Happy New Year sweet American Crafts Fans! Terhi Koskinen here to share my thoughts and ideas for planning the upcoming year.
I’m a big fan of Journal Studio line! I really love the way all those beautiful journals and accessories makes creating so easy. You can create anytime and anywhere without huge mess! But also, you can take your planning creations to the next level by following couple of easy steps.
Lately I have found electronic cutting files very fun to use for my scrapbook pages, and while I was thinking about a way to write down my goals for the new year the idea hit me. Why not to incorporate small cut files to my journal! Soon I came up with two ideas, let me show you.
For the first idea, easy way to start is to download one of the million cut files from the internet and cut it small. For example, the “let’s go” phrase was designed for full 12” page, but I squeezed it to half. That’s totally allowed.
Second idea is to make it on your own. With very basic tools you can create your own flags or tags. I created an oval shaped element and wrote names of the months inside. Tadaa! That’s the tags you can see between the pages. As soon as you become more familiar with your cutting machine’s software, you can create anything you can ever imagine to decorate your journals.
The patterned papers I used for cutting are from ‘New Day’ line, designed by Dear Lizzy. To make the ‘let’s go’ phrase more colorful, I wanted use the backing technique. Any patterned paper can be used for that, but I wanted to bring Journal Studio washi tapes to my journal spread: Take a piece of white paper, add washi tape on top, and use it as you’d use any patterned paper.
Once I was happy with the cut file, I attached it to the page with 3D foam to leave some air and shadows between the cut file word and the background.
Then, other half of the spread was reserved for journaling. I have two main goals for this year, and to represent there are two separate things, I wrote my goals to two different tags.
If washi tapes are my most favorite part of the Journal Studio line, stickers fit definitely into TOP2! You can spy quite many stickers from this spread, and in quite many places. One is decorating the cut file page, one is on top the cut file, phrase stickers are decorating the tags, couple of stickers are making the background look pretty behind the tags and title of the spread is written with different stickers. That’s one big list! Seven Hooray’s for stickers!
And my goals? Well, I need to focus on not worrying about everything. And another thing, I want to embrace each moment. Enjoy crafting while I’m crafting, and again enjoy working while I’m working.
Simple things but I know these will make the difference.
Hopefully you have wrote down your goals too, and if not, now you have more ideas to make your journal shine! Have fun planning your 2019!
Terhi xx
Products used: American Crafts – Journal Studio products: Journal Kit Succulent (349455), Stickerbook (349362), Washi Tape – Colorful (349447), Journal Inserts – Dream (349446), Gel Pens – Good Vibes (349448), Paper Clips – Dreams (349452), Ephemera – Good Vibes (349449), Mini Puffy Stickers – Good Vibes (349453). New Day products: Patterned Paper ‘Chase the Sun’ (349504), Patterned Paper ‘Stay Humble’ (349500). Sticky Thumb Foam Dimensional Dots (340272)