Scrap SMART- Step 10: Words matter! Let’s tell stories together!
You may wonder why you should take the time to journal in your scrapbook? Is it really important? The answer is a resounding YES! It is worth every bit of your time and it’s what makes your album unique!!!
Words build connection and help you tell your story in a way that pictures alone simply cannot! Make the decision to tell your story. When you understand the power behind words, and telling your story, it becomes a core value of yours and you will make the time to do it. You get to tell your story from your own perspective and YOUR STORY matters!
If someone would ask you to tell the story of when you first met your husband, then asked him the same thing- would those stories match? Probably not every detail- because YOUR perspective is different than his. That is what makes life interesting! What you hope for, believe in and want to model to your family is personal and comes from your very core- it’s priceless! It’s kind of an honor to be the family historian. Make the commitment to write in your scrapbook, share what you love and believe in and write it down, so its permanent.
Build connection! That is your goal when you write!
It doesn’t matter whether you chose to use first person, (“I am so excited to spend time with you!”) or third person, (“You are an amazing friend!”) Either one works and you can switch back and forth- there are no hard rules here other than to make it personal and real. Sharing how you feel about someone is like writing a little love note that will be attached to that page forever. It breaths life to your pages.
Wondering about scrapbook writing ideas?
What should you write in your scrapbook?
I would encourage you to gather other people’s voices in your book besides your own. Hand someone a journal card and ask them to write a quick memory, or three things they loved about that trip you just took together. Keep it simple and people are more likely to contribute. If they really resist, you may need to ask questions to pull out the story and write it yourself. But always TRY to get them to do it. It adds so much personality to your albums!
I love including pieces of memorabilia my kids have written. When my kids did something wrong, I used to tell them to go in their room to think about it and then we would talk it through. Sometimes they needed time to calm themselves down before they could discuss anything reasonably. At our house, we really “feel our feelings”. My husband and I came home from a date to find this note below…priceless! This is definitely album worthy. It reveals character and personality.
Give yourself permission to NOT be perfect!
Take a good look at that note. Do I care there are misspelled words? Does it bother me that each letter is not formed perfectly? Of course not, it is a treasure! That is how other people will feel about YOUR writing too! Give yourself permission to NOT be perfect in your writing. Let go of the barrier that makes you feel it has to be perfect. We are not in school here and no one is grading you on your work! Ruled paper can help you keep your writing straight across the page. Creative Memories has darling variety mat packs with lines or dots for journaling. Sometimes it is messy and we make mistakes when we write, but there is always a way to fix that. You can turn your paper over and start again, you can layer a sticker or photo in that spot, you can make it work! Just keep going, don’t let some mistakes dishearten you and keep you from telling your story. You can take a notebook and scribble down some thoughts, then transfer your thoughts to your journal card or page. You can write in pencil first, then go over it with a pigma ink pen so you know you end up where you want to. The most important part is “getting into the flow” of thoughts and ideas that liven your memory.
Remember…There is gold in every piece of your story!
You will get plenty of scrapbook writing ideas as you move forward. Trust me on this! Allow yourself to talk about how you overcame obstacles- that is good stuff for your kids to read! I grew up with one brother and four sisters, so we did a lot of girl stuff. My husband and I had two girls and four boys, so we were heavy into boy stuff, which was new to me. A cute page title could be “Life with Boys” or for my twins “Double Trouble”. Can you see how just a few words can convey a feeling? Record the every day- those are things that are easy to overlook, but bring back so many memories. The more senses you include, the more vivid the memory. My mom has told me many times she remembers sitting on the barstool in the kitchen with her grandmother watching her cook bacon. She saw it, she remembers the smell, and captured that moment in her heart! When I see this page and read what I wrote, I remember how much I loved those long hot, lazy afternoons in the summer.
Where do you find inspiration to tell your story?
Start with your own feelings and write like you would talk to a best friend. If you are not sure where to start, you can do a google search for story starters or journaling prompts, you can find Pinterest boards full of them. A favorite is “3 Things I Love about You!” or if you took a trip, “The Best” and “The Worst”. Just a few phrases will bring those memories flooding back! Be affirming when you journal to others…use your words to build! How about “What Makes me Happy!” That is a great journaling prompt or title. What about “mom’isms? What are some of the things your mom would always say? Those are fun to record.
Get an inexpensive journal or notebook!
When my kids were little, I bought a pack of cloth covered journals at Costco. I think they were 4 for $10. They had different patterns on them so I could identify them and I wrote a child’s name in the front. I started out writing really nicely in there, but it ended up a mess! That doesn’t matter. It was simply a way to store thoughts and memories until I made their scrapbooks. I would date something and write what they said or did. Later, when I got to that part of their lives in their scrapbook albums, I could go back and match the pictures and stories. It added a lot of richness into their books and they love to hear about what they said when they were younger. It helps them to know you really “saw” them individually. When our twin boys were born, their older brother was overjoyed with the delicious meals kind friends brought in to help us during the first few weeks. I was exhausted and just trying to hang on. I remember he said, “Mom, we should have twins every year! This is great!” I could hardly stand during those last weeks of pregnancy so we had a lot of soup and grilled cheese to get through dinner. The meals people brought in were much different than that! He was in heaven. Those are the kinds of things that are sweet in the moment, but easy to forget if they are not written down.
If you have not done this when your kids were little, or right after that trip you took…start with where you are now.
When my father’s best friend was dying from cancer, he asked me to help him create an album for him. He decided he would focus on their senior year of high school. They played competitive sports and went head to head in everything. I remember him saying, “How do I tell him I love him?” I taught him about bullet journaling- just simple phrases that bring back a memory and he filled a 12x12 ruled page with different moments he knew they both could recall. I remember one of them was simply…”98 milkshakes”. I asked him what that was about and he said one summer they had a milkshake contest to see who could drink the most milkshakes. They both knew the memories behind the phrases. When we finished it, he took it to his hospital bed to share it with him. My mom told me they would look at a page and laugh, then get a little teary eyed, then turn the page and repeat that process of laughing and talking about each memory. This album helped my dad say “I love you” and I remember all of what we did together. It told his friend he was valued, important and deeply loved. What I gained, was a new vision of my father and some insight into his life as a high school senior. Those late night hours together after my kids were in bed and he came over to work on the album with me = Priceless!
Super sweet. No better gift.
There are so many ways to express your story! The most important is that you do it! Just start writing and commit to it, and it will become the BEST embellishment on your page. I promise!