more baby album comparisons

month #7

i love the colours on these pages. of course they are not as brilliant here as they are in reality. just one page of patterned paper and two colours of cardstock. some ribbon, brads (queen & co.), a mini frame and a small pewter phrase from making memories. all of these pictures were cropped to 4 x 6. i found that just using a regular size was speeding the page making.

more patterned paper from my mind's eye. you already heard about that shopping trip! doesn't this striped paper remind you of candy or ice cream or something yummy? two pages of double-sided patterned cardstock, one colour of cardstock for the background, assorted buttons from a craft store grab bag, ribbon, a sticker, some rub-on words and the lovely "smile" word is also from my mind's eye and matches the paper.

this is also the first time i used an 8 x 10 size photo in a layout.

and some more hidden journalling.

now a moment for a litle journalling tip:

i still print out a lot of my journalling. i learned this trick (before the baby albums) from a website. i think i googled something like tips for scrapbooking. complex.

type out your journalling in whatever program you use and then print it out on regular paper. check margins and sizes and colours, etc. then tape (securely!) your "special" paper or cardstock scrap over the previously printed page. just make sure that your tape is high enough so that it does not get printed on. the point is to line up the paper scrap with the previous printing....and then reprint. i love that i don't have to use a new piece of paper, and can use up my scraps this way.

unfortunately i don't own a large enough printer to print on 12 x 12 sheets. i have not done this lately, but there is a trick to printing on a 12 x 12 using a letter format printer. (for an example of this look back at Aidan Month 5 - with the ducks.) cut your cardstock down to letter size and print out your journalling. then put the cardstock back together with tape. of course you will have a seam. with other paper or ribbon or some other creative touch cover up the seam. it totally looks like you have the large format printer and didn't have to spend the big bucks. i have not had anyone ask to see the back of one of my pages....so no one will ever know!

these tricks are not limited to journalling. on Aidan's layout here the words 7th month was printed on the printer. you could also print so that your printed words frame your photos too.

if you recall one of the first pages in Aidan's album, An Inch Everyday. the title and journalling was printed on a transparency. the journalling on Aidan's page was done on vellum.

you could also print out your own custom made or downloaded embellishments or frames. there are lots of free fonts and other goodies out there. remember that i have spent $4 in the past 4 years on digital stuff. options! (i forgot the one font disk Kristian bought me for my birthday one year and a couple of disks i got when i bought two or three scrapbook magazines. so maybe all that totalled i've spent $50. that is a sweet deal since i still use all of that stuff over and over again.)

check out font garden. for starters. and go to 2peas and SIS for other free digital stuff. take your coffee with you. there is a lot to choose from, so it will take more than 5 minutes!

this might crush you. i rarely come up with these brilliant ideas on my own. all you need is a good search engine and sometimes some luck.

happy scrapping!