Reasons to Scrapbook: Tell the Story

July 24, 2007 by Genie Balfour

The Socks and the Dress There are many different reasons to scrapbook. Tell the story behind the photograph and you can enjoy it over and over again through the years. It’s called journaling; a bit like writing a diary. And it’s what makes a scrapbook different from a photo album.

Get the story down before it gets fuzzy and clouded by time. But what should I write? Two ideas to get you going are:

Imagine talking to a friend and telling them about the photo
Keep a notebook to hand so you can write things down as they come to mind. You can work out how to put the bits together when it’s time to do your scrapbook page.

Lists are one of the simplest ways to journal:

What do you love about the person or subject in the photo?
List the reasons for what happened
Tell the things you did, or love to do with the person in the photo, or where the photo was taken
Give answers to questions you’d ask the person, or the questions you would have asked if you could
Who, what, where, when and why?

Just as we’ve done here, bullets are great with lists. Try brads, jewels or eyelets as the bullet points.

Report conversations you had, write up an actual or imaginary interview, or use a silly story or funny incident from the day or in the photo.

Writing to the person in the photograph is another good idea. It can be beautiful copperplate handwriting on handmade paper, notes scribbled on scrap pads, a page torn out of an old school exercise book, or ‘emails’.

You can also use quotes, poems, songs or a proverb to delight or advise.

If your writing is very personal and you don’t want just anyone seeing it, you can hide it somewhere on your layout; perhaps behind the photo, in a mini book or a small envelope.

Have you ever thought of writing a secret note to future generations?

Whatever you may think of it, your handwriting is still the best way to journal. That combined with your words will make the pictures come to life for future generations.

Do you find it difficult deciding which journaling method to use?

Write a different style on, say ten pieces of paper and fold each up small. Store in a jar and when it’s time to choose, pick one out of the bottle and use it.

We’ll continue talking about our ‘reasons to scrapbook’ in the next post. Meantime, please vote in our poll or tell us your reasons to scrapbook below.

Related posts:

Here are more titles in our series about why do we scrapbook …

Reasons to Scrapbook: Be Creative

Reasons to Scrapbook: Improve Your Memory

Reasons to Scrapbook: Reminisce

Reasons to Scrapbook: Family History

Reasons to Scrapbook: Passion for Photography

Reasons to Scrapbook: Expressing Feelings

Reasons to Scrapbook: The Things You Love

Reasons to Scrapbook: Being Thankful

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