Welcome to the Just Finish It Challenge!

I hear all the time from friends that they have a bunch of scrapbook layouts that are almost done - ready to go except for the journaling. For me, journaling is the easy part - I write just like I talk - a lot!!! But, for a lot of people, journaling is the hardest part.

So, I wanted to share some quick tips and products to help with journaling.

Blog
If you have a blog, don’t journal twice! Use your blog entries as journaling on layouts. Simply cut and paste the journaling from your blog onto your layout and the journaling is done.

Pen and Paper
Just because you’re scrapping digitally doesn’t mean that you can’t journal by hand. Often, when I’m going through my photos on my laptop, I choose my favorites to scrapbook. I star them, put them in my scrapping file online and then I grab a pen and paper that sits by my computer and make notes about the photos or layout ideas I have. Why not jot down some quick journaling at the same time?!

Journaling Tags
There are way too many journaling tags in the DesignerDigitals store to even count. Put them to use! If you have some ideas for journaling but don’t have time to do an entire layout, open up a journaling tag, move it onto a blank layout, and write. Save the layout and you’ve got a great start. If nothing else, you’ve got the idea started.

I love these tags because they give journaling prompts:

Week in the Life Journal Cards

The Monthly Journal Card Value Pack

Weekly Journalers Brushes and Stamps No. 1

Digital Journals

If you want to journal a lot and you have a big story to tell, try making the journaling the main part of your layout. DesignerDigitals has numerous digital journals. Add a photo (or not) to the journal with your text and the layout is done.

Vintage Journals

Ali even has a set of journaling cards that you can print out and keep on your desk for daily thoughts and journaling.

Reflections Journal Cards

Whatever you do, I hope you take steps today to Just Finish It!

~Steph

I can’t believe it’s back to school time already! This year I have great plans to help my kids stay organized or at least get ready for school, and of course I used my digital supplies to do it. Inspired by an article in the Disney Family Fun magazine I made a place mat checklist, which is like a chore chart.

I created 6x12 documents for each side with the Do At Home and Bring to School lists. I used some scrapbook paper for the middle section. Ticketed No 2 by Katie Pertiet had a great checklist that I used for my list.

We’re going to test this out next week but I have high hopes! Have you used your supplies to make a chore chart or checklist? Post it in the hybrid scrapbooking gallery - I’d love to see what you made.

It’s Thrifty Thursday at DesignerDigitals where we have a brand new item priced at just $ 99 cents and 397 items marked down 30%. These specials only last until 6am EST on Friday morning so don’t miss out.

The September 2010 desktop scrapbooking calendar is now available in the freebies section including an iPhone wallpaper as well!

Welcome to the All About Me Challenge!

How often do you wish that you had just 10 minutes to yourself? A chance to unwind for a minute, sip some coffee or maybe a Diet Coke, and put your feet up on the couch. Just 10 minutes can do wonders. Well, this challenge is all about that. This challenge is entitled “Right Now.” What I want you to do for this challenge is find 10 minutes in your day just for yourself - early morning, after the kids have gone to school, on your lunch break from work, or late at night - whatever works for you. Take a deep breath, relax, and find a pen and paper or your computer and just write for 10 minutes. Whatever comes to mind - just write it. If something’s troubling you, get it out. If you’re feeling grateful and blessed, pour out your heart. If you’re simply in the moment and feeling comfy, describe where you are and what’s so comfy. The point is to just write for 10 minutes and then make a layout using that journaling. When you’re done, you’ll have a mini day-in-the-life layout. You’ll have a “Right Now” layout that will capture just a quick slice of your life right now.

My layout is super simple. The last layout I made didn’t use any patterned paper, so I really wanted to go back to using patterns and I kept the rest of the layout very simple. As you can tell from my journaling, the photo of my feet at the beach has nothing to do with where I was at that moment, but it’s what I was thinking about so I used it.

Supplies: Ali Edwards Layered Template No. 10, Caught Red Handed Kit, Contessa Paper Pack, Primes Paper Pack

Can’t wait to see your layouts!

~Steph