There seems to be an endless supply of trends emerging in the world of scrapbooking: Bling,
chipboard embellishments, altered items, distressing, and the list goes on. But one of the newest
and hottest trends right now is doodling!

Yes, you heard right…doodling. You know, those crazy little scribbles you drew when you were bored
in history class. Now those little doodles are the hot new technique to include on your scrapbook
layouts.

Doodling is probably one of the easiest techniques to use. It’s definitely the cheapest! Simply take
one of your permanent, acid free markers and start doodling. Sounds pretty simply, right? Well, I
have to admit that I was a little nervous when I first gave this technique a try. Somehow,
scribbling all over your history notebook was much less intimidating than your precious photos! But
once you start, you’ll be surprised how quickly the doodling will come back to you, kind of like
riding a bike. LOL!

There are many ways to doodle on your photos and layouts, but here are just a few ideas:

1. In your own handwriting, write your journaling directly on the photo. This works best with a
photo that has some empty space around the main subject that has not been cropped out. Don’t limit
yourself to just writing in straight lines either…Get a little crazy and write around the outside
edges of your photo for a different look! Carefully consider the color of marker you use with the
background color of your photo to make sure it will show up and be readable.

2. Doodle a creative border around the edge of your photo and/or on the mats around your photo. If
there are distracting background elements in your photo, try drawing a border around your main
subject to make it stand out!

3. Use the shapes that are already in your patterned papers and add to them in some creative way.
For example, circles are great for adding sunrays, smiley faces, or turning them into flowers. 

4. Add freehanded swirls, stitching, word captions, or anything else you feel like doodling that
relates to the theme of your layout.

Now don’t worry about making your doodles look perfect. Doodling is supposed to look imperfect…you
are scribbling, after all! 

For those of you who just can’t bring yourself to doodle on your photos, many scrapbook companies
are coming out with “doodle like” rub on transfers, stickers, and even patterned papers that have
the same look as hand doodling. And if you print your own digital photos, try creating your
journaling in a font that looks like handwriting and place it directly on the photo before printing
it out.

With those lazy, crazy days of summer arriving, the doodle theme seems like an appropriate one to
keep in mind when scrapbooking your summer memories. Doodles would be perfect for layouts of days
by the pool, summer camp, Forth of July, and picnics. 

So be brave and give doodling a try on your next layout. But be careful, once you start doodling you
just might get addicted to it! LOL!

Please visit my store Scraps-n-More for inspirational premade layouts (when I have time to make
them!), ideas from our Monthly Cyber-Class Kits, and sign up to receive our FREE Newsletters with
lots of new ideas, techniques, and more! Other helpful articles are also available there!

Happy Scrapping!

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© Copyright 2006, Gina M. Woods, All Rights Reserved.

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