Hey! This is Jamaica, another new member of the Creative Team. A California girl, I live on the foggy Central Coast. I am a designer by day, crafter by night (or early mornings…).
I played a lot of “office” as a kid, hoarding notepads and the good stapler. Twenty years later, I was making cards when my friend Tracey introduced me to scrapbooking. I never could fill a 12 x 12, but I fell in love with making minibooks and smaller pages. When I jumped on the Project Life bandwagon in 2012, it was a revelation. The pockets, oh the pockets! You’ll notice I’ve gone small again—it’s what I’m comfortable with. This year, I’m using a Studio Calico Handbook and it’s working out nicely.
Now, going back to May…
(patterned paper from More + Less and journaling card from Diptych)
(Woodgrain Journaling Cards and patterned paper from Diptych)
One of the things I like most about using digital products is the ability to tweak the files before printing them. Both the months and the lighter woodgrain paper on the second page are made from larger sheets, scaled down to the exact size I wanted. Perfectly spaced journaling lines, yes! And, the woodgrain template makes the perfect title card without having to worry about lining up stickers or botching my handwriting.
(journaling cards from Chasing Fireflies and From Where I Stand)
The other thing I love about digital elements is the ability to “dress up” my photos before I print them. The “Lovely Evening” journaling card from Chasing Fireflies was just meant to go with this photo, although I didn’t have the space to add another journaling card. So, I added the design directly to my photo. The magic wand tool is magical. I just selected the text with the magic wand tool, copied and pasted it onto my photo. Changed the color to white and decreased the opacity. Voila!
The next best thing, go small. Miniaturize it. I printed this journaling card at 1″ wide and stapled it directly to my photo. I can feel a series coming on…
(journaling card from Road trip)
(patterned papers from Road Trip)
Or, make something new. Using your digital files to make your own cards is awesome. When I started my second album for the year, I decided to update the monthly inserts I use to keep track of what I’m reading and watching. Using strips of patterned paper at the top of the new layout allows me to customize each month to coordinate with the page below it.
Have fun!
xo, jamaica
You can follow me online at my blog, on Instagram or see what inspires me on Pinterest.
i love everything about your pages. also? i was totally addicted to playing office or teacher as a kid. i heart paper & office supplies. big time. 😉
Simply gorgeous, Jamaica! I’m a central California girl too – although the fog the valley is a little different from that on the coast 🙂 I love the use of the teensy “from where I stand print.” Genius. Using it. Off to fill in some gaps of my own – printing a billion journal cards for my son’s long-overdue PL album. Thanks for sharing!
Funny, I was just looking through your website yesterday! I love your small-size project life. So simple. I am doing the full 12×12 this year (digitally) but definately thinking of scaling down for next year. You’ve inspired me!
OMG, it never occurred to me to downsize the cards. D’oh! Love it so much!!
Great post! I never thought of taking the word art off the journaling cards. My kids and I just had a firefly catching adventure and I was thrilled to pick up the Catching Fireflies kit and I have a couple great ideas after reading your post. I’m off to check out your blog now….
Wonderful, Jamaica!
That is such a cool idea to shrink the journalling cards. Genius you are!
Ronnie xo