Minibook Monday//Sneak Peak

So my camera is still down for the count. I really need to figure out if I want a point and shoot or not because this big Kodak is killing me. While I can't show pictures of the complete layouts, I can share the digital stuff I have been working on.

For the December Daily specific pages, I settled on doing mostly handwritten journaling. It keeps my book updated and I can get the story down right then. It doesn't matter if my photos are printed or the other elements are added, I at least have to story documented.

In some cases, the typed up story is just what is needed. I did that for Day Three which was Berkeley's Birthday. I started with a 4X6 page, made a text box approximately the size of the canvas and just start typing about what we did for his special day. Once I had down what I wanted to say, I realized I did not want just a huge block of text. I readjusted the text box and then changed the font, size, and justification (Pea Jack and Jane; 15 pt; all) to accommodate all the text. At the top I used a fancier font (Snell Roundhand in 72 pt.) for the numbers at the top. I also added a drop shadow, and bevel and embossing elements. I printed the whole thing out on a olive green colored scalloped cardstock that I had left over from the paper add on for summer. The burgundy and green turned out to be a great complement for each other.

The next digital element I have been working on is going to be used as a background print/pattern for some pictures I will be adding on top. It is similar to the backgrounds I made for the NYC Minibook in which I used lyrics from the standout songs from the wedding. Unlike those pages, I did not want so much emphasis on the song itself and was planning on the words looking more like a pattern. I feel using the white font with a light blue background color fill helped me to achieve that look. Also, I did not add the drop shadow to the words on this page like I had done with the NYC ones.

In this case I used the lyrics of the classic Peanuts song "Christmas Time is Here". I set the justification/alignment to "all" and pasted the lyrics three times to fill in the spaces. The font I specifically downloaded from Font Squirrel called Universal Fruitcake and is at 9.55 pt. To fill a little bit more of the space I changed the vertical scale to 130%, the horizontal scale to 110% and the character tracking to 10. In more layman's terms, I simply increased the height and width of the characters without changing the size of the line. If you have any questions about this specifically, let me know and I will try to explain it better. I have been sort of experimenting with making text appear the way I want it to and I have no clue what a lot of the official/proper terms and explanations for what I am doing. Also all of these alteration tools can be found on the Character and Paragraph tool windows.

Lastly (for this post anyways), is just a simple recipe. I made in the same way I make almost all of my text elements in Photoshop. I simply typed the recipe right into the text box layered onto a 4x6 canvas. I chose Andale Mono at 12.8pt in black mainly because it looked like typewriting font. There was no extra scaling or abnormal alignments. I just typed it on there much like it were an old fashioned recipe card. I did add a very light background color fill. I really wanted a very vintage feel to this particular page. More on that decision later!

Even though I am slacking on getting the sharing part done, I have been keeping up with production. It helps that I am allowing myself the opportunity to be "less perfect" and more in the moment. It always help that I have moved my desk out of the bare space in the bedroom and into a more accessible and fun area in the space that is supposed to be our dining area. In fact, right as December was starting we had another apartment rearrange and I now have my own little corner that allows BK and I to chit chat while he is enjoying his time and I am enjoying mine.

I have found that having my desk out in the open with my common supplies in a basket on the desk allows me to just sit down and work for as little or as long as I want. No need to lug everything out of its storage and then rush put it away so it doesn't impede other activities. This new work area allows me to be as messy or as cluttered as I want to be as I work and it is working out delightfully! Slowly, I am really starting to love this new place for reasons other than safety and convenience. Still iffy about the kitchen, but that is another post entirely!

Payday is coming and I am thinking a battery will be acquired by the end of the week so hopefully there will be actual progress to share next week. So be sure to check back next week for the first part of the Holiday book and the first week of December Daily!