I am not one of those people who ONLY uses computer journaling or ONLY uses handwritten journaling. I see the benefits of each of them and use them for different purposes and to add different effects. For this first layout, I wanted to add a bunch of the Shimelle stickers to the layout and loved the little journaling spots.

Everything about this layout is fun and whimsical and I thought those journaling spots really kept with that look. Plus, I love the fact that they had journaling lines because I really struggle with my handwriting, especially when there are no lines. Since I only had a short “story” to tell, the journaling spots lent adequate space to say what I wanted to say.

For this layout, I had much more to say. These photos were taken at the beginning of the school year and seeing them, I began to reflect on how much has changed this year between my kids. Watching their relationship grow and develop has been the penultimate part of the 2016/2017 school year.

I find it much easier to write a longer “story” when I use computer or typewritten journaling. I also like to use a longer journaling piece as a design element. For this layout, that meant including a magazine-type column of text off to the right of the photos.

And just in case you were wondering, you do not have to spend a lot of money to get a typewriter that fits 12×12 paper! Check Craigslist or local yard sales. I got this one on Craigslist for $40!

What is your favorite way to add journaling to your layout? We’d love to see examples in the Scrapbook Circle of Friends Facebook page!

🙂 Rebecca