Creative Journals
Enhance your journaling practice or start fresh by crafting a personalized, handmade journal for creative writing, mindful reflection, or a meaningful gift.
Ready to start 2026 motivated by beauty you created? What better way than through using your own personal, handmade journal.
Participants will create a journal for themselves or one to give as a gift to someone special in their lives. Betty Shivers will guide the design process. As a special bonus: Birmingham’s 2025 Poet Laureate, Salaam Green, joins on the final day to encourage our creativity.
In the first class, participants will choose the paper and color of thread to cover the journal. This special paper is supplied by the Billie James Fund for the Arts and a variety has been preselected. All are gorgeous! Betty will be show participants how to cover the journal, using patterns.
In the second class, participants will choose an inspirational quote for their journal. Quotes will be provided or you can bring your own. You can write the quote on your journal or have Betty write it for you in her own creative style. Examples will be provided.
In the third class, you will recieve your completed journal after Betty has finished the final touches on it. It will be ready for you to write in or to wrap up nicely, just in time for Valentine’s Day gifts. Salaam Green will lead the group in a journaling exercise sure to kick off your 2026 creative expression!
Participants should bring their own scissors, a ruler, and a sharpened pencil with a clean eraser.
All other supplies, including the journals, are provided by the Billie James Fund for the Arts.
Dates and registration details:
Three Thursday Mornings January 15 - January 29, 2026
9:30 - 11:00 AM
Registration is full. Contact admin@thethresholdcenter.org if you would like to be on a waiting list.
The program is limited to 15 people.
The fee will increase to $75, but for those who register early, the cost is only $50. Information is available for partial or full scholarship if needed.
Hospitality Volunteer sign up is full.
Location: The beautiful and newly renovated Threshold Center at 3794 Crosshaven Drive, Vestavia Hills/ Cahaba Heights, AL 35223. Parking is free. Handicapped parking is available at the door.
Betty Shivers will facilitate this series.
Meet Betty
When people meet Betty, they instantly are drawn to her kind smile and internal steadiness. She’s no-nonsense, in the very best way! And she is giving of her time to so many causes that we are fortunate to squeeze in threeThursdays with her.
Betty likes creative projects, from Swedish weaving and sewing, to using paper, pen and pencils to create cards, calendars, and journals.
As a retired high school math teacher, Betty loves to teach and to help others learn, by creating a handmade gift or by sharing in a book study.
One of Betty’s favorite quotes is from rom Maya Angelou, “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” Let’s create more with Betty’s guidance.
