Have you ever gone to scrapbook a page only to be stumped by what to say (journal) on that page?? Here are a few hints that you might want to keep in mind the next time you get an hour or two to pull out the pictures to scrapbook.
1 -
Look around you. There are little quotes and titles EVERYWHERE... billboards, magazine ads, conversations with a friend. Maybe carry a little notebook in your purse (or if you're like me... the diaper bag!) to write down ideas as they come.
2 -
Journal in different shapes... why not try putting your journalling in a circle, or a square, or maybe writing all around the outside of the page instead of always writing on the lines?
3 -
Write a story... try journalling as though you are telling the story to a friend.
4 -
Write lists... Make a list of random words to describe a favourite picture.
5 -
Traditions - Especially during the holidays, write about your Family traditions, and special memories you have about people and places. Your kids and grandkids will love you for this!
6 -
Journal Jar - there are a couple ways to do a journalling jar (to make one you can get some inspiration from the baby formula cans my club did last night) First, when something special happens and you don't have time to write it into a scrapbook, just put it on a scrap of paper with the date, and when you go to scrapbook that event you will have the memory written down from when it was fresh in your mind! Secondly, you can write a bunch of questions on scraps of paper and put them in a jar. When you are stumped about what to write, pull one out and see if you can get some inspiration from it.
7 -
Ask the questions WHO WHAT WHERE WHEN WHY and HOW??????? You can even set up the journalling in question/answer format. Every page should at least say the names of the people in the pictures and the date that the pictures were taken... remember - people 50 years from now might not be able to tell all your children apart when they were babies - hey, maybe
YOU won't even be able to tell them apart! Save yourself some stress and put dates on your pictures!!
8 -
Handwriting... I love finding old letters and reading about the lives of people in a different era. What makes it even more fun is if the letter was written in the persons own handwriting. Even if you don't particularly LOVE your own handwriting, try to use it at least once in awhile. Get a good quality journalling pen and it will be even more fun to journal. And then for other times, there are different computer fonts available (see the journalling on the pages in a previous post... click on the scrapbook pages and they will open larger) to help you with the job of journalling.
9 -
Make it FUN! Whether you scrapbook alone, or love crops.... allow yourself to have your own style. There is no right or wrong in scrapbooking, or in journalling. You can put as much or as little on the page. Some people keep separate journals, or diaries, so they maybe don't want to put everything on the scrapbook page... Some people like to put more journalling than pictures. Both ways are RIGHT! Have fun!
Feel free to leave a comment about what your favourite journalling method is. I would love to know what works for you. Or, if you have any questions, feel free to email those as well!
Happy Scrapping!
Sarah
(some of the ideas in this post were adapted from CK magazine)
