My Hidden Journals

My sister, Lee, came up with this month's idea for the Pinoyscrapbookers' Kaya! Challenge. See here for details of the challenge.

I am mostly a digital scrapbooker for the reason of convenience. Anyway, digital layouts are excluded from this challenge. I think because my sister thinks that digital layouts won't meet 2 of the requirements:

1) the hidden journaling component

I don't see any problem with the hidden journaling component. It is hidden anyway. True, the time comes when the recipient has to take out the sealed message. And you probably have blurted out loud... "How in the world are they going to do that with a digital layout?!"

I don't know how other digital scrapbookers save their layouts, but this is how I preserve mine.

I have hidden journals and messages behind my pictures.



Credits: Coralie's Fanciful Kit: journaling tag, blue ribbon, swirls, butterflies; Avril's Karine Kit: paper, flowers, mat; fonts used: Fonts: Depressionist Three & Freestyle script

See where there are those tags and pieces of paper peeking out at the side? Those are not just there as part of the decoration.



Credits: All supplies used are from ScrapFamily;fonts used - Fajita ICG & Chubby Trail

Those are where my journals are written. Journals that may not aesthetically go well with my layout have they been written out there in the open.



Credits: KSharonk's Faded freebie mini kit [recolored blue flowers into yellow; Miss ViVi's swirls from Kit A Vende; Fonts: Free style Script & Palace Script MT

Most of my layouts have hidden stories of what happened during that day. Not just who are in the picture, where it was taken, what the occasion was, who didn't show up, who messed up, who was funny, who cried, but also my inner most thoughts and feelings.

Lately, I have been making these hidden journals a little conspicuous... and not so conspicuous... see that greenish piece of mat behind the picture? There's journaling right behind there!



Angela Sharrow - A Spring Garden QP; flowers & swirls added from Avril's kit
Yellow bow is from one of Angela Sharrow's QP; Font: Edwardian Script

So now, the answer to the million dollar question... how will one be able to read those journals?

I save my digital layouts in two different versions. One in jpeg version so I can upload them easily in galleries; and the other in psd version where some of the layers are preserved as separate from the rest. I don't merge or flatten all my images. Then I burn my digital layouts onto DVDs.

So in the future, when any of my loved ones want to know what's with the picture, they insert the DVD into the computer, open the file, and with the use of the mouse, drag out the hidden journal to read it. Since by this time the files are read-only, there is no fear of messing up the arrangement of my layouts. When they are done reading, whether they return the note back in its original position or not, it will go back to how it was saved. Ready to be pulled out and read again.

I showed my daughter how this works so she will be aware of what to do.

2) recipient to be able to touch and feel the components of the scrapbook page.

Well, this one is a winner. No matter how much they'd touch the monitor, they won't feel anything but the warm smoothness of the screen. But still, my journals will keep them informed; they will feel the thoughts I will leave behind; they will be touched with the love I have for them.

If you think this digital scrapbooking idea is awesome, something you will consider to use on your future layouts, please drop me a line. I'd like to know what you think. TFL.