Write. Click. Scrapbook.

In Review

Every month I sit to write and I think, "Really? A whole month has already passed?" And then I shake my head, sigh, and recall what a fabulous month it has been.

June began with a fun birthday celebration. After much hemming and hawing about whether it was 3 or 4 (why is it that we turn our birthday number at the end of our year, rather than at the beginning??), we ate some virtual cupcakes and were thrilled to have some new team members, a new gallery, a talent search, and a giveaway! Woohoo! Who cares about the number, after all! We're just happy to be here with you!

With the return of our summer dailies posting series, we have already been honored to learn from Marnie, Vivian, Lisa, Emily, Monika, Diane, Amy, Emily, Paula, Francine, Celeste, our new Valerie, Donna, our also new Teka, and Katrina. We have addressed school's end, summertime, beaches, flags, fathers, and reading. Did you know that this month alone has brought you 60 layouts, 6 mini albums, 3 sketches, 2 cards, and a handful of ideas for home decor, and project life. We are doing our best to keep your summer filled with scrapbooking tips and inspiration that is doable, and fun!

 

There are only seven more days until our new gallery, so we wanted to take one last look back at our gallery. Shall we go together?

Last month, as we walked through the gallery, we put together lists of page starters, prompts, or ideas, separated by our three site themes, write, click, and scrapbook. We thought it was helpful to re-examine the layouts with a different perspective (and fun, too!). Did you agree? We hope so, because we are doing it again!

This month, we are going to start with journaling. Without further ado, here are 25 stories to write:

1. a time we changed a tradition (Christa)
2. the story of our pet coming to our home (Celeste)
3. a snapshot of my day told in words (Donna)
4. if I were a pet, I would... (Lisa)
5. document a family first (Paula)
6. how I celebrated my birthdays as a child (Deb)
7. how has your style changed over the years (Kelly)
8. how you prepare your home for visitors (Valerie)
9. a scaled back celebration (Francine)
10. the favorite beverage in your home (Diane)
11. when I was small, I loved to pretend that... (Vivian)
12. document a ritual that you have in your home (Keshet)
13. what it means to you to have a sibling (Monika)
14. record something that is ending (Kathy)
15. how do you feel about your children right now (Teka)
16. tell of a family trait that you inherited (Marie)
17. make a list of things you would like to do this summer (Lisa)
18. use one word to capture your child's personality (Sarah)
19. list 5 things that describe each member of your family, right now (Emily)
20. something that made me happy today was... (Katrina)
21. your favorite mode of transportation (Erin)
22. something that changed between last year and this (Amy)
23. I witnessed a miracle when... (Emily)
24. how you feel when all your kids are getting along (Marnie)
25. a new family tradition (Karen)

 

Moving on to photos... Here are 25 photos you could consider taking so that you don't end up with the same photos day after day. (Oh wait, that's me. sorry... teehee!)

1. your child at play from the backside. be sure to include some of the surroundings. (Christa)
2.  headshot of your favorite pet (Celeste)
3. a snapshot of my day told in photos (Donna)
4. soaking up the sunshine (Lisa)
5. the food you ate at a summer event (Paula)
6. a summer beverage (Deb)
7. a cute outfit (Kelly)
8. a child practicing a skill (Valerie)
9. a photo mid-action (Francine)
10. your family eating breakfast (Diane)
11. a field trip photo (Vivian)
12. you wearing your favorite top (Keshet)
13. your family just being together (Monika)
14. a final event (Kathy)
15. a selfie with someone you love (Teka)
16. someone resting (Marie)
17. an usual pose (Sarah)
18. a coordinated clothing photo (Emily)
19. something you know you will miss in five years (Katrina)
20. photograhic evidence of the reason you are tired (Erin)
21. a person-less photo that helps tell the story (Amy)
22. freshen your makeup and do a selfie! right now! (Emily)
23. your people in the back of your car (Marnie)
24. your table (Karen)

 

Lastly, our gallery is filled with great design. Here are some tips and ideas to try to keep your pages fresh!

1. trend alert: rulers and measuring tape (Christa)
2. try cutting your title out of some patterned paper and using the negative (Celeste)
3. use your favorite stamp (Donna)
4. use the same patterned paper in two places, but in different proportions (Lisa)
5. frame out your photos (Paula)
6. repeat your elements in three places on your layout, creating a visual triangle (Deb)
7. create a focal point on your photo without cropping it (Kelly)
8. add small embellishments that help tell your story (Valerie)
9. try layering your photo mattes, tipping each layer slightly askew (Francine)
10. paint your letter stickers (Diane)
11. layer your letter stickers onto your photo (Vivian)
12. use a circle garland to help lead you into the focal point of your photo (Keshet)
13. get out your label maker and put it to use! (Monika)
14. trim your photo to an unusual size (Kathy)
15. trend alert: wooden embellies and people chains (Teka)
16. use your washi tape for journaling strips (Marie)
17. create a border with 7 scraps of paper (Lisa)
18. create a triangle mosaic (Sarah)
19. create a mirror image layout (top to bottom or side to side) (Emily)
20. create a layered embellishment collage (Katrina)
21. rounded corners are still in. have fun! (Erin)
22. use three patterned papers of varying colors, but with similar scale and cut to similar sizes (Amy)
23. trend prediction: quatre foil is the next big graphic (Alexandra)
24. use a number in your title (Emily)
25. use a long descriptive title (Marnie)
26. embrace some white space (Karen)

So many great ideas! I am thinking I might take one from each list, put them together and make a layout! Will you join me?

 

As a thank you for joining us this month, Monika has put together a printable for you to help celebrate the perfect pairings in your life!

You may download it here.

 

And here is a sweet layout that she made using it!

Love the idea of shoes. Perhaps it is also that I cannot resist a little bit of word play!

 

Before we go, one last reminder that the clock is ticking on our Talent Search. Hurry and get your audition tapes ready! (just kidding about audition tapes, but not kidding about the deadline drawing near!)

Have a great weekend! And thank you for joining us for this magnificent start to our summer series!!

scrapbook!

Happy Saturday! I hope your June is off to a great start! I just returned home from a very fast summer getaway which included one day at the beach!! Ah! I love the beach. The roar, the colors, the smell. Sigh... Nothing better...

I have returned home a kinder, gentler soul. Revived, rested, and ready to dive into the 400 new photos that I took! And to help me out, I need look no further than our June gallery! With three new challenges for us to share, we will put together three new pages in no time!

 

Monthly Sketch

Donna is back as our sketch creator and has put together a sketch based upon Deb's layout.

You may download it here.

 

Four photos here I come... Here is my layout. I rearranged the photos a little, and moved the journaling down, but otherwise, stayed pretty true.

I am excited to share three more sketch layouts with you, too, as a few teammates put together layouts as well!

Celeste is the master of layers and this layout is no exception. But the most amazing part of this is the smudges and masking. Digital genius!

 

I love Donna's colors and patterns and how she added a large grid flag behind the pattern paper strips. Did you notice her little airplane flair? So cute!

 

Lisa smartly recreated the sketch into an 11 x 8.5 by switching out the right side photo with a journaling box. She stayed true to the proportions on the photos. I love the white box and even grid lines on the photos. As darling as her accent!!

 

Design Element: Flair

This month, flair seemed to be the embellishment du jour. Nine different layouts were sporting the trend: Christa, Paula, Deb, Diane, Vivian, Keshet, Kathy, Emily, and Katrina. Perhaps we, too, should try?

Here is my flair!

  Won't you try some, too?

 

Color

As I saw the layouts the first time, I fell in love with Teka's color scheme. I loved the faded hues. Such a soothing combination!

Feel free to add in a splash of raspberry!! Teka did it so well!

 

 

So that's it! Our three challenges. Here they are again! Hope you will play along!

scrapbook!

The Everydaily II gallery knocked my socks off with so many incredible pages. I couldn't wait to get in there and start scrapbooking all the ideas.

 

1. MAY SKETCH

This month's sketch comes from Emily Spahn's layout. With its layers and full sized photo, you could use your favorite papers and a favorite uncropped 4x6 and be done in no time.

You may download the layered template here.

 

Here is my layout. I stayed very true to the template. Even in color scheme. Why improve upon perfection, right?

 

 

2. FULL SIZE PHOTO

This month there were several layouts that used uncropped 4x6 photos. I counted 13. How many do you spot? Are you inspired to just grab an already printed photo and start working? I did just that.

 

3. PRINTABLE

What would a month be without a printable to help you scrapbook your daily life? That's right, you can trim these down for journaling cards, use them for mini book covers,or...

  

...use them as notecards as Monika did. Add a bit of washi tape and call it cute.

You may download it here.

 

Here are your three challenges recapped:

Thanks for stopping! I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

In Review

I loved this month's theme. Music moves my heart in ways I can hardly explain. A song from the past can drag me back to a memory long since faded and make it as radiant as the day it happened. I can turn on any Air Supply song and instantly begin to sing every. single. word. I can't seem to remember my grocery list longer than 5 minutes but I have a whole vault of 1980s lyrics forever seared into my brain!

How does music affect you and your life? Do you love it? Have you a favorite song? or genre? Is there a song that swings you back to your childhood? or your wedding day? Is there an artist that got you through a particularly rough time? Or do you prefer a silence? Either way, have you scrapbooked it?

If you haven't had a chance to be inspired by the gallery yet, let's take once last long lingering look at the loveliness it contains.

 

Aly First, look closely at Lexie's face. Can you see the excitement and the thrill of the stage? Such a terrific photo. I love how Aly didn't shy away from color on this layout. The costumes were vibrant and bright. I think many of us would have tried to go very neutral on this page, but Aly shows us we need not.  And because the star of the photo is in white, she isn't any bit lost as we take in the layout.

LisaK I hope you took a minute to read Lisa's journaling. It is honest and raw and made me miss the stage, too, and it isn't even my place! Moving journaling gets me! I love, too, that she handwrote her journaling. Quite a task to undertake, but it makes the heart of it shine so much more brightly.

Karen When I read Karen's title, I could immediately hear the trilling laughter of my own sweet Poppy. Her laugh climbs a scale and is every bit musical. I am going to have to steal Karen's idea and journal the music of the laughter. I think Karen's layout is a good reminder, too, that when you sit down to scrapbook a challenge, there is a way to make a page that fits the theme even if it isn't the straightforward option.

Francine When I first saw Francine's layout, I giggled at the terrific photos. Not only did she capture the action of the drumming, she also memorialized the delight on both his face and that of his uncle. Speaking of great photos, don't you find it is so easy to journal on layouts when your photograph so perfectly aligns with the story? Photos like these make for my favorite layouts to create (read: easiest to create, therefore favorite to create!!).

Christa Speaking of layouts that are creative takes on a theme, I love this! Christa cleverly wrapped her title up the side and across the top, providing a strong structural element within which she tucked the other elements of her layout. By starting her title treatment at the same horizontal level as her photos, Christa has created a focal point for her layout. She also has repeating elements with the circles (the "o" in to, the sunburst, and the circle behind the heart), the three tags and flags, and the repeated bit of red. All of which serve to create an incredibly cohesive layout.

LisaO Did you notice how many references to current culture Lisa has added to her layout? Not only does she list her current playlist, she also used a current photo. And not only are the colors are at the height of fashion, so, too, are the patterns and the little  iconic elements--the bird, the tape. All these elements combine to further tell the story of right now, not just the music.

EmilyS I consider myself quite well rounded when it comes to music, but I must admit Emily's layout had me rushing to my computer to listen to these songs. A few are also favorites of mine, so I figured I might just like them all. So hooray to Emily's layout for helping me expand my playlist!!! Now, onto the design, might I just say how much I adore white on white? And the little tiny graph lines in red did me in. Love love. I thought putting the songs on individual strips was genius, as was not worrying whether or not the lines matched up with those below!

EmilyS in case you haven't yet read Emily's journaling, go get a tissue, and now go read. I'll wait...  What a sweet moment captured. To me, this is the very heart of scrapbooking. Pure love.

Celeste I would love to have a photo of my music lessons. I spent years with my favorite teachers and yet, not a photo exists. If your children take lessons, or you do, be inspired by Celeste, and get a photograph of it!!

Kelly What a fun memory to record! Watching your child discover a new skill/talent is special which makes it scrap worthy by definition, right? I love how Kelly printed Crystal's label. It makes the journaling fit so well. Perfect!

Katrina Hooray! Katrina is back! Oh, Katrina! We have missed you so!! Welcome home! My favorite part of Katrina's layout is how she used the single covers as the "photographs." And could the flair be any more perfect?

Marnie I love the juxtaposition of Nigel's beautiful skill with his ratty athletic clothes. Sometimes we scrapbook photos that aren't perfect, and then realize that the layout is better for its little sprinkles of reality.

Marnie This list and layout is so overdue. Please, sit down right now and make a layout about your favorite music. Don't put it off any longer!

Diane Do you know what I love most about Diane's layout? The little letter stickers for s-h-i-n-e. And you do you know why? Usually, when we are going to emphasize a word, we think to put it in a bigger font/sticker. But here, Diane made it smaller. And it works! So well!

Keshet This sweet layout makes me swoon. And makes me want to put together a layout about how it felt to sing to my firstborn. Do you like, too, how Keshet's photo and journaling are taped onto the wood paper? It sort of makes it look like it was taped to a wooden wall, no?

Marie How much fun is this layout? Do you like how Marie used a record and tape on her layout? Cute!

Paula I love that Paula scanned her music in for her background paper! It makes such a statement and it adds to the story so well! I love, too, how she put her journaling in a column right in the middle of her page. Center stage. Not a usual placement, but it works so well, don't you think?

Marie The whiny song! How awesome is that? I can hear one of our three as I type!! I think Marie wonderful for catching a photo of a whiny child. I rarely think to grab my camera when the whine is on. But it is what it is, yes?

Alexandra I love the size on this layout. Long and thin. I also love how Alexandra juxtaposed the modern "get down" with the gold doily. And then she tied the tag with a neutral string is so simple and yet, the perfect last addition. It's those details that Alexandra gets to right!

Francine This layout is a wonderful example of using 5 photos on one layout. By including all 5 photos, we get a much better sense of the occasion than if Francine had chosen just one. And because she grouped them as she did, the layout stays clean and polished.

Amy Having loved Amy's teen week, I am now wondering if this is one of the photos from the "I just had my hair done" collection. (Such a fun photo idea, by the way!) Sometimes lyrics are the perfect accent. And sometimes the perfect title. Also, did you read in Amy's notes how her lyrics block came from the negatives of a Silhouette cutout? That's what I call a two for one!

Donna I love the colors on this layout! The blue and clouds, the green, the little bit of pink, the pop of orange. And then the butterflies! Don't you love how Karen and Donna sneak items traditionally considered "girly" on their pages about their sons? Woohoo!

Erin Like Katrina, Erin let the album covers stand tall as an element of design and story. I love how she recorded her children's favorites, and not just her own playlist. A good idea, for certain! It would be interesting to make a layout like this every couple of years and then compare and see the changes! Oh, the inevitable changes!

EmilyP Do you like how the entire center of Emily's layout is just numbers? No photo, no journaling. But so much fun! And then as you look around, and I mean around, you see her top ten list.

 

The theme this month, Music, offered much inspiration for journaling, and photography, and our gallery was ripe with inspirational design. I took the challenge to document my musical tastes, and the design challenge of using a list, and added in some inspiration from Emily's layout, and put this one together.

My new favorite layout.

I hope you felt inspired to make a new favorite as well!

scrapbook!

Welcome to Scrapbook! Saturday. Are you glad to be back to the land of scrapbooking? Thank you, again for spending your week with me!

 

This week, we are loaded with goodies. A sketch by Donna, a design challenge, and a printable! Scrapbook Saturdays are the best!

 

February Sketch

Donna has created a sketch for us based upon her layout in the gallery. Here it is.

And for those who prefer, we have again created a layered digital template for you to download and enjoy! You may download it here.

 

Design Challenge

Did you notice how many layouts this month contained lists? Whether randomly scattered, listed in a column, placed inside a design element, or created with visual cues, there are many ways to write out a list of items. This month, especially, lists seem appropriate and helpful.

 

Printable

A couple of music things for your pages. Enjoy!

You may download it here.

 

Here are my challenge layouts:

1. February Sketch

I changed it up a little, squaring off the tipped photos, and switching up their sizes a bit. I tried to leave the photos askew but I just couldn't!

2. Design Challenge

Lists. Such an efficient way to journal.

3. Printable

Here is my layout using one of the elements from the printable.

Thanks for stopping by!! Before you go, I wanted to let you know about some fun things going on at reneepearson.com.

First, this weekend they are running a contest to win a seat in Molly Newman's new class. Here's the skinny.

Want to win one of three seats in iShot That, the iPhone photo class by Molly & Jim Newman? Then you want to participate in our iShot That Twitter Contest. All you have to do is:

1. Go to their contest page and answer the question, “What’s your #1 iPhone photo subject?”
2. Follow @reneenews and tweet about the contest.

The contest ends this Sunday. They’ll announce the winners on Monday, February 20^th.

 

Next, there are two new classes open for registration.

• iShot That by Molly and Jim Newman  -  Start date February 20 
• It’s Elemental by Tiffany Tillman  -  Start date March 12

 

Please take a minute to stop by and visit Renee's site to see the class descriptions and details!   

 

We hope you enjoy the sketch and printable; please remember they are for personal use only! That's it! Three more challenges to help get your ideas moving and those pages finished!

Have a great week! I'll be back next week!

write.

Hello, and welcome to January's write. Saturday!

One thing I love about creativity prompts is how they can take people in such different directions. This month's gallery theme was "today" and when I browsed through it, I was seriously amazed at how we each put our own unique spin on it. From Karen's writing about a small moment with her son to Christa's journaling about her upcoming grand adventures—and everything in between!—it's inspiring to see all the places a little word like "today" can take us.

Another useful thing about using one idea to create more is how the original idea helps you do something you might not otherwise have done. Today's journaling prompts hopefully will help you do exactly that: journal about something you've been meaning to write down but haven't yet. They're each inspired by a layout from the January gallery.

 

One Vacation Moment

I don't know about you, but when I write the journaling for vacation photos, I tend to take a long time. There is so much to tell! Rather than trying to cram all the stories into just one layout, get specific.  Write about one small moment within the scope of an entire vacation. It might be the magical moment, the experience you knew while it was happening would be the one that made all the pre-vacation stress worth it. Or maybe it's something you remember, looking back. You might not even have a photo of the moment—and that's okay! Write the journaling, then find a photo that fits well enough.

Ann did this in her Today She is a Princess layout. Think about all the experiences you have at Disneyland—yet this moment with her daughter had to be better than anything else. (Even, I'll bet, Space Mountain!) In a decade or two, Kira might not remember anything else from the trip—but this is unforgettable!

Marnie and I both used this "one moment" idea to create our layouts.

When my family was last in California, we took our kids on a whale-sighting cruise. I didn't get the fabulous photos I was hoping for, and my camera battery actually died, but the words help me tell the story anyway!

 

Marnie also took one moment from a recent vacation and let it be the reason for this layout.

Everyday Messes

Documenting the everyday details of our lives is one of the best thing about scrapbooking. Your perspective on those little details changes when you make a layout about them. Write about one of the little piles or messes you usually find around your house. Think about both where the mess comes from and how you feel about it.

Donna's These Days captures the pile of shoes, helmets, and jackets that are the evidence of happy childhood hours. A house with such a pile is an exuberant, child-filled home! What do your home's messes reveal about you?

Celeste played along with this prompt. She focused on one little mess: shoes. I love this layout because it reminds me that the shoe mess is universal!

In my messy layout, I focused on my three hot spots—the places in my house that always accumulate clutter. (I hope I'm not the only one who has those!) But I also pushed a little bit to think about what those hot spots say about me and how I really feel about clutter in the first place.

 

Dramatic Weather

The goings-on of the great outdoors is something that's easily overlooked in our layouts—until the weather grabs your attention. It's when a storms surprise us, derail our plans, or cause unexpected damage, great stories are made.

Celeste's Today layout documents the aftermath of Storm Alfred this fall. All those fallen branches! Can you think of a weather-related story (it doesn't have to be as dramatic) you've never told before?

Last year, we were hit with five inches of wet, heavy snow—on May 24! It was incredible. I'd already blogged about the damage, but I realized I'd never told the story for my son Kaleb, who was with me when the damaged branches came crashing down. It's his story, too, and I'm glad to get it told!

 

......................................................................

Isn't it fun to see how one little word, "today," generated such a variety of topics! I hope one (or all!) of these prompts will get you thinking in new directions. To recap, here are our journaling challenges:

As you ease back into your everyday, January routines, I hope you'll find some time to write a few stories you haven't before. We'd love to see the results!

write. click. scrapbook!

This is the Saturday where we get to put it all together. While you may not have had time yet to do your play along layout, I couldn't resist Donna's sketch, and Crystal's new kit, so I carved out a few precious moments and put one together. I opted for a bokeh photo and a childhood memory to round out the challenges.

Thanks for stopping by. Now go finish shopping! teehee!!

Merry everything and happy always!

scrapbook!

Gallery Walk

I have the pleasure of loading the gallery each month, which means I get sneak peeks of all the layouts as they come in. And then I get to spend some time with each project as I post it and edit the materials' lists. But even still, when I pull open the gallery as a whole, my knees swoon, just a bit.

Like every month, there is something in each project that catches my eye. Let's go in order of appearance.

Lisa's canvas: First, I love red polkadots. And tiny ones remind me of my favorite swiss dot dress when I was little. But my favorite part is Lisa's ingenuity in decorating a stamped doily. I would have been tempted to buy an actual doily, which would not have had the same simple glory that Lisa's stamped doily attains.

Aly's layout: Such a brilliant use of cards. I love how some of the circles are names, others photos, other designs. I think the mixture provides such good balance. And helps us to see how eclectic gatherings help tell stories.

Christa's layout: My favorite part of Christa's layout is how she used border punched paper to create shelves for her pictures. This subtle tie in to her subject unifies her story and photos and design. So clever.

Aly's layout: First, the pictures are perfect. I have had three small children and this very same situation, but never thought to bend down and snap a picture of the ornaments on the floor, or the giant grin of the culprit. Times like this I remember how important it is to visit our site often for reminders of all those photos we don't want to miss!! (Such a shameless plug!! teehee!!) Second, did you notice Aly's use of the photo corners? A quiet means of defining the photos as a whole.

Celeste's layout: One of Celeste's greatest strengths is her design strength. She flexed her muscles for us again this month. Notice how everything about her layout is linear: the squares, the even spaces, the white space. And then, there's the photo. Tilted just so. Thereby drawing our eye in. And with tilt, the ninja's eyes become horizontally even with the squares, thereby providing one more bit of balance and symmetry.

Aly's layout: Did you read the journaling? It talks about a moment of quiet. I find most of my quiet holiday moments are spent staring at the lights on my tree. I feel a layout coming on!

Lisa's layout: Aside from the scrapbooking side of things, I might need some of those cookies!! hee hee. Lisa has such a way with her photos. (My favorite might be the kitty next to the elf!!) It's not just the photos she takes, but her angles, her lighting, and the details. Oh, the details.

Christa's layout: First, do you see how unseasonal the colors in this layout are? Not very Christmas-y,but really lovely all the same. And can you spot the triangle? The bottom of visual triangle is the left hand side of the layout (top to bottom). The apex of the triangle is the photo of Jed. This triangle wouldn't work without the tape at the bottom of the page in the lower left hand corner. Cover it up, for just a moment, and evaluate the difference. See? I told you Christa was clever!!

Kelly's book: I love the idea of a page or two representing each year of celebrations. I have made similar birthday books, but never thought to do it for Christmas. This is so very smart. And how fun to look at each year as it grows. Thank you, Kelly, for such a terrific idea!

Keshet's layout: Oh, food shots! What's not to love? I have taken photos of the neighbors' and teachers' treats in the past, but rarely seem to get them on a layout. I love how Keshet's layout show a close-up photo and then one in full packaging. Perfect.

Paula's layout: Paula's photo grouping is just perfect. And did you know that you can have this too? She used a digital photo cluster to put it together. These can be used for paper layouts, too by adding your photos, printing it out, and then trimming the edges. Adding the notation on the bottom of the photos makes it even more purposeful. And the layers on the title? Lovely.

Cheryl's ornament: Only Cheryl could transform a dollar store ugly plaque into this darling little creation.

Cheryl's plate: Or a plate into this? And if you try this at home, be sure to add shadows to the layers so that you can tell who is in front. It's the same as if you were using stickers. One on top, one below.

Francine's layout: The title is terrific and tell so much of the story. Good titles are so effective. I have been keeping track of the books we have checked out of the library on Pinterest and I know that a layout like this will be a perfect capture of our visual list! Something I love about Francine's layout is how the title is big and bold, and the flourish is big and bold, and the photos are just so tiny.

Lisa's layout: I love this one for its content. Have you a similar book? A place where you keep all your ideas together? Have you thought to photograph it and add it to your scrapbook? These items that make up our world are so fleeting. And yet, so basic for us. Perhaps you could look around your life and see if there's something you do often that hasn't yet made your scrapbooks!

Lisa's layout: Did you notice the texture of the blue ribbon beneath the photo? and how the ribbon isn't completely adhered, thus providing even more texture? The velvety softness adds to the warm glow of the lights. And again, Lisa's photos are well-composed so that the twinkle lights glow softly.

Marie's layout: The visual triangle on this layout is more like a pyramid, coming up and out of the paper. The stacked layers make the photo rise up and out of the page, catching your eye before anything else. And Marie was right on target in getting down level with the baby to shoot the photo at the appropriate perspective.

Monika's layout: Monika's design is one of my go-to designs. It works seamlessly for horizontal 4x6 photos. I probably have more than 20 layouts with nearly the same design. And, no, that's not lazy, just practical!! Further, did you notice the woodgrain tape? So hip!

Emily's layout: For a layout about a santa collection, Emily's layout is remarkably and delightfully void of santas. Rather, the title is the story and the photo is the evidence. The trees prove the season and the colors lend a cheer. Especially helpful with a black and white photo. And have I mentioned how real Emily's pages seem? And always have a twist of wry humor.

Donna's layout: Donna chose to use two patterned papers as her backdrop, though not in equal proportion. When she added her photographs, she put the narrow photo on the wider pattern, and the wider photo on the narrower strip. This slight adjustment creates flow from the vertical base of the visual triangle (the left hand side of the layout) up and through the triangle to the middle of the page on the right side. With the edge of the landscape photo crossing over onto the patterned paper on the left, the layout becomes cohesive and level.

Amy's layout: This is a wonderful reminder to get our memories on paper even if it means we must wait for the photo. And if you know what size it will be, you can create an whole layout and even place it in the proper album. Who said layouts need photos?

Amy's layout: Being a fontophile and a stickerphile, I have always wanted to create a layout like this, but have never been able to determine how to do it. Now I know who I can ask! I love the boxes and how she hand drew them. And I wish we lived close enough to visit my mom and help her decorate!!

Alexandra's tags: Such a clever way of documenting our homes. Tags relieve the pressure of having a particular number of items and are fun little canvases to decorate. And once we get some snow or put up some lights, I am totally taking Alex's suggestion to document our outside homes.

Thank you for going gallery walking with me. I hope it was helpful to evaluate the little things that make the layouts work so well.

 

Saturday Sketch

This week you have a chance to recreate Donna's layout. She put together a sketch for you that is also downloadable as a layered template. Enjoy!

Thank you, Donna! From all of us!

 

Printable

School ended for us yesterday. Which means Thursday was spent elbow deep in white chocolate popcorn. Having 16 teacher gifts to put together, I thought it might be easiest to print tags. So I made tags.

In case you need them ...

... you may download them here.

 

Thank you for stopping by and spending some time with us! We appreciate you and hope you are doing well on your holiday preparations. Next week will be filled with more December Dailies. Can't wait to see you here!

write. click. scrapbook!

What a month we have had. Here is a recap of our challenges and inspiration this month.

 

Journaling Challenges

1. A Garden Story Flower or vegetable, public or private, arboretum or farmer's field: gardens add a rich layer of beauty to our lives. As bleak November sets in, revisit the warmth of summer by telling a story you haven't told before that involves, even in a small way, a garden in some form. 

2. Something in Common Write about something two people have in common. You can think personal or physical characteristics, likes and dislikes, habits, favorites.

3. A Small Thing For Which You Are Grateful When we think about things we're grateful for, we tend to think of big topics (health, marriage, and family, for example). Instead, try writing about something small you are grateful for, like the perfect cup of hot chocolate (or the cup you drink from), pretty toenails (or socks that keep your feet happy), your favorite sweater (or the stranger who complimented you on it). This is a great chance to scrapbook about yourself! Or, think about a small thing your subject might be grateful for and write about how it influences his/her life for the better.

 

Photography Challenges

1. A Garden Story How does your garden look right now? Is autumn in full swing or do you have snow? Or are you one of the very lucky ones that still have blooms in your flower beds? Take time to document how your garden looks now, and then let's extend it to all year round.

2. Common Things Check your photo files and find photos from this day/week last year and take new ones from this day/week and make a diptych .

3. Three Small Things For Which You Are Grateful

 

Scrapbooking Inspiration

1. A Donna sketch/digital template

2. a texture inspiration piece

3. seasonal color inspiration

 

We would like to thank Tara for joining in with a fantastic layout, and Nathalie for posting her beautiful  photos. We have had a remarkable month here at Write. Click. Scrapbook. Just 6 days until a new gallery, a new month, and the beginning of December Dailies. We wanted to express our appreciation for you, dear readers, once again. Thank you, thank you! And please don't forget to add your projects to our Flickr family gallery. We love getting to know you more!

So do you go out for Black Friday?

Marie here today! I hope everyone had a splendid Thanksgiving and got to eat lots of turkey, pumpkin pie and stuffing. I hosted this year, so today I am kicking my feet up, reading the enormous paper I never got around to reading yesterday, and relaxing the day away. That's right, relaxing. I don't normally venture out for any Black Friday shopping...now online, that is another story! My dear hubby sometimes likes to get up early and go out just to observe the craziness, but I like to sleep in after all that turkey. So although I don't participate in the day, I do enjoy a good challenge. And Erin and I have a great one for you today!

I used to love watching those shows like Super Market Sweep, and the fun run around in the toy store to grab whatever they could in 60 seconds. Well today we challenge you to do just that with a Black Friday inspired layout. Put on the timer for 60 seconds and as fast as you an, grab some product-anything you might need for a layout and then sit down and get it done in 30 minutes or less. Let me tell you, it was a challenge, but a super fun one. I was a little bit running around like crazy! This is what I came up with for my products...

And here is my layout...in 31 minutes :)

 

Erin, of course, played along. First her products ...

 

... and Erin's page.

Erin said, "Limiting myself to the supplies I picked during my 60 seconds definitely helped me complete the page faster. Usually I'm going back and forth between my supplies, just being my usual indecisive self. I think I finished in 24 minutes. Pretty sure that's a personal record!"

 

A few others took on the challenge too!

First by our Lisa O.

Next Celeste did a digi page-using a template that helped her with the snappy deadline.

And finally Amy

Here's what Amy said about our crazy challenge. "I am a seriously slow scrapper, so I doubted my abilities to finish this in 30 minutes. Here's what helped: the photos were printed as two 3x4s and one 4x6. I didn't cut them apart but just stuck them down as is. I already had a draft of the journaling written from back in 2004 when this tooth-losing experience happened. I changed some of the wording when I hand wrote the journaling, but not very much. Much as I love printed journaling, it's much faster to write it by hand. My final time: 32 minutes. And that is definitely a broken speed record for me!"

So are you a Black Friday shopper? If so, leave us a comment and share an awesome deal I missed out on today ;)