what do I do with this blank page?

So you bought a mini album. Your happy mail arrives, you gingerly open the envelope so as not to disturb anything, you flip through the pages and check out the goodies in the embellishment pack and you think to yourself, "Oh gosh, it's just so cute! Now what do I do with these blank pages?"

That's when you realize that you really don't know what you're going to do with this cute collection of papers and ephemera. And you feel guilty.

Well, don't!

Let me help you let go of your creative block and get you on track to designing your first page.

THE MINI BOOK

Let's say this is the journal you purchased.

I've been using this same journal for a hodge podge collection of Instagram challenges having to do with lettering, quotes and bible journaling. None of them really have anything to do with one another, but I just wanted to use this journal for something, so I did.

THE PAGES

A crafty friend sent me a happy mail package that had this paper washi tape from Simple Stories. I added some random strips to the backside of a patterned one-sided yardstick to add some color.

When dealing with a busy patterned page, it's nice to add something that brings all the colors together and also serves as a base for your journaling. Here, I've added a yellow shipping tag for a challenge to use the word strength. I've been trying to learn more about the bible recently so I chose a verse.

This time, the blue shipping tag comes as part of the album design. I practiced some hand lettering with a Flair pen and a bible verse.

This quote was journaled on a Project Life card.

I used a Sharpie marker for the verse, hoping that it would hold up well to being bold enough on this patterned background. It works. I used a fine line gel pen to add a border and the verse.

Another blank page, but this time I just journaled. No page decorations or embellishments.

More hand lettering practice, this time on a kraft bag, with another bible verse. I adore adding bags to mini albums so you can tuck photos inside, private journaling, or souvenirs from your travels. I even made a kraft bag mini album one time.

Sorry for the language on this one. The Project Life card is attached with more paper washi tape.

Can you tell I like quotes? And books. This is the opening page of the mini book and how fitting that it contains a quote on books.

Pick up a set or two of these library book check out cards, you'll be glad you did.

And there's nothing wrong with using up some letter stickers. I love the patterned paper, but am not really all that happy with my lettering. They can't all be awesome, right?

I had been seeing so many Instagrammers pulling out their watercolor sets, so I snagged the girls' set and had fun. I love the watercolor effect, I love the lettering but I don't love that when I dabbed a bit more watercolor on my page, it bled. That's a newbie mistake...you learn something new every day.

I used a stencil from the Target Dollar Spot and tried to create an ombre effect with my choice of colors. I am really happy with how this page evolved.

THE QUESTION

After seeing these sample pages, do you feel better about your decision to order that mini book now? If you feel inspired to create some pages in any mini book, not specifically one from I Love It All, leave a link to your blog post, Facebook share or Instagram pic...I'd love to drop in and see what you've made.