Open Road

Stacey Michaud

Roses are red, violets are blue.  Want to shake up your journaling?  Well, I do too!  Every now and then, I believe that it is essential to stretch your writing skills and creativity by going completely outside of the box.  When I was brainstorming possible topics for the month of February, I couldn’t shake the thought of using poetry as journaling.  I realize that just the mention of the word makes most of us shudder, but I had a plan.  See, I teach fourth grade students writing techniques, helping them to discover that they have a creative voice.  I have witnessed the power of risk-taking paired with the use of a fill-in-the-blank format, and just knew that good things could come of it.  So I contacted my guest designers and hoped they didn’t think I was too crazy!

Before ever asking my students to compose their own poetry, I would provide them with several introductory lessons.  The goal would be to help them gain an appreciation for this form of writing.  Poetry is used to convey emotion or create an impression.  It showcases the power of words and holds unique meaning to each writer.  When considering integrating it into scrapbooking, let’s start from the beginning as well.  If you are not quite comfortable developing your own poem, then find one penned by a famous poet.  Look for something that speaks to you, read it and be inspired.  Crystal incorporated a sonnet from Elizabeth Barrett Browning into her layout.  Doesn’t just the thought of it sound lovely!?  The end result is a beautiful and romantic layout!

Design notes: I didn't have matching letters, so I used white foam Thickers and inked them with Tim Holtz distress ink to make my word,

"{unconditional}" .  I added bling to my flowers using coordinating Stickles colors on the edges.  I also added Stickles to the Bazzill brad for my flower center.

Once the introduction was complete, I would ask students to jump right into writing.  No excuses allowed.  A good starting point would be a common type of poem called the cinquain, or a stanza made up of five lines.  There are different types of cinquains, but one of the easiest forms involves each line meeting specific criteria involving the number of words or syllables within words.  Line one is a title using either one word or two syllables, line two is 2 words or 4 syllables, line three is 3 words or 6 syllables, line four is 4 words or 8 syllables, and line five is either one word or 2 syllables that refers back to the title.  The topics are open to the author and the possibilities are endless.  Check out what Brianne and Stephanie did with the cinquain!  Notice the individuality and awesomeness each one holds!

Design notes: I had SO much fun learning how to write poems in this form!  Thank you Stacey for awesome inspiration!

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