July 20, 2007
Tips on Scrapbook Journaling
Journaling. It's such a pain. I do it out of guilt and obligation for my layouts. If I could get away with it, I'd leave it out altogether, but my layouts and the preservation of the memories they hold would suffer. So, (sigh) I journal.
What's journaling? It's the words that go with the pictures on a layout. It can be simple like just names and dates, or long, descriptive volumes of a particular date, subject, or (heaven help me!) a feeling. If you love to journal and go on and on about how you felt on a specific day or while looking at a specific picture, then this post is probably not for you. If you are someone who is insecure in your journaling for whatever reason, then listen up!
If you're like me, you hate to journal. I mean, the fun is in the colors, patterns, pictures, and embellishments, right? Journaling can sometimes be a downer and seem more like homework than a hobby. I'll let you in on a few tips that make it bearable and sometimes even enjoyable. Don't believe me? Keep reading!
Prep Work
A little prep work can make all the difference. Once you get your pictures printed, write on the back of them clearly and with an acid free pen the date and names of all in the photo. If you want you can include more details like "Sean and Heidi, Oct. 2004, Pumpkin Farm." This seems like a waste of effort but you never know when you'll be delayed in your scrapbooking and it could be years before you see these prints again. You be glad you'll have some info on them instead of trying to fake it.
Also, you can tuck away little phrases, poems, or sayings that would go along with your pictures. We're not always at our craft table when inspiration strikes, right? Write stuff down and slip it in your photos next to the corresponding prints or if you categorize your embellishments you can put it with them For example, if I heard a song with inspirational lyrics that said exactly how I felt about my 1 year old son, I'd look up the lyrics online, print them and put them in with my "Baby" embellishments. So easy! Now when you get around to doing the layout you will find that the hard part of figuring out what to write, is already done.
Computer Fonts
Holy cow did I feel stupid when, after 10 years of misspelling and running out of space in the middle of a word, I realized that I could print up my journaling on the computer. I mean, DUH!!! You have your spell check, your paragraph sizer, your different perfectly even fonts, and even a dictionary/thesaurus for help. If you have a color printer, you can even customize the ink color. Print it up on scrapbook paper and your journaling is ready to go. Here's a cheat: If you have journaled and couldn't come up with a whole lot but need to fill up more space. Just make the letters larger and instant filler!
Handwriting
If you really want to give your layouts a truly personal touch, your own handwriting is an easy solution. Every beginner is insecure about their handwriting on layouts. I was and sometimes I still am. There are several ways to boosting your journaling confidence.
Practice. Practice. Practice. Sorry for the cliche but I can't give you some magic remedy to make your handwriting be magazine worthy. It took me years of copying other styles of writing to get to where I can be proud of my handwriting. Practice writing in a straight line. Practice printing. Practice cursive. Practice new styles of writing.
Write out the alphabet completely in different ways. Do both capital and lower case letters. Put little dots on the edges, make block letters, make each letter out of funky shapes. The more you do this, the more it will help you gage the space each letter will take. I bet you'll find that you do a particular style better than the rest. Keep it up and maybe even have someone copy you someday.
Here's a tip if you are still not sure about your handwriting ability. Do your journaling on a separate piece of cardstock. Choose a color that complements your background. Cut out your journaling and adhere it (or mount it to another color of cardstock if you want) to your layout with glue or brads. If you mess up, your layout is still unblemished and you can just start over. This is also a great technique for those who frequently run out of space while writing (like me!)
Letter/Word Stickers
I LOVE letter and word stickers! I love that letter stickers only allow limited words of journaling. I guess I like that the stickers are easy and colorful (my printer is only black and white) and can add whimsy to a layout. A single word sticker can be a statement all its own. I love to group words with similar meanings together and line them up on my layouts. For example on a baby layout I'd put "Sweet" "Adorable" and "Precious" on separate blocks of cardstock and arrange them in a line on my background. If you really don't have much to say, or you are all journaled out (like me) then one word summaries are a lifesaver.
Content
I hate it when I finish a layout and find that I have not included anything that describes what the pictures are about. Yeah, yeah, I know that scrapbooks are all about preserving memories and for posterity blah, blah, blah! Do you find it hard to come up with good content for journaling your layout? Are you sick of trying to go on and on about the same subject? If so, maybe this list of alternatives to personal reflection can help.
Poems
Song lyrics
Cliches
Quotes
A simple title (such as "Christmas 2001")
A recipe
An interview (this is hilarious with young children!)
An acrostic poem (for example: S is for super. E is for excellent. A is for athletic. N is for Navy officer)
Good ol' standby: name, date, occasion/age
Personal reflection is great if you can do it. But I think that layouts tend to get a little pretentious or fake sounding when too much self reflection is applied. Hopefully I've given you some ideas to keep you scrappin' and now you will not shy away from journaling layouts. Try to pretend that someone who does not know anything about the subjects in the pictures is looking at your layout so describe to them what's going on. I've given you some tips (and they're really easy too!) now go and try something new!
Do you have a great idea to add to Tips and Tricks? Email me at heidi@mycroproom.com and we'll see about publishing your idea right here on My Crop Room.
Filed under Tips and Tricks by Heidi
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