Journal Camp - Week 1

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Prize winners from last week at the bottom of the post!

Helper Journaling & Lists

We’ll get things started this week with the easiest types of journaling. Each week at Journal Camp, we’ll add a little more to your journaling skills, or refine a little more of them, until you have a full set of tools to journal on any page, any way you want.



Helper Journaling

Helper Journaling is simply journaling someone else writes. Sometimes somebody else has already said just what you mean in better words that are coming to you at that exact moment you need them. It’s totally okay to say, “help a sister (or brother) out,” and use lyrics from a song, a poem or a quote from someone else. This is also a great use of that purse or pocket notebook!

A quote from someone at an event can do the same thing as a passage from a song or book. I’m using a quote I wrote down from Tori for the page from our Christmas dinner meeting after we got iced out of traveling for family dinner last year, “Wow, Christmas in a truck stop.” That’s gong to be pretty much all I need to say. I’ll have already said why we’re at home on Christmas Eve in the previous pages. There will be warm, happy pictures and Christmas papers. That quote will be the ironic smile about the situation. Nothing else is necessary.

I used a Norman Vincent Peale quote as my journaling on this Christmas in New York City layout I did from 2006.

Credits: Christmas Around the World 2008 by Digitalegacies Designs
Journaling Style: Helper Journaling - Quote

A little tag line with the city and date and the quote says what needs to be said, including helping to hide a couple of fuzzy, but beautifully colored photos in there.


Sometimes something someone says, song lyrics or a poem just strike a chord with you. Maybe a passage from a book, a bible verse or a song on the radio will inspire you, give
you an idea for scrapping an old photo or even a piece of ephemera.

Nani confession time!

I had never even heard the word ephemera before I started digital scrapbooking. It’s true. Now if I’ve been told that I journal well and I didn’t even know what a fairly common word used in our hobby is, it proves that you don’t have to have a deluxe dictionary of big words spilling out of your hands onto the paper! In fact, you really don’t want to use fifty-dollar college words in your journaling. Always use your normal words, express your journaling like you would tell a story when you talk. After all, that’s what you’re doing. You’re not writing a term paper or a news story, you’re writing about the people, things and emotions in your world. Write casual and comfortable. Be you!

By the way, ephemera is defined at dictionary.com as items designed to be useful or important for only a short time, esp. pamphlets, notices, tickets, etc.

Now if you don’t want to, you don’t have to admit you’re just as dumb as Nani!

Here is an example of ephemera and a song lyric:

Credits: A Matter of Time by Tirza for Major Scrapola Designs
Journaling style: Helper Journaling - lyrics

Okay, I used a coffee mug too. Genesis in 2007 was the first concert that David and I went to together. We were already living together at the time, but it still felt like a date. It was pretty nice! No cameras at The Palace meant no photos of the evening. It was a pretty sweet night and I wanted to give it a page in my scrapbook. So, a photo of the mug David got me, the ticket stub and a piece of Genesis song lyrics with a simple title and subtitle captured my mood and a little emotion towards David too. I didn’t need to write a novel about the evening, Genesis had already written what I wanted to say!

By the way, the power of words, even someone else’s, on your scrapbook pages is very real! When David saw this page, he went “awwwww” and gave a hug. Those aren’t my words, but they came from the heart and they were felt too!


Make a list!

This is another type of simple journaling that doesn’t require you to write like Shakespeare. List what you want to say!

Your list can be sincere, funny, mushy, it’s up to you and the feel you want your page to have. A photo of a child doing homework can include a “top five reasons it’s important to get your homework done,” starting with to get into a good college and ending with “avoiding getting grounded.” The same photo could have a list of “things she does that make me proud” or “the top excuses for putting off homework he gave us this week.”

Your list doesn’t have to be detailed either. It can be single descriptive words or emotional words. Here’s one with some cute kitten pictures listing a few simple things that made Kaline our sweet baby and tell a little bit about her at that time. I finished it with her name.

Credits: PS I Love You by Nibbles Skribbles
Journaling style: simple list

Lists are easy to add onto your layout and can tell as much as you want them to about what’s happening in the picture or what’s happening in your mind when you see the picture. Single words make an easy-to-read, simple list that you can make bold and eye catching.

Add a few more words to the list and make it a little more detailed to say a little more.

Here is an example of a detailed list:

Credits: Brave Patient by Nibbles Skribbles
Journaling Style: Detailed List

Exercise 1

Let’s try a layout with one of the types of simple journaling.

The exercises at Journal Camp concentrate on the journaling, so you have the freedom to choose the photos, subjects and kits. Some of the exercises will give you a number or type of photos to accommodate the journaling lesson, but you retain pretty much creative freedom while developing more ease and finesse in your journaling.

For this week, scrap a photo or two of someone special to you. For the journaling, use one of the types of simple journals we’ve discussed; helper journaling - lyrics, poem, book/holy book passage, quote or make a list. Choose a helper or make a simple list that tells how that person is special to you.

To help you get started, I have a couple of freebies! You don’t have to use them on your layout, but you are welcome to. Use them or not, they are my gift to you this week!


Click previews to go to downloads
Password for both is easy-peasy


Here is my layout:

Credits: Life’s Adventure by JW Digiscraps,
Template – Help Me by Digitalegacies Designs
Journaling Style – Detailed List

When you’ve finished your layout, post it in a gallery or on your blog and leave a link to it in comments. Make sure you leave email contact info either with your comment or if you’d prefer to keep your contact information private, send me an email at mailto:chroniclesofnani@gmail.com.com with the title of your layout and your name or ID. Everyone who leaves a link to their layout will receive One Step at a Time by Digitalegacies Designs.


2 comments with links to layouts posted by May 10 will receive prizes from this week’s sponsors!

One winner will receive a Gift Certificate for $5 at Nibbles Skribbles’ store at Digital Scrapbooking Ink.


Manda has also offered a special coupon for 25% off her products at her DSI store for this week! Just use the coupon code, NS_JournalCamp25 when you check out by May 10 and get your 25% off Nibbles Skribbles products!

Nibbles Skribbles
25% off
Coupon code
NS_JournalCamp25
Expires May 10, 2010

The other random winner will receive a $5 gift certificate for JW DigiScraps’ store at Enchanted Studio Scraps!


Janice is also offering a discount this week!


Use code NaniJournaling for 35% off your JW Digi-Scraps purchase at Enchanted Studio Scraps or Divine Digital until May 31, 2010.


Make sure you get your layout links posted by May 10 to be in the drawing for these great prizes! Remember that if you miss the prize deadline, you can still post the link for your layout to be eligible for the 3-kit bonus from Digitalegacies Designs for completing all the exercises.

I’m anxious to see your “helper” choices and lists!

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Pre-camp prize winners are….

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Ambowife Designs

#16 – April (check your email for your prize!)

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Tom Boy by Miss Edna:

#7 – Christine (Christine, I need your email so I can send your prize!)

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Congratulations!!!

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Now everyone get going on those layouts for this week’s prizes! :)