Garden of Life Memory Journal Page Idea for Donate Life Month
Looking for a way to observe National Donate Life Month? All the inspiration you need to create a beautiful memory journal page is in this post! This “Garden of Life” journal page uses Donate Life Blue and Green Day colors with stamps and highlighters.
There were so many things that inspired this journal page. Most importantly I wanted to honor my brother who passed while waiting for a lung transplant. I also wanted to do my part in raising awareness of the importance of registering to become an organ, eye and tissue donor.
So creating this memory journal page in April was the perfect time to honor the Gift of Life!
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This booklet is housed in my creative journal travelers notebook and this memory keeping spread was inspired by the “Garden of Life” theme from the National Donate Life month banner for 2021. I absolutely loved the concept of the garden, the insects and that they serve as symbols of hope, courage and transformed life.
This memory journal page was created and dedicated to my brother and to those selfless individuals who have already saved lives through the gift of donation.
Supplies Used
I created my memory journal page inside of the April 2021 kit journal (narrow size) from Cocoa Daisy. Christine offers beautiful monthly kits in a multitude of sizes. If you ever wanted to start journaling or memory keeping be sure to check out Cocoa Daisy!
- Narrow Travelers Notebook Insert Dot Grid (similar)
- Clear Leaves Stamps (similar)
- Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Shabby Shutters
- Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Mowed Lawn
- Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Peeled Paint
- Ladybug Block Stamp (similar)
- Acrylic Stamping Blocks
- Clear Stamp Cleaner
- Mildliner Highlighters (blue and green)
- Shimmery Enamel Dots (similar)
- Shimmery Glitter Gel Pen (similar)
- Butterfly Rub-On Transfers (similar)
- Pilot G2 Gel Pen Black
The decision to donate life is a big one and I’ll admit I was a bit intimidated by this blank page. So I decided to start in the center and work outward.
I recreated the Donate Life logo using Mildliner highlighters, alphabet stickers and alpha stamps from Cocoa Daisy. Once that center design was done the rest of the page came together quite easily. The next step was getting the border created of all the different leaf-shaped stamps in varying colors of green.
Since every garden has bugs and insects I decided to add in a few dragonflies (which remind me of my brother). To create them I used the enamel dots for the body of the dragonfly and a shimmery glitter gel pen to create the wings. Of course what garden is complete without some butterflies and ladybugs too!
Did you know the butterfly is a symbol of lung transplant? Check out the Celebrate Life Butterfly Travelers Notebook Planner Setup post for the full story! To finish my journal page, I plan to use a light gray gel ink pen to write a journal entry in all the white space between the two pages.
Over the years, I have created many journal pages dedicated to remembering my brother and his life. My first journal page ever created was the Breathe Memory Journal Spread Using Watercolor Lettering and Vintage Stamp.
My Inspiration
The movement to raise awareness of organ and tissue donation has an especially personal meaning for me. My older brother needed a double lung transplant, but sadly lost his battle in 1998 because of the organ shortage.
In the year before he passed I spent all my non-working time learning as much as I could about transplant and fundraising. I also learned a lot about just how many people struggled with the costs’ associated with transplant.
I will always support raising awareness of causes close to my heart. These days, I do that through conversation, social media, my own creative journaling, memory keeping and, planner page spreads.
If you are on the transplant list or have already received your gift of life, memory keeping is a great way to record your journey. You can enter your daily thoughts, good days, bad days, special people you meet, even your experience leading up to and after transplant. There is no limit to memory keeping -it’s your journal, it’s all about your perspective and preserving your memories.
Need a little starting point? Check out my post Celebrate Life Butterfly Travelers Notebook Planner Setup.
National Observances for Donate Life Month
During the month of April there are a variety of observances and celebrations surrounding this movement. Be sure to check out the Donate Life website for the specific days each year.
- National Donate Life Month
- National Donate Life Blue & Green Day
- Blue & Green Spirit Week
- National Pediatric Transplant Week
Did you know that 95% of Americans are in favor of being a donor but only 58% are registered. I ask that you take some time today and hop over to the Donate Life website and use the link to register to become an organ donor.
Just as equally important is having this conversation with your loved ones so they know what your wishes are. The month of April isn’t the only time to raise awareness for the Gift of Life. You can talk about registering to become a donor and donating the gift of life any day or time of the year!
If you are inspired to create a journal page for National Donate Life month don’t forget to share by tagging me on Instagram and using #btdinspired, I’d love to see your work (and I just might repost your photo)!
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