Bright patterned papers, bold solid cardstock, festive ribbon, ornate lace, charming flowers…these are just a few of my favorite scrapbooking things. Sometimes as an artist, I get caught up in all of the scrumptious selections we have offered to us by the many marvelous manufacturers in the industry. Even though it is entertaining to get caught up in the glamour of our scrapbooking supplies, we should not forget the fundamental basics of our creations…capturing moments in time through photos and most importantly, journaling.

Journaling is such an important part of scrapbooking, because it tells the complete story of your layout. It will tell your children of the treasured moments you shared as a family. It will tell future generations names, dates, and other pertinent information. It also can provide a look into the soul of the creator behind the layout…you. There are so many creative ways that you can incorporate journaling into your work. The traditional method is to journal directly onto your layout, but why not switch things up a bit and journal on tags? You can tell your story on one tag or several and it really will give your page a unique look. As shown below, tags are perfect for journaling!

Oh No He Didn’t by Pamela Young

Supplies: Paper, Cardstock, Chipboard, Alphabet, Tags, Ribbon, Buttons: Rusty Pickle, Specialty Ink: Tattered Angels, Pen: Sharpie, Floss: DMC, Software: Microsoft Word, Fonts: Marker Felt, Blackoak STD, Big Carlson.

Design Notes: Print your journaling on a piece of paper. Then take some tags and cover the printed journaling with the tags. Lightly adhere them in place. Then print the same thing and the printed words should go on your tags this time. And just a tip…don’t have any apostrophes with your letters but you need one? Cut a circle (period, or ‘I’ dot) in half and use it. That is what I did here.

Journaling: On our way back from Yellowstone, Austin was wearing his new favorite shirt…the one he got from the trip (that says “Yellowstone Sheriff”). He was getting an attitude and this is what I heard at one of the rest stops. “I don’t need to go!” (Austin) “But it’s a rule that we all try when we stop.” (Mom) (as he points to his shirt) “But I am the sheriff now and that means I make the rules!”

Spring In Texas Means Sheds by Connie Mercer

Supplies: Paper, Die Cuts: BasicGrey, Alphabet Stickers: American Crafts, Cosmo Cricket, Flair Designs, Flowers: Prima Marketing, Felt: Creative Imaginations, Specialty Ink: Quick Quotes, Pen: Creative Memories, Other: tag, buttons. Tools: Punch: Fiskars, Stamp: Stampin’ Up!.

Design Notes: I used a plain manila tag from the office supply store and built up my embellishments and journaling on that. I liked how the embellishments were all contained on the tag-leaving the left side open for the title.

Journaling: To Do List: 1. Feed them good! 2. Start watchin’ for them to fall in March. 3. Hunt. 4. Find them!!! 2009

My Top Ten Favorite Things About Christmas by Megan Smith

Supplies: Paper: BasicGrey, KI Memories, Cardstock: Die Cuts With a View, Tags: BasicGrey, Stickers: American Crafts, Die Cuts With a View, Die Cuts: Jo-Ann, Transparency: 3M, Ribbon: KI Memories, Bling: Jo-Ann, Darice, Brads: Making Memories, Jo-Ann, Portafolia, Ink: Stewart Superior, Marker: ZIG Memory Systems (Kuretake). Tools: Stamp: Heidi Swapp.

Design Notes: Each tag (or journaling block) contains a description of one of my favorite things about Christmas. To get so much text on a single tag, I used my computer and transparencies to type and print my journaling. To get the test to fit perfectly on each tag, I printed the text first onto some scrap paper and used the trial and error method before printing all my final text onto the transparencies.

Journaling: 10) Christmas Eve mass - I always go to church on Christmas Eve because it¹s the children's mass. I love watching the children act out the Christmas story and listening to the Children¹s choir sing all the traditional Christmas carols. 9) Finding the pickle - My Mom is a stickler for this German Christmas tradition. Every Christmas morning, she hides the glass-blown pickle-shaped ornament on the Christmas tree and my brothers and I frantically search to be the first to find it and win $20. 8) Wrapping gifts - So many people see this task as a chore, but I truly enjoy it. I¹m sure it¹s just the ³inner scrapbooker² speaking out, because I love making my packages look as pretty as my pages and I love picking out gift wrap almost as much as scrapbooking supplies: yards of pretty patterned wrapping paper, spools of glittery ribbon, cute little gift tags - I love it all! 7) Twenty-four hours of a Christmas Story on TBS - I can¹t get enough of Ralphie. I could sit for hours and watch this movie again and again. This movie also holds a special place in my heart because it was filmed in Cleveland. Actually, the house used in the filming of the movie has been restored and opened for tours along with a accompanying museum. 6) I Believe In Father Christmas - I love listening to Christmas music and have a playlist containing 500+ songs that lives on my MP3 Player all season long. But, my absolute favorite Christmas tune is this one by Emerson, Lake & Palmer. I must listen to it at least one hundred times each season. 5) A white Christmas - I love the snow. I could never live somewhere where I couldn¹t experience snow on Christmas. There¹s nothing better than curling up next to the Christmas tree or a roaring fire with a good book while the snow falls outside. 4) Chocolate crinkles - Every Christmas I make several different kinds of cookies, but these are a tradition in the Schlegel family. No Christmas is complete without these small morsels of chocolate goodness! 3) Decorating the Christmas tree - This is where my anal-retentiveness really shines. I prefer to decorate the tree all by myself because I am so particular about where each and every ornament goes. But, I truly enjoy this solitary experience - it is special time just for me! 2) A Christmas Carol with George C. Scott - This version of the Dickens classic is the only one I will watch. It is a tradition on my mom¹s side of the family to watch this movie every Christmas Eve after we are finished opening presents. 1) Christmas Eve at my parents¹ house - Ever since I was little, my mom & dad host Christmas Eve for my mom¹s side of the family. Everyone goes to Christmas Eve Mass beforehand and arrive to my parents around 6 o¹clock in the evening. We have beef tenderloin for dinner and then have the gift exchange. We do a Kris Kringle exchange rather than buy gifts for everyone. Then we have Christmas cookies and peppermint ice cream for dessert and watch A Christmas Carol. This has been our traditional Christmas Eve for as long as I can remember.