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Make Your Own Inexpensive Gratitude Journal

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make your own inexpensive gratitude journalsI have been keeping a gratitude journal for almost 2 years now. I find it a great way to maintain a thankful spirit.

weekly planner

(Links in this post are affiliate links. I will be compensated when you make a purchase by clicking those links. See my disclosure page for more information)

I use a simple $1 week at a glance planner found at my local Dollar Tree each year.  I love that each day has just a few lines to jot down the things that happened that day that I am most thankful for.

I was perfectly happy with it until I saw Crystal’s gratitude journal and the envy fairy started to work her magic within me. My thrifty ways would not let the envy fairy spend more than the $1 I already spend on a gratitude journal so I let her talk me into altering the journals I already use.

With a bit of thought I came up with three different ways to cover my gratitude journals from 2012, 2013, and the one I recently purchased for 2014 (My local Dollar Tree just got next year’s in ).

I am sharing their transformations with you here today so that you can quiet your own “envy fairy” or just start a really great habit of being intentionally thankful each and every day of the year in a stylish DIY gratitude journal.

If you are a lot more crafty than I am (which wouldn’t take much) you could make these as gifts for  your loved ones as gifts this Christmas  for very little money. Paired with a pen an inscription by you as to why you are thankful for them and I think you would have a great meaningful gift.

Here was my first attempt

gratitude journal 2014For this gratitude journal I used some scrap booking paper I had and cut it just slightly bigger than the calendar. I then added on printed out labels. I am happy with how plain and simple it looks but not so happy with the glue in the lower corner (what can I say I failed glue skills in preschool)say I failed glue skills in preschool)DIY $1 Gratitude journal (snailpacetransformations.com

For my second attempt I grabbed my current 2013 gratitude journal and some printed duct tape. I  used a ruler to help cut each piece of tape to the same length. I suppose I could have done it so the pattern matched up like you do with wall paper but I am not that fussy. I could have also bought one of those duct tape sheets they now sell so that I would have had no seams but I wanted the duct tape for another craft so this was more thrifty.

grattitude journal 2012For my third version  I got a piece of my daughter’s art off the fridge and cut it to just bigger than the cover so that I could wrap it around the edges. This particular calendar I bought at Big Lots for $2 back in 2012 (yes I know I splurged and spent an extra dollar). What I liked about it is it came with a clear cover over the tacky cardboard one. The clear cover helps protect my daughter’s art piece.

I was thinking if you did not have children who produce mass amounts of art, you could also use a flyer from a concert you attended or a post card from where you went on vacation, basically anything that sparks thankful memories.

all three gratitude journalsIn the end I think the envy fairy came up with some pretty good ideas of how to convert my thrifty $1 week at a glance calender slash ugly yet practical  gratitude journal into something pretty, practical and still THRIFTY.

Here are a few tips I learned that will help you make your own

1. Cut the paper a bit larger than the cover

cutting paper

I did this by placing the gratitude journal open to the middle on the paper and created a quarter inch boarder around it. I then used a ruler to draw the two lines I needed for the side and the top.

2. How to work around the top and bottom of the cover

doing the spin of the cover

I grabbed all the pages in one hand and then gently worked the new cover over the old cover and between the pages.

3. A few tips for the duct tape version

cutting duct tape for gratitude journalI used a ruler to help cut the tape to the same length each time. Measure the height of the book and then add on 1/2 inch which will allow for you to bend 1/4 of an inch around top and bottom. Also I worked in from each edge of the cover, two strips each and then did the middle strip down the spin  over lapping on each side equal amounts. I suppose you could also do width ways if you wanted to.

These are just 3 ideas of how to cover a $1 week at a glance calendar and make it a stylish gratitude journal. Take these pictures and use them as a jumping board and create one that is uniquely you or uniquely your loved one.

Simply don’t have the time to craft your own $1 journal but still love the idea of keeping a gratitude journal? Then you might want to check out this ready made one .

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Filed Under: Crafting

Comments

  1. Kelly says

    September 13, 2013 at 10:22 am

    Love this idea! Thanks for posting!

    Reply
  2. Anna says

    September 13, 2013 at 11:30 am

    Cute and creative journal covers! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  3. Mary Ann says

    September 13, 2013 at 3:31 pm

    Super cute! Those would make great gifts! I bet even fabric could be used for the cover.

    Reply
  4. Mrs. R. says

    September 13, 2013 at 5:54 pm

    What a great idea—thank you so much! I think I’m gonna copy you. 🙂

    Reply
  5. terri says

    September 16, 2013 at 3:10 pm

    I love these ideas! How awesome, I am so inspired!

    Reply
  6. Katheryn F says

    September 17, 2013 at 11:01 pm

    I love this idea for my girls! We are just starting a new Bible study curriculum and I feel that this would be a really nice addition to their study. I can’t wait. Thanks so much for sharing.
    www.thehealthyandfithomeschoolmom.com

    Reply
  7. Tiffany@VintageMarigold says

    September 18, 2013 at 10:28 am

    This is such a cute idea! I tweeted it, I hope you do not mind!
    Tiffany

    Reply
  8. Ruth @ Living Well Spending Less says

    September 19, 2013 at 10:18 pm

    Oh, I love gratitude journals. Writing down things we are thankful for gives us the chance to step back and realize just how blessed we are and all the things we do have. Those are SO cute. Thank you for linking up to Thrifty Thursday.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Make Your Own Gratitude Journal — for just $1 | Money Saving Mom® says:
    September 13, 2013 at 9:39 am

    […] was inspired by my Gratitude Journal post and came up with a really creative (& cute!) way to make your own Gratitude Journal — for only […]

    Reply
  2. Giving Thanks Every Day | Simple Living says:
    September 13, 2013 at 8:58 pm

    […] just found a fabulous frugal craft on Snail Pace Transformations.   (Btw, I LOVE your name!)  It is a gratitude journal, a place to log a sentence or two of what […]

    Reply
  3. Thrifty Thursday Link Party | Link Up Your Budget Friendly Blog Posts says:
    September 26, 2013 at 7:59 am

    […] Things} 7. Graceful Little Honey Bee {Whole Foods on a Budget} 8. Snails Pace Transformation {Make Your Own Inexpensive Gratitude Journal} 9. Detours in Life {Framed Recipe Card} 10. Kathe with an E {Welcome to our New […]

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  4. Five Ways to Be More Thankful This November says:
    November 4, 2013 at 10:48 am

    […] in September, she featured a post from Victoria of Snail Pace Transformations describing how to make your own gratitude journal for $1. Be sure to read Crystal’s thoughts on keeping a gratitude journal […]

    Reply
  5. 5 Ways to Celebrate Thanksgiving with Kids says:
    November 18, 2013 at 1:39 pm

    […] Make a gratitude journal for $1, via Snail Pace Transformations. […]

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  6. 14 Goals for 2014 says:
    January 4, 2014 at 11:08 am

    […] Gratitude Journal.  Using a cheapo Dollar Tree pocket calendar (which I plan to prettify like Victoria did here) I’m going to record at least one blessing God showered down on me each day of 2014.  I have […]

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  7. Gratitude Journals | White Rabbit Insight says:
    February 13, 2014 at 2:58 pm

    […] make an inexpensive gratitude journal out of a notebook or, if you’re even slightly crafty, decorate a planner from the $1 store. If you prefer gadgets to paper, don’t worry. Not only can you simply type […]

    Reply
  8. My DIY Gratitude Journal Cover says:
    April 12, 2014 at 8:03 am

    […] my intention to “prettify” my “cheapo Dollar Tree pocket calendar” and Victoria’s great […]

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  9. Gratitude Journals for a Happier, Healthier Life says:
    April 24, 2015 at 12:24 pm

    […] own inexpensive gratitude journals out of a notebook. If you’re even slightly crafty, you can decorate a planner from the $1 […]

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  10. Gratitude Tools For Appreciation says:
    May 17, 2015 at 8:08 pm

    […] Click Here to Learn More About Gratitude Journal. […]

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Hi, I'm Victoria

Welcome to the Snail Pace Transformations blog where I share my tips for improving finances and home management one small step at a time. Why small? Because small changes are more likely to transform your life.

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