Journaling

We’ve all looked through scrapbooks before and find us reading aloud to ourselves the captions and short journal entries that accompany the photos.  Scrapbooking wouldn’t be as meaningful and as captivating without those short, but sweet written memoirs.  Here are a few ideas to help enhance your next scrapbook with journaling.

One of the hardest parts of journaling is finding something creative to write.  Next time you are having trouble, give one of your friends the photo and have them create three to five questions about the picture that they want to know about.  Tell them to be creative and avoid the who, what, and where questions.  If your friends are having the same problems exchange pictures and help them out.

Another idea is to label photos.  It may seem like a chore, but it is best to do it right.  When doing any kind of scrapbook journaling, always use a pigma ink pen or other acid free product.  Pigma ink is color fast, acid free, and fade resistant.  Black pigma ink is color fast for up to 200 years.  Don’t fret too much about the state of your handwriting.  As long as it is legible, you should consider your journaling a gift to the future.

A neglected tool when it comes to scrapbook journaling is a dictionary.  How often do you skip a word because you don’t know how to spell it or because it doesn’t sound right?  There is also scrapbook journaling software to aid in design and spell check.

To add a special touch to a scrapbook for grandparents, a babysitter or a teacher, allow children to journal in the scrapbook.  Have them write something short.  Their personal handwriting will make the book unique and priceless.  Make sure you are supervising and help them predetermine what they will write to avoid any scribbles or mistakes.

A final journaling idea to use for vacation or traveling scrapbooks is to utilize postcards.  Pick up a few scenic postcards at your destination spot.  Jot a line or two down on the backside and mail it to yourself.  This will give you a beautiful photo for your scrapbook and on the spot journaling.