So it's 10:08 pm Tuesday night and I'm sitting in the basement with my trusty late night sidekick, three-year-old Mackenzie. Unfortunately, Mackenzie fell asleep in the car today which always results in a very late bedtime for her. My husband has a mathematical equation for it: every 10 minutes she sleeps = 1 hour up past bedtime. So we're looking at about 11 pm before she heads to bed tonight. I'm thinking this little quirk of hers needs to be recorded on a scrapbook page. But as that will be a light-hearted layout, it won't quite fit today's post.
Today we're digging deep with our journaling. Tackling those stories, memories, thoughts and feelings that we don't always put down on pages. I know for me, I tend to stick with light-hearted or event-based layouts. While I do have some that fall outside these bounds, like my children's birth story or a page I recently did about holding Ryan for the first time, they're definitely not the norm. It's hard for me put down really personal and private feelings on a layout for everyone to see. I just don't normally share that part of myself.
So I gave myself a challenge: Do a layout about something personal, something that's been on my mind lately. And while this topic is one I most likely would've attempted at some point, I probably would've put a comical spin on it. Instead, I created this.
8.5 x 11| Materials cardstock (Bazzill) + patterned paper (KI Memories, Making Memories, Basic Grey)+ letter stickers (American Crafts) + circle accent (American Crafts) + border punch (EK Success) + font (Calibri)
I challenged a couple of the WCS girls to also tackle a page heavy on the journaling, deep on the meaning.
Marie doesn't often journal on her pages, so this was definitely out-of-the-box for her.
There are two main reasons why I never seem to write a lot on my pages. First, although it seems incredibly silly, a lot of times it is hard for me to FIT the journaling on the page. I always do better when I write the journaling first, and then design the page, instead of visa versa. That way my journaling is not an afterthought, but the focus. Secondly, I scrap when I can. While working on this page, I helped my daughter make a kite, played trains with my three year old, made lunch, played a game with the family, and nursed the baby. It only took about four hours to finish-ha. But, I am so glad I took the time :)
Monika decided to place her journaling in an envelope, letting those who are looking at the page decide whether or not to read the journaling.
The journaling for this layout has been in my head, and in my heart, for several months. It's a story that is not particularly pleasant, but I wanted my son to know how I felt about the experience. Looking at the layout, no one would ever imagine the powerful story that is contained within that glassine envelope...three journaling cards front and back full of a Mama's angst, hopes, dreams and words of wisdom. So, the journaling was not all that hard to do, I knew I wanted to document this phase in Zach's life, but actually making the layout and reliving the events were. On the up side, I purposefully chose a happy photo and an inspiring die cut. If someone wants to read the story, they can, but they are not subjected to these private words unless they want to be.
Sometimes it can be hard to get those deep-from-the-heart words down on paper, especially for all to see. It's like taking your diary and publishing it. And really, who wants to do that? But, telling the serious stuff is just as important to your story, and your family's story, as the fun stuff.
PS, this whole not journaling the serious stuff thing could just be me and everyone else already has these pages in their albums. In fact, you might be a total rock star with them. In that case, check back tomorrow for the always fabulous give.away.day. ;)
