Our final craft last year for
Pocket Blessings was putting together smash books. It was my first time making
one and decided to theme mine for mamahood and finding the joy in the daily. I searched and gathered and printed
little quotes that were encouraging to me and smashed them together with pretty
papers and stickers and the like. I ended up miss punching the holes to bind it
together, never fully finishing it and tucking it nearly in to my craft
cabinet.
I loved the thought of it and
idea behind it and combining it with the concept of savoring joy moments by
writing them down, enabling them to last longer. This lead me to creating
sheets and templates and layouts. An easy print out of all the inspiration and
quotes in one place, not so smashed together. A little more organized and a
little more cohesive, which I find I am loving these days. Along with the
inspiration, there are places to write down moments from the day that you
enjoyed and a landing spot for you to look for the joy throughout the day when
there seems none to be had.
It is a place to carefully look
at life and what captures your heart and births thankfulness, despite the
difficult or monotony of the day. Because life is about these moments. It is
about breathing and laughing and finding the joy, no matter how hard or easy.
It is about being fully present and feeling and thanking God for it all when it
does not always make sense and choosing joy.
The notebook is a place to hold
this season of life, the moments that make up your life from the grandiose to
the minute. There are places for pictures and writing and washi tape and
whatever else floats your boat. You can number them or date them. The ideas are
limitless.
For Pocket Blessings this past month,
we put together these little notebooks, so I thought I would share them with other mamas out there. Here's a little how to, if you are curious and
looking for direction.
The details:
To make the cover:
We cut cereal boxes and cover
board down to 8.5" x 5.5" using a rotary cutter. Chipboard or old
books would work great, too.
We covered them with paper and
fabric. I personally loved the paper covers, they were a little easier to cover.
A 12" x 12" paper can cover both the front and back, when cut in
half. I left the insides uncovered but they can be covered, too.
Punch holes with a crop a dile.
Depending on your thickness, you could use a hole punch but it will not have
the fun and durable eyelets to finish it off, like so.
Inside:
There are a total of 28 different
pages to print, which works best if you print on both sides.
Pages can be inserted in any
order and reprinted to change the order of the pages.
Cut pages in half and hole punch.
Be sure to punch holes at the same
measurement as the cover.
Add rings and it is finished and ready to be decorated.
Create one for yourself and one for
a friend. They make a perfect gift for a new mom or an experienced one. If you
make one, be sure to share your awesomeness via #findthejoytoday.
Follow along and subscribe via email to get the free PDF download emailed to you.
I love this idea, Tiffany, and especially your reason behind it, that "life is about these moments. It is about breathing and laughing and finding the joy, no matter how hard or easy..." such a beautiful premise and an inspiring piece. Thanks so much for sharing it with us on #shinebloghop this week :)
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! Looks like it will be very versatile and easy to personalize too!
ReplyDeleteFound you on Growing in Grace.
thanks =)
DeleteWhat a great way to focus on and remember the joys and important moments of motherhood. Thanks for sharing at Mom-to-Mom Mondays.
ReplyDeletethank you!
Delete