Any time you add words to a scrapbook page, you are journaling. Journaling can be as simple as including names, dates, and locations, or it can mean writing an entire story on your layout.
I’m Kristine Widtfeldt, Close To My Heart’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing, and today I’d like to discuss a favorite scrapbooking technique of mine: hidden journaling. This technique enables you to tell the story with all the details, while maintaining a beautiful, uncluttered layout. Hidden journaling saves space and provides an interactive experience for your scrapbook viewer.
There are many ways to go about hiding your journaling: creating a flap with hinges, using Flip Flaps (photo protectors that adhere right to your page protector), creating pockets for pullouts, affixing envelopes, making tag booklets, and even attaching accordion booklets.
I’ve included some of my favorite examples of pocketed pullouts. Notice above how I was able to add a special written surprise without compromising the artistic integrity of the piece. To achieve this effect, simply create a pocket or sleeve into which you can slide the paper containing the journaling.
Hidden journaling allows you to seamlessly assimilate longer stories into your scrapbook, ensuring that you remember the details surrounding the picture.
Leave a comment here for a chance to be one of the FIVE lucky winners to receive the My Reflections® Lucy paper packet, featured in the baby layout above. Comments must be received by 9:00 am (MDT) on Monday, April 30, 2012. Winners will be posted here. We apologize to our international friends, but we can only ship prizes to the U.S. and Canada.
Good luck and happy scrapbooking!
—Kristine Widtfeldt, Close To My Heart
P.S. Would you like some more ideas on creating interactive elements to hide your journaling, memorabilia, or extra photos? Check out the “Peekaboo, I See You” article on p. 59 of the July/August 2011 issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine.
Congratulations to our winners! Watch for an email to claim your prize:
Karen Lingel: I use hidden journaling when the story is too awful or too personal to display to casual viewers. I also use hidden journaling when the story is wayyy to long for regular viewers (I mean, getting new countertops was a harrowing adventure for *me* but probably no one else wants to hear THAT story!) Basically, I can use my scrapbook as my diary without putting my diary on display!
Thanks for the opportunity to win.
Linda Westy: Thanks for the ideas. I just took a fabulous trip to Spain, and I have lots of photos and lots to say about it all! I’m planning my scrapbook and want to squeeze in everything I can.
Stacey Wallace: Makes me realize that I need to use the hidden journaling technique a little more! So cute!! And I love the uncluttered layout look! Thanks for sharing and also for the chance to win!
Carmen: I love the idea of hidden journaling! Those are cute layouts!
Judy Faye Garner: Loving Lucy so much, worked with it today, so sweet for a sweet little girl.
DeNel Brister: Kristine, I love you and CTMH!! Great idea, love the Lucy Paper Pack, thanks for the chance to win!!
Great ideas with the pockets for hidden journaling. So fun. Thanks for a chance to win.
I love using pockets for journaling that is hidden and or hinged. Thank you for highlighting Close to my Heart as I know this is an awesome company!
Wonderful ideas and absolutely stunning layouts! I’ll be Pinning them as inspiration for my future artwork!
Loving Lucy so much, worked with it today, so sweet for a sweet little girl.
I will have to try hidden journaling. Thanks for the chance to win a really nice prize!
I love hidden journaling–only because I don’t like my handwriting and sometimes the story is a bit too personal:) THANKS for the chance to win:) sbmmhoover at yahoo dot com
I also love hidden journaling because I don’t like my handwriting. I have used it
since 1998 and still do at times when I feel the story is too personal.
Thanks for the chance to Win!
OH wow! I didn’t even notice those hidden there!! Very beautiful layouts! I will start my scrapbooking again! I will start my scrapbooking again!! lol
Your layouts are just beautiful! Thank you for the chance to win and the inspiration, definitely eye candy! Take care.
I really like the look you get with hidden journaling and am not really sure why I haven’t tried it yet….but I plan to!!!
What an adorable page! I can’t wait to recreate it for my little girl. I love the hidden journaling technique.
soft and pretty pages!
lovely ideas to hide journaling!
Great idea. I rarely use pockets and I should try to incorporate them more often – saves space for more photos and allows for more intimate thoughts to be journaled.
I Love…love….love Lucy!
Love your layouts…this is a great idea to put more on a page!
Thanks for the ideas. I just took a fabulous trip to Spain, and I have lots of photos and lots to say about it all! I’m planning my scrapbook and want to squeeze in everything I can.
Thanks for the ideas. Beautiful page.
Awesome ideas for hidden sweet secrets!
I love the idea of hidden journaling! Those are cute layouts!
I love using hidden journaling for my family when the journaling is very personal. Love your neat ideas and the fact that you highlighted CTMH, one of my favorites. Thanks for the chance to win.
Great idea. I want to do the one hour challenge to for the baby album.
I always have a hard time journaling, so your ideas are so helpful and make the pages look so neat and inviting. Your pages are adorable. I can’t wait to begin scrapbooking again and trying out these hidden journaling ideas. Thank you so much.
When are you gonna post the winner?
Who won?