Dear (fill in the blank)

Notebook & Pencil from Extra Credit at Digital Design Essentials (Gina Cabrera)

Quite often, the hardest part of journaling is getting started. It can be daunting to face a blank page and realize you need to fill it with words – believe me, I (Katie) go through the same thing when I write a post! Whoever invented the standard form of letter writing must have understood that it’s a lot easier for us if we have an opener to get us started. When you address a letter as “Dear Mom” you immediately establish that you are talking to your mother and you can then proceed with the message. What if we did the same thing with scrapbook pages?

Here are some fun digi layouts to illustrate this approach (all images are linked for credits):

Write directly to someone in your family and tell them what they mean to you. Just treat the page like a letter or note you would put together to describe a feeling or memory about that person.

Address someone who might not be able to hear you in person, or someone who might not appreciate all of your wisdom just quite yet. (think teenagers)

You don’t have to limit your letter writing to a person, how about “Dear Fall” as the subject of your journaling? Talk to a season, a building, a vacation, or anything that is worth a scrapbook page!

Talking to a certain date or point in time will give you a great way to include several events at once.

Pretend like you are opening up a journal and start off with the classic “Dear Diary”.

Here’s your chance for an open letter to anyone, even a large group of people. How about writing to the entire world?

Using the word “dear” and then filling in the blank that comes after it can lead to some incredible creative titles like “dear computer of indeterminate age” – love it!

It’s easy to tell Santa what you want if you include a “Dear Santa” greeting at the start.

Did you ever think to write to yourself? You know the reader will appreciate what you write!

Writing to your past self is a great way to reflect on your own growth and development.

I love the idea of writing a break-up letter or a “Dear John” to document the end of an era.

Can you believe how many journaling ideas come from starting off with the word “dear”? It’s a simple shortcut that will help you create many wonderful pages. Remember, your words will make the memory more meaningful!