Scrapbooking 101: Journaling

This will be the first post in a new series titled “Scrapbooking 101”. Each post will cover a new technique and/or a specific tutorial to create a new scrapbook page layout.

Just to get your gears turning, this introductory post has a few quick and easy layouts with mind joggers to get you thinking about how to journal on your scrapbook pages.

I’ve been teaching scrapbook classes since 2000, and I’m not really a fan of putting my most tender, personal thoughts on public display. I feel they are *mostly* (but not always) private memories. I create ARTful pages and usually hide the journaling behind elements, on tags, or subtly printed on transparency film as a layover, and do not make the journaling the focal point of the layout.

I’ve dredged up a few examples of how I journal on my scrapbook pages.

The ritualistic “first day of school” photo :o) Here I used many tags from the “Back To School” clothes shopping.  Journaling is on the folder behind the photo. Sometimes I create “spaces” for journaling, hidden or not, when I create pages for my children’s scrapbooks so that they may add their thoughts later. (This one below will be for my Grand Daughter’s own scrapbook)

This layout was actually for my HGTV segment on “That’s Clever”, it was designed for many people to see, teach techniques and create with what was “trendy” at the time. You can see my segment here: HGTV That’s Clever! The journaling is hidden behind the porthole.

For me, it’s photos first, the people & catching that moment that tells its own story (a picture says a thousand words!) next is the ART, then record keeping: it’s important to include the names of your subjects, dates, places and then anything else you’d like to share. Sometimes, just their smiles inspire me to use cute quotes and share a brief thought or two.

I like to print my journaling: spell check is your friend :o) and I can be creative with shapes and fonts.

Of course, every now and then……….. there are those thought-provoking milestones and you just HAVE TO pour your heart into your layout, like the one below. One of my earliest, published in Memory Makers special issue Fast & Easy Scrapbooking May 2004.

(Rubberstamping, Melt Art with a journaled tag tucked away) This was a thoughtful layout, as I was turning 40 years old!

Whatever your style – BE YOU. Scrapbooking is FUN, it’s not supposed to be painful. If you want to expand your journaling ideas, or get creative with it, there are many resources both online and in print. Most magazine forums have lots of journaling tips and members that you can ask just about anything. (You may need to register to use the forums) You can also search “templates and tools” for printables and other ideas.

If you ever need help, have a scrapbooking question or problem, please feel free to contact me and I’ll point you in the right direction, or maybe feature your question as the subject of one of my scrapbooking posts!

Scrap on!

Becky Conley

BC Designs