© Scrapbooking Coach 2014

! !!!!Hi,!!It’s Anna here from Scrapbooking Coach!!!It’s my wish that as you read through this quick guide on journaling, you’ll be inspired with new ideas to help you express how you feel on your layouts.!!

Remember great journaling is when the heart speaks :-)!!So listen to your heart and don’t ever be afraid to express how you truly feel!!!Be inspired to creatively preserve your most precious memories, now and always,!!!!!!!!support@scrapbookingcoach.com!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This guide or any part within may not be shared, published or given away without express permission of the author.!!

© Scrapbooking Coach 2014

!!What is Journaling?!!Behind each photo is a story. And journaling is the process of telling that story!!!Some folks get scared of the idea of journaling because they think they need to write hundreds of words. But it doesn’t need to be that complicated :-)!!Journaling can be:!!• A quote!• A record of a conversation!• A name!• A date!• Anecdotes!!You can type your journaling into a computer and then print it out, or you can hand write it if you feel comfortable with your own handwriting! (coming up later in this report I’ll give you an excellent technique for making sure your handwriting always looks perfect on your pages).!!The wall that most scrappers hit with journaling is HOW to get started. Let’s cover that now…!!!!

The 5 Questions To Ask Yourself Get Started!!!Without a doubt, the hardest part of journaling is starting. !!And one of the best ways to help you start is to ask yourself some key “thought-starter” questions.!!These are 5 basic questions that you should be able to answer pretty easily when you look at the photos on your layout.!!1. Who is in this photo?!2. What is happening in this photo? !3. When was this photo taken?!4. Where was this photo taken?!5. Why was this photo taken?!!Ask yourself these questions and write the answers down. !!Then ask yourself what other key moments you’d like to include about the event. Write those down too.!!© Scrapbooking Coach 2014

At this stage you’re gathering information to use in your journaling, so be careful not to edit yourself. Just get all the information down in a note pad or something.!!Then, once you’re ready to begin taking these facts and turning them into a beautiful piece of journaling I want to give you a fantastic exercise that will help you journal quickly and naturally.!!I want you to sit with your eyes closed, focus on a very good friend of yours. Imagine you’re journaling about this memory to them.!!Then once you’re nice and relaxed (and with your friend in your mind) start journaling about the memory.!!I almost always recommend you journal on a piece of scrap paper FIRST. You don’t want to write straight onto a layout if you’re not 100% clear on what you’re going to say.!!So now you know a cool little trick to start journaling, I wanted to introduce you to some creative ways to use journaling on your page.!!!!

Creative Ways To Journal!!!# 1. Create A Top 10 or 5 List!!Create a list of the top five or ten things that are memorable as seen in the photos of the layout. Sometimes just by jotting down a few key words can spark a lot of happy memories.!!A list is also a fun way to share emotions. Let’s say you and your college-age daughter are putting together a layout of her first year living in the dormitory. Ask her to come up with five or ten short phrases to describe the experience, such as: studying all night, 2 AM coffee breaks, not an inch to spare (crowded room), late night talks and missing home. Just seeing a list of words along with photos is enough for anyone looking at the page to have a good idea of what your daughter’s first year was like.!!If you’re putting together a vacation scrapbook, you can actually make lists to be used throughout the album. Ask your family to help create the lists. Topics might include things such as: time at the airport, sharing hotel rooms, outdoor fun, or nature’s beauty. ! !!!!!!© Scrapbooking Coach 2014

WRITING LISTS IS A GREAT WAY TO JOURNAL.

# 2. Use A Special Font!!One of the most popular scrapbook journaling ideas is to use your computer for journaling. Decide what size journaling block you want to create and set your margins accordingly. As you type, change the font type, size or color to emphasize certain words.!!For a special heartfelt touch, type your journaling in black. Highlight or use a different color font to draw attention to certain words that when just those words are read, it will be a special phrase such as, “I love you more today than I could ever imagine.”!!You can also create special watermarks to use as a background for your journaling. Most microsoft office programs will let you save clip art as a photo and insert it as a watermark. If you’re journaling about your child’s birthday, then use confetti, a birthday cake or candles as the watermark. ! !!!

# 3. Start With A Quote!!Find a quote, Bible verse, a phrase from a song or some other special saying to start off your scrapbook journaling. You can even use a message sticker. As you journal, tie in your thoughts with the quote.!!For example, recently while working on our generational family scrapbook album, I used the following quote as a starter for my journaling about my relationship with my dad. Included in the layout are three photos of my dad showing how proud he was of me.!!“My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.” ~ Jim Valvano!

!!# 5. Recapture a Conversation!!!For this idea you need to have paper and pen handy. If a really cute or touching conversation takes place and you have photos that can document the conversation, write down to the best of your ability the conversation. !!© Scrapbooking Coach 2014

JOURNALING QUOTES CAN EXPRESS BEAUTIFUL SENTIMENTS.

Type or write one person’s comments in one color and the other person’s comments in a different color. As you add the journaling to your layout, adhere the first person’s comments to the left and the other person’s comments to the right of your journaling block.!!Here’s a conversation my friend recently added to a scrapbook of her great-niece:!!

“Mommy, here.” (Photo of Bri handing her mom her stuffed bunny.)!!“Hon, why are you giving me your bunny?”!!“You said, ‘Some bunny’s in trouble and needs time out. So here’s bunny.’”!!(Photo of bunny sitting in the corner.) “Ummm thanks.”!!

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# 6. Encourage Others To Journal With You!!A scrapbook journaling idea that will surely tug at the heart is to include words from other people. A few ideas are:!!Baby shower – ask each person to give a parenting tip. Create simple die-cuts in the shape of baby bottles, rattles and teddy bears. Ask people to write in the center of the die-cut.!!Bridal shower – cut out white, pink and red 3 or 4 inch hearts. On each heart toward the top write “Love is…”. As guests arrive, ask each person to finish the sentence.!!Retirement party – hand each guest a fun shaped journal block and ask them to write a memory, words of wisdom or any funny moment.!!Thinking of you – have a family member who’s in the service and won’t be home for awhile? Put together a scrapbook album filled with loving thoughts from family and friends.!Journaling adds a special touch to a layout. Although a picture may speak a thousand words, journaling gives further meaning to the photos. With the above scrapbook journaling ideas, it’s a way of sharing your heart with others.!!!# 7. Do Questions And Answers!!!I love seeing question and answer journaling on pages! They are a quick way to get your journaling done and can sometimes reveal some interesting facts that you may of missed.!!For instance, if you’re doing a layout of your Grandfather, you could sit down with your mother and ask her questions about growing up with her Dad. Often times you’ll discover new and quirky things that would’ve otherwise gone un-noticed.!!!# 8. Borrow From Songs!!Songs can be powerful reminders of people, places and events. Perhaps it was that tune playing in the background the very first time you met your husband?!!Or was their one summer road trip where you played the same song over and over in the car?!

© Scrapbooking Coach 2014

!Songs are powerful ways to evoke memories, and borrowing from song lyrics can add a wonderful dimension to you page.!!You can get some incredible results if you pair the right lyrics with the right photo.!!There’s a few places online where you can search by song title and they will bring up all the lyrics.!!Here’s a few you can use:!!Song Lyrics!!A - Z lyrics!!Find Music By lyrics.com!!!!!# 9. Have Your Child (or Grandchild) Help You Journal!!!!Children have a very different perspective on the world. They pick up on different things from adults. So next time you’re working on a layout why not ask some youngsters for their input.!!Kids can say some pretty hilarious thins (as Bill Cosby found out) so - be sure to have a pen and paper ready.!!!!!# 10. Journal With Your Pictures!!Even though most journaling is done by writing. You can actually mix things up a bit and journal through pictures.!!The easiest way to do this is to take a bunch of photos from a special event and then arrange them in chronological order. !!For example if you were creating a wedding layout, then you’d have photos of the bride getting her make up done, arriving at the church, walking down the aisle and then leaving the church.!!

© Scrapbooking Coach 2014

THIS LAYOUT USES SONG LYRICS FOR JOURNALING

You could take all these photos and arrange them chronologically and add some photo captions with the time and relevant info on a caption below or next to the picture.!!!# 12. Write a Letter!!!Writing a letter is still one of the most personal, heart-felt ways to communicate with someone. It’s also a wonderful way to include journaling on your pages.!!If you’ve got a lot to say then a letter is a great idea. You can write it yourself or type it on a computer and then print it out.!!!# 13. Hidden Journaling!!You’re journaling doesn’t always have to be front and centre of your page. Hidden journaling is a popular way to hide your journaling on your page and to make it more interactive.!!Simply create a small pocket or sleeve, or even fold your journaling up and tuck it behind your photo.!!!!!!

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Creating Catchy Journaling Titles…!!!Coming up with a title for your page is also a really important part of journaling! !!But I didn’t always realise this. In fact, when I started scrapping, I would get so excited about choosing the right photos and embellishments, but would only give a little thought about titles. Most of my titles were handwritten ones and were located at the top of the page.!!Now after making literally hundreds and hundreds of scrapbook pages and looking at pages that friends have created, I realize that scrapbook titles are just as important as everything else on the page. !!Here’s some tips to creating catchy scrapbook titles for your layouts.! !!!!!!© Scrapbooking Coach 2014

IN THIS LAYOUT THE JOURNALING IS HIDDEN UNDERNEATH THE PHOTO.

Tip #1. Keep It Short Silly! (using the K.I.S.S principle) !!Don’t feel your titles have to be long. A long title can easily hog a good portion of the page. !!Instead of using “Class Trip to the Zoo” try using fewer words like “Class Trip” or “Zoo Visit”. !!Since I tend to journal on most of my scrapbook pages, I’m able to explain what the page is about. The title should be just a quick one or two words to let the viewer know what to expect on that page or spread.!!Instead of writing out certain words, I shorten them with hyphens. For example, “birthday” becomes “b-day”. I also use actual numbers instead of the spelling of numbers.!!!Tip #2. Title Placement !!!One of things that I love about scrapbooking is the freedom to do whatever comes to mind. I rarely place titles at the top of my pages anymore. !!Instead, I think about what the title will be, and as I begin my layout with photos, die-cuts, journal writing, and such, I think about the placement of the title. !!Here are some ideas that you can use:!!• Use one title for a spread, rather than giving

each page a title.!• Place vertical lettering along side of a large

photo.!• If a page contains square matting, then place

the title in the bottom outside corner.!• For a page with circles and ovals, curve the

title around a portion of the largest circle or oval on the page.!

• When using sticker words or phrases as a title, create a sticker title frame around the center photo.!!!

Tip #3. Consider Positioning !!Once I decide on the location of a title, I then choose how I want to position the letters. A lot of times if my title is horizontal, I will purposely slant my letters a little to the left or right. This gives the title a fun look and it stops me from feeling as though I need to be a perfectionist and line up each letter just so.!!For titles that are in a corner, I’ll usually slant the title. If it’s a 4-letter word, such as love, then I’ll place the letters in a block form with L-O on top and V-E on the bottom.! !!© Scrapbooking Coach 2014

THIS PAGE TITLE IS IN THE BOTTOM LEFT HAND CORNER OF THE PAGE.

Tip #4. Decide On Type Of Material To Be Used!!Add charm to your scrapbook page titles by using different types of material for the lettering. !!The choices of material for scrapbooking title ideas are endless! !!Here are some ideas that I enjoy using:!!• Letter rubber stamps of various sizes!• Letter die-cuts!• Card stock!• Patterned scrapbook paper!• Letters from a magazine!• Foam letters!• Sticker letters!• Using a pretty font, type a title on a clear label!• Card board! !Tip #5. Add Texture (bling it up baby!)!!Adding texture to a title can help make the title stand out from the rest of the page. Use a sequin, tiny jewel or piece of confetti to dot the “i” in a title. Add sequins to the first letter of the title. !!If using letter rubber stamps, allow extra space in between each letter. Then use glitter glue and draw squares or circles around each letter. For a “girly” page, I sometimes will cut a fabric flower to fit around the outside edge of the first and last letter of the title. For a boy’s page, I’ve cut out letters from sandpaper for a fun look and texture.! !Tip #5. Have Fun With Your Scrapbook Titles!!!Experiment with your scrapbook titles and try different ideas. If you’re designing scrapbook page titles for pages that have flowers, cut out simple leaves. Mat each title letter onto a leaf. If you feel that a page doesn’t have a lot of color, then make a bright bold title or use a different color for each letter.!Designing scrapbook titles is a lot of fun. The more you attempt new and different ideas, the more creative your titles will become. And before you know it, you’ll be creating catchy scrapbook titles one right after another!!!!!

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© Scrapbooking Coach 2014

!!A Cool Journaling Trick To Improve Your Handwriting!!!

Some scrappers don’t like to journal in their own hand writing because it is messy. Well if you’re handwriting looks like you should be a Doctor (lol) then I’ve got a cool little exercise that I teach my students.!!This will guarantee that when it’s time to write on your layout you won’t have any weird, squiggly lines and your handwriting will be anything but messy!!!Here’s what you’ll need:!!- A pencil!- Ruler!- Eraser!- Pen!!Here goes:!!1. Find a scrap bit of paper to practice on that will be exactly the same size as the segment you

will be journaling on on your page.!!2. Draw some straight horizontal lines on this scrap with a ruler. You can draw one line, two or

three (depending on how consistent you’d like your writing to be). See image below as an example.!

!!!!© Scrapbooking Coach 2014

3. Write your journaling (the actual words you’re going to put on your page) in between the lines on the scrap paper as a practice run! The lines help you see how much space you words and sentences need, so that you are not bunching up your journaling piece.!!4. Once you’ve finished practicing, go to your layout and draw the lines lightly with a pencil. !!5. Take your pencil and write your journaling in between the lines on your layout (remember the purpose of the lines is to keep your hand writing straight and not bunching up!)!!6. Once you’re happy with your journaling written in pencil you can go over it with a good quality pen (I recommend a biro or ball point).!!7. Make sure you always leave enough time for the ink to dry BEFORE your rub out your pencil lines as this will smudge your page!!!8. Ta da! Congratulations - you’ve just been able to journal on your page and it all looks tidy and clean without bunching or messiness.!!!

© Scrapbooking Coach 2014

“Who Else Wants Over 5,000 Scrapbook Titles & Quotes So You’ll NEVER Be Stuck For Words

EVER Again?….”!!!Searching the internet for quotes and titles for your pages can take HOURS.!!But getting journaling inspiration doesn’t have to be that hard!!!If you’d like to have literally thousands of titles and quotes at your fingertips, ALL catalogued by theme, then you must check out this fantastic ebook that one of my colleagues has put together.!!It’s a powerful time saver for both scrappers and card makers! Click here to see it now.!!Here’s what other scrappers are saying about this wonderful resource…..!!!"I am a Creative Memories Consultant and have shared the Lasting Expressions Scrapbook titles and quotes e-book with my customers at my monthly workshops. It has been quite useful and gets passed around quite a bit. I personally like that I can look everything up by theme. Even if my page layout doesn't have a common theme, I can look up a sticker or die cut by name and find an appropriate title.!Thanks. "!!Melissa R. - Texas!!"I love this book, it has helped me to expand the text in the scrapbooks I make, it has an endless variety for just about every subject. The price was very fair for all the content provided. I have recommended this book to my friends and family and would continue to do so. Keep up the good work and if you come up with any updates I would love for you to notify me of them.!Thanks again." !!Bethany W. - New York!!!"I do a lot of Scrapbooking and love it. But the Lasting Expressions Scrapbook Quotes e-book has helped me to express my ideas in so many areas. Anything you need an idea for this book has it. I have shared it with many other Scrapbookers and also other crafters. My sister plans to use it for ideas for making Christmas cards. There are just endless uses for this book. I am happy I purchased it and know others will be also." !!Deb K. - Ohio!!"What an absolute gem of scrapping ideas. I am an avid scrapper but really battle when it comes to doing the journal bit. These sayings/expressions are priceless and so many of them! I have and will recommended this amazing website to all my friends. Thank You!!"!

© Scrapbooking Coach 2014

!Cheryl N. - South Africa!!

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© Scrapbooking Coach 2014