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Explode the Moment!
The purpose of using the “Exploding the Moment” technique is to add elaboration to your writing. The definition of elaborating is: to work out with care and detail; develop thoroughly. Elaboration of your ideas can be achieved by simply including important details about your topic. Incorporate people’s names and ages, and note the small things you might forget. You can use elaboration in your journaling to write lengthy descriptions or you can achieve the same effect in only a few sentences. On her layout, Danielle shared a few small details about her son reaching the milestone of crawling. These little nuggets of information make her journaling warm and meaningful. You can imagine her son reading about this as an adult and understanding what he must have looked like while learning this developmental skill.
Crawl by Danielle Layton. Supplies:
Paper: My Mind’s Eye, Cardstock: Bazzill, Chipboard letters: Cosmo Cricket, Chipboard heart: Maya Road, Journaling paper: Making Memories.
Journaling:
Even though you've been scooting around since you were 3 months old, you haven't quite perfected the crawl. But you are so close, just got to get that belly up. AJ 6 months.
Design note:
I just really wanted the focus to be on the photo
and the journaling, so the rest of the design is
pretty clean.
Staci used a similar approach when writing about her son’s experience with soccer, expertly using people’s names, exact details and specific numbers to remember the small things. She then incorporated a sweet statement about how this experience made her feel, making her journaling special to her son and herself.
You Made Me a Soccer Mom by Staci Taylor. Supplies:
Paper, Letter stickers, Label: Luxe Designs, Chipboard frame: Jenni Bowlin Studio, Chipboard: Basic Grey, Letter stickers: Making Memories, Felt border: Queen & Co, Transparent arrow: Fancy Pants, Brads: Around the Block, Paint: Folk Art, Embossing powder: Suze Weinberg, Ink:
Clearsnap, Pen: Marvy Uchida.
Journaling:
At 3 1/2, you joined your first soccer league with Coach Dave. You played games such as kick the soccer ball to Nemo, and you got to dress up on the last day (you were a soccer playing Batman). You had fun, and I enjoyed watching you - you looked so cute in your little (size 13!) soccer cleats! *Spring '08*
Design note:
I cut out the soccer balls from the Luxe "Color Me" patterned paper, and I used ultra-thick embossing powder to make them glossy. I layered them on top of the soccer ball felt and added in a chipboard shoe for a dimensional border.
Another effective way to explode a moment and make your writing more remarkable is to add dialogue. Including what someone said or even someone’s thoughts gives context to the photo and makes the moment come to life. It triggers a memory and makes the reader connect to the photo in a totally different way. If you are nervous about your writing or your ability to add elaboration, this technique is an easy, yet powerful way to add details. Stacey focused on the moments before she discovered what her children had gotten into. She set the scene and then included her perspective as well as the adorable words of her son! Makes you want to giggle and conjures up images of when you got yourself in this kind of harmless trouble!
Statues by Stacey Shook. Supplies:
Paper: Sweetwater, A2Z Essentials, Cardstock: Bazzill, Paint: Ranger, Chipboard letters: American Crafts, Marker: Sharpie, Stamp: October Afternoon, Icons: KI Memories, Fabric Tag: Scrapworks, Label:
Me & My Big Ideas.
Journaling:
The boys were painting at the table while I was cooking dinner. I heard
Henry say "Don't move Nick!" I'm ignoring them since
they're not bothering me. Henry calls out to me
“Mom! Look we're STATUES!”
Design note:
I outlined the black letters with a white Sharpie to bring out the contrast against the black paint. I also outlined the handcut zig-zag border at the bottom of the photos.
When you sit down to create your next layout and become afraid of the journaling, freeze. Think of one sentence that describes the photo and then explode it using one of these concrete techniques. Watch how easy it will be. Before you know it, you can become a master storyteller!
I would love to see what you are creating! Send pages or projects with journaling to stacey@scrapstreet.com with any tips or fun ideas to share! Be sure to check out our calls for the October issue. See you next month!
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