Thankful Journal

As a teenager, I watched Oprah's show religiously. Years later, I still find myself doing and saying things that I picked up from her episodes. One of my all-time favorite take-aways is this "Thankful Journal". After creating it, the owner takes a few minutes at the end of each day to jot down something great that happened. It's a helpful way to lift spirits and remind us to celebrate even the small things in life.

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Materials you'll need

Step-by-step tutorial

Step 1
To start, my son, C, and I looked through old magazines to find pictures and words that we liked. Since he is still young, he tore out pages he wanted to save and I cut out the images for him. I love to use parenting magazines for these kinds of art projects because I don't need to worry about censoring them beforehand.

Step 2
Then C painted a thin layer of Mod Podge onto the front of the notebook so that the magazine clippings would stay in place.

Step 3
We worked together to arrange the pictures. He was most excited about this photo of gummy bears (his hands-down favorite treat) and I loved the family photo we used. Other additions included a picture of our hometown skyline, a few images of C's beloved toys, and several other favorite foods.

Step 4
Then C painted a second thin layer of mod podge on top of the pictures to add a glossy finish.

Final result!
After waiting 20 minutes for the top coat to dry, our journal was complete. We have been writing daily notes about things we are thankful for ever since. It's a fun way to end each day and I have a strong feeling that this Oprah-inspired project will become a treasured family keepsake.