How to Print Flawless Gratitude Journaling Cards at Home | Pockets Full of Blessings

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At Sew Worthy Mama, I make patterns designed with motherhood in mind, and my newest pattern is my best yet. Pockets Full of Blessings is now available! The pattern is the perfect recipe for a new family tradition – it includes a quilted table runner with pockets, printable gratitude journaling cards, and a keepsake pouch pattern, too! Read more about the pattern and how to use it to create new family traditions this year, here.

The included printable gratitude journaling cards are the heart of the new family tradition you can build with the Pockets Full of Blessings pattern. There are four designs included:

• Unlined (best for pre-writers to draw their blessings)
• Tri-lined (best for early writers) with prompts for name, year, and age. 
• Lined (best for older kids and adults)
• Provided with and without “is thankful for” prompt

The Keepsake Pouch pattern (also included!) is meant to collect and save your family’s cards year after year. So, you’ll want to make sure that your cards are perfect! But…how? With just a couple tools, you can print and cut perfect cards quickly and easily.

Let's take a look at two cards: the one on the left I cut with scissors by hand, and the one on the right I used the tools in this post. The difference is subtle but impactful.

I’m going to assume that you already have a printer at home, but in case you don’t and you’re in the market, I use a Canon Pixma. It’s also a copier which is nice to have on hand for foundation paper piecing patterns. You can also send the PDF to a commercial printer like Staples. I included written permission to print for personal use at the bottom of the cover page, so you shouldn’t have issues.

First, Paper

Choose a cardstock that will coordinate with your pattern. If you use a white or off-white fabric, consider a matching cardstock. You can also go with Kraft cardstock for a more casual look.

Recommended cardstocks:

• Park Lane 65 lb Double Sided Cardstock (50 pages of white or several 50 page color variety pack options)
• Astrobrights 65 lb Bright White Cardstock (75 pages)
• Recollections 65 lb Kraft Cardstock (50 pages)

Next, Cut

Once you have your cards printed on nice cardstock, you’ll need to cut them out. Now, of course, you can freehand it (with your paper scissors!), but if you want to get a really precise edge, I highly recommend the Fiskars Sure-Cut Paper Trimmer. Or, for a couple more dollars, this one is a bit bigger and has a life-time warranty.

The trimmer has a thin string that lays across your paper to show where it will cut. Use it to line up your cards just a hair's breadth in from the edge. This will ensure you won't see any of the gray line left on the edge of your cards.

I have used this trimmer around the house for a million different craft projects and stuff over the years (mine is black because it’s older, but it’s the same brand). It has a little metal cord that you line up with the line you want to cut on, and then you just push the blade down the track, and voila! Straight-cut edges, aligned perfectly with your printed lines.

Last, Punch

Now you have cards with perfect edges, but they’re left with curves marked for the corners. Again, feel free to freehand it, but if you want a quick and easy solution–especially if you are making lots of cards at once–try out this corner rounder punch. 

Practice on scrap paper a few times. You have to make sure your paper is inserted at a 90 degree angle, otherwise it will punch into the card past where you want. Practice a few times and you’ll get the hang of it quickly. Check to see if the paper will wiggle any before you push the punch. It shouldn't budge if it's in at the right angle.

The punch can cut 3 sizes of curves. The 10mm size is perfect for these cards! Just punch, punch, punch, and you’ll have perfect gratitude journaling cards in no time! No one will guess you printed them at home yourself.

Quotes, Too

For a bit of added interest, I included a set of 8 quote cards that coordinate perfectly with the gratitude journaling cards.

The printable quote cards include these inspirational insights on gratitude:

• “I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
• “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” -G.K. Chesterton
• “Wear gratitude like a cloak, and it will feed every corner of your life.” -Rumi
• “O Lord that lends me life, lend me a heart replete with thankfulness.” -William Shakespeare
• "Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some." -Charles Dickens
• “One single grateful thought raised to Heaven is the most perfect prayer.” -G.E. Lessing
• “Love casts out fear, and gratitude can conquer pride.” -Louisa May Alcott
• “Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.” -A.A. Milne

The quote cards can be printed, cut, and punched exactly like the journaling cards that are included in the pattern.

Count Down with Advent

This set of 26 Advent cards are used to count down the days before Christmas. They feature 24 names of Jesus with scripture references for each. Plus one card to explain and start Advent and one for Christmas Day.

Read more about using the Advent cards with your table runner, HERE.

Collect and Save

Tuck your gratitude journaling cards into your handmade Pockets Full of Blessings table runner. Choose a day, maybe Thanksgiving, or a different day that works best for your family, and open a conversation with your family about your blessings. 

As you fill these cards out together, year after year, you’ll build a beautiful collection of each family member’s gratitude. Imagine looking back year after year as your kids or grandkids grow up and showing them what they were thankful for at age 2, 3, 4…

The Pockets Full of Blessings pattern includes a Keepsake Pouch to collect and save all your cards in, year after year, slowly building a precious heirloom. 

TL;DR

Here's the cliff notes:

• Pockets Full of Blessings Pattern
• Cardstock
• Fiskars Paper Trimmer
• Corner Punch
• Quote Cards
• Done!

I hope you are filled with joy as you make the Pockets Full of Blessings table runner, gratitude journaling cards, and Keepsake Pouch. May you and your family be blessed in your time together.

Related Posts:

• More Than Just a Table Runner | Pockets Full of Blessings
• Check out my post on the Riley Blake Blog all about making Pockets Full of Blessings using their Bee Cross Stitch line of fabrics!
• Pattern Testers | Pockets Full of Blessings
• Helpful Notions | Rulers and more to make sewing this pattern an absolute breeze
• How to Quilt a Pie | The perfect pie to match your Pockets Full of Blessings table runner for your Thanksgiving table
• Advent Cards and Pockets: A Christmas Table Runner Tradition -- Ideas for how to use your Advent cards to count down to Christmas