Today we’ll continue our jumpstart with journaling. Journaling can really slow up the scrapbooking process because it’s often just hard to figure out what to say. So we’re going to do it first and get it out of the way. Go back to your list from yesterday and look at the three or four layout ideas you're most excited about. Then start writing. The goal is to get journaling for each of these layouts completed right now, before you do anything else, even pick out pictures to use. Just focus on the story you want to tell, the memory you want to record.
If you’re aren’t sure what to write, try one of these ideas:
Make a list. For journaling on this layout I simply listed every fun thing the kids and I did over the summer (we had made a big list at the beginning of summer break and crossed things off as we did them, so it was easy to transfer the list to a page). If it’s been a while since you’ve scrapbooked, this is a really easy way to sum up an entire season on a single layout. (I know my layout doesn’t include pictures, but your’s certainly can – check back tomorrow for another example using lots of pics.)
Jot down the details. This is one step up from a list – you’re going for phrases that capture a detail of your story. Don’t worry about full sentences, or transitions, or getting anything to sound “right.” Just get the details down.
Use a quote. Instead of describing the situation, just use a quote/text/blog entry/facebook update/etc., as the journaling for your page. The cute and funny things kids say make perfect stand-alone journaling for pages. Texts and emails do as well—when I was gone on a short getaway weekend with my husband, I received a hilarious text from my mom, which I’ve recorded on this layout. No other journaling was needed.
Repeat a phrase. Write the journaling for a more meditative page by starting a number of sentences the same way, with “I remember” or “You always” or “Because…”
Try not to stress about getting the journaling perfect, and don’t feel like it has to be long. Just get enough down to help you remember the stories that are important to you. When you start actually putting your pages together, having the journaling pre-written will make things much simpler.
