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To make outlined letters like the “Baby” title, just use a colored pen to trace template letters onto paper and cut them out. If you don’t want outlines, turn the template over and trace the letters backward on the back of colored paper.
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For a shadow look, get identical letter stickers in two contrasting colors and adhere one slightly offset on top of another.
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We like to make striped letters by cutting template letters from glued-together paper strips. This technique, along with scallop scissors and decorating chalks, gave the “Summer” title below a beach look.
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To enlarge sticker or template letters, mat them on colored paper or on squares like the “Baby” title.
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Pens come in every color and size—some even look glittery or smell good. Use them to fill in letters with stripes, dots, soccer balls or anything that matches your page theme.
Tech Support
Although we recommend writing in your own hand on some pages for posterity’s sake, a computer can make journaling neater and easier. And we don’t mean just printing out your words and gluing them to a page, either. Try these techniques:
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Print out your journaling in a pretty font. Place the printout beneath acid-free paper on a light box (put a lamp under a glass tabletop for a makeshift light box) and trace the letters with a pen.
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Print out computer journaling in light gray (choose Font under the Format menu in Microsoft Word) on acid-free paper. Go over the letters with a pen.
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Place computer journaling under vellum and trace it. Give the ink extra time to dry before handling the vellum.
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Print a reversed title in a chunky font on the back of patterned paper, then cut out the letters. A graphics program will reverse your title, or create a title with Microsoft Word’s Word Art feature and flip it using the Drawing menu.
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