Why am I bringing this up in a scrapbooking magazine? Well, these days, with computers, pre-made embellishments, easily accessible stickers and rub-ons, we rarely see people writing anymore. These days, other than signatures, we have lost the art of handwriting. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not at all saying that embellishments are bad! In fact, quite the opposite – I purchase and use freely embellishments in my scrapbooking and paper crafting. Nonetheless, I do want to encourage all of our readers to use their own handwriting in their scrapbooks.
As I stated in an earlier article, “In Your Own Hand”, there is so much you can tell about a person from their handwriting. Emotions, driving forces, personality traits, are all shared in handwriting. Though the words in journaling are important, I contend that the writing of the journaling is at least as important.
Why don’t more people journal with their handwriting? Many people tell me that they don’t journal because they don’t like their handwriting. Well, the key to being good at anything is having good tools. For handwriting, the primary tools are pen and paper. Let’s look at pens today. When you’re writing, the choice of a pen directly affects the way you write, whether the ink is a gel or a pigment ink. Whether you’re using a ball point or a felt tip, or even a calligraphy nib, there is a difference in how you hold a pen and the amount of pressure you need to use to write with it. I know I have my favorite pens to use when I’m journaling and even in my daily note-taking when I’m on a call.
One way to get more comfortable with your handwriting is to write letters - to family and friends, or even to yourself, in a journal. Here are some examples of stationery that was created with scrapbooking products.
The pens used are Gelly Roll and Pigma Micron.
Choose a pen that is made for the project you’re working on. Below are three types of pens that Sakura of America produces. Each has its own qualities and special attributes. The one thing that is the same about all of these Sakura pens is that they are all archival. The uses of these pens are multiple, and not all of Sakura’s pens are listed here, but this is a good starting point..
The Pigma Micron is a fine point drawing and illustration pen that provides the archival quality of Pigma® ink. The Micron has a flexible, durable nib that will not crush when you write with it. In addition, the ink is waterproof, chemical proof and fade resistant. The ink will not smear or feather when it is dry, nor does it bleed through most papers.
Sakura turned their famous archival inks to gel. The gel flows through a rollerball with creamy smooth consistency resulting in extraordinary writing comfort. Gelly Roll pens are suitable for almost any permanent writing application, including journals, scrapbooks, letters, notes and memos, and legal documents. The archival quality ink means that your creations will last a long time.
The Gelly Roll line has consistent ink flow to the last stroke. The ink will not smear or feather when dry. It does not bleed through most papers. It is waterproof and chemical free.
Permapaque Fine-Point markers provide the perfect complement for adding color to scrapbook pages and to most any surface. These come in 20 colors, including seven metallics. Shake-free, mess-free, archival and fade resistant, Permapaque fine-point embodies all the qualities sought after in an all-purpose craftmarker. Safe and odorless, it’s ideal for kids too.
For more information about handwriting, read the following articles:
In your own hand
Hand Lettering
To find the products mentioned in this article and shown in these layouts, check with your local scrapbook retailer. Look at our Premier Retail Stores for coupons to a store near you.
