Documenting April + a few tips and tricks

It’s April! Things are starting to green up and bloom, we are spending more time outside playing . . . or at least we did last year. This year our April has been cold and snowy and I am still waiting for my tulips and the trees in my yard to bloom. Oh well. I so loved working on my pages for April. I say that every month, but it’s true. I love it! There is so much satisfaction in documenting these memories so I will never forget.  

I am getting a little more adventurous with my journaling. I really don’t like my handwriting but I decided to suppress my perfectionist instincts this month and just go for it. I am happy to say that it wasn’t as painful as I had feared. I actually like having some handwriting on my pages.  

This month I have put together some ideas and tricks to help get you started documenting your life.

1. Fill a card with journaling. If there is a design on the card . . . just journal around it. Don’t want to fill up the whole card? Draw a frame around the card with a Stampin’ Write Marker.

2. Journal around an object. Here I used the uni-ball Signo Gel Pen to journal around the frame on this Happy Easter card. I love the white handwriting on the black card!



3. Don’t be afraid to add journaling to a card . . . even if it doesn’t look like it was made for journaling.



4. Add fun bold type over your photo using My Digital Studio. The font I used here is Abadi MT for “play” and Arial for the ampersand.



5. Add a frame of journaling around a photo.



6. Use the pattern on the Designer Series Paper for journaling.



7. Make the page protector work for you. Here I cut out the long horizontal photo strip on the page protector and just sewed the pieces I wanted to use back together.



8. Make a fun envelope to hold the journaling on subjects that are close to your heart.



9. Color on your washi tape. I love, love, love, washi tape. To add a different look to the gray-striped Epic Day This and That Designer Washi Tape, I colored it with Melon Mambo and Lucky Limeade Stampin’ Write Markers.



10. Add a journaling card in an unexpected way. Originally this journaling card was 3" x 4" with lines on it for journaling. I love the hello sunshine sunburst, so I just cut off the bottom part and added the top part to my card. (I can use the bottom part later.)



11. Add a little dimension and flair. I made this little flair button by running the large Soda Pop Tops through the Big Shot. It is then the perfect size for a little saying punched out with the 1" Circle Punch.

I hope this helps to get you inspired to dive in and start recording the moments in your life.

Arika B.
Concept Artist

Related articles

Stampin' Up! Concept Artist ~