Jump Start!

I moved recently and made an interesting discovery while I was packing what seemed to be a thousand boxes. I am a bona fide collector of self-help books, many of which are full of intriguing questions geared toward making a person a reflective thinker. Looking at my vast selection, I realized that I have several of those question-a-day books. You know the ones where you are given a journaling prompt and encouraged to answer. In the days before I had children (when I actually had free time), I would journal responses and thoughts about such questions or prompts each night before I went to bed. I believe that thinking about topic I hadn’t originally created helped me to be more flexible and open. The same premise holds true today, but my leather bound journal has been replaced by a 12 X 12 sheet of paper (or two)!

Let’s stop to remember what a prompt actually is. According to the dictionary, a prompt is a reminder or cue. The act of being prompted means to give rise to, spur or inspire. Sounds motivating, huh? Journaling prompts are designed to incite thought and move you to pick up your pen. There are a ton of places to find journaling prompts or even sentence starters including books, magazines and online resources. These small interesting questions can lead you to a great layout concept and help you create fabulous journaling. Not all prompts are serious either, so there are options for everyone from deep-thinkers to the light of heart!

The ladies below each found a ready-made journaling prompt that spoke to them. Many used the site journalingprompts.com to find one that was just perfect. With a prompt for each day of the year, how could you not find an idea that inspires you to journal and create?

Sunday is... by Jennifer Barksdale

Supplies: Paper: Sassafras Lass, October Afternoon, Cosmo Cricket, KI Memories, Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Paper, Chipboard: Maya Road, Cosmo Cricket, Tag: Jenni Bowlin Studio, Ribbon, Flower, Brad, Pen: American Crafts, Twine: Studio Calico, Ink: Tsukineko, Fonts: Another Typewriter (Dafont), Tahoma, Lucida Bright, Other: thread, paint. Tools: Stamp: Studio Calico, Punches: Fiskars, EK Success.

Design Notes: After choosing my topic from the journaling prompt site, I created the apron by layering and pleating patterned papers and threading ribbon through a punched border.

Journaling: Sunday is my cleaning day. I'm not sure when it started, but I get the urge to clean the house on this day. Maybe it is my way of getting a fresh start on a new week? Whatever it is, one thing has never changed...I still hate to do it.

Small Moments by Lynnette Penacho

Digital Supplies: Kit: Holiday In The Sun by Dani Mogstad (Sweet Shoppe Designs), Alphabet: Teeny Type Alpha by Zoe Pearn (Sweet Shoppe Designs), Stitching: Border Basics Squares by Libby Weifenbach (Sweet Shoppe Designs), Curvy Corner Stitched Blocks by Anna Apnes (Designer Digitals), Font: American Typewriter.

Editor’s Notes: Lynette used a prompt from a challenge blog to generate this layout concept. I love hearing her story and feel like I get to know a bit about her life. She complimented the layout beautifully with travel-inspired embellishments.

Journaling: It was October 2006. Adam and I had been living in Seoul, South Korea for just over 10.5 months. My parents had come to visit and since Adam was working, I was on my own to show them around the city. On this day we were headed to Gyeongbokgung Palace, one of my favorite places. As my parents and I were standing on the platform waiting for the subway, a Korean man came up to us and asked us for directions. As it turned out, he was a Korean-American who spoke little Korean so he was admittedly confused about where to go. Now the rational part of me knows that he likely sought us out because we were very clearly the only group of non-Koreans in the station, but I also like to think that maybe just a little bit of it had to do with us at least looking like we knew what we were doing. That after 10 months of frustration, tears and more than a few threats to go home, I had finally reached a point of comfort where I at least didn’t look like an obvious tourist. It seems silly but that day, that moment had a profound effect on me. Living overseas had been tough. Really tough. Being forced into a situation where not only the culture but the language and even the letters were completely different is enough to throw anyone for a loop. But on that day I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride that not only could I survive living in a foreign country, but that I was doing it better than I ever thought I could. It was a huge boost of confidence for me and it really made me feel like, if I could survive that, I could survive anything. And that’s a lesson I still take with me today, 4 years later.

Easy as 1, 2, 3 by Stacey Michaud

Supplies: Paper, Chipboard Alphabet, Flip Notes, Die Cuts, Stickers, Cork: Pink Paislee, Cardstock: Bazill Basics Paper, Alphabet Stickers: Jenni Bowlin Studio, Brad: American Crafts, Button: BasicGrey.

Design Notes: I wrote about a prompt that involved remembering an important decision you made. I used my son’s preschool photos on here to capture him at that phase in his life. I love layering a variety of journaling spots to add different shapes to my layout.

Journaling: I'm so glad we decided to wait a year before sending you to kindergarten. As of today, you are more mature, are interested in writing, and have blossomed in pre-K. We're excited for you to enter kindergarten, knowing you're ready.