I’ve always loved to read and I’m a big fan of scrapbook journaling so I guess it’s no surprise to find out that when I surf the galleries, I spend a lot of time reading the journaling! A stunning page design or beautiful photos will grab my attention to get me to look at a page, but it’s the journaling that captures my interest. I feel like I’m on a treasure hunt to find the meaning of the story shared. Even just small tidbits of writing bring the layout to life and make it more memorable.
In the spirit of one of my favorite blogs Gallery Standouts, I thought it would be fun to share some favorite layouts with exceptional journaling that have jumped into my favorites folder.
This page is such a fabulous example of why it’s worth doing no-photo layouts! I love the boxes of journaling illustrated with fun doodles. This page is just asking to be read and I was fascinated to hear her likes and dislikes concerning many different career paths.
Delight in Life by Julia DeGuia
The sweet simplicity of this layout makes it so easy to focus on that darling girl and the journaling that details her cute personality and unique traits. Reading about her favorite things just made me smile!
Coronado Beach by HappyLittleWonders
Not only is this a gorgeous layout (check out the texture on the large photo), but the journaling is integrated into the page design in a very inviting way. I loved reading about the joy that the beach brings to this boy and his Mama!
I Always Thought I’d Teach by AdrianaP
This journaling really resonated with me since I used to play “school” as a kid and always dreamed of teaching as well. It was great to read about how she found her own way to be a teacher and her gratitude for the experiences she has had.
It’s fun to read about trip details on vacation layouts and you can even get ideas for sites you want to see if you ever travel to that location.
Because I love to read journaling so much, I often include the journaling right in my layout description on Flickr or in a gallery post. Others have commented how much they enjoy being able to read what I’ve written, especially when it can be hard to see on screen. While it isn’t difficult to read the text on this layout when it’s enlarged, it is a bit tricky to see in a blog post like this one.
I just copy and paste the journaling right into the description and it can be viewed by when the layout link is shared. This is just a personal preference of mine and I also like that it’s another way to preserve the memory in case I or someone from my family wanted to use the text without the layout.
Next time you take a gallery stroll, pay attention to journaling and think about what captures your attention. It’s a great way to find inspiration to add more text to your own pages. I bet you will also be surprised at how many pages don’t include any journaling at all!
P.S. the title graphic includes a splatterfic cluster by Karah Fredericks and the Café Rojo font.
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I’ve grown to love journaling on LOs. It’s as much a part of the page as the elements or photos for me usually. There are some photos that just kinda speak volumes and don’t need much context, but for me that’s a rare occurrence. I really enjoy the way fellow scrappers tell their stories on their LOs.
I do the bulk of my journaling in a word document before putting it on a LO. It’s easier to edit that way and its there in case I need to make any changes in the future or if, heaven forbid, something happens to my LO (like the other week when I forgot to save the LO I was working on and it crashed on me). Every album has it’s own word file. It’s also helpful if I get interrupted when I’m creating, which happens quite regularly lately. Having it in a word file has saved me a ton of time in the past few weeks!
I admit I don’t always read everyone’s journaling unless they put it in the description. I know a lot stuff is very personal and while they are sharing, I feel like since they didn’t put it in their description it’d be like reading their diary almost. I’m weird like that. I don’t put my journaling in the description but mostly because I feel like I journal like a big dork… I’m even funny about having my family read it. I brought an album to mother in law over Easter because she wanted to see what scrapping was all about. I told her she didn’t have to read it if she didn’t want to… I guess its counter-intuitive, but I felt my inner dork was splayed all over the pages in fun fonts. I guess even though I love journaling, I don’t want anyone to read it until I’m too old to care. haha.
Thank you, I enjoyed reading and looking.