Want to make your own DIY gratitude notebook? This folding gratitude journal combines mindfulness with hands-on crafting — featuring moon and star patterns, morning and evening gratitude sections, and a wire-bound spine that folds flat on your desk. It’s the perfect project for anyone who loves making custom planners and journaling tools.
Keeping a gratitude journal on your desk serves as a gentle reminder to appreciate the little things and find joy in the everyday. It’s a powerful tool for shifting your perspective, reducing stress, and inviting positivity into your life.
In this step-by-step tutorial, you’ll learn how to design gratitude pages in Planify Pro, print covers on sticker paper, and assemble everything with wire binding. If you’re new to bookbinding, start with our guide to book binding methods for a full overview of techniques.
What you’ll need to prepare before crafting your DIY gratitude notebook:
| Paper to print out the Notes Pages — see our best printers for planners guide for recommendations |  Chipboard / Book Board ×2 |  Sticker Paper |
 Binding Wires |  Cinch Binding Machine |
Design Your DIY Gratitude Notebook
Create a New Planner
Create a new planner in Planify Pro with a half-page A5 size.
Design Morning Gratitude Section
On the left side, design the morning gratitude section using widgets. Here are the widgets you will need and how to style them: Horizontal box widget with one row for “Today’s Focus” Copy the horizontal box widget and rename it to “Today’s Affirmation” Notes widget with a styled outline for the “What I’m Grateful for Today” section Lined notes widget with six rows for “What I’m Excited About Today” section
Design Evening Gratitude Section
Do the same thing on the right side to create the evening gratitude section.
Once you are happy with the design, export the digital planner as a PDF.
Print the Inserts
Print the PDF on A4 paper and cut it in half to create inserts.
Design and Print the Covers
Design the front and back covers on separate pages in Planify Pro.
Export the front and back covers as separate PDFs.
Print the front and back covers on white glossy sticker paper at 115% or 120% scale.
Bind Your DIY Gratitude Notebook
Now it’s time to assemble your gratitude journal using wire binding. This technique creates a professional folding notebook that sits flat on your desk. If you’d like to explore other binding options, see our tutorials for half-hidden wire binding or signature binding with Coptic stitch.
Prepare the Materials
Cut down the printed inserts to size.
Trim off the white sides of the front and back cover sticker paper.
Apply Chipboard to Front Cover
Peel off the sticker paper and place the chipboard in the middle.
Fold the sides of the sticker paper using a ruler or spatula.
Prepare the Back Cover
Cut down white glossy sticker paper to a size slightly smaller than the cover and place it on the back side of the back cover.
Use a bone folder to create a crease for folding.
Bind the Notebook
Punch holes on the sides of the cover, inserts, and back cover.
Final Assembly
Insert the wires through the holes and close them.
More DIY Planner & Notebook Tutorials
Enjoyed making this DIY gratitude notebook? Explore these other handmade planner and notebook projects:
DIY Half-Hidden Wire Notebook Create a professional wire-bound notebook with a hidden spine technique How to Make a DIY Lay-Flat Sketchbook Create a sketchbook with PVA binding that opens completely flat DIY Tarot Planner Box Tutorial Build a handmade planner box with wire-bound inserts and custom tarot cards DIY Booklet Binding Tutorial: Signature Binding Master the Coptic stitch for sewing professional booklets DIY Double-Door Christmas Planner Double wire binding with a folding holiday cover design Book Binding Methods Guide Compare wire, coil, PVA, and signature binding techniques
What you need to get started
 Chipboard / Book Board |  Guillotine Paper Cutter | Cinch Binding Machine |
Binding Wires | Sticker Paper |  Cardstock Paper |
