Finding Fall Inspiration

Ahh. . . the sounds and sights of fall. Time for warm sweaters, toasty fires, hot apple cider. . .and most of all, pictures! Fall signals the end of a busy summer, a time for gathering family and friends close and enjoying each other’s company. Starting with the first day of school and continuing right through Thanksgiving, autumn is overflowing with great scrapbooking opportunities.

But now that you’ve got all these great pictures, what are you going to do with them? There’s only so many times you can use the “Fall Fun” title without it feeling a bit like last year’s bagged leaves, and with the rise in popularity of journaling stars like Rebecca Sower, it seems like everywhere you look, scrapbookers are trying to say something more than just, ”We had a good time.”

I hope that by the time you finish this article, you’ll be brimming with great ideas and inspiration for your own fall layouts! Be sure to upload them to the ScrapJazz gallery so we can all see them!

Autumn Titles
Titles can be found almost anywhere. Card shops provide lots of great ideas for your pages. You can also look around on the Internet - there are lots of collections of titles for all sorts of fall pages! The Scrapbooker’s Best Friend series of books by Chatterbox also have lots of ideas to get you started. Here are a few of my favorite titles:

Seasons Change
Autumn Reflections
Fall is in the Air
Autumn Leaves
Fall is Here
An Autumn Day
Crisp, Fall Days
Celebrate Autumn
The Colors of Fall
A Golden October
November Sky
September Leaves
Pumpkin Perfection
When October Comes
For the Beauty of the Earth
Grateful Hearts
Forever Thankful
Count Your Blessings

Journaling Ideas
So how do you say more than just “We came, we saw, we had a good time”? Well, sometimes you don’t have to say anything more than that. At least try to have the date, names and locations on your layouts, if nothing more. If you want, you can even jot that information down on the back of the page.

But, when you’re looking for something a little bit more expressive, try asking yourself these sensory questions when you sit down to journal (these can be applied to ANY topic):

1. What did _____ feel like? (For example, if you’re carving pumpkins – what did the pumpkin seeds feel like in your hands?)


2. How did things smell? Describe the scents and what they were like.


3. What do you feel when you look at these pictures? What do you think the people in the pictures felt?


4. Describe the events that led up to the picture. What was it that made you want to take the picture in the first place?

Other ways to add journaling to your pages include using poems and quotes. Again, there are all sorts of resources online for this. Just do as search for “fall quotes” and see what you come up with. I love using poems on my pages. Try your hand at writing your own. It doesn’t have to rhyme, either!

Here are a few examples of some of my favorite fall poems and quotes. Feel free to use them on your pages, and don’t forget to upload them to the gallery so we can all enjoy your creations!

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The Leaves

The leaves had a wonderful frolic.
They danced to the wind’s loud song.
They whirled, they floated, and scampered.
They circled and flew along.

The moon saw the little leaves dancing.
Each looked like a small, brown bird.
The man in the moon smiled and listened,
And this is the song he heard.

The North Wind is calling, is calling
And we must whirl round and round,
And then, when our dancing is ended,
We’ll make a warm quilt on the ground.

--Anonymous

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“No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace as I have seen in one autumnal face.”

-- John Donne

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“Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting, and autumn a mosaic of them all.”

-- Stanley Horowitz

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“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”

-- Albert Camus

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A tangerine and russet cascade
Of kaleidoscopic leaves
Creates a tapestry of autumn magic
Upon the emerald carpet of fading summer.

-- Judith A. Lindberg

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“Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn.”

-- Elizabeth Lawrence

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October gave a party,
The leaves by hundreds came –
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.

-- George Cooper
Journaling Block Example

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We are thankful
For bounteous blessings
For loving family
And special friends.

--Becky Thompson

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As we gather close
During this Thanksgiving time
May our hearts be ever full
Of love and peace divine.

-- Becky Thompson

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Another way to add journaling to a page is to make a list. For example, in this layout, I made a list of things I am grateful for. Try using different handwriting styles or fonts to lend whimsy to your design and accent your thoughts.

Other things you could make lists about include:

- List your favorite fall scents
- List the activities your family does for each holiday
- List words to describe the things going on in the photos
- List the special things you want to incorporate into future holidays.
- List your favorite memories from autumns past.

This fall, as you sit down to scrap those memories you’ve made, I hope that you find some ideas and inspiration in this article to help you get started! Don’t forget to share! We’d love to see your creations!

Find everything you need to create beautiful fall layouts at Scrapjazz.com.

Happy Fall!