Scrap Booking

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11 Tips, Tricks and Techniques to Try in Your Art Journal

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11 Techniques to Try in Your Art Journal

If you find you’re in a creative rut doing the same things over and over again remember there are so many different products and techniques you can try out to add something new to your art journal.

Step out of your comfort zone and try adding watercolors to your backgrounds, add images with stamping and rub-ons, try mixed media products like art crayons and pastes and add extra interest with layers of washi tape or handmade pockets. The team over at The Cherry on Top has gathered together 11 ideas you might not have tried on your designs. You can also apply these ideas on greeting cards, scrapbook layouts and traveler’s notebooks pages too. 

11 Techniques to Try in Your Art Journal

Be sure not to miss out on a delightful journey through a plethora of creative techniques – a total of 11 unique approaches that promise to spark your imagination and ignite your artistic flair. To witness these techniques come to life, head over to

Check out all 11 different techniques and find photos of each idea over on The Cherry On Top blog. 

-Heather

You can purchase many of these products at the shop at A Cherry on Top.com

4 FREE Retro Summer Journaling Cards

DIY Journaling Booklet

6 Free Summer Scrapbook Journaling Card Printables

Journaling Prompt Tags

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10 Halloween Scrapbook Layout Templates with Fun Shape-Based Designs

Halloween scrapbooking is honestly one of my favourite seasonal projects. There’s just something playful about mixing pumpkins, ghosts, stars, bats, spiderwebs, and all the spooky-but-cute shapes that come out this time of year. Even if your Halloween looks more like a quiet night in with chocolate and a movie (mine often does!), the photos we take around October always seem to have a little extra sparkle.

To help you turn those snapshots into magical, memory-filled pages, I’ve designed a brand-new set of 10 Halloween scrapbook layout templates, all based on bold shape elements. These are single-page sketches featuring fun, layered Halloween shapes — pumpkins, moons, stars, webs, ghosts, spooky circles, doodled accents, and chunky graphic outlines.

These layouts work perfectly with:
 • trick-or-treat photos
 • kids in costume
 • pets in costume (we see you, reluctant cats and overexcited pups)
 • haunted house visits
 • pumpkin carving nights
 • classroom dress-up days
 • Halloween parties
 • October everyday moments
 • goth, witchy, or “year-round Halloween” scrapbookers (a real category!)

Each sketch includes space for one or two photos, depending on the design, and lots of room for embellishing — because Halloween invites just the right amount of chaos on a page.

Here’s a closer look at the shape-focused layouts included:

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 Layout 1 – Spiderweb Circle + Ghost Accent
 A striking centre design with a Halloween glow.

Layout 2 – Pumpkin Stack + Layered Title Banner
 Cute, cosy, and perfect for family or kid-friendly photos.

Layout 3 – Witch Hat & Stars Cluster Behind Photo
 A magical page that adds instant whimsy.

Layout 4 – Crescent Moon Frame + Bat Swirls
 Ideal for moody night shots or black-and-white Halloween photos.

Layout 5 – Haunted House Silhouette + Layered Arches
 A fun backdrop for spooky events or costume parades.

Layout 6 – Ghost Arch + Falling Stars
 Works beautifully with soft pastels or classic Halloween colours.

Layout 7 – Pumpkin Patch Scene + Journaling Tag
 A great “story heavy” layout for documenting your October traditions.

Layout 8 – Starburst Frame + Spooky Swirls
 Energetic and modern, perfect for bold coloured papers.

Layout 9 – Candy Corn Cluster + Tilted Photo
 Playful, graphic, and great for kids’ photos.

Layout 10 – Full Circle Web + Drippy Banner Title
 A dramatic, high-impact layout that makes one photo pop instantly.

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 How to Use These Halloween Shape Layout Templates

  • Use black cardstock behind bright colours for instant contrast
     • Try glossy accents, glitter glue, enamel dots, or metallic pens for sparkle
     • Ink edges with orange, purple, or lime green for that Halloween pop
     • Add real thread for spiderwebs or “witchy” texture
     • Layer vellum ghosts or moons for translucent effects
     • Use leftover costume fabric scraps as embellishments (yes, really!)

Halloween pages are such a joyful mix of cute and spooky — and these shape-based sketches are designed to help you lean into both. Whether your scrapbook vibe is whimsical, gothic, modern, or kid-friendly, these layouts give you the bones (pun intended!) to create pages that feel full of personality.

If you create with these Halloween sketches, tag CraftGossip on Facebook or Instagram so I can peek at your spooky masterpieces.