365 Nature Journaling - Page 3

**Janet** · 09-22-2009, 09:24 AM

Nature Journaling gives you a way to look at the world around you - and gives you a way to deliberately connect with nature. For some of us, we've done it all our lives it seems. If you've not tried something like this, jump in.

If you find yourself taking photos of plants, grasses, your garden, and such - you're probably doing this without really realizing it. Nature journaling encompasses the curiosity that arises - "What IS that plant/bird/flower/etc?"

I'm armed with my camera and stacks of reference books (bird books, flower books, weed books, geology/rock books, and if I can't find info there, I search online for it). I want to know what bird that is, or the name of a flower I don't already know. Or I look up the ones I do know to see what else I can learn about it. I love seeing the changes that occur. If I find myself stressed over anything, I grab the macro lens and head outside. Within moments, I'm lost in a whole world that lives in that small space - often I don't need to go farther than 100 feet from the house. The stress disappears somehow.

I do live in a beautiful place, but nature really exists everywhere - so no matter where I am, I observe. All of it qualifies. I do try to write down a few notes each day, or take a photo of things to remind me - just now I ran upstairs to take a photo of the Sangre de Christo mountains we look out on - they disappear in summer with no snow, and this morning they stand out clothed in the snow we received yesterday. Anything that catches your eye counts. Grass growing in the cracks in a sidewalk, the roots of a tree along the ground, things in your garden, squirrels, birds at a feeder, a walk in a park, how the sky looks today. All of it counts.

Traditional Nature Journals are done with sketches and drawings done by hand. Some are created from photos used as a reference. I'm working to add that, honoring my desire to draw, but it can also be done with photos and blend well with a type of digital scrapbooking. One of the hallmarks of Nature Journals is to add in the date and location of the observation - and all the 365 products in the store really lend themselves to that. So, on my nature journal pages, you'll find I add that in somewhere.

Some folks focus their journals on just a subject - weather, birds that visit their house/bird feeder, or the flowers and plants in a certain area. Others of us just journal whatever we notice.

Personally, I'm adding the nature journaling pages to my 3-ring binder - right along with all the other pages. Observing nature is a part of who I am and makes up a good chunk of our life. I've not thought of it as "real scrapbooking" before, which now seems silly, but it's something I think a lot of us do.

Share what you observe and see - I'd love to see what's happening in your part of this great world - what your observations are.

Leea · 09-25-2009, 12:27 AM

Beautiful layouts Janet

thanks for sharing them so we can see the beauty of the world where you are

I take lots of nature photos...flowers, trees, grass, butterflies, flowers, sky, clouds, flowers

It seems like it's just best to take the camera with me when I go outside, because so often I run back in the house to get the camera, because there's something I just have to get several photos of

The pond in our pasture has been a new picture taking location for me...I've taken dozens of photos of baby catfish going after the food we toss them (catfish food and dog food, I've done a layout in SNL of one of our dogs going after the dog food in the pond too... lol...Niki probably thinks we're just making it fun for her to chase after the dog food floating here and there)
Here's the first of my planned Nature Journaling layouts...I've done several nature layouts, but tend not to journal very much, will work on that

September Evening lah

Do we post more layouts here? I'd like to follow along with the Nature Journaling but not sure if layout links are posted here, or do we just post in our own gallery

Thanks for the inspiration

Greenfingers · 09-25-2009, 03:53 PM

Here is one from me from our trip out today
http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com...4911&nocache=1

**Janet** · 09-29-2009, 09:02 AM

Hi all - been away for a few days (really fun business trip - hard to call it 'work'). Had a hard time getting to the internet, so gave up.

Leea - YES, post your nature journaling pages here.

I want to see what all you're doing and what you focus on in your neck of the woods. Don't worry about doing in depth journaling - just do what works for you.

CindyT · 09-30-2009, 12:14 AM

Summers are to busy to scrap. Thought I would give this a try and it might be a nice way to get started again! Here are 2 tries from me!

http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com...0&ppuser=51315

http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com...1&ppuser=51315

**Janet** · 09-30-2009, 07:50 AM

Theses are wonderful, Cindy! Summers ARE busy - I have a ton of page ideas lurking in my stash of photos and notes that I hope to get to when things slow a bit more.

Cheryl B. · 10-12-2009, 12:49 PM

I thought this might fit nature journaling. I'm just learning how to nature journal, but I love the idea of documenting the beauty of nature around us.

Colorado Autumn

**Janet** · 10-13-2009, 01:45 PM

Absolutely it fits, Cheryl! I need to carve out some time to work on a few more pages - wow - October has hit with LOTS to do - all good and all fun - but LOTS.

**Janet** · 10-15-2009, 01:13 PM

Finally carved out a little over an hour to crank out another Nature Journaling Page from my quick August trip to Yellowstone. This one's about a hillside I've noticed for a few years now, and on this trip I finally decided to stop and take a closer look.

**Janet** · 10-17-2009, 11:48 AM

Another one done from last summer - I tried this one as a double page 8.5x11 - will split it for printing and I'll see how I like it. Found the photo while processing images for stock and fine art prints.

**Janet** · 10-28-2009, 08:42 AM

Another one done

Cheryl B. · 11-02-2009, 04:18 PM

I thought I would post a new layout I made in this thread since it is Janet who inspires me to try digital nature journaling. Her layouts are just breathtaking. I'm still learning, but I love documenting my part of the world.

Winter Wonderland

**Janet** · 11-02-2009, 04:34 PM

So glad you posted this here, too! I get inspired seeing how others scrap the nature surrounding them.

Did you grow up in Colorado too? I grew up in Ft. Collins and ALL of our Halloween costumes had to accommodate down coats and hiking boots - not very many girls braved the cold as a princess in those days! LOL More White Halloweens than White Christmases on the front range over the years.

Cheryl B. · 11-02-2009, 04:45 PM

I did grow up in Colorado. In fact, my family has been in this area (outside Colorado Springs) since they immigrated from Ireland in 1865. We just all stayed here.

And yes, my halloween costumes were always around coats, too! I still think we're due for a really hard winter.

CindyT · 11-06-2009, 11:07 AM

Another one.

Peninsula overlook pag...