Journey to Happiness

Final assignment for Journey to Happiness: What Matters Most (Big Picture Classes)…complete. I’m ready to continue on my journey to happiness, and to focus on what matters most! The final assignment is to prepare a journal to write down thoughts/actions/progress notes, etc. for the improvements and changes I intend to make in order to make my life happier and more fulfilling. Since the beginning of January, I have noticed that I really enjoy journaling more; writing down notes, words of wisdom I’ve heard, funny jokes, stories, thoughts and what-not. It has been making me feel better about issues, problems or quandaries I may have; while bearing more weight with the positive thoughts and feelings in my head. This journal will be a valuable tool to keep me on my path to all things good and happy.

[Journal, orange patterned fabric ('FabRips'), and spray mist from Studio Calico.]

Lots of graphed pages for writing, doodling, and pasting photos and ephemera into. Studio Calico also makes these great vintage-looking book plates, too.

I’m still working on Project Life every day. I am so thankful that I finally decided to do this project; I really enjoy it, it’s not terribly time-consuming, and I notice how full and rich my life is…I would not be paying attention to the details as I do now, nor seeing the value of little moments otherwise overlooked. My life is good, and PL keeps me remembering that every day. Some random pages of this week and the last:

I’m not color-coordinated on every page; I don’t have fabulous and perfect-looking journal cards (ala Cathy Zielske); some days have just one photo and other days may have a whole page…but that’s perfectly okay with me. I have been good about taking at least one photo every day, and holding on to bits and pieces to stuff into a pocket for that given day. My pages are pretty random and eclectic, but sometimes that’s how my days are, too. Documenting my moments, experiences, days and weeks is what matters. Date the photos, talk about them a little, relate a story or two, get it on paper, get it into the album, remember.

Thanks for letting my share with you!

Finally!! I finished my December Daily album. It was so much fun for the most part, but while working full-time, taking care of the family, and daily yada-yada chores, it got tough to manage. Not every day had fabulous activities happening, but that didn’t mean that not every day had meaning. That was my focus: the little things. Catching up on the December issue of Martha Stewart Living yesterday, I read an interesting article about a father who wrote letters to his son- from the time he was a baby- in order to ensure they would remember their life together; “to leave behind an indelible remnant for him.” This is what memory keeping is for me, and as I put together my December Daily album, I tried to keep in mind that this does not have to be a spectacular feat in scrapbooking history, nor is this going to end up in the pages of Creating Keepsakes magazine. I want to be able to look back in the years to come and simply remember. That being said, here is my album, from day 18 to yesterday (warning: lots of photos here!)

The ribbon really helps keep it closed!

I hand-painted the star using a stencil, then covered it all over with Mod Podge.

The Mod Podge smeared the cool December Daily tag I had from Bananafish Studios, so I covered it with this one.

This photo I used because this is a special tradition from my mom; it best symbolized Christmas to me.

Please forgive my spelling errors. I did enjoy doing this, but a small part of me is happy to have it finished! Starting on January 1, I will be starting Project Life for the first time. After tossing the idea around in my head for the last 3 years, I finally decided to do it. I chose the Clementine style, and my album should be arriving any day now. I am looking forward to that! I am thinking that the key to keeping up with it will be to keep the album out on my work table, ready and organized so I can slip photos and notes in easily without much ado. I also begin a new year of One Little Word (I need to discover my word still), and this coming Thursday, I will be starting a new adventure with Big Picture Classes, Journey to Happiness: What Matters Most. I am really excited about this class; I need it! Thanks for stopping by!

Retrospect

documenting life, creating art.

Tag Archives: Journey to Happiness

Life Improvements.

December Daily: days 18-25

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