  that I need to remember the reason I started blogging in the first place.  

Sharing little everyday things that I enjoy & hopefully inspire you in one way or another.  So that's what I'm going to try more to do.  Share the little everyday things that go on around here. 

Journal-booking 

{Combining journal writing & scrapbooking into one}

 

 I think I've mentioned before that I love writing, jotting things down & collecting memories.  I do this in a variety of ways. I'm a collector, a note taker & a memory keeper.  I think I've always been this way so it's natural that I would want to do that for my family & especially my 3 girls.   Yesterday morning when I got up, I got out their journals & wrote down a few memories about our Valentines Day.  Our journals are not just written in.  They have cute stickers, labels, tickets & programs glued into the pages, pictures, invitations & lots more other things tucked into the pages. Hence, the name journal-booking. 

-Here is a pocket from 2006. That cute Care Bear card & a ring pop wrapper.  Guess those were treasures from that year-

We have several Valentines traditions that started when the girls were little & still continue, so glad they do!  I wanted to write down a few thoughts, feelings & memories in each of their books. On the opposite page in their journals I glued in an envelope.  {GLue dots or double stick tape works best} This is for them to tuck cards & little mementos from the day.  I just hate to see cute cards, notes tossed aside at the end of a holiday.  Somethings are worth keeping.  I've done these envelopes over the years & even though the amount of cards & what they've wanted to save over the years have gotten smaller the idea is still the same to treasure just a few things each year.  

-Love that the X in the X's & O's that year were made using staples. I must have had a moment of inspiration!-

 These "pockets" in their journals over the years  hold some of their favorite Valentine cards.  The style, amount & friends they are from has changed over the years but it's the little things  & memories that mean a lot! I'm so grateful that my girls have wonderful family & friends who love them.  Sometimes the envelopes are elaborate & sometimes I use ones that a Valentine was sent to them in.  Doing this can be as simple as you want it to be.  The idea is just to have a place to collect & keep all these love notes. 

-One daughter's stuffed pocket from Valentines 2015.  Liked that she included a hand made heart that was used as decor for our traditional family dinner on Valentines Night.  These pockets aren't just for cards, my friends.  Save your favorite candy wrapper, ribbon from your gift or note from the day. Anything goes! -

 Seeing all these journals makes me happy.  Oh, the memories!  The very first one in line {the gray one} is from my college days when I started dating my husband.  In this row of journals volumes of mine & my girls.  They are all kept safe & snug in a safe we have in our home.   Sometimes I like to just get these out & read through them. {My girls enjoy it to} You forget about the little things, funny stories & moments that have happened over the years.  So glad we've written down just a few of them to re read, laugh & talk about. 

 A few other fun memory, journal-books of all colors, shapes & sizes that we have.  I've created some little ones for the girls over the years to commemorate specials occasions & milestones in their lives. 

Hope this has inspired you just a bit.  If you don't already journal, get a notebook & give it a try. if you do have a journal think of some new ways you can incorporate some fun & new ideas into it & try journal-booking.  It really is a fun thing to do.  

{M}