One of the most important parts of making a scrapbook is the journaling. It is however an important aspect that quite often gets neglected. There are so many scrapbookers out there that create these great pages but forget to add the journaling which often times tells the story behind the picture, or they think they’ll get to it later. Pretty soon you have a stack of scrapbook pages with great layouts and no journaling; no dates, names, or stories to bring the pictures alive. What some scrapbookers don’t realize is that journaling doesn’t have to be hard or time consuming. Here are some fast journaling ideas for your scrapbook layout to help you get those pages complete in no time.
Handwriting
One of the quickest and easiest ways to get your journaling done is by using your own handwriting. You may not think you have the handwriting for a scrapbook page but the truth of it is that your own handwriting can add a sincere personal touch to your page that nothing else can do. Future generations will cherish your handwriting when they see it on a scrapbook page. The most creative computer font holds nothing to some personal handwriting, with or without spelling and grammar errors.
Lists
You might not think that creating lists on your scrapbook page doesn’t count as journaling but it does. Lists are easy to come up with and take virtually no time to make. You can make a list of reasons why you love the picture so much, what you remember about the event (smells, places, sights, etc.), or just names of people. Think about the who, what, where, when, and why and then make a short and simple list to describe your pictures.
Agendas
It might sound crazy but you can use your agendas as part of your journaling for a scrapbook page. This works especially well when you are scrapbooking vacations or special occasions like weddings. You can journal the even by writing the times, days, and events that took place. You don’t have to get into much detail with using agendas as your journaling, just enough information to help you remember what happened on the trip and to help others who look at the page know what was going on during the picture.
Titles, Quotes, and Poetry
Oftentimes when you have created a great scrapbook page there isn’t need for much journaling because the picture says most of it. Adding a simple title to your page can give the picture more meaning to whoever is looking at it and especially if it is a child’s book it will give them an idea of what the picture was taken for. Quotes are also easy to write down on paper as well as a favorite short poem.
Letters
Writing letters can add a very personal touch to your scrapbook page without taking too much time and planning. When I talk about writing a letter I really mean a letter. You can write it to whoever is in the picture or whoever you might think will read or look at the scrapbook. If it is a child’s book you can write your hopes and dreams for them; if it’s a mother then you might express gratitude for all she’s done.
Journaling doesn’t have to be a challenge; in fact it should be something every scrapbooker uses to tie their pages together and add their own personal touch with. With a little creativity you can make your journaling fast, easy, and memorable.