Scrapbook Journaling
Basic Journaling
By Lisa Lee
May 25, 2004, 05:32

Journaling in your layouts is an essential part of preserving your memories. Your journaling can be as basic as saying who is in the picture, when the picture was taken, and where the picture was taken. Journaling can also be a time to reflect and tell the story behind the pictures in your layouts.

Sharing precious memories from your child’s birthday party, who attended, gifts received, and why the party theme was chosen can really add so much insight into the story of the photos in the layout. Journaling can be written to share your feelings from the heart almost like messages to your loved ones. 

There are many different methods used in journaling. Journaling can be type written and printed from your computer, hand written, or created with alphabet stickers. You can journal in straight lines or in shapes. The options available are as endless as your creativity. 

Keep in mind why you are working to preserve your memories. Do you want your works of love to be pages with nice pictures and paper, or do you want them to tell a story for generations to come? If your answer is the later, then journaling is quite simply a must! Not every page will have a large story to tell, a simple name and date might be sufficient for what you want to accomplish. This really depends on what you want to do with your layouts and how you choose to design them. 

Listed below are a few journaling ideas, but please keep in mind that this is only a starting place. Take these ideas and expand upon them to suit your personal album needs. You might be surprised with the things you are able to come up with!

• Use Descriptive phrases. A good example would be:
  
  "It was a hot and humid day when we went to Lake Ridge Park. Sandy was so excited to see the ducks splashing in the pond. We had a fun time feeding popcorn to the ducks as they gathered around us. Sandy squealed with delight as the ducks took the popcorn from her little hand.--May 21, 1989"
  
  Instead of:
  
  "We went to the park in the summer of 1989 and fed the ducks."
  
  
• Write feelings and emotions rather than just the facts.
  
  A good example would be:
  
  "My heart ached as I watched Simon struggle to carefully sound out each letter of the word excellent during the Sunnydale Elementary School's Annual Spelling Bee Competition. As he finished spelling the word, a huge smile crossed his face as he reveled in the knowledge that he had spelled the word correctly! A mother's pride swelled up within me as I watched my 8 year old son accept the 1st place prize that day."
  
  Instead of:
  
  "Simon won 1st place in the spelling bee, here he is accepting his award."
  
  
• Write directly to the individual in the layout.
  
  A good example would be:
  
  " Dear Susan, As I sit here watching you sleep, I realize that my life is forever changed. I feel so blessed to be your Mother." 
  
  
• Remember to record the who, what, when, where, and why.
  
  Dates, names of people, places, and events are important pieces of your life that you will want to preserve.
  
  Ten years from now, you might not recall the name of your child's first babysitter or best friend, but the story you share in your layout will.
  
  
• Have fun with your journaling!
  
  
  Experiment with different styles and techniques. Use different colored inks and different styled fonts or lettering. Incorporate rubber stamped letters, stickers, or die cut letters into your journaling. 
  
  
• Include a poem, quote, or other meaningful inspiration.
  
  You might want to use a special song or nursery rhyme and use it as a theme and journaling springboard for a layout.
  
  Describe why the song or nursery rhyme was so important during this time or the special significence it holds dear to you or the person you are journaling about.

In the end, preserving your memories is and always should be what you want for it to be...a personalized window into the life and times of your life.