I found this small Websters' New Compact Dictionary at Treasure Hounds in Lufkin yesterday and I decided to create a new gratitude journal. You can never have too much gratitude. As I understand it, just thinking about what you are grateful for can cause happiness. Works for me.

I was particularly happy when I found this unbleached waxed paper in the kitchen last night. The brownish color looks like the paper is old and went through some event to age it beautifully. You can see it sticking out of the pages in the last photo. I use waxed paper to keep in between the pages while I'm using glue to keep it from going where it doesn't belong.

I like using these kinds of napkins for images. It's easy to just slop on some decoupage glue underneath and on top of the napkin and the transparency allows what's underneath to show through.

I went through the book and gently tore out every other page so that when I add images back into the book, it doesn't get too bulky and thick. Then I glued two pages together to make them thicker so they become a better support for the mixed media I will use.

I was ambitious when I started this journal, thinking I would try to do a spread every day to illustrate my gratitude but I can realistically see this won't happen. Not that I'm not grateful, you understand.

I am already getting a case of holiday dread. My mom went to a charity silent auction the other day and bought some outdoor ornaments that are really nice and cute, but they were in the living room floor for a day before we packed them in a box to be dragged out later. We still have Halloween pumpkins on the porch that need to be turned into Thanksgiving Harvest Pumpkins and later into pumpkin pies. Sigh.

I would be grateful for a long vacation where massages and adult beverages were celebrated and the only decoration I had to think about was what designs I wanted on my manicured toes.

Cheering you artfully on,

Diana