Hone In On Your Happy Days With This Reflection Journal

Each and every month can bring about many wonderful moments — from the smallest “wins’ to huge highlights, to cue-the-confetti celebrations, simple snapshots in time or life lessons learned. A monthly reflection journal is an opportunity to look at how you’re doing and feeling by helping you stay in tune with yourself from the past 28 to 31 days. If you’re wanting to document and decorate your everyday endeavors, then a CM Happy Albums can be your go-to, portable scrapbooking resource. See how blog contributor Krislyn Mattei tapped into these reflection pages with an easy-to-follow guide to expand your everyday moments, photos and journals into a full-year experience.

Krislyn’s Inspiration

Do you ever see two wonderful things and just KNOW they have to go together? Peanut butter and jelly, jeans and T-shirts, blue sky and sunshine… and the You Got This collection and the Happy Album!? As soon as I saw the You Got This tie-dye and denim texture tonal papers, I just knew I wanted their laid-back vibe in my Happy Album this year!

My Happy Album is a monthly reflection journal for me. I love to highlight the things, events and people that make me feel most grateful and happy. I typically use the Happy Album Planner pages for each month on one two-page spread followed by a two-page spread of related photos and stories.

To make a simple system to complete my smaller-sized album using larger 12″ x 12″ papers, I created a Cutting Guide. Each paper is punched and cut in a way that makes the most out of each piece of paper, while offering many mix-and-match options. Check out the guide and instructions, along with a few samples from my 2021 Happy Album.

To create these layouts you’ll need:

• Happy Album Refill Pages or (Shop Canada | Shop Australia)
• Happy Album Planner Kit or (Shop Canada | Shop Australia)
  • If you are looking for an album as well, check out the 2022 Happy Album Planner Bundle or (Shop Canada | Shop Australia)
• Tie Dye Paper Pack or (Shop Canada | Shop Australia)
• Denim Texture Tone-on-Tone Paper Pack or (Shop Canada | Shop Australia)
• You Got This Embellishments or (Shop Canada | Shop Australia)
• You Got This Stickers or (Shop Canada | Shop Australia)
• Original Border Maker System with several Border Maker Cartridges or (Shop Canada | Shop Australia)
• 12-inch Trimmer or (Shop Canada | Shop Australia)
• Tape Runner or (Shop Canada | Shop Australia)
• Repositionable Tape Runner or (Shop Canada | Shop Australia)
• Foam Squares or (Shop Canada | Shop Australia)
• Black Dual-Tip Pen or (Shop Canada | Shop Australia)

Cutting instructions for each of papers 1-6:

Step 1: Cut a sheet of 12″ x 12″ paper at the 6-3/4″ mark. Set the larger piece aside.

Step 2: Using the Border Maker System with the Border Maker Cartridge of your choice, punch two borders, leaving at least 3″ remaining.

Step 3: Cut the remaining 3″ x 12″ strip into four 3″ x 3″ squares.

Step 4: With the remaining piece, punch once along one short edge.

Step 5: Trim the remaining paper to 10″, leaving you with a 6-3/4″ x 10″ piece of paper. (You may leave this piece whole and wallpaper a page with it or you may wish to cut or punch further. See my layouts for ideas.)

Step 6: Repeat with as many sheets of paper as you like, swapping in different Border Maker Cartridges to give you a variety to choose from when creating your layouts.

For more ideas using the Happy Album, check out this blog post.

What do you like about these reflection journal ideas? Have you ever worked with a Happy Album before? Give us your insight in the comments section below!