Log Your Memory

Feb

Two Sides to the Story

by Kristin Rutten

Our Sweet Talk Journaling Challenge moves right along today with yet another method of journaling to test out on your scrapbook pages.

If you haven’t completed the first four challenges yet – creating a list, using the ABCs, sharing a conversation and incorporating a fairy tale – don’t worry. You have until March 3rd to get all of your layouts posted and qualify for our special prize. Just keep scrapping right along and you’ll get there!

Today we’re going to work with a method that can be interpreted many ways…

Sweet Talk Journaling Challenge #5

To compare and contrast is really just showing how two or more things relate to one another, potentially including both their similarities and their differences.

On a scrapbook page, this could take several formats. For instance, you could share the pros and cons of a particular event, circumstance, behavior, relationship or feeling. Another angle would be to take a look at two or more time periods, such as a “then and now” type scenario or a “through the years” type of comparison. The timespan could be decades … or even just minutes. Or maybe your story illustrates two sides of the same coin, so to speak.

Here are a few great examples to help get you started…

"Just Me" by clmisener @ Weeds and Wildflowers

"100 Things" by neeceebee @ My Scrapbook Art

"Traveler" by Ali Edwards @ Designer Digitals

"Then and Now" by colleenstearns @ Designer Digitals

The Rules:

Pick a topic and create a new scrapbook page that uses the method of compare & contrast to tell your story .
Post that page in this album in our Sweet Talk Journaling Challenge Gallery. The deadline for all Sweet Talk Challenge Layouts is midnight (MTN) on Wednesday, March 3, 2010.
Visit this thread in our Community Forum and link us up to your layout.
Once your link is verified, the above Sweet Talk award will appear in your profile and in your signature.
Keep an eye on this page to track our Log Your Memory Sweet Talkers!
Watch for the next Sweet Talk Journaling Challenge topic … make sure you don’t miss a post by subscribing to our Blog!

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Please share your comments through our community forum…

Tags: compare and contrast, everyday scrapbooking, journaling, layout challenge, real life scrapbooking, scrapbook challenge, scrapping your story, storytelling, sweet talk journaling challenge, then and now, through the years
Categories: Challenges & Contests

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Feb

Once Upon a Scrapbook

by Kristin Rutten

Once upon a time, there was a month full of opportunities to brush up on scrapbook journaling known as the Sweet Talk Journaling Challenge. Scrapbookers came from far and wide to try their hand at telling their stories, first using lists, then attempting the alphabet, later sharing conversations, until finally, one day, the perfect solution presented itself.

In case you hadn’t guessed, fairy tales are the name of the game today …

Sweet Talk Journaling Challenge #4

For this challenge, tell your story through the use of a fairy tale. The traditional method would be “Once upon a time…”, but any third-person storytelling will do. The story can be funny or serious, sweet or sarcastic. There can be a happy ending and a moral to the story … or not. Anything goes, as long as your page is inspired in some way by the fairy tale genre.

To get your imagination fired up, check out these fun examples of fairy tale journaling at its best…

"Two Fairies" by eryn @ Log Your Memory

"Once Upon a Time" by Dawneephay @ Designer Digitals

"Fairy Tale" by Elena @ Designer Digitals

"The Emergency Band-Aid" by quilter422 @ Designer Digitals

The Rules:

Pick a topic and create a new scrapbook page that tells your story through the use of a fairy tale.
Post that page in this album in our Sweet Talk Journaling Challenge Gallery. The deadline for all Sweet Talk Challenge Layouts is midnight (MTN) on Wednesday, March 3, 2010.
Visit this thread in our Community Forum and link us up to your layout.
Once your link is verified, the above Sweet Talk award will appear in your profile and in your signature.
Keep an eye on this page to track our Log Your Memory Sweet Talkers!
Watch for the next Sweet Talk Journaling Challenge topic … make sure you don’t miss a post by subscribing to our Blog!

Subscribe in a Reader
Subscribe by Email
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Please share your comments through our community forum…

Tags: challenges, contests, everyday scrapbooking, fairy tale journaling, fairy tales, journaling, layout ideas, Log Your Memory, real life scrapbooking, scrapbooking ideas, storytelling, sweet talk journaling challenge
Categories: Challenges & Contests

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Feb

Whatcha Talkin’ About?

by Kristin Rutten

It’s time for our third installment in our month-long Sweet Talk Journaling Challenge. We’ve already tried our hand at list journaling and using the alphabet. Now it’s time to do a little talking … literally.

Sweet Talk Journaling Challenge #3

For this challenge, tell your story through the use of a conversation. It could be the dialogue between you and another person, a discussion you overheard, or even an exchange between your kids and their imaginary playmates.

If you’ve been using your Memory Logbook to keep track of little tidbits like this, you may have something written down that could be developed into a great scrapbook page. And if you don’t already have something in mind, spend a day or two paying extra attention to what’s going on around you. Chances are good you’ll pick up on at least one conversation that could help tell a story about your real life. You could even make up a conversation to help illustrate what might be a typical situation in your world.

To help get the creative juices flowing, take a peek at these great examples of the “conversation” style of journaling in practice …

"You Make Me Laugh" by aneal @ My Scrapbook Art

"Grandma, flamingos can!" by digigrandma @ Designer Digitals

"I Wonder if There Really is a Santa?" by mymalloryboys @ Designer Digitals

"Ice Cream and Bananas" by Aino @ Designer Digitals

The Rules:

Pick a topic and create a new scrapbook page that incorporates a conversation to tell your story.
Post that page in this album in our Sweet Talk Journaling Challenge Gallery. The deadline for all Sweet Talk Challenge Layouts is midnight (MTN) on Wednesday, March 3, 2010.
Visit this thread in our Community Forum and link us up to your layout.
Once your link is verified, the above Sweet Talk award will appear in your profile and in your signature.
Keep an eye on this page to track our Log Your Memory Sweet Talkers!
Watch for the next Sweet Talk Journaling Challenge topic … make sure you don’t miss a post by subscribing to our Blog!

Subscribe in a Reader
Subscribe by Email
Subscribe by Kindle

Please share your comments through our community forum…

Tags: challenge, conversation, everyday scrapbooking, journaling, layout challenge, real life scrapbooking, scrapbooking challenge, scrapbooking ideas, storytelling, sweet talk journaling challenge
Categories: Challenges & Contests

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Feb

What’s On Your “Must Have” List?

by Kristin Rutten

This week’s Logbook challenge poses the question: “What are your bare necessities? The things you just can’t live without?”

For many of us, the lists are shaping up to be quite similar. A good cup of coffee. Our computers & a reliable Internet connection. Our favorite gadgets & scrapbooking tools. Our treasured books.

But one particular layout jumped out at me because the designer sees things a little differently – literally. Terry very creatively described her need for four pair of glasses in “Not an Issue,” our featured Layout of the Week.

This layout is amazing on several fronts … it really pops out of the gallery as soon as you enter and commands your attention because of its dark background, bold colors and beautiful brushwork. The photo is crystal clear & taken from a very effective vantage point. The titlework, too, is very striking. And perhaps my favorite feature – the way Terry emphasizes the repetition of the word FOUR throughout her journaling to tie it all together.

Check it out…

"Not an Issue" by Terry

Count ‘em. FOUR. That’s right. FOUR pair of glasses. Without them, I can’t see. I can’t read. I can’t see distance, either. At age FORTY, I graduated to bifocals so I could read. Every couple of years I get new glasses. FOUR pair. One regular. One spare regular. One for the laptop. One for the desktop. FOUR pair in all. I can’t live without FOUR.

Congratulations to Terry on having the Layout of the Week for Logbook Challenge Week #5. She will receive 10 bonus points through our Real Deal Book Club Rewards Program. Be sure to check out the other layouts in the Week #5 challenge gallery … it’s amazing to see how similar our “bare necessities” can be!

If you haven’t visit the forum & gallery lately, you’re missing out on a great opportunity to tune up your journaling skills and have a lot of fun in the process. We’ve had two Sweet Talk Journaling Challenge opportunities so far, with a dozen more planned throughout the rest of the month. Don’t miss this chance to get some great “real life” scrapbooking done, earn a few hearts & maybe even a prize along the way, and get inspired by the amazing talent pouring out of our wonderful community! Find out how to get started here…

Please share your comments through our community forum…

Tags: bare necessities, challenge layout, everyday scrapbooking, featured layout, gallery standout, journaling, Layout of the Week, Memory Logbook, real life scrapbooking, storytelling, terry, weekly challenge #4
Categories: Layout of the Week

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Feb

Simple as A, B, C

by Kristin Rutten

The Sweet Talk Journaling Challenge is in full swing, with several great examples of list journaling already filling up the Challenge #1 Gallery Album. It’s not too late to post a layout for the first challenge, but for those who are ready, let’s move on to our next type of journaling…

Sweet Talk Journaling Challenge #2

For this challenge, use the individual letters of the alphabet in some way to organize and tell your story. This is really a variation on list journaling, but with a more specific structure.

There are a few different ways you could approach this. The most common is shown in the examples below, with each letter of the entire alphabet representing a word that begins with that letter. In the first, the letters begin words that describe this adorable little girl. The second uses the alphabet and associated words to represent a favorite travel game, which actually involves finding objects that start with each letter.

"ABCs of You" by Jana Morton @ Designer Digitals

"ABC Game" by mymalloryboys @ Designer Digitals

Another variation would be to highlight only certain letters, such as those that spell out a name or perhaps your title, and then create sentences or phrases that begin with each letter. Or perhaps you’d like to make it even simpler and incorporate just your initials or monogram into your layout and story.

Your interpretation of the theme is entirely up to you. As long as individual letters of the alphabet help tell your story in some way, your layout will fit right in with this challenge!

The Rules:

Pick a topic and create a new scrapbook page that incorporates the use of individual letters of the alphabet to tell your story.
Post that page in this album in our Sweet Talk Journaling Challenge Gallery. The deadline for all Sweet Talk Challenge Layouts is midnight (MTN) on Wednesday, March 3, 2010.
Visit this thread in our Community Forum and link us up to your layout.
Once your link is verified, the above Sweet Talk award will appear in your profile and in your signature.
Keep an eye on this page to track our Log Your Memory Sweet Talkers!
Watch for the next Sweet Talk Journaling Challenge topic … make sure you don’t miss a post by subscribing to our Blog!

Subscribe in a Reader
Subscribe by Email
Subscribe by Kindle

Remember, if you earn all 14 Sweet Talk points, you’ll get this little goodie in the mail…

Please share your comments through our community forum…

Tags: abc, alphabet, contest, everyday scrapbooking, journaling, layout challenge, monogram, prize, real life scrapbooking, storytelling, sweet talk journaling challenge
Categories: Challenges & Contests

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Feb

Story Board~2.3.10

by Kristin Rutten

Some weeks, it seems our neighboring galleries are full of “real life” inspiration. Other weeks, it takes a little more digging to find what I’m looking for.

This was one of those weeks … while there were many, many beautiful layouts to be found, it was a bit more challenging to find those that also shared the kind of depth I like to highlight in our weekly Story Board. But dig I did and found these gems to inspire you to document your favorite everyday moments…

"Sweet Tea" by rebecca h

It doesn’t get much sweeter than “Sweet Tea” by rebecca h, which highlights the memory of a tea party between a child and her furry friends. Love the close-ups and the soft, feminine feel to the page.

"Apple Junkie" by talktoheather

I’m a Mac-girl myself, so I appreciated “Apple Junkie” by talktoheather. Technology changes so quickly, so taking time to document how it impacts you today is sure to be interesting down the road.

"Meeting Dustin Petroia" by Kat Stokes

Every town has its local heroes, so it’s fun to see the story of how one such hero impacted this little guy in “Meeting Dustin Petroia” by Kat Stokes. Very clever design, too … love the incorporation of the baseball details.

"Go the Distance" by Britgirl

It’s always interesting to me to see what details our kids remember as they get older. I enjoyed how Britgirl documented a detail of her everyday life in “Go the Distance.” I’m even more curious to see if her child remembers it the same way several years from now. Great titlework, too!

"me right now" by shhbabymine

I’m a big fan of “right here, right now” type pages, so I was immediately drawn to “me right now” by shhbabymine. I like the way she used repetition in her journaling style (I love…, I wish…, I laugh…) and especially love the cool, serene design.

"Beginning of the Olympics" by avalon4

I’m not normally one drawn to event or location pages. But “Beginning of the Olympics” by avalon4 jumped out at me as a little different. I like the angle taken here – the page shares the “behind-the-scenes” look at something most of the world has an interest in but will probably never experience – living so near an Olympics competition site. Plus it’s just a very eye-catching page! I’d love to see more as the Games get rolling…

"Favorite Haunts" by lingovise

I like the creative approach taken by lingovise in “Favorite Haunts.” We share a lot of the same interests & favorite sites – I love her use of all of the logos and icons, plus her clever comparison to a night at the movies.

"Finding Your Way" by SuzanneB

If you’ve ever thought about putting together a little book on what it’s really like to be a parent, “Finding Your Way” by SuzanneB offers a great example of where to start. I like how she combined a recap of her conversation with her son with her own thoughts on the subject.

"Mr. Puzzle Man" by Karen_

I’m all about the “everyday” memories and “Mr. Puzzle Man” by Karen_ is exactly that. Though a simple story about naptime struggles and a clever child’s response, the journaling shares a lot of the little details that really help to paint the picture of life in this household at this moment in time. Plus I just really like the sketchy style and splashes of color.

That’s it for another week! Check back next Wednesday for more real life scrapbooking inspiration! And if you really want to get inspired, take a peek in our own gallery. It is just packed with fantastic pages full of real life stories … and the collection is growing more quickly by the day!

Today’s Story Board brought to you by …

Interested in seeing YOUR business, store, Web site or favorite designer promoted here? Sponsorship opportunities are available … to find out more, inquire through the Contact Us page.

Comments regarding this post are welcome via the Log Your Memory forum.

Tags: everyday scrapbooking, Featured Layouts, gallery standouts, highlighted layouts, journaling, real life scrapbooking, scrapbooking ideas, scrapbooking inspiration, Story Board, storytelling
Categories: Story Board

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Feb

Love Is In the Air

by Kristin Rutten

Taking the lead as our Calendar Girl of the Month is the lovely & talented Jen DeLorenzo (jend). Jen sets the stage for a month full of sweetness with her “real life” guest post below. Jen will also assist with choosing the Layout of the Week later in the month, plus compile a special edition of our weekly Story Board.

February has arrived and love is in the air.

As the song goes, all you need is love … and within a family there is an abundance to capture. There are so many little glimpses into the power love holds. When my children look back through my scrapbooks as adults I want them to feel the overwhelming love I have for them. I want them to see my heart on each and every page.

There are so many little stories that would get missed and lost in the progress of time if they weren’t written down. The sweet little everyday tidbits disappear and we are just left with a warm glow and fond memories, but none of them distinct. It is so important to capture that love and get it down before it slips through your hands.

A human memory is so fleeting. It is so easy to go about our normal day and think “oh that was such a cute/sweet/special moment” and do nothing about it. Love has no limits. You can love people, animals and things. I think recording it all is important.

If you just try to steal those moments back from time, I guarantee you won’t regret it. Those pages will quickly become your favorites. I have posted some examples of pages that to me speak the language of love. I hope you take this and go scrap your love story!

Introducing February Guest Designer Misty Cato

I am excited to introduce this month’s Guest Designer … the fabulous Misty Cato. Right in keeping with this month’s theme, Misty has created a beautiful kit especially for us, which one lucky Log Your Memory reader will win for free in a special giveaway later this month. For everyone following along with the Logbook Weekly Challenges, you’ll find that Misty’s creation … “Adoration” … is a perfect complement to Weekly Challenge #7: Who is your most favorite person in the world?

To give you a little taste of the goods, Misty has provided this wonderful freebie mini-kit just for you! Click on the image to download this little goodie … and be sure to leave a note in our comment section to let Misty know how much you appreciate her generosity!

Also be sure to check out Misty’s store at Sweet Shoppe Designs. To sweeten the deal, Misty’s even offered a special coupon just for Log Your Memory readers.

Note: Offer excludes scoops/dips and coupon must be used on a single purchase of Misty’s products. Fans are also invited to subscribe to Misty’s newsletter here.

Please share your comments through our community forum…

Tags: digital scrapbooking, digital scrapbooking freebie, everyday scrapbooking, february, free download, freebie, Guest Designer, jen delorenzo, JenD, journaling, love, Misty Cato, real life scrapbooking, scrapbooking ideas, storytelling, Valentine's Day
Categories: Creative Team, Freebies, Guest Designer, Real Life

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Feb

Time for a Little Sweet Talkin’

by Kristin Rutten

February is the month of love … and you’re going to LOVE all the great stuff we have in store for you!

Sweet Talk Journaling Challenge

Today we kick off a special month-long scrapbooking challenge at Log Your Memory focused entirely on journaling your real life stories. Through the Sweet Talk Journaling Challenge, we will explore 14 great journaling methods guaranteed to get the creative juices flowing and your favorite stories told, plus inspiring examples of those methods being used in layouts from our own gallery as well as throughout the online scrapbooking community.

To add to the fun and excitement, those who play along and create, then post, a scrapbook page using the journaling methods presented will earn a special “Sweet Talker” award heart for each method used, which will appear in your profile and signature.

There will be 14 awards/points in all (plus the Bonus Award already earned by those who participated in our BlogCast). And for those who really make that extra effort and earn all 14 points … the title “Sweet Talker” and this very special prize.

Wouldn’t it be fun to dress up your Memory Logbook with this fun set of gel pens bearing the Log Your Memory logo? Our BlogCasters have already earned their first point (which means they could earn the prize even if they miss one of the layout pages) … but it’s not too late to take part in the BlogCast yourself. Simply visit this page today and help spread the word. But hurry … this opportunity won’t last much longer!

A special thanks to designer Terry Maruca, creator of the conversation hearts used to create the Sweet Talker awards. Speaking of those hearts, you can get a set for yourself to use in your personal scrapbooking from Terry’s store at Scrapbook Bytes. She’s even provided a special coupon code to give Log Your Memory readers 40% off on either the Conversation Hearts set (coupon code: TM-VHEART-WORDS) or the Alpha & Numbers Heart set (coupon code: TM-VHEART-ALPHA). Both coupons expire February 28, 2010.

Okay … are you ready to earn a Sweet Talk award? Here’s your first challenge …

Sweet Talk Journaling Challenge #1

Perhaps one of the most basic of journaling techniques, the list is also one of the easiest and most versatile. The concept is simple – create a list that provides the details of the story you are trying to tell. The presentation, however, is limited only by your imagination. Lists can be linear or scattered; numbered, bulleted, or arranged alphabetically or chronologically; short, long, or somewhere in between. A list can even be just a series of single words.

To get you thinking, here are some examples of great scrapbooking pages using the list style of journaling…

elena.right.now by Elena @ Designer Digitals

"2010 Inspiration" by sbg3396 @ My Scrapbook Art

"Me Facts" by zakirahzakaria @ Sweet Shoppe Designs

The Rules:

Pick a topic and create a new scrapbook page that incorporates the use of a list to tell your story.
Post that page in this album in our Sweet Talk Journaling Challenge Gallery. The deadline for all Sweet Talk Challenge Layouts is midnight (MTN) on Wednesday, March 3, 2010.
Visit this thread in our Community Forum and link us up to your layout.
Once your link is verified, the above Sweet Talk award will appear in your profile and in your signature.
Keep an eye on this page to track our Log Your Memory Sweet Talkers!
Watch for the next Sweet Talk Journaling Challenge topic … make sure you don’t miss a post by subscribing to our Blog!

Subscribe in a Reader
Subscribe by Email
Subscribe by Kindle

A Big Thanks …

… to Calendar Girl Heather Guenther & Guest Designer Julie Klaus! With the end of January, we must say thank you to lead Calendar Girl Heather Guenther and bid a fond farewell and thanks to January Guest Designer Julie Klaus of Julie Marie Designs. Both have enriched our site greatly over the past month and we appreciate their effort and contributions!

Be sure to visit tomorrow, where we’ll share a special guest post from February Calendar Girl Jen DeLorenzo, plus introduce Misty Cato, our February Guest Designer … and give you a little free taste of her sweet designs!

Please share your comments through our community forum…

Tags: contest, everyday scrapbooking, journaling, layout challenge, lists, Log Your Memory, prize, real life scrapbooking, scrapbooking contest, scrapbooking inspiration, storytelling, sweet talk journaling challenge
Categories: Challenges & Contests, News & Announcements

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Jan

It’s Going to be Sweet!

by Kristin Rutten

If you love scrapbooking and could use a little extra motivation to help you get your real life stories onto your pages, you’re going to love hanging out with us in February!

Throughout the entire month, we will be featuring a fun challenge focused entirely on journaling. In addition to being inspired to journal in fun and creative ways, participants will have the opportunity to earn points and prizes … and get lots of scrapping done at the same time!

You’ll find out all about this challenge on Monday, but first you have an opportunity to earn a special bonus point just by helping us spread the word. The more participants we have in the challenge, the more inspiration and fun we’ll all have along the way!

If you have your own blog, you are invited to take part in our Sweet Talk Blog-Cast this Monday! We’ve made it very easy to do so … and you’ll earn your first Sweet Talk Award before the challenge even begins!

Here’s what you need to do…

Visit this page on our blog.
Copy and paste the text & images you find in that thread into a new post on your blog.
Double-check that the links in your new post are working, as designated in the instructions.
Schedule your post to be published first thing Monday morning, February 1. (The links will take your readers to a post here on the Log Your Memory blog that won’t be published until 1:15 a.m. Mountain Time Monday morning.)
Once your post has been published, visit the Sweet Talker thread in our Community Forum and link us up to your post. Feel free to tell everyone you know about your post too, so they’ll visit your blog and find out about the fun.
After your post has been verified, you will receive your first Sweet Talk Award and be well on your way to becoming a Log Your Memory Sweet Talker!

That’s all there is to it, other than reading our Monday post yourself so you can begin taking part in the Sweet Talk Journaling Challenge yourself!

See you then!

Please share your comments through our community forum…

Tags: blog-cast, challenge, contest, everyday scrapbooking, journaling, journaling tips, points, real life scrapbooking, storytelling, sweet talk
Categories: Challenges & Contests, News & Announcements

| 2 Comments

Jan

Playing by the Rules

by Kristin Rutten

It seems like we all have fond memories of at least one childhood game. Sometimes we don’t recall how the game started, and as adults, the rules may seem a bit strange. But something about that early experience sticks with us and creates a story we want to share with others and if possible, replicate for our own children.

Such is the story behind today’s Layout of the Week. “How to Play” by Jackie Doremus, aka tettletop20, tells the story of “The Thimble Game” played by Jackie and her two sisters. I chose to feature this layout for a couple reasons – first, I like the way Jackie modeled her design after a typical board game’s rules. But even more, I love that she told the story of the game’s past, as well as her hopes for its future. Read her journaling for yourself…

"How to Play" by tettletop20

Growing up I remember playing this game with my sisters in the “front room” of our home. It’s the only place Mom and Dad would let us play indoors. I think because it wasn’t the main living area of the house. On warm days I remember sitting outside and playing it. It’s a game that Dad taught us. He played it when he was growing up. It’s funny looking back on it now because there is no way I’d play it today. I’m not into getting wet just for guessing a color correctly! Although, I do have to say that I will be teaching it to my boys in hope that they will grow up with fond memories of it too.

Congratulations to Jackie on having the Layout of the Week for Logbook Challenge Week #4. She will receive 10 bonus points through our Real Deal Book Club Rewards Program. Be sure to check out the other layouts in the Week #4 challenge gallery … there are lots of wonderful memories of favorite family activities shared there!

Be sure to check our Blog tomorrow for information on the Sweet Talk Journaling Challenge, our new month-long challenge that will begin Monday, February 1st! Included in tomorrow’s post will be information on how you can get a jump-start on the challenge and earn bonus points simply for helping to spread the word about this fun event. See you then!

Please share your comments through our community forum…