Hi there crafty friends! Shannon here with a traveler's notebook layout to share. It's summer here in the northern hemisphere and that means I have less free time to spend in my craft studio. I like to hang out on the back porch or at the pool! That means that I need my projects to be smaller and easier to complete. But I still want them to look great! Today I'm sharing how I put together this traveler's notebook layout during my busy days.
One of my favorite ways to get big impact on a layout is to use a big photo. I look for photos that will sum up the topic of the layout. This photo of my daughter being carefree and playing hopscotch is the exact feeling that I wanted for this summery page. Stamps are the perfect embellishment when you don't want to take away from the photo. I clustered a few words and sentiments from the June Stamp set at the bottom of the photo. The words and phrases add to the carefree feeling of the photo, and they also work as a title of sorts!
I am always a fan of a grid when I need a quick and easy design. They come together in a snap! It really works for this page because it mimics the squares of the hopscotch game. I also like doing what I call an "open" grid where I don't fill in all of the squares. I fill in some and leave others open.
In those open spots, I often like to add embellishments. It's a nice way to really let the embellishments shine. On this page, I decided to use the half circles from the June Die Cuts and hearts from the June Bits & Pieces. To keep it interesting, I varied the directions that the half circles were facing. I also like to hang some embellishments off the side of my squares. I find that this helps my grid feel less rigid, which is perfect for a page about a carefree summer day!
In the final open spot, I added my journaling. I wanted to make sure that it would fit so I opted to type it on my computer and print it out on clear sticker paper. By creating a 2 inch by 2 inch box in Photoshop, I knew that my journaling would fit as long as I stayed inside of the box! In the summer when I am mostly focused on getting the photos and stories documented, I find that I have a lot to say so I type my journaling often.
I hope that I've given you some helpful tips on how to document when you're short on time but you still want pretty projects!
xo
Shannon
SUPPLIES: June Kit | June Paper Pack | June Die Cut Shapes | June Stamp Set | June Bits & Pieces | Grace Chipboard Bits | Travelers Notebook Insert - Sunshine Stripe