"Read" 6x8 Layout with Hidden Journaling - My Favorite Things Album

Hidden journaling has always been one of my favorite techniques to incorporate a longer story on smaller-sized layouts. My new album project will utilize this technique a lot! This particular scrapbook page uses my July HTKAKWS homemade scrapbook kit and a few stamps from my stash. Tune in to my full process in the video below.

If I am being honest, I have never been a huge reader. I have tried again and again to get into reading. In fact, I have a small collection of books with only a tiny handful of those I have even cracked open. Would you be interested in seeing what's on a non-reader's bookshelf? That could certainly be an interesting video!

So, if I don't like reading why do I have a photo of two books in my favorite things album? A very fair question. While these books aren't your typical chapter books, they are to me, very meaningful! I have always loved Morgan Harper Nichols' work on Instagram and when I found out she was coming out with a new book - I was all in. It's a unique book which is probably why I love it so much. Similarly, I was so moved by Amanda Gorman's inaugural poem that I wanted it in my house forever. Watching the first female VP get sworn into office was amazing!

For my page documenting these two books, I wanted to include the colors featured on these beautiful covers! Luckily when flipping through my kit, I managed to find this 6x8 paper from Pink Paislee's Lucky Us. It included the yellow and blue pop I was looking for.

When I brought in my embellishments, I made sure to help balance the blue, yellow, and pinks. I used Dear Lizzy chipboard stickers, Heidi Swapp cardstock stickers, and Paper House Productions puffy stickers for my main embellishments. I supplemented these larger items with smaller details through stamping! I am really falling in love with pulling our stamps again which makes me ecstatic.

Small layout sizes like these require some unique journaling opportunities. I wasn't 100% sure what I wanted to say about this photo and these books, but I know it would be quite a bit. I decided that hidden journaling would be my friend throughout this album and this was no exception. I tucked a tag behind my photo layer that easily slides out of the top of the page protector for easy reading! It's the perfect way to include journaling whether it is personal, lengthy, or just won't fit on your page front.

I hope you enjoyed this simple, but colorful spread for my new favorite things album! I am sure you will be seeing a lot more pages for this one coming soon. Be sure to check out my Patreon if you are interested in getting more videos from me as well! Thanks for stopping by!

Supply List:*Purchasing through some of these links is part of an affiliate program and I will receive a small portion of the sale at no additional cost to you.

• Pink Pasilee Lucky Us 6x8 Paper Pad

• Versafine Onyx Black Ink

• Enamel Hearts - Pastel

Starting a NEW Project Album! | Capturing the Things I Love

Like the hit song from The Sound of Music, "these are a few of my favorite things"! I thought it was high time I took on a new challenge in my memory keeping corner. Do I need another project? No. But will this one be fun? Definitely!

The idea behind my new project is discussed in my video, but to put it shortly. I want to do a better job at capturing more of what makes up my life. Most of these little things I love are smaller pieces of a much bigger picture, but still worthy of their own album. Watch as I explain some examples of what might go in my new album in my video below!

My main aim for this project is to help me become better at storytelling. Focusing on things I love will aid me in being able to talk about them in-depth. Whether it is Space Mountain, my favorite blanket, or my comfort movie - there's a lot of reason behind these simple things in life. And sometimes the simple things in life are really telling of a person.

While the items I capture in my main scrapbooks are important like birthday celebrations, vacations, milestones, there's a lot of little bits that make life full! I hope you find this new project fun or even inspiring to try it out on your own! Here are some more of my ideas that I may include in this album:

• My ice cream go-tos

• My closet

• My self-care routine

• The small details

• Fave shoes

• My favorite views in my town

• What I love about theme parks

• Books that inspire me

• My music throwbacks

Whether you have an album documenting a similar theme of things you love or little moments of life, or you are wanting to now start one, I hope you enjoyed my start for my project! Capturing your story on paper is important! Even the little stuff.

Thanks for stopping by!

Closet Clean Out During a Quarter Life Crisis

Ah yes, July. What a lovely month to officially start my quarter-life crisis. Now that I am officially 25, it only seemed fitting to continue my reinvention of self. Read all about the reinvention of my blog and online outlets here! There's nothing better than the motivation as if you need to get your life together from turning 25.

But today, we are hopping into something I have been putting off for far too long. The...CLOSET! My closet is not well organized nor is it any semblance of being "put together", but I invited you along anyway. Come on the journey with me as I go through some clothing sections to rid myself of the excess clutter of the cloth variety!

Normal closet cleanouts can be stressful, but now that I am at a peak point in my life there is more pressure than ever to feel like I should know who I am. As you can tell from my video clips, I have a large variety of styles and colors in my closet. Sliding through the hangers I am able to quickly identify some of my favorite pieces and their similarities. Some of my current go-to clothing pieces currently include sage green, square necklines, or breezy fabrics. Even being able to tell what I love is a huge step in the right direction for me.

If you dare venture on a closet clean out yourself, here are s few tips:

1. Get a fan - Why are closets so warm?? Lugging around hangers, drawers, or bags of clothes is a workout in itself. You'll want a slight breeze if you are stuck in a walk-in closet for sure.
   

2. Take your time - I only featured a few sections of my closet in this video. Off-camera and a few days later I started sorting through the rest of my clothes like my drawers, my jacket closet, etc. It doesn't have to be done in one day! But if you let it linger, you may not be happy with your progress. Set a deadline if you need to so you can succeed!
   

3. It is okay to hang on or let go - By going in with little to no expectations for myself, I was able to be true in my answers to simple questions like: When did I wear this last? When will I wear it again? Do I like the way this makes me feel when I wear it? Letting go of some items will be hard, but some clothing pieces you will find are much easier to part with. Do I need 6 pairs of Aeropostale leggings anymore? No, I do not. But do I want to keep the sweater I bought with my friend on that trip to the mall? Yes, because it has fond memories and I can keep a few sweaters in my Florida closet. Being realistic will help set the stage for yourself.

4. Have an action plan - Before going into an overwhelming project like this one, you will need a course of action in place or in your head before starting. Knowing exactly what you are doing with the clothes after cleaning them out of your closet is important. Making the decisions for your closet may be the easy part for you, but following up on the action after may be your downfall. Take your bags or boxes of clothes and make an action plan. Are they now hand-me-down clothes for your siblings, cousins, nieces, or nephews? Are they heading straight to the thrift store? Whatever your plan is have it ready to go so you are not holding onto the weight of what you are parting with for too long.

There is a LOT of work that goes into not only cleaning out your closet but more importantly working in a quarter life crisis. While the variation in sizing for clothing will never cease to frustrate me, it means that my closet has a large range and that's okay. Whether it be ranging in style, size, color, or purpose it is uniquely mine.

I bet you enjoyed this fun look inside my closet. It is definitely a little bit lighter now that a garbage bag of clothing is off to my niece to look through. That's one sigh of relief amidst my 25th year. They are hard to come by! Thanks for joining me on my rambling journey to clean out my closet while stuck between the moments of time that encapsulate 25.