Use trees to represent the literal trees in your photo or story or to support themes like life, growth, and strength.

Use trees on your scrapbook pages to set the scene for your story, to reinforce your page’s theme, and even to convey meaning.

A little bit about trees

• Trees are the longest living organisms on Earth.
• The tallest tree in the country lives in the Redwood National Forest; it is 369 feet tall and over 2000 years old.
• A single tree produces enough oxygen to sustain a family of four over a year’s time.
• An Ada tree growing in Australia has a root system that spans more than an acre.
• Tree rings are used to calculate the age of trees, but also offer scientists important information about volcanic eruptions and other natural disasters throughout history.
• The seeds from the Cottonwood tree can stay in flight for several days.
• 30-35 million real Christmas trees are sold in the United States each year.
• The height of a tree is recorded by climbing it and measuring from its spire to the ground.
• Depending on species and age a healthy tree can have upwards of 200,000 leaves.

Ideas for using trees on your scrapbook pages

Extend the tree-filled scene in your photo onto the canvas.

Sara Gleason constructed the perfect backdrop for the story behind her page “Tree Lined Memories”  using a variety of tree and nature-inspired elements.  Her embellishments extend the details in the photos onto the surrounding canvas. And arranging them in a tight focal cluster pulls the viewer into the scene.

Tree Lined by Sara Gleason | Supplies used: Grandma's Dresser and Whispers: Nature by Sahlin Studio; Build Your Own Tree by Amy Wolff; Walk With Me by Kaye Winiecki; fonts: 1942 Report and CK Ali's Hand

Use a tree-patterned paper.

Anna Aspnes shows you how to embrace the idea of a busy tree patterned paper in “The Tree” by using it as the background for a nearly-photo-filled page.  Anna chose a pattern with low density which makes it feel lighter on the page. The silhouette of the tree in the patterned paper is the same as that in her photos which adds unity.

The Tree by Anna Aspnes | Supplies: Supplies: Pattie Knox: SpeedByte Layered Template No. 146 (rotated 90 degrees and switched up a bit); Andrea Victoria: Joyeaux Noel Solids (white background), Pear Tree Paper Pack; Anna Aspnes: Xmas WordART No. 4, 12X12 Xmas ScriptTease Overlays No. 1, Stitched by Anna Borders Evergreen No. 1, Different Strokes No. 3 BrushSet, LoopDaLoop ArtStrokes No. 2 BrushSet; Ali Edwards: Christmas Twill Strips; Katie Pertiet: Ledger Holidays Brushes and Stamps

Render your journaling in the shape of a tree.

Paula Gilarde establishes a clear sense of theme in her page “Christmas?” by using Photoshop to create a tree-shaped text path for her journaling.  This fun effect complements the colors and other themed elements on the page perfectly while adding just the right amount of novelty to the funny story Paula tells.

Layout by Paula Gilarde

Use a stamped tree as your foundation.

On “Olive You” an over-sized digital tree stamp is the first layer and starting point for my page.  The tree motif not only reinforces the fall theme of my page but also establishes a vertical shelf for showcasing my photo and embellishments.

Olive You by Amy Kingsford | Supplies: Autumn Moon by Krista Sahlin, Fallish by Aja Abney, Epic by OLB, Biograffiti and Paislee Press, Westover by One Little Bird and Forget Me Not by Anna Aspnes.

Reinforce a visual triangle with subtle tree stamps.

Debbie Hodge stamped the same tree in three spots on “It’s Either Badminton or Tree Felling” to back up the three points of  the visual triangle framing her page elements. The motif supports and adds repetitions to the funny story she tells.

It's Either Badminton or Tree Felling by Debbie Hodge | Supplies: This Is My Story by Little Butterfly Wings; Daydreamer by Mari Kogelenberg; Storyteller Alpha by Amanda Heimann; Vintage Frames 26, Vintage Charm Chipboard Stickers, New Growth 5, Out of a Box ALpha, Academic Sanded Alpha by Katie Pertiet; Tidbits alpha by One Little Bird; Blackout font

Make a mixed-media tree.

Dina Wakley adds to the bold and funky vibe of “Spooky Boo” with a mixed-media tree.  She cut the trunk from a wood grain overlay and the leaves from corrugated cardboard .  The stitching replicates branches while contributing to the tree’s already rich texture.

Spooky Boo by Dina Wakley | Supplies: Products by Hambly Studios.

Add a “tree-lined” border.

Kayleigh Wiles used a collection of whimsical tree stamps to add a watermarked border along the bottom of “Three Months.”  The  border adds to the soft, springtime feel of the layout. The trees represent the idea of growth rather than repeating any explicit trees in the photos or story.

Three Months by Kayleigh Wiles | Supplies: Katie Pertiet: New Growth Brushes No. 5, File Cards No. 02, These Legs Layered Template (altered), Postage Strip Words No. 01, Basic Gingham Ribbons, No. 01 Cut-Ups: Baby Collection (re-coloured), Little Round Tabs Assorted, Tapes No. 03, Splatters No. 02 Brushes and Stamps; Michelle Martin: Colbie Solids Paper Pack; Andrea Victoria: Ghouls Night Out Paper Pack; Rob and Bob Studios: Modern Nature: Butterfly Rub Ons; Ali Edwards: Pregnancy Hand Drawn Brushes; Anna Aspnes: Stitched by Anna White No. 02, Complete Stitched Alpha Collection No. 01, CurvyCorner Stitched Blocks No. 02; Lynn Grieveson: Worn Page Edges

Frame your page with “fussy-cut” tree branches.

Michelle Houghton framed both her  photo and this page with two clusters of tree branches cut from patterned paper with a craft knife.  When used in small doses, busy tree-patterned paper can add just the right touch.

Family Photo by Michelle Houghton | Supplies: Ink - Tsukineko Spray Ink - Tattered Angles Butterflies - Jenni Bowlin Studio Cardstock - Kraft, Patterned Paper (Unknown).

Make a scrapbook page all about trees.

Melanie Grimes pays homage to the tree in every aspect of her design on “Go Climb a Tree.”   From the wood-grain background to the beautiful photo, word-art title, border, and, finally, realistic tree accents, every detail here taps into our associations with trees.

Go Climb a Tree by Melanie Grimes | Supplies: Katie Pertiet -Square date spots date spots No. 1, krafty cuts leaves, twill definitions No. 3, Christmas memories Kit branch {recoloured} Santa land kit fir branch, Game cards holiday, working woods papers, weathered wood word strips No. 1, My baby kit frame, Ali edwards ‘go outside’ word art

Once you understand layout design principles AND the basic parts of a scrapbook page, scrapbooking gets easier and more fun. 12 lessons cover this territory with hundreds of layouts to illustrate. Click here to get lesson 1 today -- and then new lessons every couple of days -- all at no cost.

Welcome back. This is the fifth installment of: “Keep a 5 year Journal.”

I’m back with a quick observation and another list of questions.  I’ve been plugging away at my journal and have a few things to share.

As we approach the half way mark of the first year, I think you should give yourself a pat on the back.  Matter of fact, if you have someone else in your home – I say you give yourself a vacation!  Ask them to do the cards for a few days.  The answers will be fun and you can simply have them sign their name so you know which ones they helped with five years from now.

Share how you’re doing, ask for encouragement and above all else – BRAG!  You’re doing something big and you’re doing great!  I’m all caught up and have my cards prepped through May 31st.  I hope it’s still fun and you’re enjoying the little bit of reflection each day.

Call for Projects from our 5 Year Journal friends

I would love to feature your 5 Year Journal here. Please share links in the comments, and/or  contact me to be featured in next month’s column. I’d love to share all kinds of journals, so if you’re keeping a digital version, send me a screen shot.

For anyone who is new to this idea, I hope you’ll join me on this journey.  You can jump in at any time: start on your birthday, on the day of a special event, or just make today special.

5 Year Journal Prompts for June

365 Questions – June

365 Questions – May can be found here

365 Questions – April can be found here

365 Questions – March can be found here

365 Questions for January & February can be found here

Once you understand layout design principles AND the basic parts of a scrapbook page, scrapbooking gets easier and more fun. 12 lessons cover this territory with hundreds of layouts to illustrate. Click here to get lesson 1 today -- and then new lessons every couple of days -- all at no cost.

While journaling is an important part of many scrapbook pages, there are times when minimal journaling works just fine. Here’s a look at 6 of those instances in which titles, design, lists, and photos do the work typically expected of scrapbook page journaling.

Short journaling works:

1. When a list does the job

There’s nothing like the clarity of a list of things that are important to your subject to cut through the clutter and make a portrait with very few words. Terri Davenport scrapbooked highlights of her son’s life  at 13 doing just this.

Nate 13 by Terri Davenport | Supplies: Template and brush- Ali Edwards, Patterned and solid papers-Andrea Victoria, Font-Chunk Five.

2. When the photos are enough

Love the photos? Just want them on the page to look at? That’s how I felt about these recent photos of my oldest son. The story I have isn’t so interesting that I want it interfering with these shots.

J by Debbie Hodge | Supplies: Findings by Jenn Allyson; Petals by Sara Gleason; Alpha Set 5, Burlap Scraps, ArtPlay Snow Fun by Anna Aspnes; Chasing Fireflies by Paislee Press; Bollywood Dreams by ViVa Artistry

3. When your title does the work

Lisa Dickinson scrapbooked a series of photo of suggling with her daughter and titled the page: “Above All Else, We Have Love.”

Enough said? Yep!

We Have Love by Lisa Dickinson | Supplies: cardstock (Bazzill Basics) + letters (Creative Cafe) + frames (Sassafras Lass) + stamps (Studio Calico) + ink (Stampin' Up) + pen (American Crafts) + misc. button

4. When “who, what, when, and where” do the job

Posed shots at events are the kinds of one-off photos you want to get into your album even if there’s no story to tell. Get the basics: who, what, when and where, and you are good to go.

Every Spring by Debbie Hodge | Supplies: Mixed Up Alpha by Lisa Sisneros; Burlap Scraps No 1 by Anna Aspnes; Vintage Playing Cards, Typeset Alpha by Sahlin Studio; Wesley by Ardent Sparrow; Everyday Matters by T for Me; Stringbats by Kim Jensen; Love You More than Ice Cream by Jen Barrette; Far Away from Here by Juliana Kneipp; Bintage Ledger Journalers by Robyn Meierotto; She's a Doll by Vinnie Pearce

5. When the visual design tells your story

Jana Morton used fall embellishments that repeat and reinforce the leaves in her photo. Additionally, she let the scene from the photo “spill” onto her page so that her son appears to be running into the distance, a reinforcement of the theme her photo caption sets: that life is certainly a race.

Life is Certainly a Race by Jana Morton | Supplies: Katie Pertiet: Watery Autumn Paper Pack, Selvage Edge Photo Frames No. 1, From My Bookshelf Blendables No. 2, Flourishing Leaves No. 1, Autumnal Artistry Kit, Alandia Paix Collection, 2011 Postmarks, Brushed Alphabet No.1. Studio DD: Fall Element Clusters. Pattie Knox: Fasten Its!

6. When short journaling makes the point loud and clear

Kelly Purkey tells about the emotions she had–good and bad–with just a few short words prompted by the journaler on “Hey, 30.” The photo, the title, and this brief journaling tell us all we need to know to understand the story of this page and this day in Kelly’s life.

Hey 30 | Supplies: Patterned Paper: Basic Grey, October Afternoon Journaling tag: Smash Stickers: Crate Paper, October Afternoon Paperclip: KI Memories Mist: Studio Calico Pen: American Crafts Other: Twine

There are many stories and photos that need and deserve extensive journaling — and then there are instances like those shown here when a sentence or two, a list, a well chosen title, or even design and photos make the page’s point well.

Here are three new coordinated scrapbook page sketches with free layered templates for digital scrapbooking. Use one of these singly or, when you’re making a multi-page album, these sketches complement each other well.

You can find all of our sketches in the “Sketches” Category here.

Download zipped file with layered templates for use in Photoshop Elements/CS
Open pdf document that has sketches with measurements. Print or save in your e-reader library.

This sketch is great for those small events you want to get onto one page.

Layout by Debbie Hodge | Supplies: Findings by Jenn Allyson; Kingdoms Past by Tangie Baxter; Woodgrain Alpha by Crystal Wilkerson; Between the Lines Alpha by Katie Pertiet; Ancienne Vivid, Stitch Medley by Quirky Twerp; Nuts N Bolts by Maya de Groot; Puddle Round Alphas by Amy Martin; Typeset Alpha by Sahlin Studio; Vintage Youngsters by Lynn Grieveson; Ancient Kingdoms by Tangie Baxter; La Belle Vie by One Little Bird; Glitter Thread Stitches by Lynn Grieveson

 

Love sketches and layered templates? We’ve collected 30 of our most popular sketches and layered templates for you to download for FREE along with an easy-to-reference (and hyperlinked) pdf that shows them all with sample finished pages. Click here to download today.

 

 

• I cannot forget my mother. She is my bridge. When I needed to get across, she steadied herself long enough for me to run across safely. -Renita Weems
• Family faces are magic mirrors. Looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present, and future. -Gail Lumet Buckley
• The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new. -Rajneesh
• There is no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a good one. – Jill Churchill
• Sweater, n.: garment worn by child when its mother is feeling chilly. -Ambrose Bierce
• Making the decision to have a child-it’s momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. -Elizabeth Stone
• My mother loved children – she would have given anything if I had been one. – Groucho Marx
• A mother is one to whom you hurry when you are troubled. -Emily Dickinson
• A mother’s arms are made of tenderness and children sleep soundly in them. -Victor Hugo
• A mom reads you like a book, and wherever she goes, people read you like a glowing book review. -Robert Brault
• Mother’s love is peace. It need not be acquired, it need not be deserved. -Erich Fromm
• Being a mother is learning about strengths you didn’t know you had, and dealing with fears you didn’t know existed. -Linda Wooten

A 1911 cover from Life Magazine uses conventional margins to frame the cover art. In the 1930s Life Magazine moved to using photographs bleeding off three edges of the page.

by Debbie Hodge

A scrapbook page combines photos, text, and embellishments within the space of the page canvas.

Margins and mats can be used to “frame” your composition and add emphasis.  Frames are familiar. We’re accustomed to frames on artwork, windows, and even computer screens. You can use framing and matting to orient the viewer’s perspective of your scrapbook page.

Or you can do the unexpected and break out of the frame.

When you run an image off the page edge, the ground disappears and the image seems bigger. The image becomes a more active part of your design.

Take enlarged photos to the edge

This photo of the Lauterbrünnen Valley in the Swiss Alps is one of Emily Pitts‘ favorites from a family vacation and she gave it full impact by filling the right side of her two-page spread with it.

Emily worked also with the content of her photo to guide the eye. Notice how the sweep of the mountains from top right is continued over onto the left side where it meets journaling and titlework and then sweeps back up with the fussy-cut flowers.

Magical by Emily Pitts | Supplies: Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Papers: My Mind's Eye; Flowers: Sassafras; Alphabet: American Crafts; Embroidery Floss: DMC; Pen: Zig by Kuratake; Adhesive: Scotch Quick Dry Liquid Adhesive

Katrina Kennedy often bleeds enlarged photos off thee sides of the canvas when she scrapbooks. This already engaging photo of her son is made even more so by its size and the absence of constraining margins on three sides.

When your photos are such dominating pieces of a page, look to the content to guide the placement of other elements. Just as Emily used the sweep of the mountains to guide her embellishment placement in the layout above, Katrina’s journaling placement is guided by her photo: her journaling is left-aligned with the bright window in the photo above it.

While we’re talking about bleeding elements off edges: take a look at Katrina’s title. “Memories” bleeds off the photo edge. Part of it is missing, but the viewer’s mind fills in the missing parts.

Layout by Katrina Kennedy

Take blended photos to the edge

Anna Aspnes often makes her page base by blending and layering papers, digital elements and photos. Oversized photos that bleed off page edges add context as well as interest. The photos of her daughter at top left and bottom right of “Spring Crafts” show her engaged in sewing and are the perfect complement to the full photo of the completed project. Notice also how the cropping and placement of these photos guides the eye down into the and through the page.

Supplies: ArtPlay Palette Easter Bunny, SprayPaint No. 2, AnnaBlendz Artsy No. 2, FotoGlow Flowers No. 1, ThinStrips Masks No. 2

If you want to learn about blending photos, Jana Morton is the go-to teacher for this topic. On this layout she has scrapbooked the contradictions in how she lives her life with a blended photo of herself. The crop of the photo is especially dramatic showing only a little more than half of her face. Our mind fills in the rest, and her theme is well supported.

Katie Pertiet: Artistry d’ Amour, Sweet Cakes Kit, Classic Cardstock: Into the Night

Take embellishments to the edge

Any time a known shape bleeds off the edge, the viewer’s mind fills in the rest of the shape. The result of requiring this of the viewer is that they are more actively engaged. The page also is perceived to take up space off the canvas. Your page gains energy from the technique. Lisa Dickinson ran a band of circles across her page. They begin somewhere to the left of the page and end somewhere to the right.

Spring Break | supplies: cardstock (Bazzil Basics) + patterned paper (Webster's Pages, American Crafts, Jenni Bowlin Studio) + stamps, ink (Jenni Bowin Studio) + stickers (Sassafras Lass) + label (Studio Calcio) + die cuts (Pink Paislee) + tag (American Crafts) + circle cutter (Creative Memories) + buttons (Maya Road) + ribbon (May Arts) + border punch (Fiskars) + twine (Coats & Clark) + font (Ieicester)

While Katrina Kennedy bled her photo off three edges of the page above, you can still bleed off three edges even if you don’t have a big and powerful photo. Lynnette Penacho bleeds circle embellishments off top and bottom of June Faves, and she runs the journaling strips off the left edge — or is it that the journaling strips start somewhere to the left of the canvas? That’s the beauty of this technique. The page starts and ends somewhere off the canvas.

Supplies: Full Throttle by Fee Jardine, Blissful Stitches: Curves by Traci Reed, Alpha from Birthday Girl by Zoe Pearn, Teeny Type Alpha by Zoe Pearn (retired), Choose Happiness by Kristin Cronin-Barrow and Shawna Clingerman, Everyday Moments by Lauren Grier and Jenn Barrette, Pumpkin Parade by Heather Roselli, Font is DJB Lynnette by Darcy Baldwin

Take standard-sized photos to the edge

The photo size and crop on “Aspirations” is standard. I’ve placed it flush with page bottom to add a little punch to the design. I like the idea of my son’s photo rising up from beneath the canvas along with the cloud and hot air balloon embellishments. I’ve taken a similar approach to that of Lynnette: I’ve got bleeds on three sides of the canvas. Notice the saxophone at top right and the band of patterned paper at top.

Aspirations by Debbie Hodge | Supplies: Wesley by Ardent Sparrow; Sweet Storytellying by Sahlin Studio; IQ by Lynn-Marie and Studio 68; Vintage Ledger Journa Cards by Robyn Meierotto; Narrative by One Little Bird; Vintage Findings by Jen Allyson; Artplay Concerto by Anna Aspnes; Far Away From Here by Juliana Kneipp

Doris Sander uses traditional crops and vintage elements on “Happy Bird.” Her composition is based on a familiar two-column foundation. There is nothing traditional and boring about this page, though, and the bleeding off page edge of the photo at top left as well as the layered journaler at bottom left are unexpected and a part of what give this page its charm.

Happy Little Birdie by Doris Sander | Supplies: patterned paper, stickers, chipboard – Jenni Bowlin Studio, punch – Jenni Bowlin for Fiskars

What’s your approach to framing, margins, and bleeds?

On the 1st Friday of each month, Tami Taylor gives you a sketch and shows you how she’s scrapbooked the past month. She’s also got  prompts for gathering memories in the upcoming month so that you can get your photos scrapbooked “one month at a time.”

This month was a roller coaster ride of emotions.  The highlight was an unexpected moment.  At the last minute I decided to go to my husband’s baseball game. It was so much fun seeing him out there playing well and enjoying the camaraderie of his team (my husband is by nature not social).  It was even more fun that he got the most amazing hit of the game and was just shy of hitting the ball out of the park by about 15 ft – and I captured the swing on film!

With a roller coaster there are both ups and downs, and my month did include upsetting events. When I’m ready to scrapbook about them, I’ll use this article for inspiration on approaching them: 20 Lessons on Scrapbook Page Journaling

I really love making one-month-at-a-time pages because it makes me take a moment at the end of the month to look back and think about what the month was like.

For this month I used a page from Emily Pitts to inspire my sketch.  You can find the original page, “Work It Baby,” at EasyScrapbookPages.com.

Here’s how my month looked:

Are you ready to get this past month scrapbooked?  Here’s the sketch and a few tips:

Click here to download the zipped psd file

Click here to download the pdf file

Get Ready for Next Month

Here the “By the numbers” sheet to help you keep track of the month:

Click here to download the By the Numbers pdf.

Want just the “Dozen Things” list?  Click here.

 

Love sketches and layered templates? We’ve collected 30 of our most popular sketches and layered templates for you to download for FREE along with an easy-to-reference (and hyperlinked) pdf that shows them all with sample finished pages. Click here to download today.

 

 

1. Use an eye-catching cluster of themed embellishments.

Of her son, Kim says “Max is a little chap who has an uncanny ability to draw the most unlikely stuff, like Tiki statues, for example. Living with his art everyday has made us blasé about his gift, so these photographs capturing him in a quiet time drawing, are special for me.” To make clear what he’s drawing, Kim used a big bold cluster of Tiki statues. With so many digital supplies and cutting machines available, it’s become ever easier to create custom embellishments for any topic.

2. Group your photos in a blocked collage to create a focal point that stands out admidst bright and vivid images and prints.

To make sure her photos held their own against the colorful embellishment and papers, Kim clustered them in a structured block matted on white cardstock.

3. Put your title on an arrow that points to the focal point.

Kim’s title sits on an arrow that further reinforces her focal point by pointing the viewer’s eye right into it. Kim says she calls this “subliminal directionality.”

4. Include detailed shots for context.

While the photo of her son drawing was the impetus for the page, Kim took a couple of other shots later to provide context. One is a photo of his artwork and another is of the kinds of books that inspire his art.

5. Work the stripes.

“Tiki” is a layered delight, with a pieced foundation sitting on a striped base. The wide bold stripes could overwhelm if given more real estate on the page. Instead they add just a bit of energy and horizontal flow. Notice the strip of narrow-striped paper that Kim’s run across the page. These stripes are turned to run vertically. Using both of these prints in different ways adds great repetitions with variety.

Tiki by Kim Watson | Supplies: Supply list: Cardstock: American Crafts; Patterned paper, Chipboard, Die Cuts, Filters, Alpha Stickers, Buttons: Fancy Pants Designs, Ink: Clearsnap; Punches: Fiskars, Die Cutter: Silhouette SD

by Debbie Hodge

Titles are one of the basic parts of a scrapbook page, and we’ve shared lots of ideas and how-tos for scrapbook page titlework. Recently, we even talked about the work a title can (and should) do if it’s going to be included on the page. I’ve found myself recently forgoing a title altogether, but the ideas here are causing me to rethink (and perhaps even revisit) those titleless pages.

Read on to see several layouts with big titles that earn the real estate they take up because of how integral they are to telling the page’s story and creating a unified and appealing visual design.

These aren’t just big titles that say “SNOW.” They are titles that pull from popular culture and conversation. They are titles that, even when they are labels, go beyond the obvious.

1. Use your title to tell a story that diverges from the photos

Doris Sander took her title “Every Rose Has Its Thorns” from a song by the glam metal band Poison (and there was singing of it at the Masterful Scrapbook Design webinar in which Doris shared the page.)

It’s a perfect title for a page that’s a rumination and a message for Doris’s son on how relationships can be thorny and that there are benefits to finding a relationship worth working on, despite any thorns. This title let Doris use a photo of children at a wedding to do more than document the occasion. Doris emphasized the title with large alphas (that come with those awesome shadows) and centered placement.

Every Rose Has Its Thorns by Doris Sander | Supplies: stickers, stamp, stencil, patterned paper – Jenni Bowlin, ink – Jenni Bowlin for Ranger, transparency – Hambley, rose – vintage, embroidery floss – DMC, punch – Martha Stewart, masking tape

Krista Sahlin used a title to help tell a story that was different than what the photos showed.

Krista says, “We had a ‘dream’ family vacation to Disney a while back, and never thought we’d be able to go back again for a LONG time. By a small chance of luck we were able to, though, so I used a title that represents the classic Disney moment of “riding Dumbo at Magic Kingdom” and “believing in the Disney magic.”  ”Believe It” reflects that it was pure magic to have an opportunity to be there again.”

Believe It by Krista Sahlin | Supplies: Land of Fantasy by Sahlin Studio and Britt-ish Designs

2. If you use a label make sure it goes beyond the obvious

The title on Audrey Neal‘s  ”School Spirit” appears at first to be a simple label for a page about the college Audrey attended and now works at.

When you read Audrey’s journaling, though, you find out that she’s celebrating her own new-found affection and spirit for the school she once tried to avoid. The entire page is an homage to the school and the idea of school spirit with shield and pennant motifs in school colors. The title is large and rendered in a retro font (Pacifico) with a white outline that makes it pop against the background.

In a recorded conversation with Audrey (which is a part of the free membership level at Masterful Scrapbook Design), she shared with us all she did to make this a page the celebrates this institution, explaining that she brings at-risk high school students to campus as a part of her work, and that she always wants them to see it in the fall and feel a sense of back-to-school exhilaration that will motivate them to go to college–and that she’s coming to terms, herself, with what a fine place she’s in.

School Spirit by Audrey Neal | Supplies: Gennifer Bursett: Up to Date (woodgrain paper, multicolored chevron paper, metal brads), Design House Digital, Robyn Meierotto: Cut It Out Clipping Masks (triangle pennants and stitches), Design House Digital, Audrey Neal: Currently (blue and gold papers, stitched stars, star elements, journaling tag), Design House Digital, Audrey Neal: Pinned (double photo frame), Design House Digital, fonts: Olivetti Type2, Channel

The title on Emily Pitts‘ “The Family Photo Bomber” is a label that’s a combination of charm and punch that perfectly complements a family portrait gone awry. The oversized alphas are as bold as Emily’s son’s face as he “bombs” the family photo.

Search for “photo bomber” online and you’ll find plenty of photos in which an individual “bombs” an otherwise traditional portrait with an unexpected look, pose, or action. Emily celebrated the current terminology and her son’s sense of humor with this page. Just in case you’re new to the term and don’t immediately see what’s going on, she’s turned the “t” in Photo into an arrow.

Family Photo Bomber by Emily Pitts | Supplies: Cardstock: Bazzill Basics, Patterned Paper: Pink Paislee, Crate Paper, Mist: Maya Road, Chipboard Alphabets: Maya Road, Sticker Alphabets: Jillibean Soup, Embossing Powder: American Crafts, Ink: Tsukeniko, Tag: Maya Road Twine: Maya Road, Measuring Tape: Maya Road, Ribbon: Maya Road, Staples: Tim Holtz Transparencies: Maya Road

3. Use repetitions and styling to strengthen title meaning

On this self-reflective page, Anna Aspnes takes on the topic of her need to always know “why,” appropriately titling it “Why” and using repetitions of the word to reinforce the topic. She even made her own typeface for the title word by overlapping letters from three fonts: Chopin Script, Paddy Wagon WF and Times New Roman.

Anna rasterized the text and erased bits from some letters. For example, the”w” is a combination of the “w” from both Chopin Script and Paddy Wagon WF. She filled the heart-shaped loops resulting from this combination with color gradients and used one to frame her own eye from a blended portrait in the background.

Why? by Anna Aspnes | Supplies: Artsy Layered Template No. 2

4. Have fun

I was long gone from home when my youngest brother was in high school and won this trophy. When I recently found this photo, my mom said she thought the trophy was for badminton. Really? It seemed odd to me. I said I thought I remembered that he won a tree-felling competition. When we saw my brother later that night, he laughed. “Yep,” he said, “It was either badminton or tree felling. I know I won trophies for both.”

It’s just a silly bit of conversation, but it covers memory territory for all of us and it let’s me scrapbook an old photo for which I was lacking a story in a memorable way.

Layout by Debbie Hodge | Supplies: This Is My Story by Little Butterfly Wings; Daydreamer by Mari Kogelenberg; Storyteller Alpha by Amanda Heimann; Vintage Frames 26, Vintage Charm Chipboard Stickers, New Growth 5, Out of a Box ALpha, Academic Sanded ALpha by Katie Pertiet; Tidbits alpha by One Little Bird; Blackout font

5. Send a message

Of ‘I Dreamt For You This Life,’ Betsy Sammarco says, “The title is the focal point of this layout. I deliberately used tiny photos in order to get the sentiment of the layout across. There were so many parts and pieces to my boys’ lives, I didn’t want to focus on one photo. I rendered the photos in black-and-white and small to help keep initial focus off the photos and on the title.”

It’s a beautiful page that immediately triggers the viewer’s understanding of what a mother’s hopes and love aspire to.

I Dreamt for You This Life by Betsy Sammarco | Supplies: Patterned paper, die cuts, and letter stickers: Collage Press, Acrylic embellishment: Maya Road, Rubons: Pink Paislee, heart sequin, misc ribbon

So where do you come down on including titles, especially big ones? Try one of these ideas on your next scrapbook page.

MY PRACTICAL IDEA DETAILED IN THE BOOK

Lift yourself in as many ways as possible. Lift and combine parts from multiple pages.