Scrapbook Ideas – Journaling

One of most often questions we get asked, is the journaling part of a scrapbook. For those newbies to scrapbooking, journaling is the "story" we tell along with the pictures or momentos on each scrapbook page.

As we all know, pictures tell a "thousand words," but sometimes, we have to help the casual reader with a text caption, just what the scrapbook page or scrapbook is all about! There are several ways to come up with great text content for your scrapbook.

First thing you can do is act as a TV news reporter. When looking at the picture you are about to mount in a page, pretend that you are interviewing the person whose picture it is and ask what happened here or where was the picture taken at. What was the reason for the people or place to be on that picture? You can go on to "ask" what kind of fun did you have? What adventure did you go through at that place? You get the idea.

Another great idea is to look at the picture and write a poem about it. You do not have to be a Robert Frost or Ernest Hemmingway, but simply, be yourself! The words do not have to ryhme, or even make sense! Just some short prose can liven up the picture at hand.

One last idea is to write a "letter" as if you were sending this scrapbook page to someone in an envelope. Remember at Christmastime when you received "picture" postcards in the mail? It would be on photo paper describing what plans they would have at Christmas, or a paper letter enclosed in an envelope with a photographed attached and the letter would be a brief description of what the family has been up to and what they intend on doing during the holidays.

So, when choosing each picture to add to the scrapbook, make sure you have a good idea of what you want to say. Remember, there is no rule that you have to comment on each and every scrapbook page, only enough to keep a "flow" going throughout the book.