Monthly Archives: February 2013

Feb27

Everyday Journaling

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Everyday Journaling

I know journaling is hard for many people. Deciding what to say and how to say it is a huge mental roadblock. The thing is, most of us are writing all the time in our daily lives.

Do you chat and post updates on Facebook? Do you send emails to family and friends? Do you hang out on Twitter or Instagram or Pinterest? Do you make a list of errands to do for the day? How about shopping lists?

All these things can become sources for journaling on scrapbook pages.

Don’t believe me? Check out this page where I used some of a chat transcript as my journaling:

LOAD 28 Oct 2010 copy

 

Quick and simple, and captures quite a bit of the essence of my relationship with my sister. You could do the same thing with any social media.

Your errand and shopping lists? Excellent fodder for documenting your everyday life. Check out this list:

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This is a typical list my husband makes each week while going through the sales flyers. Add a few pictures from the grocery store trip, and maybe the receipt, and I’ll have a great slice of life captured.

It’s so important to document the details of your life. The conversations you have, the things you do and buy, the people and places in your life, they all change. Ten years from now, everything will be different, so document your everyday life. You won’t regret it!

 

Feb14

Five product challenge

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Five product challenge

Are you ready to see what I did with this:

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I’ve got a little video for you that shows you my process.

I hope you don’t mind puns. I can’t resist them.

I (mustache) you a (question)

What did you make with your five products? Which products did you use? Show me what you can do!

 

Feb11

Not Enough Supplies?

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Not Enough Supplies?

One of the problems I’ve heard from people who’ve said they want to scrapbook is that they don’t have enough supplies to make the kinds of pages they want to create. They’ve decided that they need to invest in a huge stash before they can make a single page.

Please don’t let this idea stop you.

basic tool kitAside from the basics (see my recommended products page) there’s very little you need besides photos and paper. Sure, you can use lots of different papers and 10 different types of embellishments, but you don’t need to do that in order to create beautiful pages with lots of meaning.

Pages I make typically use less than ten different products, and frequently less than five. On occasion I use more product, but that’s usually when I have more time, or when I am exploring a new technique. It can be very easy to create something lovely with a minimum of product.

Let’s challenge ourselves, shall we?

Using only five pieces of product, our basic tool kit, and a photo or two, let’s make a page.

Here’s what I will be using:IMG_4379

Because I simply have to use these photos:

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Go pick out some photos and product. Let’s get some pages made!

Feb8

Using a Sketch

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Using a Sketch

There are so many ways you can adapt this sketch to fit what you have. Some simple changes in products and photos, and it becomes an entirely different page.

sketch 1 pic

First let’s remind ourselves how a strict interpretation of the sketch looks:

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This is how a strict interpretation looks, in digital form:

true blue_final

Very different from the first page, just by using different papers and photo.

Now, how about a 12×12 instead of an 8.5×11? And down the left side instead of the right, with no strip separating the photo and journaling? Yep, same sketch. Same structure. (I used less product so more attention would be paid to the story and the jokes on the background paper. I love elephant and chicken jokes.)

DSCF2119 Here’s another version on the left, where the journaling/photo mat has been extended the height of the entire page, and the journaling is on strips, instead of being separated from the photo by strips. 100_7229

One more left sided version, where the photo/journaling mat is now layered pieces of paper instead of a single piece, and the journaling has been replaced by a photo. Three tags anchor the center strip, and give me a place to add just a touch of journaling.

IMG_3800 Now, we’ve got the photo/journaling mat in the center of the page, and the dividing center strip has been turned into layered strips, anchoring the title. Instead of a single photo, there are two photos grouped together at the top. IMG_1444Now that we’ve brought the title down off the top of the page, let’s take it all the way to the bottom, and widen the dividing strip, so that it’s big enough to act as a journaling spot as well. IMG_1279We can even turn the photo/journaling mat in its side, and turn the journaling spot into a pocket for hidden journaling.IMG_1291

Now that you’ve seen this sketch, and how it can be adapted and adjusted to fit your supplies, what are you going to do with it? Show me what you make! It’s time to get scrapping!

PS If you would like to make your own digi page you can download the zipped template here: sketch 1.psd

Feb5

Sketch Basics

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Sketch Basics

One of the simplest ways to start creating a page, whether you’re new to scrapbooking or have been doing it for years, is to start with a sketch. Some people call sketches page maps, some call them layout designs or templates, but they all refer to the same thing: a simplified line drawing that shows you where to place paper, photos, journaling, title, and embellishments.

Let’s start with a simple one, so you can see a sketch in action:

sketch 1 pic

We’ve got a background paper in the light purple. When you’re putting your page together, this can be a solid cardstock or a patterned paper. Just make sure as you build your page that you’re using papers that are stiff enough to support your photos and endure living in your albums.

The light blue is a combination photo mat and journaling spot. For this particular page, I had a lot to say, so I designed a large journaling spot, and room for one 4×6 photo.

The title fills the space above the photo mat, and there is minimal embellishing with two strips of ribbon/washi tape/paper, and a teeny tiny heart.

This is how it looked after I was done:

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As you can see, simple design can be beautiful. You don’t have to use a lot of techniques or embellishments to create something you love.

Now, you could make a ton of pages using this design, and simply because you use different papers and photos, they will all look different. Not only that, you can also think of each piece as a simple place holder, and vary what goes into each place. For example, the journaling block could be a spot for another photo, and the strips could become spots for journaling instead of just being embellishments.

Use this sketch, and see what you can come up with. I’ll show you lots of variations on this page on Friday.

You can do this.