Scrapbook Journaling

What is Journaling?

In it's purest sense, journaling is the "words" found on the page. Journaling captures a moment, thoughts, feelings, emotions or simply information. Journaling is the link the viewer of the scrapbook album has with the person who created the page and the people and/or events that are displayed. Journaling preserves the memory for current and future generations and is one of the most important elements of scrapbooking.

The reason to add journaling to a scrapbook page is so that people will know what happened that day, they will understand the moment that has been captured and why it is important to the person who created the page. Journaling is the most intimate or personal aspect of scrapbooking, it enhances the moment with information that would have otherwise been forgotten.

Historically, photo albums and scrapbooks capture family history. The person designing and creating the scrapbook page is considered a Family Historian, this is the individual who preserves the family history for generations to come. The information that is captured and shared on a scrapbook page provides information to the viewer on many levels, journaling provides:

* The context of the images displayed
* Information about an event
* Faces to the names behind the stories
* A glimpse to the way people lived
* A look at the love that was shared
* Insight into the challenges people face

Journaling includes the quotes or poems that someone chooses to accompany their page. The words don't always have to be unique or your own, quotes are an effective way to enhance a layout. The important thing is to add words to accompany the photographs on the page.

Where Do I Put My Journaling?

There is no right or wrong answer to where journaling should be on a page. There is also no correct way to add journaling. The following are some effective ways to use journaling:

• Handwritten - this means that the person creating the page has added journaling that is written by them or someone else, generally the person who is shown on the page. Some examples:

Recipes, it is always interesting to see a version of the recipe written by the person who provided the recipe



Children's pages - who does not want to remember the beginning writing of young children. Save those Thank you notes by scanning them in before sending them, perhaps a letter to Santa?



Actual letters and cards that were sent or left for someone. Sending letters may soon become a thing of the past, but sharing those that exist and have special meaning add a wonderful touch to a page.

• Computer or electronic journaling - This is any type of text that is printed from a computer or typewriter and added to a page. It is distinguished from handwritten because a person or pet did not put it down on paper directly.
  
  
• Cards or Framed Prints - Look through greeting cards or framed poems and add them to the scrapbook page.
  
  
• Rub ons, stickers, Phrase booklets - there are so many places to look with sentiments and phrases that require only your adhesive, brads, or eyelets to attach them.

There is much debate about whether journaling should be handwritten. There is no hard and fast rule that says it should be. If the person creating the page does not like their handwriting, there is no reason why they should not use computer journaling or pre-printed quotes.

My personal preference is to find a way to hide my journaling on a page when it is handwritten. This is easily done by adding an envelope or creating a mini-book and placing the journaling inside. Often by raising a photo, the journaling can be added to a tag and slipped under the photo or some other element.

Be creative, share a piece of yourself, and make the page personal so that future generations can always have a piece of your heart to make that special connection with their past.

The attached 2-page layout is from when my girls were younger and we used to sing the song “Just What Makes That Little Old Ant” at bedtime. This was a song that held special meaning to me and was one of the few songs I remember from my childhood. The song always symbolized for me the strength of my parents who immigrated to the United States and represents what they always told me growing up: “You can do anything you want.” I have used many different fonts on this, including: Tempus Sans (Microsoft), and many others free from the internet: Bizzy Bee, Carolinga, Enviro, FunStuffXitalic, JoyCards, Angelica, CanyBits BT, Canadian Autumn, Fontdinerdotcom Sparkly, BulletHolz, Eyesis. Can you see a glimspe of the font addiction I also have?

For the journaling on the page I have included the words from the song and have used a variety of free computer fonts downloaded from the internet. I cut the paper into 6” x 12” sheets and printed the lyrics directly onto the paper. I have included journaling that talks about the background to why the song is special to me and have included additional journaling that is on a folded tag that is placed behind the large journaling block.

I am a member of the Scrapbooks, etc Wiki How page and added this content to the journaling page there as well.

Let me know some ways you get creative with journaling.