Journaling is an important part of the scrapbooking process. Journaling allows you to recall details about a particular event long after it has ended, and it allows future generations to know the stories of your life. In addition, you can use journaling to convey thoughts about yourself, your family, or the wider world. Wouldn't it be great to know, in her own words, how great-grandmom dealt with the shortages of the Great Depression? Or what your mother was thinking on her wedding day? Your son would appreciate knowing how you felt at the moment of his birth, and how you coped with the tragedies of 9-11.
Poetry, song lyrics, quotes (either of you, other family members, or famous historical or contemporary figures), and passages from books, movies, and plays are also great journaling subjects. Anything that helps enhance the story told in the pictures is fair game for journaling.
|
|
Journaling reads:
|
Some scrapbookers journal on every single layout. With only a few exceptions, I am one of these. At the very least, I like to include the dates of the photos, so that those who look at my books in the future can know the context in which they were taken. Formal portraits generally require less journaling than event or everyday photography, though if there was a funny or interesting story about the photo shoot, you should probably include it. Memories can be shared in words as well as pictures, and I believe the best scrapbooking uses both.
Scrapbookers tend to fall into two categories when it comes to journaling: "handers" and "keyboarders." Handers prefer to write their journaling out directly onto the background or other elements of the layouts, using their own handwriting. There is much to be said for this approach, as it allows your descendants to know not only what you were thinking, but also what your handwriting was like. If your handwriting is legible, you may prefer this approach.
 |
Journaling reads: "I was born and raised in the U.S.A. I've always been proud of my nationality, but 9-11 changed me forever. I became more aware of how precious freedom is, and how very lucky I was to be an AMERICAN." |
Keyboarders, on the other hand, prefer the look of computer-generated journaling to their own handwriting. This may be because of the wide variety of fonts available for use (I'll cover that in more detail next week), or because they simply don't like their own handwriting.
 |
Journaling reads:
|
There is no single "right" way to journal in your scrapbooks. I tend to fall into the keyboarders category, though I often mix handwriting into the pages as well. For some albums - like my "ABC's of Me" album - handwriting seems more appropriate, and I stick to that method. As with most everything else in scrapbooking, just don't ever let anyone tell you that you're doing it wrong. This is YOUR collection of YOUR memories, and you should use whatever method you are most comfortable with, and whatever seems most appropriate for the particular page you are working on.
Journaling could be an entire course unto itself (and, someday, may just be, here at ScrapMentor!), but a few general guidelines for what to include are:
 |
Journaling reads: "From the first time he watched the movie, Adam was crazy about Shrek. It was the only movie he wanted to see for months! So, of course, he was thrilled with the stuffed Shrek he got from "Uncle" Steve Rojo for Christmas, 2002. He carried him around for days, introducing Shrek to his other toys, feeding him, making him take naps, and generally pampering him." |
There are all kinds of inspiration available for what to include in your journaling. Some are devoted exclusively to scrapbooking, but almost anything can prompt an idea, and any idea can prompt a layout. Here are some Internet resources you may find helpful:
In addition to these free resources, you may choose to purchase one or more of the for-pay subscription sites for quotes, or perhaps buy a CD-rom full of quotes, titles, and other journaling inspiration.
Using one of the resources above, or a source of your own choosing, select a poem, quote, saying, or passage that speaks to you - something that reflects a part of your life you want to capture on a scrapbook layout. Write it down somewhere that it won't get lost - we'll be using it in future sections.
Please respect the ScrapMentor copyright in using this courseware. You are welcome to print a single edition of courseware for your own personal use, but you are not permitted to copy, distribute, or reproduce - in whole or in part - any of the courseware for others, without the express written permission of the owners of Scrap-Poodle. You may not charge for ScrapMentor courseware, nor present it as your own.
** This content was previously published at www.Scrap-Poodle.com . It is presented here for the convenience of former members of that site, and scrapbookers and stampers at large. Please do not reproduce this information in any format (except for printing a copy for personal use) without permission of Dana Jones, original publisher of this information. **