Why is journaling on your layouts important to you? I recently learned a very important lesson in life about memories and the pace at which we lose them with the passage of time. The truth is, memories aren’t permanent. Life experiences come and go, and as such, so do friends, family members and other people we hold dear in our lives. Though we take great pride in remembering certain life experiences and loved ones, it’s not always so easy to hang on to the details that define these things. Because our memory has limited storage capacity, we’re prone to forgetfulness. Two years after losing a spouse, I’m no longer able to fully illustrate some of the shared experiences I formed with husband while he was alive. My memories of “us” are fading and as more time goes by, it’s dawning on me how truly thankful I am for having scrapbooked while he was in good health. I’ve been able to look back on many of the albums I created years before and they’ve helped me tremendously in reconnecting with a history that is now very different from my current circumstances. Reading stories of yesterday helps to rekindle misplaced memories that would have otherwise gone missing if they’d not been written down. It’s why I consider journaling to be an important component of scrapbooking. Even if it’s of the smallest details, stories matter. Journaling serves to preserve our most cherished memories and keeps us at pace with the past.
What is the most important thing about capturing the story? I’m not one to be deliberately selective about what it is I journal on a scrapbook layout. Much of what I share is conveyed through small, to-the-point sentences that are directly reflective of the topic/story I’m trying to tell. I further support the story via design and material selections. There’s no one particular avenue I choose to focus on for relaying a story on a layout/project. It’s essentially a combination of the whole. If I feel something is missing, I’ll add it to the back of the layout/project. I always try to cover the basics though; names, location, time, and points of interest.
Do you try to include all the details in your journaling? Not always. Actually, very rarely do I include “all the details”. Most of my journaling bits hone in on specifics. I’m easily overwhelmed by too much information.
How do you decide how much or little of the story to tell? It depends on the kind of story being told and the availability of space on a layout/project. It also depends on the relevancy of the story. If there’s an onslaught of details I feel will help benefit the person reading the story later on, then I’ll consider writing more. For example, during the final year of my husband’s life, I took great effort in documenting more about him and our small family. It felt absolutely essential to do so because the moments we had spent together seemed fleeting…at any point, things could dramatically change within a moment’s notice. I wanted to remember it all – bad & good. Journaling became a means of remembering, surviving, healing and moving forward during an otherwise emotionally difficult time. It was extremely cathartic to write things down.
Does every layout you create contain journaling? Not every layout I create has journaling on it. On occasion, a picture will speak for itself. Though, I will still list specifics on the back of the layout; names, location, time, etc.
What do you find the most difficult about journaling? Finding the right words to convey what it is I want to write. I struggle with words when confronted by a blank piece of paper. The empty space is intimidating. I’ve also always been a tad bit insecure about my writing abilities because I’ve never been much of a writer in my life. Even after multiple Russian literature courses and a large bout of philosophy, a pen and paper are my least favorite instruments to use. I opted for multiple-choice exams over Essays. I’ve just never been one to relish the likes of writing…not even in college.
Take us through your journaling process: My process of journaling is fairly simple. It’s usually the last item I work on when building a layout. I find it’s a challenge to locate a spot on one of my busy layouts for journaling a story. When I finally eye upon an ideal location for storytelling, I usually trim a small piece of vanilla cardstock, adhere it to my layout and jot down relating tidbits. Any tidbits I’m not able to fit on the front, I put on the back. It’s par for the course that my layouts house hidden info on their backsides.
Supply List: Pattern Paper: Sassafras, Crate Paper, SEI, American Crafts, Bazzill; Stickers: Sassafras, American Crafts; Die-Cuts: Elle’s Studio Summer Scallops and Vintage Circle Journaling Tags, Sassafras; Brads: Sassafras & Pink Paislee; Chipboard: Sassafras
ABOUT CHRISTINE: Christine lives in South Saint Paul, Minnesota with her young son Ethan. She’s been scrapbooking for over four years and has played multiple roles in the scrapbook industry as a designer, teacher, project kit connoisseur and most currently, design team coordinator for Crate Paper. She hosts a well-established blog, “Retrospection”, where she shares her latest work and routinely writes small tutorials for ongoing projects. Christine’s work is very detail oriented. She has a passion for embellishments and texture. By combining funky unique scrapbook items, Christine creates beautifully layered scrapbook layouts that keep the eye moving around the page. Her work is highly ornate, though with an edge of playfulness and vintage grunge. No detail is ever left behind.
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