I found this neat journaling inspiration on the jbs inspiration blog. Essentially it is a ‘how we met’ page with some antiquated looking silhouettes. The silhouette idea is a nice one but I’m not so sure that I like the antiquated aspect of it. The creator is a Pride and Prejudice fan like myself, but I think something a little more modern would be in order. I don’t know, maybe our real silhouettes? I enjoy the basic premise of the idea but I’m still not exactly sure where to go with it yet.
Cathy has written another great blog entry about the journaling aspect of scrapbooking. Cathy points out that an ‘authentic’ way to tell a story or portray someone is with their quirks and quotes. Basically some of the things that make the individual unique. What do they do that’s weird or cute and funny? What do they often say that might fall out of their own personal vernacular usage in a few years? I think it’s a great idea and just wanted to send some <3′s Cathy’s way by including a link. You should check it out. Not that you have to go exactly the same direction that she took but I think it’s a great idea that can provide some great direction for any artists out there that are stuck staring at the blank canvas.
Journaling, a very important part of modern scrapbooking. I’ve found that the old fashioned fountain pen is absolutely fantasic for scrapbook journaling, but having some decent penmenship is sort of a prerequisite. Fountain pens glide over the paper and allow nice calligraphy to ensue. Also having the ability to change inks and nibs is a plus. If you’ve never tried a fountain pen before, they now sell a disposable variety that you can try out to give you an idea of how much more expressive you can be with this old fashioned pen vs the modern ballpoint. The disposable pen is the Pilot Varsity, you can pick one up at Staples. I got this image off of Pilot’s website:
Including yourself in your scrapbooks is critical – after all, you’re passing along YOUR legacy, right? Every now and again, be sure to make a layout about you! Follow some of the ideas in the article below by Sherrill Ghilardi Pierre, a writer for Scrapjazz.com
Making a journal jar is a creative way to encourage someone to start slowly keeping a journal. Whether you’re a person who already likes to journal, you’re not really interested, or you find it too time consuming, a journal jar lets you attempt to journal in small doses. I know I have good intentions and would love to journal every day just so I can remember something about these days that go by so fast. The days all blend into one and before you know it, all the memories are just one big blur.
The idea behind a journaling jar is that you take out one prompt a day, staple it to your journal page and write a response to that prompt. Here’s how it’s done:
- First you find a jar (any size will work). You can keep it plain, putting a label on the outside that says, “Journal Jar” or you can decorate it with patterned paper, fabric or anything else you want.
- Pick some journaling prompts (you can include as many or as few journaling prompts as you want) from the list below that I compiled from various sources, or make up your own.
- Type them (or cut and paste from this list) and print them out in cute fonts on paper (I used patterned) and cut them into strips with decorative scissors. (You can also use regular scissors, but the decorative are prettier.)