Journal in Gin Your Own Words 2010

8/6/2019 Journal in Gin Your Own Words 2010

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By: Elle's StudioFeaturing:

Ali Edwards, Becky Novacek. Christine Middlecamp.Debee Ruiz, Dina Wakley, Jennifer [ohner,

Lisa Dickinson, Marcy Penner, May Flaum, Melissa MannStephanie Howell, and Tara Anderson


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Welcome to our journaling booklet! This infor-mation was featured at our blog August 8th -28th, 20 IO . In this booklet you can learn howothers journal. along with tips to help youwith yours!

Goals aDd pracliciDgDo you know the best part about journal-ing besides capturing your memories? Thebest part about it is that there is no right orwrong way to journal! Journaling is all aboutcapturing your memories in your own voiceand writing style. Our journaling captures allthose moments and details that we tend toforget about in or behind the photo, makingthem memories that will last forever.The hardest part. when I first started scrap-booking, was that I always found myself judg-ing what I wrote, how I wrote it. and if oth-ers were going to like it. It never felt goodenough. It took awhile for me to understandthat when others are reading my journalingthey aren't critiquing it! They are just thankfulI took the extra time to sit down and recordthe details in writing!After I stopped judging my own writing, I feltlike I had been set free! I could write what-ever I wanted, however I wanted ... but whatdid I want? This is where goal setting comesin. You'll need to decide what will make youhappy and satisfied with the journaling onyour layouts. To some people, it might justbe the "date, place and reason" wrote in asentence or two. Some people might decidethat they don't mind just having just the pho-tos. And others might decide that they wantenough journaling so when someone picksup the page 10 years from now, they knowevery detail and feel like they shared that mo-ment with you.The goal I set for myself was: a couple sen-

tences on a page (or on the back) that explwhat is going on in the layout. or behindphoto. And, to never put the page awayfore the journaling is finished. I tend to sthe journaling portion until the very end aif I got stuck, I'd say that I'd do it later, buttruth is, I never did and now have a bookof layouts with no journaling, and memormissing.Once you have your goal in place, start praticing! The saying practice makes perfecttrue - the more I wrote, the more I becamcomfortable with my own writing. I still dothink of myself as a great writer, but I'm noing that the stories are flowing on to paperlot easier than they were a couple years aAnd, I've begun to enjoy the process of jonaling, instead of dreading it. Practice atakes time - make sure you set aside extime for you to journal. If you don't. you'll eily push it to the side. Hold yourself accounable!Sounds pretty simple, right? Stop judgiwhat and how you write, set a goal and pratice!How do you practice? Well, you can start sple! Youdon't have to hold yourself to practing just on your scrapbooking layouts - Hare some great ideas for practicing, that ycan get started on today!:-Keep a daily journal. jot down a couple stences every night. before you go to bed,scribing your favorite part of the day or wyou are thankful for that day.-One of my favorite apps is called "GratituJournal". Everyday you can write downthings you are thankful for, rate the day anow you can even add a photo! It's only


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cents and 10% goes to charity! After I usedthis app for over a week it really made mestart thinking about the little details in myday-to-day life, because I didn't want to writethe same five things everyday. I've also foundmyself referring back to it for a certain day aphoto was taken and it's helped spark somefun things to write about!-Start a blog! If you don't have a blog, this is agreat way to get started with writing. It keepsyou motivated to write because you'll want tokeep it updated.-When you get your photos back, take time torun through them, quickly writing down shortmemories or words that you can use for jour-naling jumping points later on.-Make weekly Top Ten Lists or, Top Five Lists!Don't wait until tomorrow to set yourself free,think about a goal and start practicing. Therewillnever be a better day to get started, thantoday!

Going beyond the 5 W'5Have you heard of using the 5 W's for yourjournaling? What is means is covering the fivebasic W's (who, what, where, when and why)in your sentences or paragraph. Sometimesthis method works great and is just enoughand ... sometimes it can be just plain boringand monotonous.

What about how you felt, what it smelled like,sounded like, made it special? What wereyou thinking, doing, seeing? Who said what,what did you say back? Including some of thesmaller details willmake your journaling moreinteresting to read and can take you rightback to that moment, no matter how many

years have passed, when you re-read it.Let's try it! Here's the journaling I had befoon this layout:

lournaling reads: Love my Smart Start, toand coffee in the morning!Well... that's great, but why do I love it? Wmakes it special enough that I felt like phtographing it and making a layout aboutBecause, let's face it, if I'm going to this mueffort to scrapbook it, it must have a deeer meaning than the fact that I just "loveright?Let's brainstorm! It usually helps me tothis while I'm scrapbooking - think aboutphoto, the events that happened aroundhow it made you feel. why it is important, eJot down little words and sentences here athere on a scrap piece of paper. Then, whyou are ready to start writing, you can tyour list ofwords and start forming sentenceAfter brainstorming and thinking about wis really important about this photo, andreasons behind why I really wanted to scrabook it in the first place, I've re-wrotejournaling to read: My morning toast iscomplete without my grandma's homemaraspberry jelly - She makes it from scratch


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ery summer with the berries from their gar-den! Yummy!!

Forget talking about the Smart Start and cof-fee - we can see it in the photo and really, it'snot that important! What was really importantin the photo was talking about the jelly mygrandma made. Ten years from now, look-ing back at this layout, my family membersand Iwill be able to remember that about mygrandma ... but maybe without those words,we, or the person viewing the page, wouldhave forgotten (or never even known) herlove for making jelly, and it would have beena page just about my breakfast.Details like this are so important towrite down.Try to focus on them while brainstorming tohelp you create more meaningful journaling!

Making you.. jou..naling filHow do you make your journaling fit on to thetag you've picked out or space you have left?Out of all the questions we get asked, thisone has to be on the top of the list. And, Icompletely understand why. This is the part I

struggled with, too. I'd start writing on theI had saved for the journaling portion oflayout and either end up with a huge whspace at the bottom or run out of room astill have things that need to be written!The simplest solution to this is to grab a pieof scrap paper and trace your journalingor space you have reserved on your layout

Now you can practice in this area and if ymess up, just trace it again! Adjust your wing, larger or smaller, depending on the spayou have to fill. and the amount of words yhave to fill it.

After I've got the journaling laid out how Iwon the practice sheet, I then write in pencilthe actual tag. Tryto write as light as possibso it will be easy to erase later!


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All that's left to do is to go over it in pen anderase the pencil markings! I've been usingthe BIC Mark-It pens and LOVE them! Theyare perfect!!

Nowyou won't have any left over white spaceor find yourself running out of room on yourtags! I use this method a lot because it takesall the pressure off when you have that "oneperfect tag, and cannot mess it up!"

Happy or sad, Ihey are slillyour slories!Although we wish all stories could be happyand perfect, the truth is that some of themaren't. But, the imperfect stories are still im-portant ones that are apart of us and havehelped shaped who we are. These imperfectstories shouldn't be over looked.As scrapbookers, we tend to dismiss thesestories and ignore them, when in fact, scrap-

booking them and expressing our feelingspaper is actual very therapeutic and canhelpful in these situations!I know for me, most of the time I avoidimperfect stories is because I don't reawant people to read what I have journal- the journaling is more of a personal stfor my eyes only. I don't want anyone toable to just pick up my scrapbook and opto a page and then start asking questions"why didn't you tell me about this? Whenthis happen? I didn't know you felt like thiswhere going through this!"It's taken some time for me to realize tthese imperfect stories are still apart ofand something that is okay and importantscrapbook about. I've learned some of thstories I should share and maybe sharingcan help others who might be going throuthe same thing.Here are some tips that I've used, so insteadfeeling like I can't scrapbook these momein life because I don't want others readingstory, I now feel like I CAN!And, most oftime, I've found it helpful to get these emtions out, and leave them behind on a pagJust scrapbook it: Like I said above, you neknow how much your story willhelp someoelse, or just feel good to get out and exprein writing! Don't worry about how otherslook at you after they read your story -eryone has something imperfect about thlives.Hidden journaling: You can turn any phinto a secret pocket that holds your thoughInstead of gluing the entire photo down,glue on the edges of three sides. The swhere you didn't glue becomes the opeing to your "pocket". Leave the journalitag popped out of the top just enough so yknow it's there. Most people won't take


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time to pull the layout out of a page protec-tor to be able to reach the journaling tag -and more than likely they won't even know it'sthere!Journal on the back: This is a great way toreally hide your journaling. No one looks atthe back of layouts and only you will know it'sthere. This method can really give you piece-of-mind and allow you to be more open andhonest with yourself about your feelings.Keep a separate book: My friend keeps aseparate book, tucked away in a special spot.that is just for her. That way, her other bookscan be on display and she doesn't have tothink twice about someone stumbling uponsomething that maybe she doesn't want themto see or she isn't ready for them to read.We hope these tips about capturing the im-perfect story will help you realize that it isokay to scrapbook and journal them!

Olher jourDaliDg lips!We've got some journaling tips to share withyou today! These tips are ones we've usedover and over again, so hopefully they willhelp you as much as they've helped us!When you're stuck: Sometimes, the hardestthing to get past is when you're stuck on thewriting part of your layout - Next time you getstuck, use one of these suggestions to helpget your creative juices flowing again:

-Use a quote, song lyrics or Bible verse-Ask someone else what their favorite part ormemory is from the event you're scrapbooking-Make a list-Write it as a letter, addressed to someone-Tellit from a different person's point of view-You don't have to write full sentences! Justwrite down the words that come to your mind

In the moment: I feel like one of the mostportant times to jot down little notes that ymight want to use for journaling later is as thare happening. Things people say or doeasily forgotten days later, or further downroad, when you are ready to scrapbook the

I've found that the more I record the ldetails as they happen, the easier and mrelaxing it is to go back and write aboutstory, later. There's no pressure to remembthings! And, the more easy I make it on mself, the more I find myself wanting to writeWeren't there when the photo was taken? Tcan be hard because you weren't there tocord all the details. For these situations, if yare keeping the layouts, ask the person wgave you the photos what went on, what wthe important and memorable moments, wsaid what. etc. If you are giving the layoback to the person who took the photos, leaa space for them to journal and when ygive it to them, let them know it's their jobfinish the layout!Where are my journaling tags? If you're jonaling tags aren't handy when you nethem, they are easily overlooked and forgten about! Keeping your journaling tagsganized and handy will make them easieraccess! We LOVEClip-It's for keeping thinin fullview.Don't stress about it: Sometimes it will behard to find the words to express how yfeel. It's okay to have a couple layouts wno journaling. Don't be too hard on yoursfor letting a couple layouts slide .)When ystress out about things, it makes it hardergo back and do them the next time. So, evnow and then, give yourself a break!And, always remember: There is no riorwrong way to record your memories!


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w i t hAYflaumWhal is Ihe mosl impol'lanl lhing abolll capiliring Ihe slory?Saying something real. It can be fivewords or five paragraphs, the important thing is to put something downworth reading. While I'm not against "cute girl: age S"layouts, my favorites are those I can go back and findsomething that I forgot or haven't thought about in a long time. Quotes, details, things we were into doing,routines ... there is so much of both ordinary life and special events and we're never in the same place twice.Do YOIIIry 10 incilide all Ihe delails in YOlirjOllrnaling?I believe that my stories work in combination with my photos. If we're standing in front of a sign that sayswhere we are I don't feel the need to journal that too. I look at the photos to see what obvious details there arand then I look forwhat details are not told. What bits of conversation or interesting stories there are that telmore about the photos than simply looking at them.How do YOIIdecide how milch or lillie of Ihe slory 10 lell?There are so many factors here - ifit's a vacation and I'll be making a dozen layouts about it. I pick what specdetails or tale Iwant toweave for that particular page. If it's more of a moment, then itmight have a lot less worinvolved.Sometimes there are unhappy orunpleasant details. When deciding whether ornot to share those I thabout the story.Is it important? Or is adding (forexample) the fact that AuntEdna was being a raging drama quimportant tomy4th ofJulystory? Since I am a 'look for the bright side' type ofperson, I choose not tobreathe mlife into those kinds of tales when they aren't really a part Iwant inmy story.Then again, ifthere is something unhappy or unpleasant that does take place (like the time we all gotHINl on vacation!) then obviously I do include it - because it changed the whole story and was an event we'lremember. DoI dwell on it? No,but I did mention it in a layout.Finally,I think about my photos. What photos I have available and what story I'm trying to tell help medecide. They say a picture is worth a thousand words and I tend to agree. Aphoto ofmy daughters under theChristmas tree says so much about their ages, looks, what they were wearing, what our tree looked like...there's less I need to write.Does every laYOll1YOIIcreale conlain joarnaling?Absolutely!!I can't imagine not putting some words down. Itmight onlybe a few select words, or a simplesentence, but I am adding something. I'm also making sure the date is in there somewhere so I can remembewhen. If I don't want journaling then I do some kind of home decor art with my photos - on a canvas, in a framor some other format that lets me get crafty and is meant for display.Take liS Ihrollgh YOllrjOllrnaling process:Myjournaling process starts the moment I decide tomake a layout. Either I've thought of a story to tell, orI've got photos in front ofme and I'm thinking about the story. Forme, the journaling + pictures determineseverything about the page. What colors touse, what embellishments, what mood to set, how to design it - Iwrap it all around the story told through words and photos.Since I think out my journaling (at least in general terms) before I ever make a single cut or adhere anythithat means that I plan where/how Iwill put mywriting on the page in advance. Whether it's in a pre-made ta

or paper, on a stamp, or direct on my page I have my 'how' down before I get going too far.I will think or say aloud my journaling and then I put pen to paper most of the time. If I have lengthyjournaling with a story that I feel I'm going to need to revise I'll turn to computer journaling. Otherwise, I justlike towrite. I love that my pages are very real. imperfect. and from the heart.Any lips or lechniques YOII'dlike 10 share wilh lIS?Writeoften, just because, and practice all you can! I like to pretend "if Iwas writing what's going on right nowhowwould I do that?" and then say it tomyself in my head. Practicing what and how I'd journal things meanthat my journaling muscles are kept well practiced. Just like anything - it takes plenty of practice to get goodWritein your voice. Don't try towrite like someone else or copy a style that isn't you -write inyour voice sthat when others look back at the pages they can hear you telling your life stories.I was once told towrite a pearl you must start with a grain of sand. In other words, take something veryspecific, small even, and weave your tale around it.Whether it's a holiday or vacation or just an everyday

moment, the more specific you get in the 'why' behind your layout, the more precious a treasure itwill be.


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l 1 l i . .. . . . ~ . . . . . .,II .. ..Who is MayFlaum? Well Iwear a lot of hats from design team member to author to longtime instructor forwww.bigpicturescrapbooking.com and contributing writer forwww.scrapbookupdate.com. I have been crafting my entire life and working in the scrapbookindustry since 2003. I love being able to teach classes, share my ideas, and get to knowfellow scrapbookers from all over the world. What am I outside of scrapbooking? I'm amother, firefighter's wife, scrapbooker, wanna-be sewer, set on auto-mode photographer,avid reader, animal loving, and one happy woman. I live inNorthern California and try tfind the bright spots in each day. When I'm not at the gym or chasing my two daughtersaround you might find me in my studio and sharing my adventures on my blog.
http://www.bigpicturescrapbooking.com/http://www.bigpicturescrapbooking.com/


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Why is jOlirDaliDg ODYOlir layollts importaDt to YOII?[oumalinq to me is just as important, if not more so, than the photos. The journaling providescontext to the photos and tells quite a bit more than a photo alone. [ournalinq on my layouts isalso important to me because there are things I want my kids to know, things I want to write tothem both as a record of their experience and of how I feel about them. Another reason journalinis important to me is because I feel I have gotten to know myself better through expressing mysmore often through the words I include on my projects.What is the most importaDt thiDg abOlit captliriDg the story?I think the most important thing is actually doing it. Forme one of the most important things iswriting often - actually taking the time to jot down story ideas or the details of a story when theycome to me rather than just when I sit down to scrapbook. I keep a document on my computer fstoring away story ideas I don't want to lose.Do YOIItry to iDclllde all the details iD YOlir jOlirDaiiDg?I'm not overly concerned with trying to include every little detail in my journaling. One of thethings I really like to do is include a balance between specific facts (where we were, what washappening) and the feelings that are evoked from remembering the event or moments. Havingboth facts and feelings combined in my journaling is important to me.Bow do YOIIdecide how milch or lillie 01 the story to tell?Sometimes I tell a really long story and other times a story can be told in just a few sentences.Recently I've been finding myself telling longer stories - the less pages I create the longer myjournaling becomes on the pages I do make.Does every layollt YOIIcreate cODtaiD jOlirDaiiDg?These days, yes. When I first started scrapbooking back in 2002 I had some pages with just aquote or very fewwords. Last year Iwent back through all the layouts I had created up to thatpoint and found that the ones I loved best and cherished the most were the ones that told the mcomplete stories. That's what I am striving for today.


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, I _ ,.Ali Edwards is an internationally recognized scrapbook blogger, author, productdesigner and instructor. Her passions are words + photos and bringing the twotogether to tell the meaningful stories of our lives. Learn more about Ali athttp://www.aliedwards.com.
http://www.aliedwards.com./http://www.aliedwards.com./


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Why is joumaling on your layouts imporlant to you?Despite taking hundreds of photos every week, there are so many details in my life that can't becaptured on film: Things my kids told that made me laugh uncontrollably, the nervous energy1felt the first time my son competed in a swim meet, the way my heart broke just a bit the firstday 1sent my daughter to preschool. Even in the photos that seemingly tell the whole story (youknow, the countless birthday party photos you shot, capturing every detail of decorations, cakeand presents and guests??!) there are still details and perspectives that are missing. So 1rely onjournaling to fill in those missing details. 1want to record the feelings behind the events, becausit's those emotions that make my life (and my scrapbooks!)meaningful and poignant.Do you try to include all the details in your joumaling?When 1first started scrapbooking, 1was very caught up on documenting every detail of the evenin my photos - the who, what, where, when, etc. But 1quickly got bored with just stating thesefacts on every page. 1wanted my scrapbooks to be more than just a historical timeline of our lifevents. 1realized that documenting the personalities, the stories, and the emotions behind theevents were so much more important to me than just dates and places. Now,1don't stress aboutgetting all the facts down on the page. 1concentrate on preserving the memories and storiessurrounding the event. And i f 1can't get all the details onto one page, 1can always create anotheDoes every layout you create contain joumaling?Not always -I think it's OKto sometimes skip the journaling and just create a page for art's sake.it's relevant tomy photo, sometimes I'll include a favorite quote as both title and journaling forpaTake us through your journaling process:1usually have a rough idea ofwhat 1want to say before 1start a page, but 1almost always writemy journaling last, once the design of the page is complete. I'll guesstimate how much room 1need forwords, and factor that into my design choices. 1try to use my handwriting on about 50%ofmy pages, but 1always write it in pencil first and then go over it in pen. 1love my TombowMono eraser for getting rid of the pencil lines! The other half of the time, 1use my computer forjournaling. Myfavorite technique is printing the journaling on cardstock and cutting it into stripto adhere to the page. The strips are easy to fit into any space because you can cut to the size othe space you need to fill.Any tips or techniques you'd like to share with us?(1)Don't let the photo dictate your journaling. Just because you have a photo of your son on thefirst day of school doesn't mean your journaling has to be about going back to school. Youcouldwrite about how much you'll miss spending lazy summer days with him, or how he has changed& grown in the past year, or the hopes and dreams you have for him as he embarks on a newadventure.(2)Use list-style journaling. This is one my favorite ways to journal! It's a quick and easy way toget information on a page without stressing about proper sentence structure.(3)Pull text directly from your blog entries. All the hard work is already done - you can just copand paste. Then you're free to concentrate on the fun part of creating!


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.~:;:;:::111Lisa Dickinson is a graphic designer living in Colorado with her husband. Mike. andchildren. Hayden and Riely.Her scrapbook designs have been published in various

~::;::;;;;;;j magazines. including Creating Keepsakes; Scrapbooks. Etc.; Scrapbook Trends; andthe former Simple Scrapbooks. She currently designs for KIMemories. lenni BowlinStudio. Creative Charms. and is a contributor at Write.Click.Scrapbook. Youcan caup with Lisa at lisadickinson.typepad.com. where she blogs about scrapbooking.motherhood. running. and her deep-seated hatred for the Comic Sans font.


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w i t hRCYpennerWhy is joumaling on your layouts imporlant to you?Iwant to remember. I want to sit down on my couch in 30 years, open up an album and betransported back to the moment. I never want to forget the moments of my life... at any stage. Iwant to freeze time ... and this is the only way I know how.What is the most imporlant thing about capturing the story?Well, being a photographer I'll say a great photo! ;) But honestly, that doesn't matter. It's aboutbeing real. Writing down what you're thinking ... in all it's truth. I'm not about sugarcoating. If itwas a rough day it was a rough day. Tomorrowwill be better. It's what you make of it. So I take tsame approach with my journaling. It is what it is.Howdo you decide how much or little of the story to tell? A lot of how much I decide to includeto do with the page design. If I can fit a lot in and still have the page looking how Iwant it, thenwill. More often than not it's a couple of sentences.What do you lind the most dillicult about journaling?I struggle with journaling. I don't usually scrapbook events. It's moments. Sometimes it's justwriting down what's happening in the photo. Sometimes it's just repeating a version of "I love yYourock". So I struggle with keeping that interesting and different from page to page.Take us through your journaling process:I used to scrapbook totally different. Back in the day I used the computer for journaling. Or Iwoumeasure out lines, pencil everything in and then go over with a pen. I had perfect printing. (Iwathe girl who recopied all her school work). Then I had a couple more kids and time got precious.I learned to let go and just create. So now I create my page and keep in mind the place where I'dlike to journal. When it comes to adding the journaling I try not to think about it too much. I justwrite what I'm feeling.Any tips or techniques you'd like to share with us?Lately I've enjoyed splitting my journaling up on the page. Not that it changes my style ofjournaling much. It just keeps all my pages from looking the same! ;) I also keep all my journalintags in a basket. That way I don't have to dig around for them or forget that I have them.


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I'm a 4th generation artist and started scrapbooking about 7 years ago. I haven'tlooked back since! It's just the perfect blend of my three greatest passions ... art,photography and my family!In my everyday life I'm a photographer and mama. I also have a little scrapbook shoin our neighboring city, that I also design for.And, I just joined the design team atCartwheels On MyMind! I live with my little family of five in a 100year old farmhouon 22 acres in Manitoba,Canada. It's a work in progress, but really... what isn't. ;)When I have the spare time (hal) I love some good tv, hanging out with the kiddos,sewing, crafting and decorating.


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CHR I w r t hINEmiddlecamWhy is jOllrnaling on YOlirlayoilis importanl 10 YOII?Iecently learned a very important lesson in life about memories and the pace at which we lose them with thpassage of time. The truth is, memories aren't permanent. Lifeexperiences come and go, and as such, so dofriends, family members and other people we hold dear in our lives. Though we take great pride in remembecertain life experiences and loved ones, it's not always so easy to hang on to the details that define these thiBecause our memory has limited storage capacity, we're prone to forgetfulness. Twoyears after losing a spoI'm no longer able to fully illustrate some of the shared experiences Iormed with husband while he was alivMymemories of "us" are fading and as more time goes by, it's dawning on me how truly thankful Iam forhaving scrapbooked while he was in good health. I've been able to look back on many of the albums Icreatedyears before and they've helped me tremendously in reconnecting with a history that is now very differentfrommy current circumstances. Reading stories of yesterday helps to rekindle misplaced memories that wouhave otherwise gone missing if they'd not been written down. It's whyIconsider journaling to be an importacomponent of scrapbooking. Even if it's of the smallest details, stories matter. Iournaling serves to preserve omost cherished memories and keeps us at pace with the past.Whal is Ihe mosl importanl Ihing aboul capluriag Ihe slory?I'm not one to be deliberately selective about what it is I journal on a scrapbook layout. Much ofwhat I shareconveyed through small, to-the-point sentences that are directly reflective of the topic/story I'm trying to tell.further support the story via design and material selections. There's no one particular avenue I choose to focfor relaying a story on a layouVproject.It's essentially a combination of the whole. If I feel something is missiI'll add it to the back of the layout/project. I always try to cover the basics though; names, location, time, andpoints of interest.Do YOIlIry 10 incilide allihe delails in yoar journaliag?Not always. Actually, very rarely do I include "all the details". Most ofmy journaling bits hone in on specifics.easily overwhelmed by too much information.Bow do YOIIdecide how milch or lillie of Ihe slory 10 lell?It depends on the kind of story being told and the availability of space on a layout/project. It also depends onrelevancy of the story. If there's an onslaught of details I feel will help benefit the person reading the story laon, then I'll consider writing more. Forexample, during the final year of my husband's life, I took great effortdocumenting more about him and our small family. It felt absolutely essential to do so because the momentshad spent together seemed fleeting ...at any point. things could dramatically change within a moment's noticIwanted to remember it all- bad & good. Iournaling became a means of remembering, surviving, healing anmoving forward during an otherwise emotionally difficult time. Itwas extremely cathartic towrite things dowDoes every laYOll1YOIIcreale conlain jOllrnaling?Not every layout I create has journaling on it. On occasion, a picture will speak for itself. Though, Iwill still lspecifics on the back of the layout; names, location, time, etc.Whal do you find Ihe mosl difficull abolll journaiing?Finding the right words to convey what it is Iwant towrite. I struggle with words when confronted by a blankpiece of paper. The empty space is intimidating. I've also always been a tad bit insecure about mywritingabilities because I've never been much of a writer in my life. Even after multiple Russian literature courses aa large bout of philosophy, a pen and paper are my least favorite instruments touse. I opted formultiple-choexams over Essays. I've just never been one to relish the likes ofwriting ...not even in college.Take liS Ihrollgh YOlirprocess of journaliag:Myprocess of journaling is fairly simple. It's usually the last item Iwork on when building a layout. I find it'sa challenge to locate a spot on one ofmy busy layouts for journaling a story.When I finally eye upon an idealocation for storytelling, I usually trim a small piece of vanilla cardstock, adhere it tomy layout and jot downrelating tidbits. Any tidbits I'm not able to fiton the front. I put on the back. It's par for the course that my layhouse hidden info on their backsides.


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Christine lives in South Saint Paul,Minnesota with her young son Ethan. She's beenscrapbooking for over four years and has played multiple roles in the scrapbookindustry as a designer, teacher, project kit connoisseur and most currently, design teacoordinator for Crate Paper. She hosts a well-established blog, "Retrospection", whereshe shares her latest work and routinely writes small tutorials for ongoing projects.Christine's work is very detail oriented. She has a passion for embellishments andtexture. Bycombining funky unique scrapbook items, Christine creates beautifullylayered scrapbook layouts that keep the eye moving around the page. Her work is higornate, though with an edge of playfulness and vintage grunge. Nodetail is ever leftbehind.


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T Aan ersonWhy is joumaling on your layouts imporlant to you?Since I rarely remember to scrapbook about myself, I think it's a fun way of giving a little insightinto who I am, with out having to scrapbook actual photos ofmyself. I love writing about how I for about something that the photos reminds me of. Just something simple and light, and that thekids can read!Do you try to include all the details in your joumaling?I tend to tell just a little part of the story on my layouts, but I also hide the journaling behindelements on my page. I make little pockets behind the photo or in between pieces of papers, anadd a tag or two that contains more journaling. This way, I can share more of a story that maybedon't always want to share with everyone else, but I'll know that it's there!Does every layout you create contain joumaling?No, not all of my layouts will include journaling. I think that's what I love so much aboutscrapbooking, that I don't have to always follow 'the rules' of traditional scrapbooking. SometimeI feel like focusing on the creative aspect of making a layout, instead of the story behind the phoI really believe that what you choose to create with, can tell a story as much as the actual writingjournaling can.What do you lind the most dillicult about journaling?I'm sure I have the same problem most of us have, "where do I start the story & how much of itshould share?" I decided that I like to journal about how I felt when I took the photo I'm using tocreate with, or if I'm scrapbooking with one ofmy kids' photos, something cute that they said. IfI'm really stuck on the journaling, for a particular page, sometimes that's the perfect excuse toinclude quotes or song lyrics into my layout!Take us through your journaling process:I usually have some idea ofwhat Iwant to journal as soon as I find a new photo to scrapbook wiI always write out what I'm thinking of journaling on a piece of paper, prior to actually writing onmy layout. I like to make sure everything is spelled correctly and to see if my journaling will fit!


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I'm Tara, an island girl at heart. now living in the sunny desert. in a tiny touristy towncalled Cave Creek in Arizona. I'm a wife to my best friend Peter, and a mommy to 2incredibly cute little kids, Alaina and Chase. They are always willing to have their phototaken ... every scrapbookers dream come true! Most days, you can find me with a vintagecamera in hand, looking for that next photo to take and scrapbook with!I love creating pretty messy layouts! I've really enjoyed spending time searching forvintage items to incorporate into my work, as I think there is something so charming abmixing the old with the new. Vintage ledger paper, postage stamps and sewing notionssome of my favorites! Scrapbooking is truly the best of both worlds for me, I get to creatart, while documenting the everyday little things that make life wonderful!


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Why is jOlirDaliDg ODYOlir layollts importaDt to YOII?[oumalinq is important to me because I want my boys to have no doubt about what I think and fabout them. Lately I've been scrapping older photos, and I can't remember every detail about wwas going on at the time. But I do remember how I felt about them then, and of course how I feeabout them now...so I include that.Do YOIItry to iDclllde all the details iD YOlir jOlirDaiiDg?No, I don't try to include every detail, but I do include what stands out to me. I especially try torecord my feelings on the page, so there's a record ofmy thoughts & emotions, too. I also love togive advice in my journaling. I'm not sure if my boys will appreciate that, but it makes me feelbetter when Iwrite it!Bow do YOIIdecide how milch or lillie 01 the story to tell?Well, this is bad, but sometimes how much of the story I tell depends on my page design. I lovecapture humorous things, personality quirks, and everyday life.What do YOIIliDd the most dillicliit abOlit jOlimaliDg?Telling a comprehensive story. That's not my strength at all--I'm more of a "moments" journaler.keep a journal (both regular journal and an art journal) where I do a lot of writing, so the journalion my pages tends to be fairly short.Take liS throllgh YOllrjOlimaliDg process:Myprocess is very organic and not well thought out. I always journal last, and I never ever practfirst or write it out first. Iwrite from the heart and just let what comes out be enough. Often I havglued or sewed down my journaling block, so I have one shot to write and make it fit. It usuallyworks out fine! Of course, there have been a few times when what I have written hasn't madesense, or I've made a writing error. In that case, I just shrug my shoulders & start over.


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I'm Dina Wakley, and I live in the hot Arizona desert with my husband and 3 boys.I love everything about the paper arts, including stamping, scrapping, and artjournaling. Mystyle is messy and grungy and imperfect. Myfavorite supply is sprayink--I have about 100bottles! I love to travel, eat good food, and hang out with goodfriends. Teaching is another passion of mine. I love to spread the love of art andscrapping! I teach both online and in-person classes. I'm a docent (tour guide) at thPhoenix Art Museum. I love to give tours to school groups. It's so fun to introduce kto art and to see it take root in their souls. Let me know if you're ever in Phoenix, I'lgive you a tour!


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Why is journaling on your layouls importanl 10 you?I want my girls to have a unique piece ofme after I'm gone. This is why I hand write myjournaling. I want them to know the feelings, fears, thoughts i had. What was hard about beingmother. Amazing about being a mother. Why and how I fell in love with their daddy. What I loveabout each of them. These things will be invaluable one day.Do you Iry 10 include all Ihe delails in your joumaling?I always include the date (month and year). Beyond that, Imake sure to talk about the emotions,thoughts, and/or feelings that the photos evoke in me. I don't write down every single thing thatwas happening in that photo. I don't write "event" type journaling.Bow do you decide how much or lillie of Ihe slory 10 lell?This sounds silly, but I write frommy heart. Verystream-of-consciousness type journaling. Ilook at the photo or photos on my layout, and then write what I'm feeling, what Iwant my familyto know. I never pre-plan my journaling or practice it. I just write until I feel like I need to stop.Sometimes this means paragraphs ofjournaling, sometimes just a sentence.Does every layoul you creale conlain joumaling?Absolutely. I completely value those who do layouts to be artistic, but that isn't me. I do layoutsshare photos and words.Any lips or lechniques you'd like 10 share wilh us?Be authentic. Don't be scared to tell a funny, even irreverent story.Write like you speak. Imagineyou are telling the story to a loved one ...howwould you phrase it? Don't force yourself to write abig, long, journaling block if the photoes) doesn't need it. Writewhat you feel.


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Growing up with a ridiculously artistic mother, Stephanie tried and abandoned many crafts in frustratiobefore she finally stumbled onto scrapbooking and fell in love. She made a few scrapbooks (in the loossense of the term) when she was in college, but truly became obsessed when she was pregnant with hdaughter. Scrapbooking is her therapy and has gotten her through six of her husband's overseas deploStephanie has been published in Creating Keepsakes, Simple Scrapbooks, Scrapbook and Cards TodaScrapbooks Etc., Memory Makers and Scrapbook Trends magazines. She designs for Studio Calico andBowlin Studio and has guest designed for a multitude of wonderful companies.Stephanie lives in Georgia and is married to Jimmy, who is a Major in the army. She is also a stay-at-homom to Harper Elizabeth, who is four, and Sadie Caroline, who is two. In the fall, the Howell family wiwelcome identical twin girs.


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B w i t hCKYnovacekWhy is joumaling on your layouls so imporlanl 10 you?I always go back to my experience with my mom. She was in a debilitating car accident when Iwas in my early 20s, and lost the ability to speak or communicate. When I find something in herhandwriting and especially heartfelt notes she wrote, it means SOmuch to me. I just think thatjournaling and particularly in your own handwriting is vitally important. It's so personal and suca tangible piece of you that you can leave for your loved ones.Does every layoul you creale conlain joumaling?Yes, even i f it's short and sweet. Iwould rather have a handwritten sentence than a title...ifI hadpick: )Whal do you lind mosl dillicull aboul joumaling?I have to be prepared to feel emotion. It's rare that I journal and don't feel something. Plus, I tryto remember to go a little deeper than basic facts. I know that my words are a legacy to my loveones and I don't want to stay just on the surface all the time. Sometimes that's fine, but I think yneed to go a little deeper to the emotion i f you really want to "say" something to your family.Take us I....ough your journaling process:[ournalinq is always the last thing that I do on a page, other than maybe a little machine stitchinAs I put a layout together, I try to think about what Iwill say or sometimes I've already journaleda notebook what I want to say about certain photos/events. I f I'm going to be writing a lot, Iwillit down in a notebook, so that I know that I have room, but many times, I just start writing rightthe page. Sometimes, i f I make a mistake, it forces me to be even more creative and find a waycover up my boo-boo and do something "out of the box".


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b~ t; r jc o ~ l A , , ;W 0 1 , \ I J k " v e

She was always drawn to paper and photos, so when Becky Novacek was first exposed to scrapboshe was hooked. In 2004, life changed and paper crafts became much more than a hobby, itbecadaily creative endeavor. Although life has changed yet again, and now photography plays an improle in her life, she still finds time to scrapbook and play with paper. Becky has been published iScrapbooks Etc, Creating Keepsakes, Scrapbook Trends, Memory Makers, Cards, Legacy, Somersback in the day, Autumn Leaves Books. Currently, Becky serves on the design teams for lenni Boand Fiskars, and is honored to be guest designing this month for Hambly Studios.Becky lives in Fremont. Nebraska with her husband Tom.They have 4 grown, married children angrandchildren. She enjoys photography, paper crafts, flea marketing, reading, lunching with frienspending Sunday afternoons in the summer around the pool with her whole family.


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mannWhal is Ih. mosl impollanl Ihing aboul capluring Ih. slo.ylThe small things. The little details. The smell of something; the emotion I felt at that time. Typically short,small phrases detailing the details. I like to capture the small things that make up the big picture.Do yoa Iry 10 Include allihe delalls In your lournallng?No. I usually only journal the highlights of a particular memory. Sometimes [actually, most times], I will ouse complimentary adjectives or nouns.Such as the journaling on the "a Florida summer" layout: "Summertime in Florida means so many thinbeach-time, sandy feet, sunburns, flip-flops, ice water, shorts & tank tops ... love to smell the scent of the

ocean, the smell of freshly mowed grass ...this is summertime tome ...sunny skies, thunderstorms, bare fegood times". All of these things in this list remind me of summertime in Florida.Also, I did not journal about the particular day that this photo was taken. I used to be under theassumption that you MUSTjournal about what surrounded that very photo. Not necessary. I used to hate

journaling on my layouts. Hated itwith a passion and most times, skipped doing it all together. I insteadtook a photo that symbolizes a typical summer day and used it as a jumping off point for the description oFlorida summer.Does every layoul your creale conlain joumaling?No.But, probably about 70%ofmy layouts do include some type of journaling though. As I mentionedbefore, I used to despise the journaling part of scrapbooking. One, because I always felt like I had to journabout that particular picture. And when I scrapped a self portrait that I had taken of myself or a picture ofdog, I felt trapped by the journaling process because what am I supposed to say about a self portrait? Oh,took this on a Saturday in June because Iwas bored. Not so much. Two,I always felt like journaling had tomy own words. Also not necessary. I am a quote addict. I love them. I keep an on-going word document thI copy & paste quotes into all of the time. One day it hit me, why don't I use one of these quotes on a layouWell,hello! Sometimes, that's all you need! Or song lyrics. Many times, the lyrics say exactly what needsbe said - nothing more, nothing less. And three, I always felt like I had to do the journaling in my own hawriting. I hate my handwriting. It's never the same. It's ever evolving - if there is such a thing. And then oday, I saw someone online had used a typewriter to do the journaling on their layout. Before too much timhad passed, I had my own typewriter. And as weird as this may sound, I enjoy journaling SO much morenow that I don't feel like IHAVEto do it in my own handwriting.Whal do you lind Ihe mosl dillicull aboul journaling? The most difficult thing for me is to sit down andactually do it. Tosit and think about what Iwant to say whether it be a quote, or a list of some sort - I haveforce myself to sit down and actually do it. Once I get going, it pretty much just flows - but that initial poiwhere I have to think about what I'm going to say gets me every time.'l'ak. us Ihrough your journaling proc.ss:Typically,my journaling is always the last thing I do. Unless, I'm going to type my journaling directly ontothe base page of my layout, I always save it for last. And about 99%of the time, my journaling is alwaystyped out. It may be on a tag, on a strip of ledger paper, cardstock - but it is easier for me to type everythirather than hand write it out.I personally do not care for journaling that is printed off from a computer. It is just too perfect and cleanlooking. But that is just me. I prefer the grungy, non straight lines from my typewriter. I don't ever do a roudraft of my journaling. Ever.And again, like I stated earlier, a lot of times, my journaling is written out more in the pattern of how I

think - more list like by using nouns or adjectives.Any lips you'd lik. 10 share wilh us?One last thing I'd like to share - don't be intimidated by journaling. Iwas for a very long time. And I maybe the best at journaling - but, I know that years down the road, when I look back at the memories I havepreserved, the journaling is going to be the thing I cherish the most. Because it will open a small windowtime towhere I can see exactly what was going through my head at that particular moment.


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J Ew i t hjohner

Why is joumaling on your layouls imporlanl 10 you?As much as I try to capture the story with my picture taking .. the mood, the feel, the sights ... thewhole story can't always be told through a photo. I look at my journaling a little bit backwardsI suppose, I start my journaling where the photo leaves off.. the bits and pieces that the photodoesn't tell. Myjournaling is usually fairly short, but I feel it will be the connection to the photowhen looking back on my pages years down the road. Sometimes I like to do random journalingthat doesn't always go with the photo, that is usually my favourite kind! I love that this hobby isthe prefect way to document those random fun things about my kids .. those things that are thereone minute and gone the next. [ournalinq on my scrapbook pages is a way for me to documentof those little things .. and that is priceless!Do you Iry 10 include all Ihe delails in your joumaling?Since I do so many pages, and those pages are usually one one photo pages .. in most instances,a series of photos get spread out over several pages. So, i f I take 40 pictures of the kids playingin the backyard .. chances are, I will end up with at least 3 or 4 (or sometimes more) pages of thaalone .. so the story gets spread across those pages. One page may end up being just a 'who anwhen' type page, another might be more about what they were doing, another might me aboutwhat we did that day in general.. and one may even be about something entirely different, withsubject going along with what the photo may represent. So no, most times I am not too concernabout including every single detail in my journaling, because I know in the end ..between all ofthe pages, the story will be told.Does every layoul you creale conlain joumaling?No, definitely not. A lot of times Iwill only include a date. Sometimes I feel the photo tells enouof the story, or I appreciate the photo as it is and just feel like being artsy and making a page.This kind of elaborates on the previous question .. chances are Iwill end up making anaccompanying page that will contain some journaling that the one without was lacking.Whal do you lind Ihe mosl dillicull aboul journaling?Honestly, finding room! 101 I usually save my journaling for last, and sometimes get carried awain the creating process, and don't end up thinking too much about where I am going to add thejournaling! So alot of times, I end up looking at the page and saying to myself "where oh wheream I going to add that?" ..that is why I love handwriting my journaling, it is so much easier tomake it fit in! The Elle's Studio tags are the perfect solution to this forme! I find when I plan tojournal on a tag .. I plan the spot for that tag during the creating process ... and that is a good thinAny lips or lechniques you'd like 10 share wilh us?SInce I do the majority ofmy journaling in my own handwriting ..my tip is to lightly journal inpencil first! 101 I continually learn this lesson the hard way! I find i f I have a light pencilled inguide to follow, it is so much easier to stay on track!


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~,. ;~ I \,

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Hi,my name is len! I love to scrapbook and play with anything crafty! I am happieswhen I do something creative every single day! This summer I hope to read manymany books, play with my 2 munchkins, spend as much time outdoors as possible,take a road trip (or two).. and craft up a storm of course! I am a stay at home mom,and married to my bestest friend ..we have two kids, Laine (age 8) and Harley (agethese three are my everything!


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D w i t hBEEcamposBow do you decide how much or lillie ollhe slory 10 lell?Mystories are almost always very brief. I don't pressure myself towrite everything out. Imisssomethings but most of the time I almost always write about the few details Iwant to rememberthese always trigger a smile, a sweet memory. I am more of a visual person anyway, I guess forit's not so much about the journaling specifically. Mywords + mypictures + my art process= loI don't have any children yet, but I know that they will later on look over our art pages I've madeand very well see that I have loved being a wife to mr.handsome. I have loved documenting ourlives for them and for us. xoxoDoes every layoul you creale conlain journaling?Not really. I often find myself journaling on the back ofmy pages. Morefor some added privacy.And for the mere fact I really don't like my handwriting. :) I make the most ofmy cute typewriteand journal free style onto my page. I allow myself the freedom to make mistakes and scribblestuff up. It's part of the art process. I embrace the mess :)Whal do you lind Ihe mosl dillicull aboul joumaling?I hold back. I tend to be a very private person. And with anything that Imake, I really try to makeach page meaningful. I don't force myself to make anything I'm not invested in. When I do jourI try to keep it positive and real. And then there is also the very fine line between what i allowmyself to share on the web. I allow myself to keep things just for me. So sometimes Iwill sharepage but all the journaling will be on the back :)Take us Ihrough your joumaling process:Aswith this page, i had the journaling weighing heavily on my heart for quite some time. It justneeded to be spilled out onto paper. Visuallyembraced. I had been thinking of the journaling:"whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable- excellent or praiseworthy-think aboutsuch things." I decided Iwould give these words a home. I just free styled it onto the backgroundofmy page. Nothing to complicated or "clean". I never worry about those things. Paint is messyand I love that about it. So these words however messy looking, they mean more to me havingwritten them out with my carefree writing. Just a paint brush and paint. it's art :)


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Hello. I'mDebee and I'm an art lover :)I am married to my most favorite person in the whole wide world. Mr.Handsome. Ilove making art in my studio and enjoy spray painting anything I can get my hands:)Life is a sweeter place with pretty paper. starbucks and some modest mouse blarithrough the speakers. I often frequent thrift stores. anthropologie. and take picturesadded inspiration. I'm a daydreamer at heart and enjoy pouring out my passion foronto paper. xoxo


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NOTES:

Journal in Gin Your Own Words 2010

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