Around Here | Traditional Scrapbook Layout

Last weekend I shared a layout challenge with those participating in the Creative Crop at Big Picture Classes and I wanted to share that layout with you today.

THE CHALLENGE | Use arrows to emphasize parts of your journaling.

Many of you know I’m big on getting stories told - real life, meaty stories that show the who, what, why, where, when and how of our lives from yesterday and today. I also love design and playing with the elements of design to tell my stories in visually interesting ways. Today I’m sharing a layout that uses arrows as a compliment to my story - helping to highlight certain areas of text. Your challenge is to create a layout that also uses the combination of story + arrows to tell a story from your life. An added bonus to this challenge would be to do a similar style of journaling - using the idea of Around Here. Start each sentence/paragraph with an “-ing” word to describe things (both big and small) that are happening in your life right now.

Here's a look at my 12x12 layout:

To create this layout I went back through my blog posts that I haven’t yet made into layouts. I often like to use my blog as a holding place for stories I might want to make into layouts down the road. This one talks about the things that were happening around here in September 2012.

For photos I went to my September folder in Aperture (my photo management program) and printed out a couple to support the story. I printed them as one strip on 11x14 photo paper but you could easily print them individually and adhere one at a time.

The background of my layout is pattern paper from BasicGrey.

The "dated" tab is from Elle's Studio.

I printed my journaling onto white cardstock and cut it into strips.

In between each thought/sentence I added a wood veneer arrow from Studio Calico (part of the Front Row kit). You could use an assortment of arrows or stick with all the same. Here's a similar set.

I attached the wood veneer with a bit of rolling adhesive and then stitched it in place using embroidery floss and a needle.

I started and ending the journaling with chipboard triangles from My Mind's Eye.

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