November Garden Journal Pages for Discbound Planners Including Happy Planner, Tul and Arc
Happy November, Crafty Friends!
Did you plant a fall garden this year? Or, if you planted a spring and summer garden, did you enjoy a bountiful harvest? If so, I hope you harvested a satisfying variety of pumpkins, gourds, herbs, flowers, and other crops.
Have you been keeping a garden journal to track your gardening successes and failures? If you haven’t already started, now is the ideal time to create a garden journal while all the details are still fresh in your mind. By planting time next year, you might have forgotten some of the details about what you did and how you did it.
Sadly, I didn’t plant a garden this year. 🙁 But when I am actively gardening, I habitually make garden journal pages to keep a record of what I did well (so I can repeat those successes) and about what went wrong (so I can tweak my approach the following year and hopefully fix whatever went wrong). I also like to keep a record of what I planted where, so that I can be sure to rotate crops effectively the next year. My garden journal also incorporates to-do lists that keep me on track on what needs to be done in the future.
If you maintain a garden journal, I’d love to know more about what you record in it and how it has helped you achieve your gardening goals. What do your garden journal pages look like? The floor is open for comments, so please feel free to ask questions or share insights in the comments area below.
Thanks so much for visiting! I truly appreciate your presence here.
Kitchen Gift Set to Crochet for Christmas or Any Time
Are you in need of patterns for knitting or crocheting Christmas gifts for your loved ones, friends and colleagues? If so, our website is a great place to find project ideas, free patterns and recommendations for pay-for patterns that are truly worth the money.
Pictured above is a set that includes 2 crocheted potholders and one dishcloth. This set makes use of both Tunisian crochet and traditional crochet techniques for an interesting project that is as much fun to make as it is to give. I made my project samples in red, yellow and blue — but wouldn’t this set be adorable if you were to crochet it in red, white and green for Christmas? Or, you could re-color it into just about any 3 colors to match bakeware, dinnerware, kitchen decor, etc. If you have friends or relatives who like to bake Christmas cookies every year, this set would be a charming gift to give each of them.
If you aren’t yet familiar with Tunisian crochet, don’t worry; I’ve posted a free afghan stitch tutorial that will teach you the easy, basic stitch you need to know for crocheting these projects.
The patterns for making this set are free here on our website:
If you like this idea, but the set you see pictured above isn’t quite what you had in mind, I invite you to browse through our potholder patterns and dishcloth patterns to find more ideas. I’ve posted patterns for numerous other potholders and dishcloths that you might enjoy making — some of which are more “Christmas-y” than this set is. Here are a few highlights:
Pictured at left is a red and white version of this potholder design, which resembles peppermint candy for Christmas. On the right we have the same design crocheted in variegated blue and green yarns — which are more of an everyday look.
Wonderful Knitting Patterns for Christmas and Other Occasions
Arne & Carlos Favorites includes Holiday patterns for Christmas, Halloween and Easter, plus everyday patterns too.
Arne & Carlos Favorite Designs: This is an AMAZING book filled with gift-worthy patterns for Christmas ornaments, knitted birds, toys, dolls, crochet blankets, knitted slippers, Scandinavian-style sweaters and bunches of other super cool projects. If you’re a proficient knitter, and you want to buy one craft pattern book that could give you patterns to use for making gifts for basically everyone on your gift list, this would be my suggestion for the book to buy. Most of the patterns are for knitters, with a few crochet and embroidery projects included as well.
If you need more Christmas gift ideas, I invite you to check out the following pages on our website:
FREE Video Tutorial on Making an Easy Pocket Page Scrapbooking Layout for Beginners to Paper Crafting
Update 11-2-2023: When I originally made the video for this project and shared this blog post, I was waiting for some of my photos to put in the photo pockets for the left-hand side of the spread. I didn’t have the entire two-page layout ready to show you at that time. However, I just finished the left-hand side of the page, so I’m updating this post to show you how both pages look together. The video only covers the right-hand side of the page, but as you can see, the left-hand side is easy; it’s mostly photos in the photo pockets with just a little bit of extra embellishing.
6×8 Sailing Themed Pocket Page Scrapbooking Layout Featuring Supplies by Graphic 45, Altenew, Pinkfresh Studio, Simple Stories and Tim Holtz for Ranger Industries
Free Video Tutorial for How to Create This Sailing Themed 6”x8” Pocket Page Scrapbooking Layout
My husband, Mike, and I sailed from Colonial Beach, Virginia all the way to the Mediterranean region in a 10 meter / 34’ sailboat called Viva. I’m making a series of mini scrapbook albums to document the experiences from our journey.
This is a pocket page scrapbooking layout that I created to fit in a 6”x8” page protector made by Scrapbook.com. This configuration features two 3”x4”pockets stacked on top of each other on the right-hand side of the page and one taller 3”x8” pocket on the left-hand side of the page.
On the facing page is another pocket page; the page is mostly made up of photos in pockets, and I didn’t do much embellishing to them. So on this page, I’m going to devote most of the space to journaling blocks so I have space to write about all the photos from both pages.
This layout is a super easy paper crafts project that is reasonably quick to put together. If you want to try making a scrapbooking layout similar to this one, you’ll need a photo, a 6”x8” page protector, a 6”x8” album to put your page in, some adhesive, and whichever pretty papers and embellishments you’d like to use for telling your story.
I used stamps, inks, a die cutter, and dies to use for decorating my pages, but these are not necessities. You might prefer to use stickers, washi tapes or actual memorabilia from your life; I think it’s better to use embellishments from your actual adventures, in cases where you have them, than purchasing ready-made embellishments. You can embellish your pages from meaningful things in your life; use items like concert tickets or theater tickets from an event you attended, bits of confetti from a wedding or party you went to, or bits of dried botanicals saved from a bouquet your sweetheart gave you.
Below, I’ve provided a complete list of supplies I used in case you want to duplicate any of the elements shown on this page; however, there are many other options that would probably be better suited to complement your photos when you document your own life experiences. So please use the supplies that would work best for you.
Craft Supplies You’ll Need for Duplicating This Scrapbooking Layout:
Craft Supplies for Making a 6×8-inch Pocket Page Scrapbooking Layout Featuring a Sailing Photo and Ocean-Themed Scrapbooking Supplies
Stamps Needed for Making the Sailing Themed Pocket Page Scrapbooking Layout
Ink Pads for Making This 6×8-Inch Pocket Page Scrapbooking Layout
Full Disclosure: Some (but not all!!) of the products I used to make this layout were provided to me for free by Graphic 45, Pinkfresh Studio and Scrapbook.com. I love all 3 of these companies’ products and typically pay the usual asking price for them; I am not recommending them because I got them for free, but because they are absolutely perfect for my projects and because I really, truly, wholeheartedly love them!!
Also, please be aware that the links I’ve used in this post are affiliate links. What that means: I will make a small commission, at no additional cost to you, if you click through these links and make a purchase. My heartfelt thanks to the many readers who support this blog with your purchases! I am truly grateful!
Ordinary Lined Paper: I grabbed an unused piece of lined note paper from an old planner; you can use any paper with grids or lines that would work for the journaling you have in mind for your page.
Put a Photo in the Upper Right-Hand Page Protector:
This pocket page layout features a picture of me that Mike took of me standing on the deck of our boat with the sails down. I put this picture in the upper right-hand pocket of the page. Easy peasy! But you can embellish your photo if you like; sometimes if I have a photo with lots of “dead space” in it, I’ll adhere a stamped embellishment, a sticker or a group of enamel dots onto it to dress it up a bit. In this case, I just put the plain picture into the pocket protector and called it good.
How to Make the 3″x4″ Journaling Block to Put in the Lower 3″x4″ Pocket:
In the lower right-hand pocket, I made a layered journaling block. Follow these steps to make a similar journaling block for your own layout:
Make the Lower Layer: Cut a piece of patterned paper to 3″x4″ and ink around the edges with a coordinating ink color. I used the “Sail Away” paper from Graphic 45’s 8″x8″ “Sun Kissed” Collector Edition pad, but you can use any patterned paper you like.
Make the Middle Layer: Cut a piece of solid-colored cardstock to 2.5″ x 3.5″ and ink around the edges with a coordinating color. I used a piece of cardstock from the “Warms” collection by Scrapbook.com and “Carved Pumpkin” Distress Oxide ink by Tim Holtz for Ranger Industries.
Make the Upper Layer: Stamp a journaling block image and a sentiment together onto the same piece of white cardstock using a dark color of ink. I used Altenew’s Sapphire ink for this (not pictured). The stamps I used are Altenew’s Journal Card Builder stamp set (now discontinued) and Altenew’s Magical Memories Outlines Stamp Set. Die cut the stamped cardstock into an interesting shaped journaling block. I used one of the label dies from Echo Park’s Happy Day Labels Die Set, but there are many other dies that could work for this.
You can add emphasis around the edges of the die-cut shape by drawing around the edge with a marker; however, I recommend doing this with a marker that is getting dried out and close to the end of its life, because this technique can wreak havoc on your markers. You don’t want to wreck a brand new, expensive marker by doing this.
Tape the 3 layers together, complete your journaling, and add the journaling block to your page protector.
How to Make the 3″x8″ Journaling Block:
To fill the pocket that extends down the entire left-hand side of the page, I made a separate layered journaling block using the “Turtle Time” patterned paper from Graphic 45’s Sun Kissed 8”x8” Collector’s Edition Pack, plus a die-cut frame, die cut ephemera, stamped images and stickers.
Follow these steps to make a similar journaling block:
Cut your background paper to 3″x8″.
Ink around the edges of your background paper and set it aside until the ink is thoroughly dry.
Attach a border sticker close to the upper edge of the background paper. I used a cardstock sticker from Graphic 45’s “Make a Splash” collection, but there are many outstanding border stickers or similar embellishments like washi tape that you could use for this.
Make two die cut pieces using Pinkfresh Studio’s Mini Slimline Stitched Scalloped Rectangles: You’ll make the inner piece using ordinary lined paper and the frame piece using the Graphic 45 “Make a Splash” navy blue paper, or the papers of your choice. Attach them at an angle to the background paper using paper-friendly adhesive.
Stick a sticker at the lower edge of the framed journaling block. I used a sticker that says “Sail Away” from the Simple Vintage Seas sticker book by Simple Stories.
Stamp a sentiment, cut it out and attach it near the top of your journaling block. I stamped “Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway” on white cardstock using Weathered Wood Distress Ink.
Stamp an oval label using “Carved Pumpkin” Distress Oxide. Allow it to dry.
Stamp a sentiment using “Pearlescent Sky Blue” Brilliance ink onto the stamped oval label image. Allow it to dry.
Cut out the stamped oval label image using your decorative scissors or the die that corresponds to your oval label stamp.
Attach your stamped sentiments and die-cut embellishments to your background paper, layering them over each other and over the other elements on the paper.
Complete your journaling and put the finished journaling block in its pocket.
Finishing Touches for This Pocket Page Scrapbooking Layout
I have a love/hate relationship with pocket page scrapbooking. I really love the ease and simplicity of this approach to scrapbooking, but there are a couple of things about it that drive me bonkers. First, I hate it that you can see the page beneath the one you’re looking at through the seams of the pockets. And second, I sometimes get annoyed at the rigidity of the grid-style layouts.
There’s a simple solution for both of these annoyances: Don’t feel limited to sticking your page elements inside the pockets. You can embellish outside the pockets, too. Once I figured this out, I started to enjoy pocket page scrapbooking a LOT more.
On this page, after all three of my pockets were filled, I stuck a sticker strip in between the two 3″x4″ pockets.
I didn’t stick any stickers overtop of that other gap between page elements because I still have to make a layout for the other side of this page protector, and I will need to use the opening to add stuff to the other side. The jury is out on whether I will stick more stickers overtop of this opening or leave well enough alone. We’ll see how it goes!
So go ahead and stick some extra stickers on the outsides of your pockets if you want to (or not). Just don’t block the opening to the other side if you want to have a layout on the back of your page.
Voila! Your pocket page scrapbooking layout is now complete. I hope you’ll enjoy adding it to your scrapbook and reliving your memories as you look at it.
Thanks so much for taking a look at my project. I hope you enjoyed it, and I appreciate your interest!
Find More Sailing and Travel Themed Scrapbooking Projects:
Seas the Day 6×8 Pocket Page Scrapbooking Layout Featuring Beach, Sailboats, and Seagulls
Enjoy the Journey Sailing Themed Scrapbooking Layout by Amy Solovay
Road Trip to Colonial Beach — A Travel-Themed 6×8 Scrapbooking Album Featuring Nautical and Road Trip Themed Layouts
This jeweled neck warmer doesn’t have any buttons on it, but it was inspired by a stoll through the button aisle at my local craft store. I was enthralled by a two-part jeweled closure I found there amidst all the buttons. I thought the closure looked like jewelry, with its subtly sparkly faux gems, but it could have been used in so many different ways. I had a hard time deciding what to make, but decided in the end to go with this neck warmer. I would also love to try turning this type of closure into actual jewelry, like maybe a beaded crochet necklace with little pearls…
I’m pretty happy with how the neck warmer turned out. For one thing, crochet projects don’t get much simpler than this one is; it’s made using basic stitches and is easy enough for a total beginner who’s never crocheted before. Also, I love the cheerful red color, and I’ll be excited to wear it with my fall / winter coat, which is black wool; my mostly-black wardrobe could use a jolt of color, and this is just what I needed.
What color is your winter coat? If you need a new neck warmer or scarf, you can crochet one in whichever color(s) would look best with it; I suggest using a contrasting color that harmonizes well with the color of your coat, also keeping in mind the color of your winter boots, too. If you’d like to make a neck warmer like this one, you’re invited to use the free crochet neck warmer pattern, which is posted here at this website. Even if you’ve never crocheted before, this project is easy enough to succeed with — so please do give it a try if you’d like.
Learn how to crochet (for total beginners or crafters who haven’t crocheted in a long time and have forgotten where to even start), and find a variety of easy crochet patterns.
October Garden Journal Pages for Discbound Planners Like Happy Planner, Arc or Tul
Happy October, Crafty Friends!
Are you planting a fall garden this year? Or, if you planted a spring and summer gardening, are you enjoying a bountiful harvest? Perhaps right about now you’re picking a variety of pumpkins, gourds, and other crops that required a long growing season.
To those of you who did plant gardens, I hope your plants flourished, and that you enjoyed harvesting a bounty of delicious, garden-fresh vegetables, fruits and herbs or a rainbow of delightful flowers — whatever it is you planted.
Have you been keeping a garden journal to track your gardening successes and failures? If you haven’t already started, now is the ideal time to create a garden journal while all the details are still fresh in your mind. By planting time next year, you might have forgotten some of the details about what you did and how you did it.
Sadly, I don’t have a garden this year. 🙁 But when I am actively gardening, I routinely make garden journal pages to keep a record of what I’ve done well (so I can repeat those successes) and about what went wrong (so I can try a different approach the next season). I also like to keep a record of what I planted where, so that I can be sure to rotate crops effectively the next year. My garden journal also incorporates to-do lists that keep me on track on what needs to be done in the future.
If you maintain a garden journal, I’d love to know more about what you record in it and how it has helped you achieve your gardening goals. What do your garden journal pages look like? The floor is open for comments, so please feel free to ask questions or share insights in the comments area below.
Thanks so much for visiting! I truly appreciate your presence here.
