Although we wish all stories could be happy and perfect, the truth is that some of them aren’t. But, the imperfect stories are still important ones that are apart of us and have helped shaped who we are. These imperfect stories shouldn’t be over looked.
As scrapbookers, we tend to dismiss these stories and ignore them, when in fact, scrapbooking them and expressing our feelings on paper is actual very therapeutic and can be helpful in these situations!
I know for me, most of the time I avoid the imperfect stories is because I don’t really want people to read what I have journaled – the journaling is more of a personal story, for my eyes only. I don’t want anyone to be able to just pick up my scrapbook and open to a page and then start asking questions like “why didn’t you tell me about this? When did this happen? I didn’t know you felt like this or where going through this!”
It’s taken some time for me to realize that these imperfect stories are still apart of me and something that is okay and important to scrapbook about. I’ve learned some of these stories I should share and maybe sharing it can help others who might be going through the same thing.
Here are some tips that I’ve used, so instead of feeling like I can’t scrapbook these moments in life because I don’t want others reading the story, I now feel like I CAN! And, most of the time, I’ve found it helpful to get these emotions out, and leave them behind on a page.
Just scrapbook it: Like I said above, you never know how much your story will help someone else, or just feel good to get out and express in writing! Don’t worry about how others will look at you after they read your story – everyone has something imperfect about their lives.
Hidden journaling: You can turn any photo into a secret pocket that holds your thoughts! Instead of gluing the entire photo down, just glue on the edges of three sides. The side where you didn’t glue becomes the opening to your “pocket”. Leave the journaling tag popped out of the top just enough so you know it’s there. Most people won’t take the time to pull the layout out of a page protector to be able to reach the journaling tag – and more than likely they won’t even know it’s there!
Journal on the back: This is a great way to really hide your journaling. No one looks at the back of layouts and only you will know it’s there. This method can really give you piece-of-mind and allow you to be more open and honest with yourself about your feelings.
Keep a separate book: My friend keeps a separate book, tucked away in a special spot, that is just for her. That way, her other books can be on display and she doesn’t have to think twice about someone stumbling upon something that maybe she doesn’t want them to see or she isn’t ready for them to read.
We hope these tips about capturing the imperfect story will help you realize that it is okay to scrapbook and journal them!
We have another amazing giveaway for you today from Apron Strings!
Summertime. Laid back (or less crazy anyway) schedules. Time relaxing by the water source of your choice. Plenty of photo opportunities and stories to be told. The August Bigger than a Breadbox Kit from Apron Strings will help you document everything from cool ice cream celebrations to picnics in the park or anything in between. A no-commitment membership in Apron Strings’ Autoship ensures you’ll get new papers to play with each and every month. You’ll enjoy unlimited, penalty-free skips, flips or substitutions so that your Autoship works for you. You’ll also have access to the monthly newsletters which have plenty of inspiration from the design team and plenty of challenges and contests on the blog to inspire you to use your kits.
“I used to think a kit club was limiting, I mean I wanted to shop for my papers. Then I bought an Apron Strings kit and my mind was changed. I’m getting papers I can’t find at my local stores and some of my favorites are from companies I didn’t know about. The kits keep me on budget and I’m having a ball, and actually creating layouts. I love the thrill of getting a line I may have passed over if I was shopping on my own – those sometimes become some of my favorite layouts. Thanks for the inspiration.”
COUPON CODE: During this 3-week class Apron Strings is also offering the Elle’s Studio participants a 20% savings on purchases. Drop by, check Apron Strings out, sign-up and then stock up and save. Enter: ELLES during checkout. Coupon expires August 28th and is not applicable towards autoship memberships.
GIVEAWAY: Apron Strings is giving away one August Bigger than a Breadbox kit! To enter, just leave a comment below! We will draw two winners (one per kit) on Tuesday, August 24th. *One entry per person!
Also, if you have not entered our other big giveaway here, hop on over there and enter that one, too!
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