February | 2016 | Uniquely Yours Craft Journal

Items to put in a family journal

26 Feb 2016 Comments Off on Items to put in a family journal

by uniquelyyourscraftjournal in Family Journal Tags: awards, calendar, Facebook

Dear Fellow Journalers,

MaryBeth shares what the Maroney family put in their Happiness Journal.

Enjoy,

Sallie

Some of the things we put in our journal are listed below.

stickers, calendar pages, school paper with the marked grade ie A+, photos of awards, postage stamps, newspaper articles, copies of greeting cards or letters from family members, copies of emails or Facebook messages, postcards, photos of family members and artwork.

The Maroney Happiness Journal

24 Feb 2016 Comments Off on The Maroney Happiness Journal

by uniquelyyourscraftjournal in Family Journal Tags: Happiness, Journal

Dear Fellow Journalers,

Mary Beth shares her final perspective on the Family Journal.

Enjoy,

Sallie

“What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.”

Pericles (Greek Statesman of Athens)

Our first Happiness Journal was a stepping stone for our family. As we each wrote about our reactions, thoughts, discoveries, struggles and victories, we expanded our family history.

I opened the pages of that first journal when I volunteered to write for Uniquely Yours Craft Journal. Re-reading the entries brought back so many memories! So, what did our Happiness Journal contain you ask…..

There were stories of events that started traditions, family traits, growth of relationships not only in our immediate family, but our extended one as well. There were reflections from each of the children when their Grandparents died, family dinner conversations, Girl Scout attempts in the kitchen, family secrets, science experiments gone horribly wrong, tree-house adventures. As I re-read, I found myself laughing and crying at the same time.

Writing the Happiness Journal was one of the best things we did as a family. I know that some of the children started new types of journals after that and I still blog about family relationships. At the last Thanksgiving dinner, when asked what they were thankful for, my children said that the Happiness Journal was one of the things that they remember and are thankful for the love sharing we wrote in the pages.

It has been a fantastic experience sharing our family journal with you and I want to thank Sallie for inviting me to share the journey with all of you.

Mary Beth

Journal covers and pages

19 Feb 2016 Comments Off on Journal covers and pages

by uniquelyyourscraftjournal in Journal Covers and Pages Tags: covers, pages

Dear Fellow Journalers,

MaryBeth shares some covers and pages for your inspiration.

Enjoy,

Sallie

A butterfly

. . . Journal cover

Making and writing a Family Journal

17 Feb 2016 Comments Off on Making and writing a Family Journal

by uniquelyyourscraftjournal in Family Journal Tags: collage, family, photos

Dear Fellow Journalers,

Mary Beth continues her narrative on how to create a cover that engages the entire family.

Enjoy,

Sallie

One of the things that we insisted on was that every one would be involved in the making and writing of the Maroney Happiness Journal. Here are some ideas we used that might help you:

We decided to use a 3-ring binder because we would have more flexibility. You could decide to use a sketch book or composition book.
Gather a collection of family photos or magazine pictures that make you happy.
Glue sticks are a necessity.
Different colored ink pens for every family member. We bought 2 of each and kept one for safe-keeping. Our youngest had a habit of not replacing the cover.
Permanent marker
Decide when you will write in the journal. We chose dinner time, once a week.
Give the journal a name. Take a permanent marker and print in large letters at the top of the journal. We used a stencil.
Create a collage of the photos.
Let every family member write their own name on the first page along with birth date. We chose to trace our hand prints and write the info on the palm.
Choose a family member to record the information each time you write. We each chose to write a page ourselves.

‘Til next time,

Mary Beth

I Love you

14 Feb 2016 Comments Off on I Love you

by uniquelyyourscraftjournal in Paper Daydreams Tags: love, Valentine Day

Dear Fellow Journalers,

I have always thought that this “poem” by Roy Croft expressed all that I wanted to say on this special day.

I love you, not only for what you are but for what I am when I am with you.

I love you not only for what you have made of yourself but for what you are making of me.

I love you for the part of me that you bring out; I love you for putting your hands into my heaped-up heart and passing over all the foolish, weak things that you can’t help dimly seeing there, and for drawing out into the light all the beautiful belongings that no one else had looked quite far enough to find.

I love you because you are helping me to make of the lumber of my life not a tavern but a temple; out of works of my every day not a reproach but a song.

I love you because you have done more that any creed could have done to make me good, and more than any fate could have done to make me happy.

You have done it without a touch, without a word, without a sign. You have done it by being yourself. Perhaps that is what being a friend means after all.

Dedicated to my husband.

~Sallie