What Are You Reading?

Reading has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember. And I’m not alone. It seems that everywhere I go – from the waiting room at the doctor’s office to the nail salon, the person next to me is consumed by their latest read.

It’s even more heartwarming when I see a teen or a child with their nose buried in a book. With all the media attention on declining graduation rates and educational challenges, it’s wonderful to see that reading will always be a passion for those who have discovered the wonder of books.

Smitha Katti’s layout captures her excitement in sharing her love of reading with her child. The soft colors are a beautiful complement to the warmth in her photos. In Jill Williams’ layout, she uses a subtle background and minimal journaling to ensure the focus stays on her adorable photos of her son and his great-grandmother. Nicole Martel creates a whimsical layout with bright colors to reflect the spirit of her son’s favorite book.

Discovering Books by Smitha Katti

Digital Supplies: Paper and Embellishments: Shabby Princess by Michelle Coleman (LittleDreamerDesigns.com), Software: Adobe Photoshop CS3, Fonts: Pea Smashtastic.

Design Notes: Try using photo frames in a different manner by using a larger frame on a smaller photo or by using them as embellishments. It is a great way to use something you already have, and yet get a brand new effect/look.

Journaling: You love flipping through your books and looking at the pictures and feeling all the different textures they have! And you also love listening to the rhyming words that I read out loud to you.

Once Upon A Time by Jill Williams

Digital Supplies: Heart: Grungy but Nice by Erica Belton, Orange circle, "Once Upon a Time": Paper Fairytales by Nicole Young, String: A Better Place by Nicole Young, Star: Always Be a Dreamer by Tina Chambers, Kite: Beyond the Moon by Nicole Young, Paper Crown: Brokedown Love 3 by Nicole Young, Colored Brush Mask: Bradlee by Marcee Duggar, Paper Strips: Funky Teenscape by Nicole Young, Background: Amanda's Bouquet by Lauren Bavin (All from Digital Scrapbook Place), Software: Corel PSP X2, Font: Pea Jean.

Design Notes: Since I changed the photos to black and white, I wanted to give the page a bit of color, but not too much because I didn't want to take away from the cute photos I took of Nathan and my Mom. I have found that when I want a hint of color, using a mask, as I did with the Colored Brush Mask here, works perfectly! I duplicated the background paper from Amanda's Bouquet page kit and then recolored it to match the kite. I kept the journaling to a minimum because I think the expressions on Nathan's face tell the story!

Journaling: 1-9-10 Nathan enjoying the book the Great Grandma Dorothy read to him during his visit to her house.

Language by Nicole Martel

Supplies: Papers, Die Cuts: Crate Paper, Cardstock: Couture Cardstock, Baker's Twine: Farmer's Market, Pop dots: American Crafts. Tools: Border punch: Martha Stewart.

Design Notes: I used sketch #127 by Creative Scrappers to make the designing process a little easier.

Journaling: I love reading Green Eggs & Ham and The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss. Edward likes it too. Soon enough, I'll have him saying "do you like green eggs and ham?"