I carved out a little chunk of time to scrapbook over the weekend, which means I’m ready for another installment of Make a Page Mondays. This week’s page? A wee reminder of my motivations for moving more and eating less.
(Click on the image to see larger in a new window)
SIZE/MODE: 8.5 x 11 digital scrapbook page.
THE STORY: Somewhere between a new found love of baking muffins and cookies, I have been fighting those urges to overindulge and throw caution to the wind. The sugary post-holiday carnage of Halloween will not be the start of my downfall for yet another holiday season. I made this page to remind myself that self-care is the ultimate goal, and that to continue feeling good (and looking good) I need to keep taking care of myself. Period. Non-negotiable. I wrote it in second person, so I would remember: this is a message to you! (Have you ever journaled in the second person? If not, try it. You might just like it!)
THE JOURNALING: The holidays are barreling in and you’re feeling the need to feed. A little baking here and there won’t kill you. Just don’t get carried away and don’t think you’re invincible where sugar is concerned. It’s been almost a full year that you’ve made these significant changes. Almost 12 months of moving more and eating less. Remember how good you feel now. Remember how it affects everything—your mood, your energy, your outlook. Taking care of yourself is a good thing. Sweating is a good thing. You can continue to do this. No baby with the bathwater this time.
Let’s break down this simple design.
1. Asymmetrical Balance: If you divide this page down the center, what you have on the left is different than what you have on the right. The journaling and the title lend more weight to the right side of this design, throwing the balance into the asymmetrical realm. Any time you have a shift off center, you tend towards asymmetry.
2. Framing White Space—Part of why the asymmetrical balance feels so solid in this design is the framing white space. Notice the equal margins of white cardstock on the top, bottom and sides. This creates a visual cushion for the page content, that although is not symmetrically balanced still communicates a stable overall feeling.
3. Unity—The direct edge-touching relationshiop of the photos, combined with the title nestled in at the top and the subtitle and journaling tacked on at the bottom creates a very unified block of visual content. Unity in design is all about creating the feeling that everything goes together. Here, the elements fit together like a nicely finished puzzle. Remove any of the pieces, and the overall integrity of the design suffers.
Here is a basic sketch you can download to keep in your scrapbooking files. The sketches are on 8.5 x 11 paper for easy printing. I’ve included a very simple idea to adapt this design to a 12 x 12 that includes lots of yummy framing white space.
digital template—Layered Template No. 9 (Cathy Zielske)
digital brush set—Resolutions (Cathy Zielske)
digital cardstock—Just Linens No. 1 (Michelle Martin)
digital patterned paper—Girl About Town Solids Paper Pack (Mindy Terasawa)
font—Avenir
software—Photoshop Elements 8.0
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To see more of the Make a Page Monday series, click HERE.
Questions? Comments? Leave them for me here and I’ll do my best to answer. Happy design to you on this fine Monday. What will you create this week?
Kate says
great page cathy. i had a bad weekend with food, almost considered giving up for the rest of the week, but was good, pointed it all out and despite hardly having any points for the next 4 days, I am glad I did it. Love the colour of the page.
dawn says
This is great Cathy as a layout and as the perfect reminder for us this holiday. I would even put this on the fridge door just to see it all day. I’ve already been preparing myself for this week, have been eaten extra healthy and have told my husband that I will go to the track early on Thanksgiving and even later that day. I will not buy extra pies and whip cream just because it’s good and it’s required for the day and told my husband not to make as much of the potatoes and extra rolls just to snack on over the weekend.
This layout looks great and love love all the pink. You look great in these photos. Thanks for this reminder layout, it’s perfect for the holidays. I feel like scrapping now.
dawn says
good for you Kate, was hard for me too but worked to stay in a postive frame all weekend and was worth it. Keep staying postive this week.
ale says
love the journaling and the sketch, cathy. thank you for sharing!!!
katrina says
thank you for the great reminder – i need to write a message to myself also.
madeline St onge says
Journaling in the second person was part of Shimelle’s ‘True Stories’ class, first time I ever did that but like how it came out.
Cathy you are truly an inspiration to me. I can not fall off the wagon at all because then I don’t get back on and I need to remember that
Thank you
Barb says
It’s a tough time of year for me too. Between Canadian Thanksgiving and Christmas, we have my MIL’s birthday, Halloween, my birthday and my husband’s birthday. That’s a LOT of sugary treats. *sigh* This year, I’m fighting back with a good dose of tennis and lots of different cross-training activities. There’s still way more sugar in my diet than I would like, but I’m trying to move even more to balance it out.
Nancy M says
Nice layout and a timely follow-up to last weeks’ posting on motivation… I like Dawn’s idea to post on the refrigerator.
Sue O says
Love this sketch Cathy! Thank you so much for sharing these page sketches.
Dana says
This is such a hard time of year to keep focused on being healthy. What a great idea to do a page to remind yourself of how far you’ve come and that you are in control! You’re truly an inspiration, Cathy.
Xnomads says
I LOVE Make a Page Mondays!
Beth Sutton says
Thanks for another great “Make a Page Monday”. I’ve lost almost 40 lbs this year and am currently training for a 10k; but I,too, am starting the baking, candy making, etc and my sugar addiction is rearing it’s ugly head… yup… even though it’s been almost 12 months of healthy behavior, it takes no time at all to backslide into the abyss of fat, sugar and other delectable carbs! Thanks for the reminder and the creative layout.
Kay Gregory-Clark says
Oh, it is so hard with the temptation of baking now….My husband and I have already decided to wait until after the holidays and next month’s traveling to begin a new diet. Just being conscious of that goal is a help now, though.
Did I miss sketch #6? I checked back in your archives and don’t find one either.
Happy Thanksgiving!
cathy says
Kay, I misnumbered this! It IS supposed to be sketch 6! sorry about that!
Margy Eastman says
Cool page, Cathy. I do love your pink shoes.