Like most of you, I’ve been blessed with amazing parents who taught me the importance of gratitude at a very young age. No matter what was going on we acknowledged our blessings 365 days a year in prayers, notes of thanks, and service. As soon-to-be parents ourselves (our first son is due in February), my husband and I have started thinking about fun and unique ways to teach our kids to show their gratitude. So today I’d like to share a few trendy tips for showing thanks during the holiday season and beyond.Gratitude Journal. I love this beautifully embossed journal from RedVelvetArt.com. It ties closed with a clever bow and arrow and is the perfect place to record a daily thought of thanks. I have volumes of journals from my youth (none as cute as this) that help me remember all my many blessings each time I read them. No matter how bad my day has been this is a quick and easy pick me up that is totally free of charge!
Orange Embossed Bow & Arrow Journal
Tom the Turkey. Knitting, felting, and crocheting are all the rage, so use a few of these supplies hanging around the house to create a home décor item your children will adore! Wrap yarn around Styrofoam balls, embellish with felt, and let your kids do the rest. Have each child write several things they’re grateful for on a cardstock feather. This turkey will not only be a great addition to your fall décor, but a great lesson in thanks giving for your little ones.
What a Turkey from Parents.comStone Centerpiece. Create a simple centerpiece for any family dinner that will help you and your guests count their blessings. Have each guest write one word on a stone stating something they’re grateful for. Then display the rocks down the middle of the table. Not only is this a great conversation starter, but a simple and trendy way decorate your table. For more festive centerpiece ideas check out this segment from last week’s Rachel Ray Show (I found all of Libby Langdon’s ideas totally inspiring.)
Stone CenterpieceThankful Tree. Bring nature indoors with this trendy and economical tree project from Paper Crafting with Kids. Cover an oatmeal canister with patterned paper, trim a few branches from a tree, and ask your family and friends to record their blessings on a cardstock leaf. This design could easily be changed for Christmas by swapping out the leaves for ornaments punched from patterned paper.
Thankful Tree from Paper Crafts Magazine's special issue Paper Crafting with Kids Letterpress Thank Yous. I recently had the chance to play with the new Letterpress tool from Lifestyle Crafts. I fell in love with this luxuriously classic technique and am now drawn to all things letterpress. This thank you note card set from Lucky Bee Press really caught my eye with its crisp lines and trendy colors and motifs. Sending a note of thanks on this beautiful stationery is sure to brighten my day as well as my recipient’s.
Fortunately, showing gratitude is never really out of style. So use one of these ideas or come up with something all your own to express your thanks this holiday season. I know I’d be remiss if I didn’t take this chance to express my love and gratitude for my handsome husband, sweet baby boy, parents, siblings, and friends. I’m also grateful for my faith, my amazing job, and the beautiful creations and people I get to interact with each day.I know you are all equally blessed. Drop me a line by midnight MST on Sunday, November 29 telling me what you are grateful for and I’ll randomly select one winner to win an assortment of paper crafting goodies.
Yours in gratitude,
Brandy
PS Cath wanted me to remind you that the Christmas in the Old Country Challenge is ongoing! Check it out and upload your projects here by Monday, December 7!
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160 comments:
I'm so thankful for my family and friends and our health.......everything else really doesn't matter does it!
I'm thankful for my husband, children and grandbabies. Another granddaughter was born to us last week. Mom and baby are doing beautiful. I am rich in gratefulness.
I am grateful that I have my cousin's cell phone number so I can call her repeatedly tomorrow since this is my first time cooking thanksgiving dinner! lol
I am grateful for so many things....my family is first and foremost. I am very grateful too that I can enjoy such a fun paper crafting hobby that involves so many wonderful online 'friends' who continue to inspire.
i'm grateful for having found an iota of peace in a crazy world. my life may not be perfect, but i am so happy to have the security, stability, a loving, nurturing family environment that many others do not have. i am very lucky. :)
happy thanksgiving, Cath and the PC gang!
I am thankful for family and friends. Especially the kind of friends that host Thanksgiving dinner!
Last night I finished a blessings jar for our family.
I'm thankful that I live in a country that supports non-discrimination and freedom of choice.
I'm grateful for family & friends (both near & far) & am thankful that my husband & I have good jobs at this time.
My husband and children are what I am most thankful for. They make my life rich beyond words. Health and happiness are a close 2nd. :)
I am truly blessed with a wonderful husband and children. I am thankful for family, friends and our good health.
I am so thankful for my dear husband, my lovely childrens, my family, friends, for a new day and the best of all, my great and dear GOD that always guides me in every step I make.
I am blessed beyond measure, and don't know where to begin. I am so thankful for my family, friends, and good health. That's pretty much the important things! God has been very good to us! Happy Thanksgiving to Brandy and Cath, and their PaperCrafts family!!!
I'm thankful for everyone in my life...especially my healthy and happy kids!
a healthy family!
I have so much to be thankful for. But I'm most grateful for my family and friends. Have a wonderful thanksgiving and thanks for the chance to win :)
We do a THANKSgiving tree every year ! We get a tree branch that and glue it into some foam that's stuck in a metal flower pot , cover with moss. The kids cut leaves out of paper. Each night, we write something we are Thankful for on a leaf, read them aloud before we eat and then hang them on the tree.
I am thankful for a wonderful husband that is so thoughtful and enjoys taking me golfing on Thanksgiving Day and even sat through the screening of New Moon!
Brandi
I'm so thankful for my husband and children, our home and health, and for all of the blessings that we are given every day.
I am most thankful for my faith, my family and my friends! Happy Thanksgiving!
I'm very thankful for my friends and family because without them I'm not sure where I would be at this point in my life.
I am grateful for my family and for coming through a major surgery last week safely
I am Thankful for my family and to be alive this year.
I am thankful for salvation, my darling husband and daughter and a blessed family.
I am thankful for my healthy and happy family. It's been a rough 2009, and I'm looking forward to 2010 as a fresh start!
so thankful for the little moments with my family. They really add up and make for some of the best memories of my life:)
I am thankful for each day...
I'm grateful that my sons, daugher-in-law, 16 month old grandson, and mom live close to my husband and me! God is so good...all of the time!
I am so thankful for our new home and that our move went smoothly. Our 4 year-old was very nervous and he is doing much better now. Yeah!
I am grateful that my sister, who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, found it at Stage One and her prognosis is very good. Family is everything!
I am thankful for technology and the opportunity to read this blog and experience crafting greatness!
Happy Thanksgiving
I'm grateful for the fact that my family is all right with having steak on Thanksgiving instead of turkey. I cannot make a decent turkey.
i am thankful for a healthy family who i love and adore!!! thank you!
tina
I'm thankful for family most of all. And Im thankful to Cath and all the contributors who make Moxie Fab my number 1 stop every morning.
Brandy -
What great ideas, I love the yarn turkey. I'm thankful for my family, for the fact that my 102 year old grandmother is still with us.
Elaine Allen
I'm really grateful for a couple of much needed days off work to go spend time with family.
So much to be thankful for! I have some awesome family and friends along with two hilarious and beautiful kids. I'm truly grateful for everyone in my life and for their support. Life is so much easier and fun with them!
I'm thankful for family and friends in both good times and bad.
I am thankful for my absolutely wonderful, loving husband!
I also am thankful for my family. I would not be who I am today without them. They make me complete. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
I am thankful for the freedom to be me. This freedom has allowed me to grow artistically.
I am thankful for family and friends! Living so far away from all of them makes that so much more evident to me!!!!
i am grateful for so much this year. My dh still has a job, we have food and a roof over our head. Im grateful for family and blessed to have such wonderful friends
I'm so very thankful for a happy, healthy family!
I am forever thankful for health friends and family. I am also blessed with a good job and a wonderful life so I can enjoy my craftiness.
My God, my family, my health and my friends!
I am most grateful for my husband and daughter...lately I've been surrounded by divorce and separation and it breaks my heart....
Abby:)
I'm grateful for my children and my husband, that we have steady employment and family close by.
I am so thankful for my family, my fiance, having a job in this tough market, and my co-workers. I am tremendously blessed this Thanksgiving 2009!
I'm gratefull for a little daughter who calls me on my way to work to ask if I can put her hair in a ponytail, because Daddy's not very good at it.
I am thankful for my adorable family :)
I have so much to be thankful for--that is why I love love love NOVEMBER/THANKSGIVING!!! As always- I am thankful for my Creator and Saviour! Without Him...I would have nothing else. I am also thankful for my husband and our families....and SOOOOO much more!
Although I'd take it, wealth means nothing if we don't first have health, so again this Thanksgiving I am most thankful for our blessings of good health. Happy Thanksgiving!!!
I'm really grateful for my health and for my children and husband's health. There is no amount of money that can make up for that.
I'm thankful for my family, and that some of us are able to be together for the holidays. It's been a difficult year for one family member's health, and I'm so thankful that she's remained strong. :)
I am so very grateful for my family and our health!
Happy Thanksgiving! I am so grateful for a wonderful country, city, and neighborhood to live in! And for all of you too!
I am thankful for my family, friends and good health.
I'm thankful that my husband has a job this year. I'm thankful for our little one (she's our first). She has brought so much joy to our lives that I didn't know was possible. I'm thankful for my parents and for my in-laws who have helped out so much this year.
I am thankful that I am loved, by my husband, family & friends!
I am thankful that I am loved, by my husband, family & friends!
i'm so grateful for my daughter adelle who is so close to really walking on her own! she is the happiest baby i have ever known and i am so blessed to be with her everyday. she alone has gotten me through a very trying time for the past 6 months.
I am grateful for my husband (our first Thanksgiving as husband and wife) and our families. Those ideas you showcased are great! Can't wait to someday have kids to try them out and congrats on your little one! :)
I'm thankful for my husband, my pup and our family. Even though we are not spending the holiday with our families this year, we are having our neighbors over for dessert afterwards so I am thankful also for wonderful neighbors!
I am so grateful for my supportive husband. He works very hard. I am grateful for my healthy family and spending time with them. I am Thankful for being able to stay home and be there for my elderly parents. I am thankful that I still have my parents around me for the Holiday Season. :)
I am grateful for such wonderful family & friends. :)
I am thankful for the wonderful family that the Lord has Blessed me with! :)
Oh, these are wonderful ideas to reming you of being grateful! I so grateful for my husband and family.
I am so grateful for my wonderful husband and family and that everyone is healthy. I am grateful for a roof over our head, food to eat, shoes on our feet and clothes to keep us warm, when so many in the world go without basic necessities. I am grateful for the ability to help others in some small way, either by volunteering or donation.
Today (and tomorrow) I am very thankful for someone ELSE hosts the get-together.
~Shari R.
I'm grateful for my family, friends, job, dogs, and health!
I am so thankful for my family (especially my grandchildren)and good health which we seem to take for granted.
I'm grateful my mom is coming for Thanksgiving.
I'm so thankful for my wonderful husband and 3 kids!
Rachel in Spooner, WI
I'm blessed with GREAT friends that I made through my card-making! For that, I'm very thankful :)
I'm so incredibly grateful for my happy and healthy family. They keep me on my toes but that's what keeps my life interesting :)
I am so blessed this year! I am thankful for my faith, my wonderful husband, our amazing cat, our families and friends who support us unconditionally, that we have good jobs and live in a wonderful city, and that we have amazing hobbies that keep us sane when the crazies of life pop up. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!
thankful for my family, my husband,my children and especially for God, he helped me through another year!
I'm thankful for my Healthy and Happy family!!
I am thankful for my family, they are so special to me. Also my awesome co-workers and my best friends!
I am most thankful for my healthy family! I love that I have freedom of religion and can express my crafting talents.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
I'm truly thankful for my amazing husband and sweet little boys who think that I deserve a little craft time every day!
I am always grateful for my wonderful and supportive family but I am also grateful for all the sharing crafty bloggers who inspire me with their creations.
I am grateful for everything that is part of my life. The happy, the difficult, the sad, the fun...it is all a good gift from God.
I'm thankful for my life. I have such a tendency to focus on the little annoyances rather than remembering that I have really been given everything I could ever hope for in my home and family.
I am so thankful for my husband. He is my joy and I love him so much.
That turkey is C-U-T-E!! Thanks for sharing!
I am certainly grateful for many things... my family most of all. Thanks!
I'm grateful for good health and awesome blogs like this one!
I'm thankful for my wonderful children and sweet hubby ! Thankful for feeling happy each day of my life ^-^
I am grateful that my friends and family are all reasonably healthy and that all were lucky enough to have come through these difficult times well.
I'm grateful for every moment of every day in this amazing world that has my darling little boy living in it. He is my greatest blessing and my husband and I are so glad he has come into our lives.
I am grateful to the Lord for so many blessings: family, home, opportunities to serve.
I am thankful for so many things, especially my four terrific grandchildren!
I am thankful that I have a happy and fulfilling life with my lovely husband and children. I am also thankful that we are healthy.
I'm so thankful for my family, my faith and our happy home!
I am grateful for the doctors who brought me through my second Brain Surgery in less than 18 months and home to my family in time for the Holidays...my family was told to tell me goodbye the first time around so it is a blessing and gift that we are all together and looking forward with hope and courage.
Tracy D. jdaytt@nctv.com
That Turkey is hilarious. What a great idea. I always carry a gratitude journal around. It's a good way to remind myself how lucky/fortunate I am. I am most thankful for a healthy loving family.
I am thankful everyday for my loving family and friends who support me. I am grateful for our health and for each and every day. And I'm thankful for people like you who help to inspire creativity!
I am thankful most of all for my family. I am also grateful for the gifts I have been given (faith, talents, a brain) that allow me to enjoy each and every day!
I love the thankful stones as a centerpiece. I am thankful for my health, my husband, my children, and our financial circumstances that allow us to be "ok" despite losing my job last June. Happy Thanksgiving, and thanks for the chance to win.
I'm thankful for my loving husband and wonderful son. I'm also thankful for supportive, encouraging parents!
I'm so grateful for my husband my son and my health. I truly blessed.
I am so thankful for my family, really, nothing else matters does it? Well, except for Jesus!!
I am thankful for my health.
I have been told by more than one person that I am a very strong woman, and I am thankful for that also.
DeniseB
At this moment, I am thankful for awesome blogs that are filled with inspiration from so many sources. It's so uplifting. Thank you.
Brandy this was a beautiful post.
Wishing you and your family a Very Happy Thanksgiving.
Wow, so much to be thankful for ~ My faith, family, friends and living in the USA!
i am thankful that for my husband and son...both who give me so much
I am so thankful for my family and friends! I was finally able to come home for Thanksgiving this year and am really thankful for the opportunity to reunite with my large, fun, and loving family!
I'm thankful for my loved ones, for the food on our table, and for the roof over our heads. Today I am especially thankful that we found an orthopedic surgeon who was kind enough to squeeze us in as his last appointment to look at my son's finger. He is scheduling emergency surgery on Friday even though he will have a house full of relatives visiting from out of state. I am thankful that he didn't make us wait one day longer for there is a fear that my son will lose mobility in his finger and he is only 11 years old. So I am thankful for caring doctors and all those who are there to help us.
I am very thankful for my loving family and friends...and especially thankful this year that although my car was totaled in a 4-car accident two days ago- none of the drivers, including me, were injured! I am so very blessed in many ways!
I am grateful for my family friends and my job!
Sandra
Fantastic ideas! I'm thankful for my sweet husband. He's the best (of course I'm biased).
I am thankful for all of my blessings and the greatest of those are my family!
I'm so thankful for my relationship with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then I'm blessed and thankful for my wonderful family.
I'm grateful to be able to find things to be grateful for each and every day, no matter how hard life gets.
glutenfreebay[at]gmail [dot]com
i'm thankful for having an amazing and wonderful partner... who loves to scrapbook with me!
2silverwings[at]gmail[dot]com
I am always thankful for my health, family and friends. I am also thankful for discovering such a creative hobby when I discovered paper crafting. I love making things for people and watch the smile on their faces when I give it to them.
I am grateful for my sweet baby boys. I love them to death!!
I have so many blessings in my life- at the top of my list are my husband and kids, our health, and the ability to provide for our needs. It's great to read what others are thankful for too. Happy Thanksgiving!
I am VERY grateful for my famiy & friends & for our health! Happy Thanksgiving!
I'm thankful for family who helps me with the things that I'm unable to do!
Blessings,
Christine
There are SO many things for which I am thankful, but I am most thankful for a loving God Who sent His Son to die for me. Without Him, nothing else would matter!
Happy Thanksgiving! So many things to be thankful for, health of our family is at the top of the list this year.
Definitely thankful for family and friends.
Choosing just one thing for which to be thankful is not easy. I am so blessed by family, friends, health, happiness and and the love of God. Thank you, as well, for sharing your talents.
I am deeply grateful for my smart, kind, healthy, considerate son!
I am thankful for my loving, healthy, stable family.
I am thankful for family and friends and for the love of God.
I am thankful for my family and all the joy they bring to my life.
I am grateful for my parents + health. Both have been very good to me. And for my crafting abilities, they keep me sane! :D
What a nice heartfelt post!So many nice ideas to express thanks. Me I am thankful for everything every day and try not to forget that!!
I'm grateful for my sweet sweet babies who have completed me.
For my crazy, silly, funny kids, my awesome hubby who is the love of my life, and wonderful true friends.
I am grateful to have all of my children and grandchildren together for the day.
FAMILY!!! and lots more...but I couldn't live without my family! LOVE 'em all!
I am thankful for my family and my faith.
I am thankful for my Savior and my DH and DS.
I am so thankful for a job that keeps food on my table!! (albeit less food than it used to ; ) I have been abundantly blessed in so many parts of my life. I am grateful to my Maker and humbled by the responsibilities I have in this life.
I'm so thankful for my very helpful husband and my wonderful children and my faith.
family!!
my family and friends.
I'm grateful that me & my boyfriend are fortunate enough to have a nice place to live and food to eat while there's so many homeless people out there, and for the love of our lives, our pug, Cinnamon. :)
I'm thankful for so much in life. Everything from health to family, friends and good neighbors! Congrats on the upcoming baby in your life! :)
I am very thankful for my family and friends and all the other many blessings God gives us (particularly the beauty of nature and OF COURSE food!). I am thankful to live in the great country that is Australia.
I'm so thankful my mom survived a stroke two weeks ago. Also, thankful for my family's love during this time. :)
I'm thankful for my family and their support.
love the rocks and leaf tree projects. so wonderful!
I am most grateful for my precious family and God who continually blesses me.
I am grateful for my family, friends and my health. It really is everything that matters...
I'm thankful for family and friends. =)
I am so thankful for family and my wonderful boyfriend. I've never been with someone that treats me so right! I've had some bad experiences in that area. I feel very blessed.
I am so grateful for my family and my grandson who will arrive in 2010!! Add to that my friends, my faith, and the beautiful nature around me and I can find no want in my life.
I'm thankful that my family is in good health and that we all have warm beds to sleep in at night.
thankful for friends and family who shared Thanksgiving with us and made it simple the best one ever.
I'm thankful for my family, friends and loved ones, the food on our table, the roof over our heads, the talents that each one of us contribute to a better life, and for the knowledge that there is always reason to be hopeful. XOXO
Always thankful for a God and Savior who loves me everyday and forever.
Thankful blessings!
Kim Marie
So many of my friends have lost their parents lately so I am very thankful that I am blessed to still have mine.
There are so many things I have to be grateful for my husband, faith, family, friends, heath, and my job.
thankful for my 2 healthy & happy little boys and for a great hubby who treats me like a queen!
I am thankful for my Children, and grandchildren...and my health to keep up with them. I am thankful that I can see all of my Kids and grandkids this Holiday because the weather was nice enought for us to travel.
I am thankful that I have so much to be thankful for, I don't know where to start! :-)
I am thankful for our family, friends and their continued health and happiness.
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