hi guys! i know i was MIA yesterday and i actually really regret not being able to post because it was momma b’s birthday!
instead of being a good blogging daughter and typing up an amazing post about how fabulous she is, i spent the day working, then making her a gift, then hanging out with her at the state fair! so, mom, i am sorry about the lack of a tribute post.. but i think you know i love you lots :)
i have a massive recap post of the state fair pending, but that is going to take some serious time to finish. so, in the meantime, i wanted to show you what i made my mom for her birthday.
it’s no secret that my mom and i are partners in crime. we love doing anything and everything together—including getting into our best shape. i know my mom has been wanting a little extra motivation lately, so i decided to make her a motivational workout journal to help her along the way.
i first saw this tutorial post on then heather said (written by cynthia) back in december. i have been meaning to make a journal like this ever since! so, nearly a year later, i finally hopped to it and made it happen. it actually turned out to be super simple and a ton of fun.
to get a really awesome, detailed and step-by-step tutorial, check out cynthia’s post. i will show you what i did to make momma b’s journal.
first, i grabbed a few of my old fitness and food magazines. i have A LOT OF THEM. if you need a few old magazines, come on over to my place. i have nearly a hundred.
next, i grabbed the scissors and got to clipping. i cut out words, phrases and photos that i thought might be inspiring. i made sure to cut out items large and small, so i could make a collage and fill in all the little gaps. you really just need to think outside the box when clipping, because there will be some great phrases where you least expect it. some of the best phrases were actually found in ads. for example, there was something that said “the very best” and it was talking about a weight watchers snack cake. i clipped out the words and left the snack cake.
once i had all my magazine clippings, i went to my computer and picked out a few photos of my mom that focused on fitness. our “after” body for life photos, race photos, wakeboarding photos, etc. i always say that my biggest motivator and inspiration is photos of myself when i was at my very best, and i think my mom would agree!
i had purchased a large journal at smith’s marketplace—i picked a big one with a lot of pages that were lined. other craft items i used:
- a pen
- colored electrician’s tape
- a glue stick
- laminating paper
i laid out the collage on each side before gluing the pieces down—just to make sure i liked how it looked. i layered the larger pieces on the bottom (thanks for the tip, cynthia!)
after some careful arranging and gluing, both sides of the journal were covered!
my favorite part:
next, i laminated the journal. cynthia had used contact paper, but i couldn’t find any. i picked up some laminating paper and it actually ended up working really well because if i messed up, i could peel it off without tearing the clippings from the journal. and yes, i messed up!
i trimmed the laminating paper to be just a bit bigger than the actual journal.
once the piece was cut, i removed the adhesive backing and carefully placed it on the journal.. this was the part where i messed up and got a lot of bubbles, but i was able to remove the paper and re-do it.
next, i trimmed the corners and folded them in.
and finally, i attached the pen using cynthia’s method.
voila! the finished product.
i wrote a nice note in the back and gave it to my mom, along with a vibram five fingers add letting her know marshall & i would be buying her a pair for her birthday!
she loved the journal, it was a hit!
i had a ton of fun making the journal—clipping out inspiring quotes, phrases, words and pictures was a good time. i want to make more! anyone need a workout journal?
Qs~
1. are you crafty? what was the last thing you made by hand?
2. where do you look for inspiration and motivation?
xo. janetha g.
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That is one of the most awesome crafty, personal gifts I’ve ever seen! I wish I was creative like that to think of something (and execute it!) for my mom. I think your lack of bday post is definitely excused ;)
I used to make journals like that all the time when I was younger. It’s fun to look at them now and see what pictures I used!
Janetha,
That is AWESOME! I bet your mom was even emotional when you gave her that, homemade gifts are the BEST kind of gift you can ever give! I love it! <3
Love you!
this is so cute!!!!!! love it.
What a thoughtful & awesome gift! !
my friend is OBSESSED with her vibrams, which I think I have mentioned on this blog before…. i bet your mama will love them!!
p.s. i love this font! :p
me too! i love the the lowercase a’s don’t have the swirly top part like with most fonts. that’s why i picked it.
wow im really dumb this morning. I was looking at your reply in my email and had to re-read your sentence maybe 5 times because the swirly TOP part WAS showing in my email. DUH! im not on your blog page… email = diff font.
hahaha i love you
What a sweet gift. :) And so dang impressive! I am not crafty. At all. But I desperately wish I was!
I’m not going to be making any “your mom” jokes for a while. Cuz I kinda want to be her right now!
Suuuuuuuuuuuper sweet gift, J! Happy happy birthday, Momma B! :)
Supah crafty lady! I’m so not – I can barely doodle on my to-do lists. :)
I look to my friends, other bloggers & quotes :)
LOVE the present you made Momma B!! That’s a really cool journal and a great idea. :)
I’ve actually made something similar before. I used to love doing collages and in high school and college I did that to several of my notebooks for classes.
I suppose I’m a bit crafty. Currently I am making all the paper flowers for my wedding. :)
this is the best gift – I bet Momma B loves it.
What a cute gift idea for you mom! I bet she just loved it so much! It turned out super cute! Happy belated birthday to your Mom!
I dont make “projects” like this as much as I used to now that Ive been bitten by the photography bug. Between recipe development, making the food, taking pics of it, editing them…or any of my photography projects I am working on…I spend all spare time or project time doing those things.
Or of doing art projects with Skylar and trace your hand type projects :)
Super cute gift for Momma B!
Personally, I think I’m crafty. The last crafty thing I made was a frame for my currently pregnant best friend. I used a wood frame and then hung a thin yellow ribbon with a baby carriage charm along the top. Can’t wait to get it to her!
You album looks so awesome! Love the concept! Your mamma is one lucky and loved lady :)
You are such a crafty and amazing daughter. I hope if I ever have a girl that she motivates me like you do for your mom :) Also – girl your outfit /w the belted cardi was supreme AND your arms are getting so buff….I am soooo envious – I’d be afraid if I saw you in person and you gave me a dirty look :P lol
Haha! Thanks! I don’t think my arms look very buff in that photo though..
That’s such a cool idea!!! Now can you make me one? ;)
Not as crafty as I used to be, but I’m on a little bit of a kick lately. I just found these cute DIY flower pins and I will not rest until I make one.
What a thoughtful and amazing gift!!! And the vibrams!! So cool. I am horrible at crafts
That journal is awesome! I want one for myself and I want to make one for my mom. Thanks for the idea!
LOVE!
Love everything about this. The love, You, your mom, your friendship/relationship, the journal, the Vibrams!, the fair.
Love, love, LOVE!
Happy [belated] Bday Momma B!
You are so thoughtful. I think that is such an awesome gift. I bet Momma B loved it, on this her 35th birthday. :)
Happy birthday to you, Momma B!!!
That is so cool and such a sweet + thoughtful gift. Happy birthday mama b!
I’ve actually been crafty this week too. I created a cute small binder to keep my workouts for classes I teach together organized… Because I have become so unorganized! The cuteness factor makes it fun.
No tribute needed – spending the time with you at the fair was awesome! Yes I know how much you love me and that means the world to me :)
You know me so well because yes I have been looking for some motivation to get going again….the journal AND those cool Vibrams will do the trick – can’t wait to go pick them out!
“you is kind, you is smart, you is important” as quoted in The Help and you are many more things too!
Love you TOO much xoxoxo!!!
What a great gift! Love the photo of you and momma b!!!
No, I don’t do enough craft projects. In fact, I can’t think of the last thing I made. Well, other than art projects with the toddler, but they don’t really count. Plus, his always look a LOT better than mine. No kidding.
You are so thoughtful. I love it!
What a great gift! It will definitely inspire her :)
Happy Birthday Momma B!!! How thoughtful of a present. I try to be crafty, but never seem to have the time. I have a lot of stuff that I don’t end up finishing. Pinterest is where I’m inspired now.
What a great idea! I am so going to make one of these, I love stuff like this!
That journal came out so great! I like to dabble in crafts from time to time. I like making seasonal wreaths the best.
happy birthday mamma B! you deserve the best and it looks like you got the best.
xxoo
happy bday mama b! i can be crafty when i want to be haha what a great gift for her! i usually make things that are functional not so much crafty (like the diy dip bar or making cheese at home…random). i look for inspiration within myself. i know i’ve got a great spirit and i just need to look deep sometimes and remind myself that these choices are worth it to live fully :)
I’m fairly crafty.
My last big project was my MIL’s bridal shower. It was tea party themed and I made garlands, paper poof balls, menu cards and invitations galore!
My favorite “craft” though is cooking and baking.
Inspiration is EVERYWHERE. :)
I love the journal you made your momma. So gosh darn cute.
I am the least creative person on the planet. LOL.
are you going to make one of these for deej? i’ll trade you for the free izze pack coup i just scored ;)
I’m so glad it worked out Janetha. I love that you included pictures of you and your mom! Hope she enjoyed it.
i looooooove crafts!! i have a collage the size of my bedroom wall with clippings and pictures of my friends during high school at my parents house. I use to make my friends collages or little unique nick-nacks for bdays and christmas instead of buying gift cards cause it showed the thought!
Inspiration, I look at people who are real, with real lives and real stress and real stories because I know if they can do it , I can too! I just wish it was a little easier sometimes, I’ve been struggling since I was 10 with my weight, as much as I play sports.. I know nothing worth it is easy but it could slack up just a little bit!
Happy birthday mamma b! It was my mom’s birthday on Monday and I was trying to think of something thoughtful to do for her when I go home in October! I used to do very similar collages in high school on my notebooks. There were lots more boys than inspirational quotes:) I have tons of magazines and my mom will love something homemade.
OKAy this is THE coolest thing ever! I love that idea of making it into a journal–i’ve done collages with clippings and stuff, but never into a journal! SUCH a great idea-thanks girl!
Happy Belated Birthday to Momma B!
That journal is super cute!
I haven’t been very crafty lately…unless you count creating a photo album on a website :)
What a great gift! :) I can be crafty if I put my mind to it. The last crafty idea I had was putting tulle in the bottom of small fish bowls and filling them with a little bit of water + red roses with the stems trimmed really short for my friend’s wedding rehearsal dinner.
I look to inspirational quotes and other blogs for inspiration! :)
happy belated bday to momma b! i bet she is going to love the vibrams – what a great gift idea…although the journal is the true winner!
i think it is absolutely perfect that you spent time with your mom and went to the fair instead of blogging. it shouldn’t be any other way!
i love to be crafty! i just made my niece a happy birthday card for her upcoming 5th bday. lots of pink and purple, stickers, sequins…it’s over the top and will be a hit with this little one!
Aw, what a great gift! I’m sure your mom LOVED it more than you even know!! And WOW- how beautiful is Momma B?? She’s amazing!
I am very close with my mom too and would LOVE for her to get in shape, but she makes excuses about being old, things hurting, etc. I wish she knew that you’re never “too old” to be in the best shape of your life!
Happy Birthday to Momma B! What a thoughtful gift that you made! I’m sure she loved it! :)
I have been getting some crafting projects together that I am going to do for my wedding. I’m planning on trying to diy a lot of the stationary items and various decor items for the wedding as a way to save money. I’m hoping they turn out alright! :)
What a great idea for a gift! I love it!
I am so not crafty. At all. I totally lack the patience for it.
love the inspirational journal idea!! you are so creative! love it!
we are crafty in the sense of making food haha we do not do much crafty things, it always looks fun! we are thinking of buying our mom some vibrams for her, she has bad feet and we think they will help strengthen her feet :)
What a sweet present for your mom! I love it.
I’m totally the same way…I have over 100 magazines laying around the house!!! It’s bad!
I’m only sort of crafty…my students at my job are crafty for me :)
This trumps a heart-felt post 10 fold!! Janetha, you must be the best daughter ever. This is such a cool idea! I have a couple long-term clients who this would make an excellent birthday present for:)
This is so great! I love how you didn’t do a post you thought you *should* but instead spent the day working for your mom and spending it with her! Blog schmog. ;) Mom’s are the best! I wish I was close enough to see mine regularly…it’ll be a year if we’re able to do Christmas together. There are deals on right now but Calgary’s just so far from San Francisco!
But I digress. ;) The book turned out SO great, Janetha! Love the idea and the end result definitely looks motivational, inspiring, and like a useable keepsake. Happy birthday to beautiful Momma B! :D
Oh my gosh, I love that workout journal you made, it is absolutely beautiful! :-D Sooo cool <3 Your mum must have been incredibly touched and over the moon! I would love a journal like that. And I love collaging with all my heart – once I covered my plain ikea desk in motivational health and wellness sayings like that – it was like my inspiration place. I LOVED it! :-D So much fun to make and enjoy! xyx
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