The Art Of Noticing | Stories In My Notebook

Last week I embarked on my first The Art Of Noticing adventure using the notebook we offered last month.

When I initially envisioned the kinds of stories I would tell in this project I was thinking about looking for beauty + really practicing paying attention. The stories I ended up telling are more about what our life looks like within this new normal right now. I was sick for a good portion of the days I was documenting which influenced the kinds of stories I told. I stared those stories and images on my Instagram account and then was able to use that as the content for this notebook once I was feeling better.

Here's what I loved about working in this notebook:

• Each spread is an opportunity to play. I loved diving into my stash to help support the stories I'm telling within this notebook. I liked that one page could use pattern paper, another use a photo enlargement, and another use leftovers from my art journaling adventures.

• I loved that each story has a home with a specific place for the photo and a specific place for my journaling.

• I loved that I can write things down in the moment on the lines provided or I could add them later when I copied and pasted from what I'd written on Instagram.

• I loved that I have a home for little stories from this time.

My plan is to continue adding stories to this notebook that are related to staying home.

Check out a process video at the bottom of this post!

If you missed out on the notebook you can always pick up a blank travelers notebook or make your own with papers you may already have at home.

Here's a look at the stories I included in my notebook:

For this notebook I decided to cover the first page with a bold + bright pattern paper and to create a pocket using vellum + red line tape that holds some journaling about this notebook as a whole.

I used one of the stamps and punched it using a 1.25 inch circle punch and adhered it to the center of one of the colorful bursts.

SUPPLIES

• Art Of Noticing Notebook (digital version available here)

• Art Of Noticing Stamp Set (digital version available here)

• 1.25 Inch Circle Punch

• Vicki Boutin Let's Wander Let's Get Lost Pattern Paper

• Magical Forest Vellum Rose Gold Rainbows

• Redline Tape

• Avery Index Tab

• 1/2 Inch Corner Rounder

For each of my stories I printed my photos using my Epson PictureMate PM400 and cut my photos to 3.25 inch x 2.5 inch and adhered them into the preprinted box. I copied the journaling I had shared on Instagram directly onto the lined journaling section.

For this story I looked around on my desk and grabbed one of the pieces of deli paper that I had been "rolling off" onto when creating art journaling pages recently. I used a rolling adhesive to attach this to the page. You can see more about that process in my Stamp Week video here.

SUPPLIES

• Ranger Ink Dina Wakley X's Stencil

• Deli Paper

• Rolling Date Stamp

• StazOn Ink

• Chipboard from a past kit

• 1/2 Inch Corner Rounder

For this one I wanted to play with big letter stamps on top of pattern paper. After stamping I ran the page through my sewing machine (this is before I adhered it into the notebook) to add some texture. On top of the circles on the pattern paper I added a few chipboard circles from past kits.

SUPPLIES

• Maggie Holmes Sweet Story Soft Serve Pattern Paper

• Tim Holtz Cutout Upper Stamp Set

• Ranger Archival Ink Red Geranium

• Chipboard Circles from past kits

• Rolling Date Stamp

• StazOn Ink

• Art Of Noticing Stamp Set

• 1/2 Inch Corner Rounder

For this page I decided to play around with a brush pen on top of a house pattern paper.

SUPPLIES

• Vicki Boutin Let's Wander Around Here Pattern Paper

• Kuretake Brush Pen

• Rubber Triangle

• Rolling Date Stamp

• StazOn Ink

• 1/2 Inch Corner Rounder

Another option for the full page that accompanies your story is to print out a photo. For this one I printed a photo of Facetiming with my friends for coffee in the morning. On top of the photo I added a fun new shaker sticker from Amy Tangerine.

SUPPLIES

• American Crafts Picnic In The Park Shaker Stickers

• 1/2 Inch Corner Rounder

• Rolling Date Stamp

I love that you can make these as complex or as simple a spread as you want them to be. For this one I printed one photo of Simon and one of Anna and then just added a few word/phrase stickers on top of the enlarged photo.

SUPPLIES

• 1/2 Inch Corner Rounder

• March Stories By The Month™ 2020 Word Phrase Stickers

• Word Phrase stickers from past kits

• Rolling Date Stamp

Another fun way to play with these pages is to create your own stamped pattern. For this I used the "O" from the Tim Holtz Upper Cutout Stamp Set and three different inks. I stamped "simple" + "beautiful" + "things" onto a paper heart from a past kit.

SUPPLIES

• Inks: Rose Garden, Honeyman, Tillamook

• 1/2 Inch Corner Rounder

• Tim Holtz Upper Cutout Stamp Set

• Art Of Noticing Stamp Set

• StazOn Ink

• Paper Heart from past kit

• Rolling Date Stamp

PROCESS VIDEO

Here's a look at how all these pages came together:

Thanks so much for playing along with this project.