Journaling on Layouts

For me, the journalling is an integral part of the layout. The picture tells a story, the journalling tells the story that the picture can’t tell.

There’s no right or wrong, do what works for you.  

A lot of times I hide the journaling, making a pocket behind the photo to add a pull out.
I can add my thoughts and info, but it’s not out there for everyone to see.

I am probably 50/50 when it comes to journaling/not journaling. I really dislike writing and it's a struggle for me to do it. An interesting title and the date are more important to me than any journaling I might do.

I journal directly on my pages. I am not a story teller. When I tried in the past, it just felt too contrived? Definitely couldn't get it to work. It's typically basic facts or a quick sentence if I feel the photo needs an explanation.

Thanks AussieMeg! I've been sick the past week and over the crop weekend...just a cold, but congested and I could tell my brain wasn't working at full speed because I could NOT come up with titles that pleased me! However, it was good for me to use just descriptive titles and get over my compulsion.

Journaling is super important for me. But I don't enjoy doing it, so I try to keep it on the short side. Plus, If it's too long, it won't be read! I look for a different angle than "this happened". A background story or a small tidbit that helps me remember what life was like in this moment.

When I go back to layouts I did 15 years ago, I love the ones that have journaling so much more than the ones that don't.

For me, journalling is the BEST part!

I think the difference for me is that I wouldn't scrap those things as separate pages. I'd take my favorite 6-8 photos from walking the dog during COVID & write about how it felt to be outside, how it gave me an appreciation for it, etc. Same with the beach photos - I'd choose some from the various pics & write about 'great beach season this year... highlights included... etc etc.'

Not saying your way is wrong at all. That's just the way I do it. Even with Christmas, I have some layouts that are, say, various gift openings throughout the year, with stories of things like what Santa means to us, how we hand out gifts, how dad helps clean up, etc. All the things that are tradition, in one layout, with pictures that span a time frame.

That all said - sometimes I'm a longer journaller, sometimes it's just a few sentences. 

Journaling is above the photos in importance to me. When I go back to my old scrapbooks- or I see my girls looking at them- we are pouring over the journaling to remember the little details and funny saying etc- things we wouldn’t have remembered if it was just the pictures. I do PL now so my pages combine random daily things with more event type things and each picture doesn’t get a whole story but it does get a mention and then more details about certain pictures. I certainly see what more traditional scrappers are saying about not every page having that type of journaling- I had some like that, too, when I scrapped 12x12. But more often they did have journaling- I’d combine a fav pic with a story not maybe related to that specific pic of a dd- just something I wanted to remember.

Dd1 asked me to create a scrapbook with all kinds of stories from family things (basically combining stories about traditions etc from the time I wasn’t scrapbooking). So the journaling aspect is super important to her and she wants to keep them to have my perspective on how things were, why we did them. If she wants to read that I’m going to make it for her.

Our course there’s no right or wrong but for me, without journaling I wouldn’t be interested. That’s why I love scrapbooking though- it combines three of my favorite things (journaling, pictures, and creativity/design).

I do a mix and it really depends on the photos. Some photos have stories that need lots of journaling and I put that on the front. Sometimes a title and date are enough.

For all layouts I mark on the back the names, date and location the photo was taken.

I was at a weekend crop this past weekend and was just commenting to my friends that I love to journal on layouts but like to use journaling cards - which are hard to find! I usually put who/what/where unless there was something special to remember and then I add that fact too.

scrappymeg I like to make my own journaling cards; sometimes from Project Life cards, that I have altered or stamped in some way, and sometimes from paper, stickers, die cuts, etc. I have a few journaling stamps with lines if I feel like I need that too. 

I do journal on every LO, but mostly it is just a snippet from what was happening in the moment. Even if it is just another beach day, I will tie it to something else, like it being close to DD's birthday or what might be coming up, or just past. My journaling gets a bit rambly, lol. 

I also like to, for trip or specific albums, make a journaling page. It is sometimes the last page in the album. This is where I literally write all the how's and whys of the trip. I also like doing it as the first or second page, after the title page, as it's like the prologue to a story. 

Over the years I’ve been a very basic journal scrapbooker. I tend to have the basics- date, who (if I remember) and a generic/general few sentences. Looking back I wish I had more. More emotion, thoughts. Quotes, so I’m trying to go that direction which PL styles has helped some with. In the past I scrapbooked with a memory keeping, but also artistic flare to meet my creative desire. Now I’m doing more memory keeping with some artistic. I enjoy both, but as my kids are growing up they appreciate the journaling the most and have asked for more of that. So I will gladly do that for the as it’s their memories too.

Kmage- do you have any photo's? or a pinterest? I'd LOVE some ideas to make my own cards!