Journaling is part of a creative expression of who you are. What you are feeling at the time and also can be used as a chronological reference. I believe that journaling can also make an incredible scrapbooking page. If you can doodle in a notebook, add some drawings and make it a sort of mixed media work of art – then why not do the same on a 12x12 layout?

I personally like to add titles as part of my journaling or dates, places and people in the photos that I am scrapping. If I am scrapping more than a couple of photos and I have more to say; then maybe I journal the events as a list or a hidden tag. What I will always do though, is make my journaling stand out. I often times use buttons in my titles like Michelle did. She used the buttons as part of her alphabet in her title “OL Kentucky Home” Michelle’s title was a great way to use round buttons as the alpha “O”. It makes her title pop out and get noticed.

Buttons are so versatile; you can use them as the main embellishment and focus of your page. Take a look at what Kate did with her butterfly page. Yes she used a butterfly image or template but the main “art” on her page are the buttons! There are so many varieties of buttons, though Kate’s are digital, you can totally do this method with paper and left over buttons on a page. You can use buttons so many ways; for centers of flowers, as an alphabet, and buttons are also a fantastic way to use them as bullet points and/or list for your journaling. I love the cute bullet points alias buttons that Karen used on her digital page.

I just love buttons and have tons because when I am stuck for a spot of color, or some kind of extra embellishment –I always turn to my dependable button stash!

My Ol' Kentucky Home by Michelle McClure

Supplies: Paper: Simple Stories, Fancy Pants Cardstock: American Crafts Alphabet Stickers: Simple Stories Stickers: Simple Stories Brads: Making Memories Ink: ColorBox Pens: Pentel Thread: Coats and Clark Sketch: Sassy Lil' Sketches Other: buttons, twine. Tools: Decorative Scissors: Fiskars Other: sewing machine.

Design Notes: To create the country feel of my visit back home, I made a patchwork quilt by cutting out twelve 2.5 x 2.5 squares of photos and paper. I colorized my photos to match my diagonal pattern of red-yellow-green-green-yellow-red. I completed my quilt look by attaching buttons on each corner. Since it was a visit, I used a postcard for my journaling.

Happiness is Like a Butterfly by Kate Coleman

Digital Supplies: Buttons: Simple Pleasures (SSD Collab), Sunshine by Fee Jardine, All About Her, Blosson, Boho Chic, Bookworm, & Flourish by Kristin Cronin-Barrow, Families Are Forever and Smell The Flowers by Meghan Mullens, When We Get Together by Shawna Clingerman, A Lot Like Love by Traci Reed and Some Like It Hot by Zoe Pearn,  Clouds and BG paper from Sing a Rainbow by Misty Cato, Font: Walk Around The Block.

Design Notes: I used a very basic butterfly stamp I had in my stash to use as a guide for the butterfly. I then just started adding buttons like crazy!

At the Beach by Karen LSW

Digital Supplies: Kit: A Day at the Beach by Designs by Anita Buttons: Crazy for Cardboard Buttons by Studio Basic Designs Software: GIMP 2.6 Font: American Typewriter.

Editor's Note:  Karen uses buttons as bullet points in her journaling.  What a cute idea!