breetheflea
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Jul 20, 2014 21:57:23 GMT
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Post by breetheflea on Jul 20, 2024 16:47:41 GMT
I 99% scrap good/happy and if an event is a mix, leave most of the negative parts out. My albums are my happy place.
If you do scrap the negative stuff, do you ever look at those pages or skip over them? Are they in a separate place or mixed in with everything else?
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Post by woodysbetty on Jul 20, 2024 17:28:48 GMT
I do some difficult things, but not really personal difficult things…I journal about those more than scrap them.
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FurryP
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Post by FurryP on Jul 20, 2024 18:00:36 GMT
No I do not. I personally do not scrap to "document" my life or the people in it. I am not leaving it behind for anyone. My sole purpose is to remember the stuff that were either happy memories or made me happy. I want to be able to look back at it. For me personally if I do not remember the negative stuff that is ok with me.
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Post by Linda on Jul 20, 2024 18:10:08 GMT
it depends - I've scrapped some difficult stuff including covid which I documented monthly for over a year) and some pages about my last visit with my mum right before her death and skipped other stuff - some of which I may go back to and some I won't. I don't have a hard and fast rule
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Post by melanell on Jul 20, 2024 21:35:35 GMT
I do, sometimes. I find it can be helpful sometimes to put it down on paper, but in many cases I only got as far as writing down my thoughts, but not actually ever putting that journaling on a page.
Sometimes I find I "like" to scrap about rough times after a good chunk of time has gone by. It's easier for me to get through, but it preserves the memories of details I might want to be able to double check for some reason later.
I have a folder full of tough journaling and even now I will very occasionally read some of it. I do like to remember the people who helped me/us at the time. And in some cases it's nice to see how far I've/we've come, that sort of thing.
I do have some hidden journaling on a page that I know not to read unless I'm willing to cry, because no matter how many times I've seen it, I cry. I included a few lines from a journal I was keeping at the time, and those lines are enough to transport me back in time, and I know how sad I was about something at the time. Even by the time I made the scrapbook, which was only a few months later, it had already been resolved, but man, I still remember the time before, and it make me cry to read it.
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Post by FuzzyMutt on Jul 20, 2024 21:41:18 GMT
I rarely scrap the unhappy stuff. But sometimes.
Honestly, the unhappy stuff is my biggest mental block when it comes to scrapbooking. I may toss a hidden card in somewhere- but the (private) unhappy stuff isn't what I want to remember, so I may gloss over it, or in some way minimize it.
Losing my grandma or my cherished dog, scrapbooking helped with that unhappy stuff.
Dwelling on my son's last few years of high school, man, no one wants to read that crap. But, there are a few things here and there that I did include. Hopefully they will help him find the humor and perspective when his own kids may challenge his sanity. I literally have a photo of him with the porcelain god when he was an idiot. There is also a very specific hoodie that managed to find it's way into him getting caught in several lies/situations. There is some journaling on the back of the photo, that is simply slipped in a pocket. I guarantee if I'm 100 years old with dementia, and he's looking through scrapbooks, when he sees that photo of THAT hoodie, he will know exactly why it is there. There is also a Campari label...
I can look back peacefully now. And, not to make light of it, but we both survived, with our relationship intact. But at the time, it was overwhelming as hell. There were also to many years of too much baggage between my beloved sister and I. I think we are beyond it. I hope <3 Right now I'm struggling with my parents aging stuff.
On another note... I have scrapbooked a long time. Went through a divorce and several relationships before I found my partner. He's amazing, I adore him, and we both believe we are forever.
That said, I didn't remove my ex husband from my scrapbooks (back then I was "doing it for the kids.") But, I did notice he organically appeared less frequently as a direct proportion to his obnoxious behavior. Longish term ex bf's are still in there to a degree if they are part of the specific story (or it was a great photo of me or my kids), but my divorce taught me a trick I didn't even know it had. If I was scrapbooking, and a dude managed to be in the scrapbook, I often put another photo in the pocket behind it, that was he could easily be removed. LOL I do have a long term bf, about 4.5 years, that I was able to do a hella lot of consolidation when it was time remove him. Hahahah
With my partner, when I noticed that I wasn't adding the extra photo, and he was more and more a part of MY story, I was like ohhhhhhh this may stick! I also use the trick for the significant others my kids have brought into our lives. I take a million photos, I'm the mamarazzi.. but both of my kids know that there WILL be a photo of just the three of us at any significant event/milestone. They don't even question it. As of right now, I removed one of my daughters ex boyfriends from our history lol and my son said he didn't care about the two girlfriends that have been a part of our life and no longer are. I didn't scrapbook about any of their breakups. But I did scrapbook (again, hidden journaling) about mine.
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Post by lg on Jul 20, 2024 22:48:44 GMT
Yes but only as part of a larger project: - scrapped about covid during week in the life 2020 - scrapped about bushfires during dd 2019 - funerals etc get a page in project life or at least the order of service included
I feel that’s a nice way to include real stories without the whole album feeling like a whining pity party.
For some of these pages the journaling is hidden or tucked away so you need to want to read it too (most people just want to look at the pretty pictures!)
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Ryann
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Post by Ryann on Jul 20, 2024 23:01:51 GMT
I don't think so. I can only really think of one bad thing that has occurred that I've included (pet death). I would say I don't have a hard and fast rule of what I include. If I have pictures, I am apt to include.
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Post by ScrapbookMyLife on Jul 20, 2024 23:12:17 GMT
I do. All the chapters of my life, make up my life story and are reflective of me. I like to include the good and bad. That includes photos of the not fun stuff and hard things. Life isn't perfect, I am not perfect.
I've made or intend to make.....layouts of >> memorial service, ER-hospital visit, major car repair (took a photo of my car up on the lift), urgent care (allergic reaction), looking raggedy (in bed with bronchitis), losing a dear friend, pandemic, swollen ankle (arthritis), having to get four new tires (not what I like to spend money on), my cat passing away, etc...
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anaterra
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Post by anaterra on Jul 21, 2024 0:12:13 GMT
I dont make specific layouts... but i usually include at least 1 photo of *it* in my monthly layout...
I use the 1 sec everyday to track my month... i print my favorite or the highlights of that month to make a layout to go behind the monthly cover page... then add whatever i am scrapping for that month behind the layout....
I dont scrap chronological but i try to shuffle layouts in order into albums....
By *it* I am meaning death or funerals or other sad events.... its not the break ups... but you can tell in my books when someone is no longer a part of my life...
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Post by fawkes76 on Jul 21, 2024 1:07:15 GMT
I mention smaller challenging times in PL on a 3x4 or 4x6 card. The big, sad stuff is also usually documented but always with hidden journaling. I usually wait some time to document the hard events, but I usually add the page or insert chronologically in the album when the event happened. My dad passed away last August. I have mentioned his passing when it comes up (Christmas, traveling home, etc.), but there's still an empty page protector in the August section of my PL album. Right now the protector is holding sympathy cards. I will make a page; it will help me grieve, but I also know I don't want to force it until I'm ready.
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Chinagirl828
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Post by Chinagirl828 on Jul 21, 2024 1:58:26 GMT
I include some of the negative stuff. I had some really stressful stuff that happened over a 2 1/2 year period that I journalled about and wanted to include in my yearly albums but not make it a focus, so those are typically in envelopes in a pocket page, with the same repeated icon on the front so I know at a glance what it is about, but to anyone casually glancing through my album it just seems like a decorated pocket.
I've included stories about loss in my yearly albums as I find it therapeutic to write and scrap about some of those things. I only make those pages if I feel I want to, and like fawkes76 I'm ok with leaving a spot for the story if I know I'll want to add it one day but am not ready to do so yet.
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Post by KikiPea on Jul 21, 2024 2:37:55 GMT
Yes, I do. I’ve scrapped Covid, my reduction surgery, our pups surgery…I do mix them in with everything else. It’s part of life, so I scrap about it. I do try to bring some “silver lining” to it through journaling, though.
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PaperAngel
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Post by PaperAngel on Jul 21, 2024 3:37:39 GMT
Yes. Our (now college-age) son is my primary scrap subject, & IMHO it's important to document challenges/setbacks & how he copes with/overcomes them.
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pantsonfire
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Post by pantsonfire on Jul 21, 2024 4:02:35 GMT
Having 2 kids with Autism and rare medical conditions, difficult things is just part of our lives.
I have scrapbooked ds NICU stay, PICU stays (one of which he was on life saving equipment), surgeries big and small, therapies, and I even did one about his hospital ID bracelet showing how many stays he has had up to that point.
For dd I documented her journey into Celiac, pet therapy, therapy, hospital stays, IgG infusions, etc etc etc.
I do flip through every so often and it helps me see just how far they have come and it helps me to continue to fight for them.
Life isn't all rainbows and sunshine. Especially for us. We embrace the messy.
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Post by mikklynn on Jul 21, 2024 12:34:06 GMT
I rarely scrap the hard stuff, because scrapbooking is my escape. That was especially true during my late DH's cancer battle. I also have feelings about that I don't want my kids or grandkids to know. I have a therapist for that!
I did scrapbook the death of my brother, just a single page. I also scrapbooked several pages about the pandemic.
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Post by hoopsfn on Jul 21, 2024 14:13:53 GMT
Not yet. I plan to at least mention some of the struggles that I've had in Life but can't seem to find the right way to present them. Good question @breetheflea.
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artbabe
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Post by artbabe on Jul 21, 2024 14:28:49 GMT
I do not scrap unhappy stuff. Scrapping is my happy place. I don't want to relive the bad stuff.
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paget
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Post by paget on Jul 21, 2024 14:45:40 GMT
I journal some harder stuff in my journal - not usually scrapbook. I have written some stories in my scrapbook for PL about my week -mostly when my job was newer and it was HARD and exhausting so that made it into my journaling. I also might add something about dd2 who passed away but it’s always hidden. For instance, her birthday is next month so I will document that - things I do “for her” on her birthday (est her favorite foods etc). I guess I consider that harder stuff as it isn’t fluffy if someone else were to read it.
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Chinagirl828
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Post by Chinagirl828 on Jul 22, 2024 10:00:20 GMT
It's been interesting reading how everyone else handles these harder topics.
I just realised I only answered half the original question. I do occasionally look at the pages I've made, probably as often as I skip past them. Sometimes I seek those pages out, and sometimes I'm happy to just flip past them as I look through my album.
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Post by breakfastattiffanys on Jul 22, 2024 13:38:40 GMT
In my PL album, I’ve included deaths of people and pets, but only a very small mention with bare minimum facts. That’s more of a way for me to remember when something happened in a timeline. I have purposely not scrapbooked any other hard or negative things. In fact, I’ve stopped scrapbooking if it’s a really hard time.
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pantsonfire
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Post by pantsonfire on Jul 22, 2024 13:54:48 GMT
I will say early on scrapbooking became my therapy. And I have let dd know that if she doesn't want those pages in her album, she can remove them and shred them. I do this for mostly me but also for memories for the kids.
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Post by lifeinlayouts on Jul 22, 2024 14:06:47 GMT
I scrap it all! I love having the good, bad and ugly in my albums. It showcases that my life isn't perfect! I'm loving Doodlebug Happy Healing Collection right now as I am able to document so many stories.
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vexedangel
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Post by vexedangel on Jul 22, 2024 17:30:07 GMT
I struggle with this. I am more likely to art journal the negative stuff.
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Post by infochick on Jul 22, 2024 20:08:54 GMT
I struggle with this. I am more likely to art journal the negative stuff. I have also used my art journal as a therapy tool. For some really negative things that I needed to get out, but I knew I did not to read or dwell on (or really come across), I did all of the writing on a blank page in my art journal and then built a page over top of it to cover it up. I know what is behind it, and it was a therapeutic process. I tend to make my layouts about more positive things, but there are less happy things in my monthly PL pages which are more reflective of real life. Not often photos, but sometimes there is general journaling about my overall state which might include reference to me struggling with something in particular. I have done more scrapping about COVID, more because it felt like a huge historical moment and because of that it was less personal. Even if my feelings were negative, it felt more justified because a lot of people were struggling.
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vexedangel
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Post by vexedangel on Jul 22, 2024 20:10:20 GMT
I have also used my art journal as a therapy tool. For some really negative things that I needed to get out, but I knew I did not to read or dwell on (or really come across), I did all of the writing on a blank page in my art journal and then built a page over top of it to cover it up. I know what is behind it, and it was a therapeutic process. This is brilliant, totally trying this. <3 TFS
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Post by wordyphotogbabe on Jul 22, 2024 20:20:02 GMT
Yes, I scrap it all. I do not go into great detail, especially if it's something that is just me/mine, but everything gets mentioned one way or the other. Something recently happened around the kids that I did not witness personally; the long-term effects of that will be reflected in our family scrapbook for months to come but that particular incident will not be scrapped in and of itself.
I find it really helpful to look back on previous pages about struggle and pain and see how far I/we have come.
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blemon
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Post by blemon on Jul 22, 2024 21:47:39 GMT
Yes and no.
One December my uncle died. While I was making my DD, I didn't want to document it at all. I put the little paper from the funeral home in a card and tucked it in the back. I know what's in there.
So that was one thing.
But now I'm doing Project Life and it's like weird to only document positive things when you're trying to give an overview of your whole life. A friend of mine took her own life and I wrote it on a card and tucked it behind a screenshot I took of her last facebook post which was a really nice quote. Her profile photo is in the screenshot so I know what's behind it.
Then one week we all had Covid, the sink broke, and I was just done with Winter so I documented that. Ali had a card in the kit "three things I love right now." I crossed out love and wrote LOATHE and listed them.
But normally I don't. If something crappy happens at work, I don't want to remember it.
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blemon
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Post by blemon on Jul 22, 2024 21:58:24 GMT
In my PL album, I’ve included deaths of people and pets, but only a very small mention with bare minimum facts. I went to the funeral of a dear friend (father of one of my best friends growing up). He had been sick for a long time so the funeral was more of a celebration of him. I took a photo of this puppet that he had. He would bring the puppet to church and tell stories. I had forgotten about the puppet (it's been 40 years) until the funeral. It was the beast from where the wild things are. And that same month Ali had the card with the circle around it and a quote from Where the Wild things Are and I put the photo of the puppet in that circle. Wow. That was a real moment for me. Like the universe was shouting. (The puppet wasn't in the casket! It was on a table with a photo of my friend holding the puppet. I normally would not take photos at a funeral). But anyway, there's no journaling. Just the photo in the circle in that card. And COVID. So many posts about COVID. I documented it during the DD that year. There was a lot of great clipart and free journal cards to use. And I documented everything that we had to do online instead of in person. I freaking hated doing that DD that year. I was so much fake-it-until-you-make-it and I'm SO GLAD I did. I am really happy to have documented that.
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Post by breakfastattiffanys on Jul 23, 2024 0:09:34 GMT
In my PL album, I’ve included deaths of people and pets, but only a very small mention with bare minimum facts. I went to the funeral of a dear friend (father of one of my best friends growing up). He had been sick for a long time so the funeral was more of a celebration of him. I took a photo of this puppet that he had. He would bring the puppet to church and tell stories. I had forgotten about the puppet (it's been 40 years) until the funeral. It was the beast from where the wild things are. And that same month Ali had the card with the circle around it and a quote from Where the Wild things Are and I put the photo of the puppet in that circle. Wow. That was a real moment for me. Like the universe was shouting. (The puppet wasn't in the casket! It was on a table with a photo of my friend holding the puppet. I normally would not take photos at a funeral). But anyway, there's no journaling. Just the photo in the circle in that card. And COVID. So many posts about COVID. I documented it during the DD that year. There was a lot of great clipart and free journal cards to use. And I documented everything that we had to do online instead of in person. I freaking hated doing that DD that year. I was so much fake-it-until-you-make-it and I'm SO GLAD I did. I am really happy to have documented that. Thank you for sharing. My very good childhood friend just lost her dad and they did not have a funeral. I was deciding whether to include a mention and how, and I know what to do now. Her family was looking through old photos and found a photo of a basement mural from her old house, which she shared with me. It brought back so many sweet memories of her family.
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