Chirped by Cass

It’s early yet in 2018, and still a good time to set your intentions for the rest of the year.  I wanted to do something new with my annual resolutions.  Come January, I always list my goals for the year in my journal, close the book and put it away in my drawer.  Next January rolls around and out comes the journal: I look at what I wrote down the previous year, see if anything got done or changed, and then create my list again for the new year.

But what did I really accomplish with my list?  Who knows…it was stuck in my drawer.  Did I pull it out during the year and see if I was on track with any of my goals?  No!  So this year, I decided I needed to change the routine and create something different.  I am such a visual person, I really needed to put my goals on display …somewhere I would view them every day- a collection of my ideas and inspirations.  I had recently seen a pin on creating a vision board and then I knew that this project was for me.

List- First, I wrote down some of my goals for the year.  These were general ideas I wanted to concentrate on in my life such as eating healthier, creating a blog, keeping family first, etc.  This list might also be items or things you want, experiences you wish to have, skills you want to develop, or things you value in your life.  Next, I listed any specific goals I wanted to accomplish or do such as completing two travel scrapbooks for the past two years…hmmm I’m just a little behind on my scrapbooking tasks.

Gather- I started gathering pictures from my photos, images from magazines and greeting cards, quotes from the internet…basically things I loved looking at and items that related to my goals.  I put them into a file I kept by my desk until I was ready to put my board together.

If you have phrases that inspire you, but you don’t love your own handwriting, create them on the computer and print them out.  Put in photos or clippings that you enjoy as well, such as your favorite flower or a picture of a sunset behind your house.  Not all the images have to relate to your goals, you may use them just to fill some blank spaces on your board.

One day I was at an antique shop with my girlfriend.  She was shopping for an old window to make into a bulletin board.  I found a painted window, without the glass, but with some of the old screen attached to it, and thought it would make a great frame for my vision board.

Prepare- I pulled out a scrap piece of black illustration board that fit the frame of the window and used it as a base to put my images on.  

Determine what size board you want and how are you going to display it.  Is it going to be hung from a bulletin board, on a wall, is it going to be in a frame?

I got together the rest of my supplies needed to start the board such as glue sticks, scissors, fancy scissors, colored paper, pencils, markers, embellishments, numbers for the year made with my Cricut machine, and all the items I had gathered in my vision folder.  This is when I decided I wanted to share this experience and let my friends be creative too and put together their own boards.  So I had a Vision Board Party and created my board along with my friends…. Click this link if you want to see how I put the party together:  Hosting a Vision Board Party

Create- I started by just placing images on the board.  Some pieces were cut by special scissors, some were bordered by a different colored paper.  I tried to keep a color theme going throughout.  It was a lot of placing and rearranging the items until I felt that it was well balanced and looked good and then it was time to glue everything down.

Use markers and draw in your own words or images.  Use stickers or embellishments to add to your board.  Border your board or images with washi tape. There are so many materials, variations and personalities behind each board…remember that everyone’s board will look different.

Display- After my board was complete, I staple gunned it to the window frame (left the old screen attached to the frame-it added character) and hung it above my drafting table in the office where I can view it every day.

Find a spot where you can regularly enjoy your vision board, so it can be a reminder of your inspirations and goals for the year!