We often see either one or the other: a gorgeous and stunning page with little to no story. Or a simpler cleaner page with lots of story. Can the two live together? How do you strike that balance between making a page you love aesthetically, while also telling the story?
We had such a fascinating discussion about this topic on the Paperclipping Roundtable, and just in case you got caught up in the dynamics of the conversation and didn’t notice or remember all the specific ideas we shared, I thought I’d list the ones I remember, along with a few of my pages as examples.
1. Add journaling to a second smaller page.
This is especially good for those who really want to go at the decorating of a page without thinking about how to fit the journaling, whether it’s because you like to decorate with lots of embellishing, or because you like to use lots of photos.
Sometimes I put it in the middle.
Sometimes I add it at the side.
2. Write your story first.
I always know what my story is before I start picking my papers and putting things on them. If it’s going to be more than a few sentences I write it out, too.
- You’ll have an idea of how much space you’ll need on your page and you can work it into the design the same way you do with pictures.
- A clear idea of your story can help you better choose patterns, embellishments, and colors because you’ll be able to focus more on visuals that will help tell your story.
Click here to read the journaling on this page in the description below the layout. Once you read that I think you’ll understand why I choose a vibrant pink and orange color combination, along with my embellishments.
3. Add your story as text directly onto the photo.
If you add it directly onto your photo using software like Photoshop Elements, you’re also accomplishing tip #2. And now you have a page completely free for embellishing!
4. Reduce the opacity of your journaling text.
If you do digital or hybrid journaling, reduce the opacity of the journaling so that it’s subtle and more like a patterned background. This means the visual weight of your journaling will be light, allowing you to focus more of the visual weight on the beautiful embellishments.
Journaling strips or fine-tipped pens in a color that doesn’t contrast is a non-digital option.
5. Write your journaling like you’re talking to friends or family.
Do you tell your friends stuff? Of course you do. There’s no need to word your journaling any differently. Just put yourself into the mindset of telling the story to a friend and you’re good to go!
6. Break the journaling up into smaller parts.
In small sections of just a sentence or two you can nestle it into embellishment gatherings, around titles, next to a photo. This is another way to be sure your journaling is light in visual weight so you can concentrate your weight on other things.
Did you pick up any other tips while listening to the Roundtable episode? Or do you have tips we think of? Leave a comment to share, either here or on the Roundtable post!
Want some help with these ideas?
I have video tutorials on many of these topics for the Paperclipping Members! Here are just a few:
- #185 – The Off Center T Flexible Template
- #179 – The Weight of Your Journaling
- #173 – A Journaling Design Technique
- #170 – Scrapbook Titles that Ramble
- #105 – How to Have Endless Ideas
- #103 – Visual Memoirs
- #94 – Embellishment Crescendo
If this is a subject you need help with, consider this a class! Start by listening to the Roundtable episodes, view each of these video tutorials, trying each concept.
If you’re not a member, you can start your membership now and get access to all 186 tutorials, including the ones I listed above. Click here to learn more!
