The Magic of Upcycled Gratitude Journals

One of my favorite daily rituals is to drink my morning tea from a china teacup and journal what I'm grateful for.  I used to keep chickens, and accumulated a stack of brown paper chicken feed bags.  The simplicity of these bags charms me, and makes them feel ideal for upcycling into journals. 

I never face the "fear of the blank page," because I'm writing on something most folks would just throw away or compost.  That gives it a magic that delights me.

 

I use the bag's original stitching as the binding, and then add grommets for fun.  The bag is made of three layers of brown craft paper -- designed to hold 50 pounds of grain, the layering adds strength. That gives me six pages to write on -- enough for a month of entries.  

A Quiet Thanksgiving Nook

 

I sit by this little table in a high-backed chair every morning with tea to plan my day and write in my gratitude journal. My cats love to join me here.

I took advantage of some down time in my schedule to reimagine my creative space.  Refreshing the space and setting out old friends like my colored pencils and watercolor brushes in jars where I can see them brought new energy to this favorite place. 

The morning light coming through the window captured the scene in brilliance for a moment.  

Experimenting with Art

I have learned that the best way to make discoveries and improvements as an artist is to experiment without any expectation of the finished product. Go on a journey with your art supplies and try out new techniques and ideas.

Getting out my watercolors to play in my journal/planner, I experimented with creating artworks within the bounds of a two-inch diameter circle. Allowing yourself the license to just play with colors, forms and designs frees you up for new creative openings.

I also like to splash colors on my journal to create backgrounds for "Good Things" lists.

I picked up the "Good Things" habit from artist & designer Christine Castro Hughes, who says "I think everyone should keep an illustrated journal.  Just do it! The joys and beauty are usually found when you're not trying too hard, so let yourself loose.  Make a mess. Don't aim for perfect. Allow mistakes.  Have fun."