"E" is for Emporium - New alphabet-inspired journal page

Something about the letter e brings out the eccentric in my journaling. For example, my daughter and I had such fun imagining our all-things-us emporiums.

Hers would feature an entire department dedicated to storage boxes of all shapes, colours and sizes. No matter what you need to organize, you'd find exactly the right box for it in her emporium. There would also be an owl deparment (no actual owls, just books about owls, owl-related designs and owl softies), an overalls and fun socks section, and an all-day food kiosk serving her two favourite dishes: her grandmother's molokhiya soup and creme brulee. For your viewing pleasure, the shelves would all be color coordinated.

My emporium would carry a vast collection of handmade papers from all over the world, notebooks of every shape, size and function (of course), a fully stocked moisturizer and lip balm department, a wide selection of mixing bowls and measuring cups, long and short-sleeve t-shirts in every colour of the rainbow, and a handmade items gift shop.

How about yours?

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If you'd like to journal the letter e with me, I'll send it to you! In the comments below, tell me three items you'd find on the shelves of your all-things-you emporium. Not only will you get a head start on the first prompt in this printable, but I'll send a reply in return along with the pdf file* so you can keep journaling!

P.S. If you're new to this alphabet-inspired journal series, I'm sharing the process with you -- and these pages! -- as I go. You can find more information about pages a to d, plus some of my other page projects, here.

* The file will include two page sizes: letter and A4.

 

"D" is for Different -- New alphabet-inspired journal page

Before we get to today's d page, could we chat about your colossal emails and comments on last week's post for a sec?

Here are three things you taught me:

  1. Putting a colossal effort into your projects, big or small, very often leads to equally colossal results that make all of the hard work worthwhile. Yay, you!

  2. Taking a few moments to think about where you're devoting your time and energy is a great way to evaluate whether you're making the most of both or whether there could be other ways to make a difference for yourself and for others. Yay, you once again!

  3. The word itself, colossal, had a way of clarifying how hard you're working toward the things that matter to you. It was an amazing reminder of how gratifying it is to find a word that describes exactly how you're feeling or exactly what happened. It makes your experiences tangible and meaningful and that's what journaling is all about!

Now, on to the d page! The first prompt is all about noticing the variety of experiences you encounter from day to day. You'll also find doodads, doohickeys, and the deep sea, among other things!

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Your turn!

If you'd like to journal the letter d with me, I'll send it to you! In the comments below, tell me one thing about your day today that's different from your day yesterday. Not only will you get a head start on the first prompt in this printable, but I'll send a reply in return along with the pdf file* so you can keep journaling!

P.S. If you're new to this series, I'm sharing the process -- and these pages! -- with you as I go. You can find more information about the a, b, and c pages, plus some of my other page projects, here.

P.P.S. I'm doing my best to reply to every email within about a day -- or two at the most when my inbox is overflowing! I'm mostly caught up, but some emails have come back as undeliverable. If you emailed me or commented here on the blog more than two days ago and haven't received a response from me, could you send me a quick email to let me know?

P.P.P.S. I first wrote about this page in my newsletter. If you’d like to receive it, along with my free e-book 10 Good Reasons to Journal, you can subscribe here!

* The file will include two page sizes: letter and A4.

 

"C" is for Colossal -- new alphabet-inspired journal page

The letter c gave me some trouble. It's not that there aren't enough c words. There are. My 1983 edition of the Gage Canadian Dictionary* features 136 pages of c words while there are only 79 pages for b and 78 pages for a.

I made a list of the words starting with c that seemed promising and tried to ignore any I've used frequently in the past like curiosity, change, community, and conversation. (It was really hard to ignore curiosity -- such a great word and so much to be curious about!)

By the time I got to czar, my list had 95 words, which is plenty to work with. I wrote a bunch of a different journal prompts over a couple of days, but almost all of them felt forced or vague or complicated. Luckily, this is a familiar part of my creative cycle -- the part where I start to second guess myself. Maybe this whole alphabet project is too weird, plus it'll take too long and also it's too repetitive. And onward in that direction.

But there's another side. The truth is I'm really enjoying sitting with my ancient, coverless, yellow-paged dictionary on my lap and wandering through its thin pages. I love the challenge of working with new words and playing with letter shapes.

And your emails. Can I just say . . . they are awesome! No two are alike. You have your own wonderful perspective on the world and it is such a thrill to cheer you on in your journaling.

So I'm done second guessing. I pressed on with my list and put together 5 new prompts that I quite like and hope you'll like too.

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If you'd like to journal the letter c with me, I'll send you the page! In the comments below, tell me one project into which you've poured a colossal amount of effort. Not only will you get a head start on the first prompt in this printable, but I'll send an email reply in return along with the pdf file** so you can keep journaling!

P.S. If you're new to this series, I'm sharing the process (and the pages!) with you as I go and I'd love to know your thoughts along the way. You can find more information about the a and b pages, plus some of my other page projects, here.

* This is the dictionary that lived on the family bookshelves when I was a kid. It's undeniably dated and I mostly use online dictionaries now, but I can't part with it. (The bookshelves, by the way, were floor-to-ceiling teak and featured an angled shelf for displaying magazines!)
** The file will include two page sizes: letter and A4.

 

"B" is for Baker's Dozen -- new alphabet-inspired journal page

Did you know that it's perfectly okay to end a sentence with a preposition? At least, Merriam-Webster's online dictionary says it is:

There is nothing wrong with ending a sentence in a preposition like to, with, for, or at. English speakers have been doing so since the days of Old English. The people who claim that a terminal preposition is wrong are clinging to an idea born in the 17th century and largely abandoned by grammar and usage experts in the early 20th.

This came as happy news to me! I was definitely taught by 17th century grammar enthusiasts.

Of the five prompt ideas starting with the letter b in today's alphabet-inspired journal page, three of them are sometimes prepositions: behind, before, and beside. They don't make their appearances at the end of any sentences, but I made sure to end the last prompt on the page with a lovely little of -- just for fun!

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As I mentioned last week, this project feels even more experimental than usual. I'm sharing the process (and the pages!) with you as I go and I'd love to know your thoughts along the way.

If you'd like to journal the letter b with me, I'll send you the page to print at home! In the comments below, tell me one thing that's happening behind you right now. Not only will you get a head start on the first prompt in this printable, but I'll send a reply in return along with the pdf file* so you can keep journaling!

P.S. The pdf file will include two page sizes: letter and A4.

P.P.S. I first wrote about this page in my newsletter. If you’d like to receive it, along with my free e-book 10 Good Reasons to Journal, you can subscribe here!

 

"A" is For Announcement -- an alphabet-inspired journal page

I've always wanted to create a set of alphabet-inspired journal pages using huge, colourful letters. For a long time, a vague idea of the series was as far as I got: single letter pages, lots of colours and journal prompts. Every once in a while, I'd open a new file and try to sketch it out, but I couldn't figure out how to make it work.

Truth be told, I'm still not entirely sure how to make it work, but these days I'm more motivated to try. I've got a bunch of pages sitting in my journal files and they're all stuck at various stages of completion. I feel like I need to try something new. I'm looking for a creative way to work with words I don't usually use and ideas I haven't fully explored before. More than that, I'd love to loosen up my process a little, create more daring prompts, and push the boundaries of my usual approach to journaling.

Long story short, after lots of back and forth and still some uncertainty about the end result, my first single letter journal page is ready to go.

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This project feels even more experimental than usual. It's possible that by the time I get to m the pages will look completely different. For better or worse, I'd love to share the process (and the pages!) with you as I go. I'd also love to know your thoughts along the way.

Over to you!

If you'd like to join me for an alphabet-inspired journal adventure, I'll send you my first page to print at home! In the comments below, tell me one announcement you'd like to make this year. Not only will you get a head start on the first prompt in this printable, but I'll send you an email in return to cheer you on and attach the pdf file so you can keep journaling!

P.S. The pdf file will include two page sizes: letter and A4.

P.P.S. I first wrote about this page in my newsletter. If you’d like to receive it, along with my free e-book 10 Good Reasons to Journal, you can subscribe by clicking the link!

 

Look for the Good Things

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I know I write about looking for the good things A LOT, but if I don't remind myself pretty regularly that they're out there, I forget! A few weeks ago, I made this little reminder using a watercolour background I painted ages ago.

There are three letter-sized pages in total, which include:

  • a set of tiny cards for tucking into a journal or using as tags,

  • quarter-page prints for turning into postcards or bookmarks or for writing a list of good things on the back, and

  • a full letter-sized version, for . . . well . . . because I just love all that colour!

If you'd like to print these at home, I'll send them to you!

In the comments below (or by email if you’d prefer), tell me one good thing in your world today. That's it, just one. I'll reply by email with one good thing from here and attach the printable PDF file with all three colourful pages.

P.S. I wrote all about these pages and more of the new things I’m working on in my newsletter. If you’d like to receive it, along with my free e-book 10 Good Reasons to Journal, click here to sign up!

 

New Journal Pages on the Way

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As ever and especially now, it seems to me that the most important, most compelling, most meaningful details are found in the littlest things, moments, and thoughts — the ones that zip by as we go about our days, the ones we don’t even notice, can’t bear to notice, or used to notice, but don’t anymore.

I’m working on a new set of pages that dives deep into the details in search of new and fascinating discoveries.

Speaking of discoveries, I’ve also decided to offer these pages in a way I haven’t before. It’s not entirely worked out, but it will involve interactivity and a few secrets along the way. I hope you’ll stay tuned!