Gettin' Jiggy With Text

(and titles too!)

Let’s admit it. Journaling is usually the last thing we think about for our scrapbook pages. And design-wise, it’s usually pretty boring, too. Black text on white cardstock—or, if we’re feeling really daring, maybe we’ll switch out the white for cream or kraft.

Jazzing up your journaling (and titles!) is actually an easy and effective way to take your page design to the next level. By looking at the words on your layout as design elements, you can add pizzazz to your page without needing to add more “stuff.” Here are five fresh ideas that show how fun it is to “get jiggy” with text and titles:

Supplies:

patterned paper (Scenic Route, Stampin' Up!) • cardstock (Bazzill) • scallop border punch, flower punch, tiny hole punch (Fiskars) • sticker (Sweetwater) • tiny metal clip (Stampin' Up!) • American Typewriter and Schoolhouse Cursive B- fonts • foam adhesive • 11 x 8½ layout by Margaret Scarbrough

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1. Cut Loose

Who says you have to securely glue each and every item to your page? That sounds like one of those random “Scrapbook Police” rules that gets passed along like the urban legend about the crocodiles in the sewer lines. Margaret let her title float free, mimicking the trendy pennants seen everywhere in home décor. She printed her title in an adorable retro schoolhouse font and then punched out each letter individually. Next, she strung them together and attached each end to her page. Now that’s an A-plus idea!

Supplies:

papers and sticker (Tutti Frutti by Paislee Press) • word art (Whatcha Love pack by Jodie McNally) • tape (Clearly Stuck by Taylormade Designs) • stitches (Traci Reed) • digital layout by Jodie McNally

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2. Get Out of Line

When you think “computer generated,” do you typically think “linear,” “boring,” and perhaps “nerdy”? Well Jodie’s digital layout is anything but bland! On a digital layout, you have much more freedom to play around with text positioning, so you can have fun tilting and twisting the journaling and title to create a fun visual that echoes the playfulness of the page.

Create the same look on a paper-based page with handwritten journaling, or by cutting strips of computer-generated journaling and laying them in a random fashion on your page.

Supplies:

cardstock (Bazzill) • Paper Frills, Tidbits, Candy Shoppe Alphabet Stickers, patterned paper, mini brads (Doodlebug Designs) • 12 x 12 layout by Cynthea Sandoval

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3. Bet Your Buttons

This layout by Doodlebug Design owner Cynthea Sandoval uses the company’s “Tidbits” embellishments to replace words and letters in the journaling block. This approach adds color and texture to the page, making the journaling a highlight instead of an afterthought. Angie and I spied it in the Doodlebug Designs booth at the CHA summer show and were immediately tempted to nab it so we could show off this creative journaling approach. (But we decided it would be better to just ask.)

Supplies:

Scalloped cardstock (Bazzill) • patterned paper (Scenic Route, Chatterbox) • alphabet stamps (Li’l Davis Designs) • paint (Making Memories) • circle punch (Marvy Uchida) • tab punch (McGill) • pen (American Crafts) • ric-rac • Georgia font • 12 x 12 layout by Tami Morrison

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4. Colorize

If they can do it to classics like It’s a Wonderful Life, you can certainly do it to your page title! Tami made this oh-so-cute page even cuter by adding a two-color title that coordinates with the colors of her patterned paper. Notice how she preserved visual balance by offsetting her two photos (rather than pasting them perfectly parallel to one another) and then filling one empty corner with a title and the other corner with a journaling block that’s roughly the same size as the title.

Supplies:

patterned paper (October Afternoon, Sassafras Lass, BasicGrey, Scenic Route) • cardstock (Bazzill) • alpha letters (Cosmo Cricket, Lil' Davis, KI Memories, Heidi Swapp, American Crafts, K & Co.) • arrow (Scenic Route) • Stickles (Ranger) • rub-ons (American Crafts) • corner rounder (Creative Memories) • 12 x 12 layout by Lain Ehmann

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5. The Kitchen Sink

If one technique is great, two (or more!) must be better, right? I wanted to make sure this page was playful, not depressing, since the layout is about a sick day with my littlest. I created a ransom-style title comprising lots of leftover letters, as well as rub-ons that “break the rules” by crossing over onto the photo block—and the photos themselves. I hand-wrote the journaling on strips and lined them up, but not too carefully.

Looking for more cool ideas like these?

Check out Text Tricks for Scrapbookers: Creative looks for titles and journaling by Margaret Scarbrough and Sara Winnick.