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Everything In Its Place
Last month, I hopefully convinced you (or at least swayed you) to add more journaling to your layouts. Now that you are aware of the many reasons why you should journal, we need to spend some time breaking down the barriers that prevent us from doing so. I have seen countless posts on scrapbooking message boards involving how difficult it is to incorporate journaling. One great debate involves using your own handwriting vs. typing your journaling. Another, people aren’t quite sure where to put the journaling and fear that it will ruin a layout if it doesn’t look right.
Let’s tackle the writing vs. typing debate first. A big trend in scrapbooking is to use your own handwriting quite simply because it is distinctive and gives your pages a personalized feel. When I find old letters from my family members, I study the handwriting. I even try to see if I can feel raised letters, all to be more connected to that person. Image how cool it will be for future generations to see your unique penmanship. I can guarantee that person will not be focusing on how your writing was too slanted or how you failed to cross your Ts. I often use my own handwriting with the help of a simple, yet useful trick. I place a blank sheet of vellum down on top of the space I want to write in and practice. This way, I know how much text to include before I ever put my pen to the actual paper. What about digital scrapbookers? You too can leave your mark by creating a font using your own handwriting. Still nervous? Then use mostly typed text and add in certain words or a short sentiment in your own writing. This craft allows for individuality so embrace your distinctive penmanship.
Whether using writing or typed text, another big obstacle involves where to actually place your journaling on a given page. Cheer up! The possibilities are endless. One of the easiest ways to incorporate journaling is to use a journaling block, which are hot items in the scrapbooking industry. Many companies are making them out of paper, chipboard, or transparency film and many digital kits include journaling blocks as a design element. Simply place your words within the given space. A perk to using blocks is that you can easily move these around on a page, experimenting to find the best position.
Brianne printed her text on a transparency and then placed it on a tag to custom make her own journaling block. Now, she is able to share important details she doesn’t want to forget about her son’s love for reading.
Reading is Fundamental by Brianne Nevill. Supplies:
Paper: KaiserCraft, Stickers: Basic Grey, Prima, Rub-ons: Doodlebug, Chipboard: Scenic Route, Felt: Fancy Pants, Font: Mufferaw,
Transparency: Printworks, Paint: Making Memories, Other: Inventory Tag.
Journaling:
From learning about manners with little critter to adventures in space with
wall-e, reading has become one of your favorite
things to do. Your favorite books, by far, do not
tell stories or have cartoons, they include real
things. You especially love your book called "things
that move". You take it everywhere with you (Hence
the reason it no longer has a cover and many of the
pages are stained)! You are constantly telling me
about airplanes and ambulances or snakes and
spiders. The joy in your eyes when you are reading
brings a smile to my face. To think, you just think
reading is fun...
Design note:
I measured out the inside of the inventory tag and
created a PS document that same size so I would not
go over my allotted journaling space. I also painted
over the body of the tag so the writing on the
transparency would be crisp.
Many times, journaling can become an intentional part of the design. Careful placement helps lead the eye around the page and connects the photo as well as the title. An interesting technique is to either draw or stamp journaling lines directly onto a part of your layout. Doing so gives you a structured place to tell your story. Many people may be comfortable with this option because the lines are there as a guide!
Janet incorporated a few lines onto the bottom of her layout, giving her a spot to finish her bold title and add a sweet sentiment about her son.
The Best Gifts by Janet Perafan-Babar. Supplies:
Paper: Pink Paislee, Chipboard Lettering: Imagination Project, Rub-ons: American Crafts, Die-cuts: Making Memories, Chipboard heart: Heidi Swapp, Stamp: Technique Tuesday, Pen: American Crafts Slick Writer, Ink: Colorbox.
Journaling:
The best gifts are the ones that don't cost a thing!
Design note:
Inspired by a Laura Kurz layout for an online challenge, I created this layout and wanted to maintain a visual triangle to help the eye move easily throughout the layout. It starts from the heart embellishment, to the way I cropped the photo and down to the bracket at the end of the journaling. The journaling was written in short lines to maintain the corner of my visual triangle. Large font for the title and small journaling creates a bigger impact to the layout. To ground the title, I drew the line and hearts with a pen.
If you have a photo with a large amount of white space, you may want to consider using that space for your journaling. Am I suggesting writing directly on your photograph? Absolutely! This technique allows you to design the remainder of the page any way you like, without having to worry about where the journaling will fit. It also immediately brings the eye to the photo! Be sure to choose a pen that is designed for this task! If the thought of adding your penmanship to a photo is too scary, add text in digitally by using photo-editing software. Take it one step further and make the white space of your entire layout into your journaling area.
Janice decided to use bold journaling that occupies a large amount of space and merges with the photo to convey her son’s as well as her own thoughts.
Watching You by Janice Badger. Digital Supplies:
Paper from Weathered Neutrals Paperie by Anna Aspnes, Alpha from Simple Tissue Alpha: Cream by Anna Aspnes (designerdigitals.com), Font: CK Ali's Writing.
Journaling/Title:
The look in your eyes as you are watching the sparkler -wonder, wonder,
amazement, awe, curiosity, excitement, respect,
amusement, a little smug satisfaction - can only be
the same as the look in my eyes as I am watching
you.
Design note:
The photo had a nearly black background, so I was
able to blend it into the black paper and still have
the distressed edges of the paper show around the
edges of the photo. I used the eyedropper tool to
pick colors from my son's shirt to use to color the
descriptive words.
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