Love It + List It: Books

Hi, Linda here with a brand new monthly challenge all about listing your life: Love It + List It. Each month we’ll focus on a topic, and I’ll give you some suggestions about how you might explore it by means of a list. This month our focal topic is one close to my heart: books. As a former English teacher and a lifelong reader, I love the printed / digital / audio word. What are your favorite books? Do you have a “to-read” list? What books did you read in 2023, or what’s on your list for 2024? Maybe you love certain genres, as I do. What are they? These are just some of the ways you could scrap your relationship with books in a list, but if you can think of others, go for it. Let the creativity roll! That’s what happened when two of my Creative Team sisters, Sharon and Yam, joined me in designing pages all about books.

Sharon (Shannamay) scrapped about her summer reading list now that she’s enjoying a break from the classroom during the southern hemisphere’s warmer months. I always enjoyed that uninterrupted time to catch up on my reading, too. Sharon used a great photo of her books in progress, and I absolutely adore the way she used the ribbon, staples, and tabs to call attention to her reading list. The use of the sienna color unites her page and draws the viewer’s eye right through it.

Credits: DelMar Shores Element Pack; Thin Classic Photo Frames Curled and Flat 02; Cutting Files: Merging Statements 04; Back to School Element Pack; Fall Crush Element Pack; Daisetta Element Pack; Readymade Layers: Fall Clusters 27

On her wonderful page, Yam (Yam) shares her core list of books that she returns to again and again – we all have some of those, right? In addition, she journaled about her journey as a reader, and I am mightily impressed that she reads books in THREE languages. She did a masterful job of choosing patterned papers that perfectly compliment the photos of her bookshelf, books, and teapot – so cozy! I also like that grid-forward background paper that makes me think of school.

Credits: Layer Works 2008; Notebook Paper Pack 06; Spring Skies Remnants; Weathered Garden Paper Pack 01; Monthly Memories Vol. 03: Paper Pack 08; Letter Box Pattern Clusters Brushes and Stamps 02; Inked Twists Brushes and Stamps 01; Moonlit Garden Ephemera

I keep track of what I read during the year on Goodreads. At the end of the year, I can see all the book covers and a little summary, so I thought it would be fun to analyze my reading habits over the twelve months of 2023. My biggest takeaway is that I read a LOT of mysteries – lol! I’ve loved the genre since I read the Nancy Drew mysteries many moons ago, but it was still a surprise to see just how many of my books fell into that category. Maybe a goal for this year should be to branch out a little more. I’ll keep your posted!

Credits: Vintage Artistry Tranquility Paper Pack 02; Vintage Artistry Tranquility Transfers 04; Vintage Artistry Tranquility Transfers 05; Vintage Artistry Tranquility Transfers 06; Vintage Artistry Tranquility Remnants 01; Vintage Artistry Tranquility Ephemera Plus Pack; Vintage Artistry Tranquility Spiral Pages 01; Splatters Brushes and Stamps 03; Vintage Artistry Tranquility Chipboard Words; Stamped Stitched Alphabet; Bold Stitched Numbers Etc 01; Vintage Artistry Tranquility Filmstrips and Frames; Make-a-Date Brushes and Stamps 01A; Drop Shadow Styles

I can’t wait to see how you approach this challenge all about books, and I’m sure I’ll want to put some of your favorites on my “to-read” list – there’s a spot on the Goodreads website for that, too. Post your page in the Love It + List It Gallery as well as in the January Challenges Participation sign-in thread in the forum. Keep reading and happy scrapping!