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I'm holding a scrapbooking workshop where everyone will be making a 6x6 album with pictures of their kids, whose ages range from 0-4. Four of the pages will be journaling, and I want to give people ideas to help them write.
Does anyone know of a website that has a list of ideas for journaling for scrapbooks? I can't seem to find anything. Or do you have your own journal starters list that you wouldn't mind sharing?
I am terrible at journaling. It is my least favorite part of scrapbooking, so I don't know that I would be a big help! I am a big fan of cute poems and quotes for journaling. You could gather a bunch of those for them to copy and use if they wanted.....Just an idea. I actully posted a few minutes ago asking for cute kid-related poems and quotes to use in scrapbooks that I am making for my first graders.
I also know that Creative Memories is HUGE on journaling. I have not been to their website, but I wonder if there would be something there?
I'm a writing teacher and I've done a fair amount of reading about journaling in scrapbooks. Here are some things that I have read/know to be true. They are good formulas for good journaling.
1. The journalists 5 questions: Who? What? When? Where? How? (Journalists are not supposed to tell you why-- that would not be objective) I just read an article that said this was good for taking pictures of an event you intend to scrapbook-- take pictures that cover these quesitons.
2. Answer the so what question. So what makes you want to include this picture in a scrapbook? Why is this picture important to you? Don't assume your audience knows this. And even if they do know it, write an answer to they so what question anyway. Reading those thoughts has a kind of family affirming/bonding feeling. My mom will often say, "Yes, exactly" when reading my journaling. That way I know that I am on track.
3. Use active verbs! Good writers use adjectives sparingly and vivid verbs liberally. Vivid verbs put the reader into the action. Verbs to avoid: is, am, are, was, were, be, being, been (also known as the forms of the verb "to be," the most common verb in the english language). I shows no action. It adds nothing to the story. It just connects things.
4. Make a list of the 10 things you want to remember about that person/ event/ experience later in life. For example, right now, my daughter is trying to potty train and she only uses toilet without panties, she has refused to wear pants recently, she is talking much more fluently, she is using the word "no" liberally, and she thinks any large public building is a castle. These things are the things I want to remember. The little things that make her uniquely who she is at 3. I can scrap these things even if the pictures are not indicative of it. For example, I have a picture of her in a dress picking dandelions out of our backyard. Kind of portraity. So easy to just slap it on a page and add the date, like so many of us do. But what a missed opportunity to talk about her obsession with dresses lately! I intend to give a long description of how I had to go out and buy $50 dollars worth of dresses the other day because she only owned one and she had steadfastly refused to wear pants! I don't need pictures of shopping at Walmart to tell this story. Just any picture of her in a dress will do.
5. Finally, don't forget to insert some of you into the journaling. You are the writer. Tell the story from your lens. Tell us all how the pictures make you feel, what makes you feel special or wonderful about this experience. The readers want to hear your feelings as well as about the circumstances of the pictures.
I hope this helps. Keep the tips down to these 5 and hopefully it won't be too confusing. Most of all, don't get frightened. It's not a big deal. Just write your heart onto the page and it will turn out fine.
Good Luck on your workshop.
__________________ Life is too short: eat chocolate and stamp up a storm. It will come out OK in the end.
I couldn't find any journaling starter web sites, only books to buy with Journaling starters. But how about these inspired from looking at the Simple Scrapbooks web site:
What it means to have a son/daughter
My new little brother/sister (write from perspective of older sibling)
I always thought_____ I never thought ______
List of adjectives describing child at a certain age
A Boy's/Girl's/Baby's Rules for His/Her Mom/Family/Dad
I know Creative Memories is somtimes a dirty word around here ;) but they have some nice tips about journaling on their website. http://www.creativememories.com/journaling.asp?GID=0
Much of it has been more eloquently covered by stampysister but there is some additional info there that may help as well.
Try the Organized Christmas website. Their "Gifts in a Jar" section has some great journal starters. Granted, they're more for a personal journal than for scrapbooking, but if you have some old photos that need good stories to go with them, the starters should help you get going!
__________________ Rachel Proud SU! demo and Sci-Fi Geek!
My Stampin' Up! blog "I'm a time traveler -- I point and laugh at archaeologists." 10th Doctor, "Silence in the Library"
I journal big time but it would be hard for me to tell anyone how I do it.
Lately I have been playing catch up in the grandkid's albums so I have started off each spread with a page or two or three explaining who was there,where we were, what we were doing and a very detailed account of our time there. I will end it with something like"Now join us as we relive our journey in pictures".
I am mainly scrapbooking to preserve my photos and memories so the more journaling the better for me.
I use alot of embellishments,stamping and sticters but my pages are still flat enough for page protectors.
Sorry, didn't mean to get so far off your question. I get carried away when I love to do something as much as this and stampin'.
__________________
"Lord,if you cain't forgive me all my sins,just don't remember them too good,no." "Thank you,Amen"
For all things scrapbooking, I love www.dmarie.com
As for journaling tips, there once was a sight called busybee.com, not sure if it's still there. They had tons of journaling tips online for you to journal your past for the kids and for current topics.
I like the idea of not only journaling the event for your child, but if it reminds you of an event from your childhood, include that as well. Having lost my father recently, one of my most treasured possessions is where he wrote out his favorite childhood memories.
I have just loved the journaling part of scrapbooking and enjoyed a GREAT magazine called "Clean & Simple Scrapbooking" by Cathy Zielske. Not only is her style beautiful, but her journaling brings me to tears because as she says, she journals "the moment, not the event" I've tried to emulate that with my newest pages for my grandson.
Some of her tips:
Make a list - list the qualities you appreciate about the person, or what makes him funny, or why she is so beautiful to you, etc.
Verbal repetition - She used "after 14 years..." in her journaling about being married to her husband. I did that in my page titled Today (TRYING to get picture uploaded) It is very effective
Quote - People, especially kids, say the craziest things. It's fun to quote the person in the picture- memorable quotes, not necessarily famous quotes. And like Stampysister, any picture will do. It doesn't even have to be of that particular event, if it goes with the quote.
Sometimes just a word or two is more effective that lots of words: "Way too cute." or "walking" or "little details".
Start with a story first, then find pictures to go with it is another way.
I have pictures, but I can't get them to upload. If you have any suggestions... I have them saved at 60% and no more than 640 pixels x 480 pixels. I keep getting an error message. Help??
Ann
Journaling ideas list, anyone?
