After the year we’ve all had, I think that 2020 should definitely be the one to identify the positive aspects in some sort of gratitude project. Studies say that identifying and expressing gratitude makes us happier, strengthens our relationships and increases productivity. We could all use a bit of that, I’m sure!
Get Inspired
Gather up some inspiration to get the creative ideas flowing. As always, Pinterest and even Facebook can definitely be a memory keeper’s friend. If you search for 30 Days of Thankful or Gratitude you could sit there for hours just scrolling and pinning ideas. The tough part will be narrowing down the ideas to a cohesive set because indecision can lead to paralysis.
You’ll also find plenty of prompt lists that can help if you get stuck for ideas. Also, you’ll even discover lists of actions you can perform to demonstrate kindness and gratitude.
Change It Up
No one says that it has to be an intimidating set of 12x12 pages. How about a 4x4 mini-book or a 6x8 pocket style album? Or trying a totally new format like a traveler’s notebook? A little less real estate on each page will take less time to fill in what is usually a fairly busy month.
You could use a small lined notebook and record only journaling and include silhouette cut-outs or flat stickers for embellishments. What about including your gratitudes in your decorated paper planner? If you’re totally digi, you could try hybrid if it sounds like fun.
Keep It Simple
You don’t have to show off multiple photos each day. You don’t have to include paragraphs of eloquent journaling. Speak from the heart, these projects are about capturing the moments.
And who says it has to be comprised of individual pages? You could select a 30 spot or month in review template and capture the entire month on just two pages. You could print out photos or write on journal cards or construction paper leaves and create a colorful display of them on a bulletin board. You could write your sentiments on small pieces of paper, put them in a jar and read them during a family meal.
Use Technology
Embrace the easy options of gathering sentiments. Grab family Instagram posts or FB statuses. Keep daily journaling on Momento, Journey or Day One Journal. You might be a daily blogger/journal keeper in a public forum like WordPress or a private one like using Penzu. If you’re already regularly journaling or blogging, don’t recreate the wheel, just cut and paste your thoughts. OR just consider the blog itself your gratitude project.
Speaking of technology, you can scrap on-the-go using apps on your phone or tablet while waiting in the car or while sitting on the sofa in the evening.
Consistency is Key
Less decisions to make will simplify the work each time you sit down to scrap. Gathering up a set of products in one spot (in a folder on your hard drive, tagged in your digi supply catalog, or stored in the cloud for easy access) will make it easier to NOT stop and search for the perfect paper. For example, you might:
• Identify a pair of fonts to use – perhaps a serif and a sans serif or a handwritten and typewriter
• Pick a multicolored alpha set that you can use all month
• Select a single neutral paper, or coordinating pack, to back each page
• Using uniform stitching or borders throughout the project will unify it
• Identify an over-arching color palette with one to three kits or collections
• Use the same Lightroom preset or Instagram filter to keep the photos cohesive
• Re-use a set of templates or template album set by rotating them
• Select a shape, like perhaps a heart, to repeat during the project
Tag It
Using pre-made date tags, labels or elements will bring a sense of continuity. You don’t have to limit yourself to one set, you could select a mixture of tags/tabs that coordinate with your chosen color palette.
In this vein, selecting a set or two of appropriate word art that can be sprinkled about during the month would be a great idea.
Photos Are NOT Necessary
Sometimes, NOT having a photo for the day is the limiting factor from getting an idea actually scrapped. There are no scrapping police! Just don’t use one. You might have a journal card quote that echoes the idea that can be substituted.
And in the same vein, journaling isn’t necessary either. The photo may totally speak for itself. Or you might select a word art or two that captures the sentiment without the need for multiple sentences.
Share the Work
This does NOT have to be strictly your thoughts. Why not make it a family affair? Even a small child can participate with what made them happy today. With older kids, you can assign them a couple of days during the month to provide the content. I have adult children and they share theirs with me via WhatsApp or text message. I hope to get my parents’ into the mix this year as well.
Hopefully I’ve provided a few nuggets of wisdom you can use in your Gratitude Project this month!
_________________
Stacia
Stacia
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