Three Things : Lines (and a Designer Digitals giveaway)

I am so excited that you will be joining the wonderful designers at DD. Congratulations! I am anxiously awaiting your debut on Sunday. The CT layouts in the gallery are making me drool.
As for journaling, I keep notes in a journal and refer to those. But, my biggest motivator to get the journaling done (other than the fact that I really want our stories documented) is the feeling of accomplishment I get after completing a layout. Watching my dd look through our albums and seeing at the layouts I've displayed around the house is such a wonderful feeling. It's the "this is our life, and here are the photos and journaling to remember it."
Thank you for being such an inspiration!

I try to write down thoughts and mull them over as I work on the layout. I find that journaling tags are a quick and fun way to capture the journaling. Jess

OMG... are you sure we can't say, "we'll leave it 'till later journaling?" HA! Ok... my favorite is typing my journaling on the left page using "right alignment" and doing my actual scrap page on the right. It keeps it clean and simple.
Smiles!
Jen

Just starting out with adding some digital elements but still love the hands on when scrapbooking! Thanks for continued inspiration.
Denise

Sometimes, to make sure I get my journaling down I will use a black pen and just journal a sentence under the photo - mounted or not to get my thoughts down.

WOW I just LOVE LOVE LOVE this kit. I usually just add words. I'm trying to be more a journalist. I usually use a ruler or type it on the computer and print it. I just stamps alot also. Thanks for a chance.

What helps me get journaling done? It has to be blogging, saving emails that I have written to friends/family where I summarized life events, or heading to my journal. I think I have an easier time with this than most because I've been journaling for at least 16 years. I'm not too worried about what comes out anymore as long as something gets on that paper! So maybe my biggest tip is to practice as much as you can!

I'm usually thinking of my journaling before the page/project is made...I keep some scrap paper next to my desk and jot down what I am thinking of saying.
What I have done to help my journaling easier and quick is, I purchased little journaling spots from a great little shop on etsy: everyjotandtitle.etsy.com! (love the name) They come in white and kraft and really match almost everything I am creating. I also bought some journaling spot stamps from Autumn Leaves which make it really convienent to stamp right on my project and some journaling spots from Heidi Swapp.
All of the spots have a special place on my desk and Now when I go to put a page or project together, it is just like picking out an embellishment!
Hope this helps someone!
Hugs,
Heather

I am totally with you, Ali, in love with anything that makes it easier to get even just a little bit of journaling down on a page! I'm so excited about all the little journaling products that are out right now. My favorites are:
Heidi Swapp's Journaling Spots
( http://store.scrapbook.com/hs-hs63665.html )
American Crafts Remarks Stickers books (love the brown! ( http://store.scrapbook.com/ac-42507.html )
and Jenni Bowlin's journaling cards: http://www.jennibowlin.com/eco/store.asp?SID=1&Item=38
Sometimes I think out my journaling ahead of time, and sometimes I just write what the photos make me think at the time. Sometimes it's just a date/place kind of thing.

lately -- i'm really into just writing. no lines, no nothin'. i'm trying to embrace 'my' writing... how i really write in my every day life.
when i want a more polished look however, i use things designed to help me journal. little things that have lines already help a lot!
i'm really into journaling these days! :D

I love it when I can say I have FINISHED a layout and I never consider a layout finished if the journaling is not complete:)

I've been using the Making Memories journal books to get journaling onto my pages.

I like to add words and journaling to my photos before I print them. If I need to add some to the body of my layout I usually just eyeball it!

I make myself add jounaling before I put the page away as "done". This way it is there from the start...

Heidi Swapp or Jenni Bowlin journaling spots or one of the stamps with just lines on it. I also love to journal around my photo blocks a la Ali.

I would have to say my new favorite item to use is file folder labels. You can use one if you have a little journaling or stack them up is you have alot to say.
Thanks!
Jen G.

I'm always writing things, since I started journaling in high school. I love words. I love how they can add to a photo's story - which is probably why I love taking photos too. I try to at least document something about the photo - and if the layout allows, tell the deeper story about the event.

I have just started blogging, so I tend to refer to the blog for a particular day. Other times I journal and when I scrap the page, I look at the journal to jog my memory. Thanks for the great opportunity for the Designer Digitals Templates and Brushes! :)

A couple of things I have found that help me with getting the journaling on paper is to have alot of little notebooks where I jot memories or funny sayings in while they are still fresh on my mind and then just pull them out when I am scrapping. Another thing that has really lifted the pressure off of perfect journaling is list type journaling, the 5 W's or just lists of words, thoughts, favorites etc., they are all things I want to remember and don't have to be thoughtfully expounded on.
thanks for the chance!

Journaling is where I start. Sometimes none of it makes it onto the page, but having written about it helps me know what exactly I'm trying to capture or express on that page.
Blogging helps. So does having a Word document that is titled Future Layouts and I'll put notes there on ideas or what I want to write when the inspiration first hits (since by the time I get to scrap it is easily gone).
Excited to see your offerings at DD. 2 questions for you---how do you apply Stacy Julian's Library of Memories to your photo organization on your computer? Do you tag photos? I'm thinking tagging might save me from storing so many photos and fulfill the same purpose as the drawers. Do you know of any good examples of how someone has utilized PSE or other software tagging possibilities?
And, as you incorporate more digi tools, how are you keeping those organized on your computer? Right now I have them organized by artist or the kit name, which isn't really conducive when wanting to see all the brushes or pp I have. Would love to know how you access your digi supplies.
Thanks!

For journaling, I typically will use emails either ones that I send to people documenting our kid's adventures or even better, my mom watches my kids sometimes and she'll email me updates on what they do. It's great to just print it out and put on a scrapbook page!

I have a system that works for me now. When I'm inspired, I will fully complete my layouts with journaling and put them in my file box as DONE!
Whenever I feel only, creative, I complete my layout without journaling but I leave room for journaling so it's quick and easy and leave it in my ALMOST DONE file box. Then, I find that there are times when I just feel sentimental and I feel like writing and go to my ALMOST DONE file box and just start writing away. I can complete up to 10 layouts in a sitting when I'm feeling sentimental. Then they are DONE!
The best moment for me is when I can file the DONE pages into my library of memories.
This so works for me because I find that I have my moments and I'm working with what I feel like doing at the moment. Makes me happy.
Linda

In order to ensure that I add my thoughts to a layout, I often write my journaling on a post-it, and stick it to the back of my photo. I usually do this while I write date on the back of my photos, as I tend to select which pictures I want to work with.

I'm terrified of my handwriting- I always worry that I'll mess up on the paper, so I use journaling stamps that I stamp on cardstock and then adhere, or I will use something like your ideas from this post. I also always carry a little notebook with me to jot down ideas and I have a running file on my computers at home and work to keep things in my memory. Journaling is becoming more and more important to me and I won't start a page/mini book/project unless I'm confident in the story I want to tell.

I keep a notebook (actually several!) handy to jot down notes in for when I open up Photoshop to scrap. I also try to blog regularly about the everyday things that are happening in our life and then I refer back to my posts when I go to do my journaling!