Hey Everyone,

Thanks for stopping by.  This is going to be a longer post than normal as I have a lot I want to share with you, so please grab a drink and get ready to spend some time with me and my team as I share my new kit and some journaling tips with you!

This week I have had the honor of being the Featured Designer at Your Stories Go Digital, a wonderful digital scrapbook community where all are welcome to share ideas, tips, and their stories.  When I started planning my time with YSGD, I knew right away that my theme was going to be How To Tell Your Story, and focus on journaling. I know many scrappers struggle with journaling, but it is my favorite part.  Honestly, I don’t think you can tell the whole story without words, to me they are the soul of a layout, so I am going to do my best to help those who struggle find an easier, more relaxed approach to journaling.

To that end my first step was to create a kit focused on you and your story.  Say hello to my new release, This Is My Story!

This Is My Story is a kit that was created to celebrate the hobby we love and to help tell the personal stories we preserve and share through our scrapbook layouts.  It includes 20 papers (14 patterns and 6 solids), created at 300 dpi and saved as .JPEG files, and over 40 unique elements, created at 300 dpi and saved as PNG files, including a typewriter, cameras, scrapbooks, a journal, frames, flowers, word art, ribbons, bows, a doily, journal cards, and so much more!

This Is My Story is available at both Mscraps and O Scraps and is sale for 20% off through Sunday.  Don’t forget, if you spend $5.00 or more in one of my shops, you are eligible to use the 50% off get acquainted coupon I have shared at YSGD.  Furthermore, using the coupon automatically enters you in a drawing to win a $20.00 coupon to one of my shops!  Also, I am offering the coordinating This Is My Story Alpha for free through YSGD.   This offer is only good through July 6th and then the alpha goes into my shop at full price.

The winners of the sneak peak for This Is Your Story are from my blog, Fatima, reply #4 and from my Facebook Page, Jessica Graves-Butler. Fatima and Jessica please email me at Loriebug66@yahoo.com to claim your kits!

Thanks to the rest of you for playing. Because I want you all to have this kit, I am going to offer everyone who played a special coupon for it. Just use the code: LJS_TIMS_1off at either shop to get this kit for the low, low price of $3.39. This coupon is only good on This Is My Story and will expire on July 5th, but to get the $3.39 price you will need to purchase the kit by Sunday while it is still on sale.  Thanks again for playing. 

Okay, so now we have the first part, the kit.  Now on to the second part, using it to tell your story.  There are a ton of different ways to tell your story, so the key is finding what works for you.  Over the next week, I am going to cover some of the fun ways that my team and I approach telling our stories.  Today we are going to be covering the easiest method I know:

Use What You Have:  incorporating Word Art Into Your Layouts

If you are not comfortable using your own words, look for kits that convey your message for you.  Word Art is a great way to journal without having to actually write, so look for kits that include plenty of word art and use them to your advantage. Word Art comes in many different shapes and forms; quotes, word strips, titles, snippets, and even alphas.  You can use any one type or combine several to get the effect you want.

Check out how Sharon incorporated the word strips from This Is My Story and the free Alpha on her layout to say this is me, this is who I am.

Kim also journaled her son’s high school graduation using some of the same strips.  Not only did she document this life moment, but she also shared a little wisdom with him by using the Write Your Own Story and Live Your Own Dream strips.

Nikki took another route and used the quote card as the focal piece and the journaling on her layout.  Honestly, a good quote is capable of telling an entire story on it’s own and it does so here.

While good word art can stand alone, you can also use it as a starting point for your journaling.  Titles are a great way to prompt your own story telling, like Kristin has done here:

And don’t be afraid to alter the title to suit your needs.  By editing out the word “my” and replacing it with “today’s,” Kristin, a project life scrapper, makes the pre-made title work for her story telling.

Amy also used the title to prompt the journaling on her layout, but further supported her message to her daughter with a quote card.

As effective as titles can be to prompt your journaling, they can be equally effective at conveying your entire idea.  If a premade title doesn’t work for your layout, don’t hesitate to create your own with a good alpha. Check out this example by Barb:

By combining her title and her photos, Barb is able to tell her life story in a concise, eloquent manner.  The addition of the quote card as an element points to her love story as the highlight of her life in a beautiful, yet subtle way.

Marie also used the alpha to create her own title, and supported it with words strips and journaling.

She also used another effective journaling trick, creating a list, to help tell her story.  I love lists because they are so easy to build on, but more on that later.

Finally we come to Brie who made prominent use of the word art in This Is My Story on her layout by using two quote cards and a word strip.

Her choice of word art perfectly supports her personal journaling.  She is a story teller and she holds the pen that records the complete story of her family’s life so that it will be remembered and passed on to future generations.  Like most scrappers, Brie is leaving a legacy with her pages and her written words will be just as important as the photos they describe.

So there you are, our first tip on journaling, use what you have.  Buy kits with well done word art that reflects your thoughts and emotions and be sure to use it!

This may be my longest post ever, but before I close out, I want to let you know that I hope to be back each day this week with another journaling tip, a journaling project that is near and dear to my heart and journaling words of wisdom from my team.  I hope you will join me on this journey into the soul of a scrapbook page.

Until next time.  Live the moment.  Scrap the memory.