Journaling Cards

I used to be a big scrapbooker.  Sadly, I did most of my best scrapbooking before I became a mother.  I managed to do a pretty good job for Mr. Gray's first year, but I burnt myself out to the point that I didn't scrap a single page until just before Miss Winona's first birthday.  An entire three years later.

The thought of bringing out all of the cutters, the papers, and embellishments overwhelms me. It's not something I can do easily with the little ones around ... guillotine cutters and a curious 4 year old boy do not mix well.  But the worst part, the part I absolutely loath, but that is absolutely crucial is the journaling.  I hate trying to get journaling to fit in a layout.

I'm loving some of the new trends that have developed during my scrapbooking hiatus and I'm excited to pick it up again.  So many new products are about getting back to basics and keeping things simple. They're focused on what the real purpose of scrapbooking is: to preserve treasured memories.  I'm currently obsessed with Project Life and SMASH books.  The use of mini books for special occasions like family vacations  is starting to appeal more to me too. They're perfect for when you have lots of pictures that you want to scrap, but you don't necessarily want them all in your yearly family album.  It's like all of the unwritten rules of scrapbooks have been thrown out the window.  They really are "scrap"books now.  Paint chips from freshly painted rooms, concert ticket stubs, Instagram shots are all finding their way into scrapbooks. It's not about dressing up pretty pictures anymore.  It's about collecting the bits and pieces that make up a life.

My most favorite thing about these trends are the use of journaling cards.  So many of them are already decorated and coordinate well with other products.  Plus their size forces you to be concise, so I don't feel guilty about not wanting to write a detailed account for every page.

Just for fun I decided to try my hand at making some of my own. The thought of creating a coordinating collection of anything like scrapbook papers or fabrics has always thrilled and terrified me at the same time.  It's  something I aspire to do, but since my ideas and taste in design is all over the place I've never felt I could focus well on one theme. So here's my first attempt to create a cohesive multi-piece design.  If you like them download a set for yourself.

This is a high-quality PDF file of ten 3 x 4 inch journaling cards on two 8.5 x 11 pages of that can be printed at home. For best results I would recommend sending them to your favorite print shop to be printed on heavy cardstock. (It saves you ink plus a 1000.00 professional printer will do a much better job than the 100.00 one you have sitting on your desk ... trust me on this one).

I've had so much fun making these I'm thinking about creating a few more collections and adding them to the shop as digital downloads. Let me know what you think.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD JOURNALING CARDS