Write it on Wednesday: inspiration from quotes

One of my favourite quotes is something like:

"It's not the days in your life that count, but the life in your days."

I've seen it attributed to Brian White and, as
"Don't seek more days in your life but more life in your days", to Charles Swindoll

Inspirational quotes can inspire titles and journalling. It's one of the simplest ways to journal - you hardly have to write anything yourself there are so many great quotes to choose from. (See my post here for some great sites for quotes and sayings.)

Here's today's starter for ten...

"It's not what you do in life ..."

Decide on your own ending to the quote: choose one of these or make up your own to suit your picture and the story you want to scrap! e.g.

... that matters - it's who you are.
... it's what you finish! (Katherine Hepburn)
... that counts, it's what you bring to what you do that counts.
... it's the way that you do it.
... that counts, it's where you left your mark in things you tried to do that counts.
... that makes you who you are, it's who you are that makes you do what you do. (Cirek Brecy)
... that counts, but how much you enjoy doing whatever you do.

photo by monceau

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Ways to add journalling

Anyone who wants inspiration about where to put journalling on your page could do worse than check out the online gallery of your choice. While not all LOs have journalling, there are many and varied ways that other people have added journalling.

Here are five of my favourite ways;

Tags are definitely a favourite: I use them on the LO both visible and hidden, often several tags tucked behind a photo.
Cutting out the words of a short amount of journalling separately makes an attractive feature


Here's a simple journalling block - position it like an extra photograph.


I have printed journalling on transparencies or vellum - this one is attached with brads


Here I've made a feature of the journalling by printing and then cutting out an appropriate design.

No longer around (step by step)

When I saw Becky Fleck’s August RoundMaps I knew I wanted to try out the round format for a LO.

So obviously – “round” became a theme. What pictures did I have with something round in them? I was immediately reminded of my guinea pig, Button, now no longer around (!), but whom I miss when I’m chopping (usually round!) vegetables. He had a round white crest on the top of his head.

I haven’t got very good pictures of him – the rest of him was black so contrast was always a problem – and guinea pigs aren’t good at keeping still for the camera! But nonetheless I wanted to scrap my feelings about how surprisingly much I miss him and his brother Blaze.

So this time – I just started with “I miss …” and continued to write down how I felt.

I miss our guinea pigs Blaze and Button most when I am chopping up vegetables for cooking. I used to put the cauliflower leaves and the broccoli stalks to one side for the piggies. They did love their veg. We even bought organic carrots so the pesticides wouldn’t harm them. I miss their squeaks in the morning too. They used to recognize the noise of the kettle going on and start squeaking madly for their breakfast vegetables.

For the second LO I used the same sketch, but I used my experience from the first one. Firstly I chose less brightly coloured papers because in the Piggie LO I thought the colours distracted attention from the photo. I also picked papers that continued the circle theme.

This time I used a photograph of arches – again that circular motif. And in my journalling I asked the question: what was significant about those arches?

Andy Goldsworthy’s Arches were a feature at his exhibition at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. J and I have been interested in Goldsworthy’s work for some time and Easter Monday 2007 was an opportunity to actually see many pieces (although we couldn’t photograph most of them because photos of the pieces are also his art). The [others in our party] enjoyed it too.

"English" & British slang titles

After seeing a great list of Australian slang titles and some wonderful Scots ones (how lucky the Scots are to have English AND lots of wonderful dialect words to use), I thought I'd start compiling a list of uniquely English words and phrases for titles. We have too much US influence (down with cupcakes!)

Plodging (NE slang for paddling)
Time for tea
Two for tea
Nosh
Lubbly Jubbly!
London Calling!
Bonkers
Giddy up!
You’re A star (A* grade)
Pearly princess
Top Gear
Exterminate!
X-Factor
Yorkshire Pudding
We’re all going on a Summer Holiday!
Specs appeal
Ground Force
Telly Addict
Anyone for a beer?
One for the road
Angel of the North
Wotcha!
Gotcha!
Alright Petal!
Wet wet wet ... (after the summer we've had!)

If you've done or can think of any uniquely English titles, please let me know in the comments?

Write it on Wednesday - five little words

Today’s Write it on Wednesday idea is really easy.

Find a picture that you love, or that you think you should scrap

Jot down FIVE words that come to mind to describe or relate to the picture or the story behind it.

You can stop there and use those words to embellish your layout. Here are some ways to add the words:

• print onto patterned paper and cut out into separate strips
• add using rub-ons
• write in your own handwriting
• use small alpha stamps
• use letter stickers

OR try now developing the words into a sentence or sentences

Add to your LO as a journalling block or a series of journalling strips

Here is my photo - from a holiday in Cornwall 3 years ago.

Here are my five words:

• labyrinth/maze
• prehistoric?
• fake?
• Rocky Valley (OK that's two really...)
• flood

Here they are developed into phrases/sentences:

• I love mazes of all kinds.
• Is this prehistoric?
  or a Victorian fake?
  in beautiful Rocky Valley
  that was destroyed just two weeks later by the flood that also drowned Boscastle.

Here's a digi sketch of how the page might look (needs a lot of development!)

Now try it for yourself!

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Quotations, quotes, sayings, titles and journalling

Where to find quotes, quotations and sayings for your scrapbook pages...

Denny’s Quotes: http://www.dennydavis.net/index.html Amazingly comprehensive

Simple Scrapbooks magazine Quote Archive: http://www.simplescrapbooksmag.com/quotes/

Two Peas Pea Soup: http://twopeasinabucket.kaboose.com/res.asp

Scrapbook.com: http://www.scrapbook.com/quotes.php

Scrapbooking Quotes: http://www.stickersnfun.com/quotes.asp with some interesting Australian slang...

The Quote Garden (not specifically scrapbooking): http://www.quotegarden.com/

Brainy Quote (not specifically scrapbooking): http://www.brainyquote.com/

You can also personalise your Google homepage (see http://www.igoogle.com/) and include inspirational quotes every day as one or more of the elements.

Mine come from Quotations of the Day
http://www.quotationspage.com/qotd.html

and

The Quotations Page
http://www.quotationspage.com/

My favourite quotation of all time?

' Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.' William Morris

Now there’s a challenge to scrapbook!

Write it on Wednesday: Adapting layout designs for journalling

How fabulous are these layouts?
Luzinha
Most inspiring! Love 'em.

I'm not sure why I am so attracted to LOs that have just one picture and little or no journalling, when what I want to do is try to scrap more multi-photo pics and tell stories. I ask myself how do I follow inspiration like this and still remain true to the journalling imperative. What if the LO you want to scraplift, or the sketch you want to follow doesn't have journalling on it?

Here are some ideas for adapting LOs or sketches:

1. Hidden journalling: a tag slipped behind a large photo
2. Hidden journalling: the main pic is hinged and lifts like a flap for journalling underneath
3. Hidden extra photos: as above - but put extra photos as well as journalling
4. Minibook: use a minibook with a big photo on the front instead of a single pic
5. Journal on the back of the LO!
6. Journal around the picture or around the edge of the LO (creating journalling that forms part of the design is a whole other story - but look back at Luzinha's Relax for a brilliant example)
7. Replace one of the embellishments with a journalling block
8. Journal on a small piece of paper or cardstock folded concertina-wise and tucked under an embellishment

Today's journalling prompt:

I love this photo because...

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Splash - Hidden Journalling

Here's an example of hidden journalling. The photos of me aren't very good (tempting to say not good or important enough to scrap), but when I started thinking about journalling about myself, my likes and dislikes, I realised these pictures express something important - I love water - the sea in particular (which for someone living in the middle of England, too far from the sea for a day out, is a bit sad...).

My UKS teamie Nicki challenged us on the Chatterbox Chicks blog to "scrap a beach photo or photos with non traditional papers".

As I've been working on a series of posts about hidden journalling, I thought I would include it on the layout as an embellishment, so I created a little folded card tied with ribbon and finished with pretty flowers.

The journalling reads: I love the sea! I adore swimming or even paddling. This was in Bournemouth before we had children – me in a daring leopard-print suit, splashing in the shallows! (and my signature)

Supplies: Prism black cardstock from Scrapajack (for an unusual beach LO!), my favourite K'ology Addison paper & stickers, Cratepaper Wildflower chipboard alphabet, MM brads, Prima Bubbles flowers, a Craft Robo-cut seahorse and confetti and gems from a now closed shop. Definitely NOT a cardstock only LO.

Hope it's appropriate Nicki!

Write it on Wednesday - Journalling the moment

Sometimes you're there and you know that something is important and should be remembered, and as a scrapper - you know how. But don't forget the journalling ...

My daughter went out and bought a new summer dress with money her grandmother had given her "to buy something pretty". It is a very pretty dress indeed and very different from the teenage black and muddy colours she often wears.

So out we went in the garden to take a photo to send to her grandmother so she could she what DD had bought. DD said that she could see in my eyes as she was posing - there's a scrapbook page coming up!

Indeed before the end of the day I'd printed the best pic, and scrapped the page. It had a great title - It Must be Summer! (if even DD is buying strappy dresses...) At first it lacked journalling - but that ignores some of the most important parts of the memory...

The question(s) to ask...

• Why did I scrap this page?
• What is the most significant thing about it?

The title and subtitle are important - who, when and where are important but the main answer is: All in one day

So I've journalled discreetly in the "white space" of this LO.

Name & Date
Subtitle
Journalling: All in one day: A bought this dress with money from Nana C for "something pretty". we took the photo in the garden and I scrapped this page. Too pretty to miss!

So take a look at your page and ask yourself

• Why did I scrap this page?
• What is the most significant thing about it?
• Who, what and where?

And make sure you find somewhere to add these details - even if the journalling is hidden.

More Write it on Wednesday

All About Me - Page prompts

Make a time-line of significant events in your life.
Make a list of favourites - books, food, films, places, colours, clothes
Take one of those internet quizzes: use the questions or the results.
Jot down 7 random things about yourself.
What activity and/or place and/or person/people make(s) you happy?
Get your partner/sister/kids to write down some words that mean "you" to them...
A life in a day - write about a typical (or nontypical day!) in your life!
See how many words and phrases you can jot down that you feel describe you.

My Quiz answers...
What's your ideal job? A successful writer
What do people tend not to like about you? Short temper!
What makes you happiest in life? Being with family
Click your heels and make a wish. What did you wish for? Continued health for all my family and a return to health for some of the older members

Free class - Colouring-in your life

After a revamp of the look of this blog, I'm going to post my free scrapbook journalling classes in one place so they can be found easily. Of course, there's also inspiration, quotes and advice about journalling all through the blog (You can find some here), especially "Write it on Wednesday".

Also - if anyone has a problem with journalling and would like some help, just make a comment on any post (giving me info about your issue) and I'll reply with some help in a new post. I'm here to help you!

The first free class "Colouring-in your life" has been on the blog for a while, but here it is collected together for you.

Part 1: Thinking in Colour, Sunday 14 January
Part 2: Exploring Colour, Saturday 20 January
Part 3: Colour in Scrapbooking, Friday 2 February
Part 4: Colour me a Layout, Friday 2 February
Extra for those with Firefox browsers: Colour picker widget

Hope you enjoy the class. Please comment with a link to your LO if you have a go :)

The free classes will be collected on the right hand side, just below my slideshow :)

New (to me!) dare/challenge blogs

From around the world some interesting dare/challenge blogs...

How Dare You? (Australia)
All About Eve (mostly US but international)
One Little Word (inspired by my fave scrapper Ali Edwards)
How much is too much? (US)
SALT (a scrappers'/cardmakers'/altered art faith blog from the UK & international)

Write it on Wednesday - the secrets of stress-free journalling

A weekly series to kickstart your journalling

First: The principles of stress-free journalling:

• Keep a notebook or file of journalling or, better still, journal in an online document or blog that is searchable (or transfer written notes to online)
• Journal when you haven't time or space to scrap
• Keep your journalling notebook with you (it can be a mini notebook in your handbag!) and journal when you take photos.

It's Wednesday and it's sunny:

Journalling prompt for 1st August

What was the best summer you ever had?

Where were you? Where did you go?
What activities did you take part in?
Who else was there?

I remember the summer of '76 - the hottest summer in my lifetime. I'd just finished Lower Sixth and life was good. We spent a lot of time lazing around the outdoor swimming pool in the park in a nearby town, and planning the next year's holiday - after our A-levels - when we were going to backpack in Europe.