We have planners to help us organize our to-do’s. We have journals to help us organize our thoughts and emotions. But what about your inspirations? How do we keep track of those?

I like to keep an “Inspirations Journal”. When I look through magazines or catalogs and find something I like, I cut them out and put them in my journal. When I think of a painting I want to make I sketch it out. When I come up with an idea for my website or for a fun school project I write out all the details. I’ll even glue in small pieces of fabric that I like or glue on paint samples from Home Depot that I want to use somewhere. On top of that I like to add bible verses or quotes that I can refer back to when I need some motivation.

It’s a great place to write my ideas, my dreams, my vision. When I get down I can look through it and get a pick-me-up. When I feel motivated to do something but don’t know what I want to do, I can look through it and get ideas. It’s also fun to see how my style changes. Part of the journal might be filled with more modern things and ideas, while another part is full of all things shabby-chic.

If you’d like to start an “Inspirations Journal” here are a few tips:

1) Find a journal that is spiral bound. You can add photos and fabric to the pages with out them adding too much bulk and then breaking the binding.

2) Make sure the pages aren’t too thin. Many journals contain paper that is very thin and might not hold up well if you’re going to be gluing fabric or photos to them. I buy my journals in the sketch pad section at Hobby Lobby (with my 40% off coupon of course). This paper is nice and thick and holds up well to glue, plus it’s perfect to make sketches on.

3) Decide how you want to organize your journal before you start. Are you just going to add to it how ever you want with no rhyme or reason (this is usually how I like to do it), or are you going to divide it up into sections to make it easier to find things? You could decide to have so many pages dedicated to quotes and inspirational sayings, so many pages for ideas for each room of your home, or pages set aside for sketches, books you want to read, or things you want to buy. If you do it this way, I suggest you buy little post it note tabs and put them at the top of your pages so you don’t have to flip through each page looking for a specific section.

4) Have fun! Don’t restrict yourself. Part of the fun (to me anyway) is that I can write, glue, draw, anything I want. I don’t add to it every day, only when inspiration hits.

5) Decide if it’s going to be a private journal or one you don’t care if your family picks up and flips through. If it’s private, keep it somewhere your family will not likely find it.

I love my Inspirations Journal. Mine is small enough I can keep it in my purse or throw it in a drawer. It’s nice to have my thoughts and dreams in one place. I enjoy looking back to see what I’ve added in the past and be reminded of projects I’d like to do. I can finally put all of my “great ideas” in one place!