Do you struggle with mixing feelings and facts when you tell the story in your scrapbook? I sure do. I find I go all feelings or I go all facts. I can’t seem to find that balanced mix of both. Hmm. Well, Ali Edwards to the rescue (she does this a lot for me and doesn’t even know it!) …. write a letter for your journalling!
Ali has this amazing technique of writing a letter as her journalling. She has written Dear Fall, Dear Teacher, Dear 16-Year-Old Me and so many more letters. Pop over to her blog at Ali Edwards Blog and search the word “dear” to see all her letter awesomeness for yourself. I love the idea and it is really working for me! Yah Ali!
I used this ‘write a letter’ technique on a recent layout I created based on the Let’s Get Sketchy (LGS) February Sketch Challenge. This sketch features the angled design that LGS is so famous for and makes my scrapbook pages sing. Here is a look at the sketch:
Great right? Now here is a look at my take on the sketch – and yup, I flipped the sketch on its side. Doing so looked better for me with the photo and pattern paper I chose for the layout and allowed me to use the angled strip as my journalling anchor.
I love the layered embellishment cluster on the sketch on the sketch and want to preserve this even on the flipped version. I found some great wood veneers in my stash – a mixture of Simple Stories, We R Family and Evalicous, On Our Way. I couldn’t resist a close up – this little American Crafts, Crate Paper – Cool Kid dino I fussy cut from one of the pattern papers is just too cute for words!
Oh and back to the “write a letter for journalling thing” – here is a split screen close up of the letter I wrote to my nephew (who I call Keiki) in place of the journalling I would have used on this layout. I did type and print this letter to get it to fit on my layout as I imagined it, I struggle making my writing small.
Between Ali’s writing a letter trick and the Let’s Get Sketchy February Sketch Challenge, I am super pleased with this layout. Its a pretty near and dear to my heart photo from an awesome trip to the Badlands in Drumheller, Alberta with my nephew and my sister (his mama) a number of years ago so I am glad it worked out so well.
Pop over to Ali’s blog for story inspiration and to Let’s Get Sketchy for sketch inspiration!
Brande
Dear Supplies, thank you for your awesomeness: Bazzill Cardstock (Admiral); Tim Holtz Idea-ology Tiny Attacher Stapler; Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue; American Crafts, Crate Paper – Cool Kid Collection; Simple Stories – We Are Family, Wood Veneer; Bo Bunny, That’s Life Wood Shapes; and Evalicious Wood Veneer, On Our Way
Scrapstorian 
Brande…this is colorful, fun and fabulous…I need to just journal more! Love the tip though! Thanks for joining us at LGS!
This is awesome!I must try more journalling too. Thank you for joining us at LGS❤
Your layout is amazing! I love the way you flipped the sketch to accomodate your photo better. Thank you for joining us at LGS!
This is so precious – and love how you do adventures together, and even more so such fabulous memories you are making. Gorgeous layout! Thank you for joining us at Let’s Get Sketchy 🙂
What a fun page! I love those wooden embellishments! Thanks for playing with LGS!
Fun layout! Thank you for joining us at LGS!
Love the large photo and all the embellishments. Thanks for joining LGS
Love how you turned the sketch, your take is marvelous! Thanks so much for joining us at LGS!
Cool! ! ! ! All the color choices and the arrangement of the woods are very nice ☆ ☆ ☆Thanks so much for joining us at LGS!
Wow love your page and colour choice, great photo. Thanks for joining in at Let’s Get Sketchy.
Awesome layout… well done on getting all your journaling on there. Thanks for playing along with us at Let’s Get Sketchy
Amazing page, your entry / take on the sketch is wonderfull, I love how you turned the sketch. Thanks for joining us at LGS!!
Gorgeous page! Thanks for playing along with us at Let’s Get Sketchy!
Wowsers. Look at all that patterned paper awesomeness. Awesome take on the sketch. Thanks for joining us at LGS. Deb xx
Yup totally totally love this page, knowing all things contained in the pic is just a bonus but its so fun, the dino is so damn cute! Like seriously B you tell a story every damn time you scrapbook! I just love your stuff!