Journaling Matters

If this layout was created without the journaling, it would be pretty, right?  But, it's the journaling on this layout that makes it meaningful.

These photos of our granddaughter, Sage, are from a recent photo shoot she did while modeling for a children's clothing company. I knew I wanted to scrapbook the beautiful photos, but honestly, that's all that it would have been: beautiful photos.  Instead, I chose to include a recent conversation that Sage and I had.  The conversation went perfectly with the photos, and this conversation is exactly why I scrapbook.  It's exactly why this page will be meaningful to Sage when she is older, why it will be meaningful to her children, and their children.  It's what makes this page have special meaning to me.

Here's how the conversation went:

I got the biggest giggle out of her little, "I knew it!"  This little girl is full of spunk and sass and wonder.  I wish I could freeze time and keep her little forever.  This is why journaling matters. And, by journaling, I don't mean dates and event titles (like December 30, 1998. Easton's 10th Birthday). Of course, those things are important when scrapbooking an event.  But, the most important journaling to include is a memory, or WHY that day was special.  In fact, the events aren't always the most important things to scrapbook. I'll give you a "for instance"...

When our children were little (our youngest, Dawson, was 3), Dan was on a hunting trip.  I decided to take our four kids out to dinner by myself, and not at a fast food restaurant (gasp!). We went to a place called Frontier Pies (one of my favorite places for Navajo tacos).  My older kids (ages 6, 8 and 11) had been to a place like this before, but it was Dawson's first time at a 'sit down restaurant'. He was so excited because I told him we were going somewhere special and that he had to use his best manners. I told him it would be even better than McDonald's (you should have seen his eyes when I said that). I told him the food would be extra yummy, we would have our very own waitress to take care of everything we needed, we would order at our table and they would bring our food right to us. He thought this sounded like heaven.  He was almost jumping out of his skin with anticipation. We got there and got seated and I let the kids choose whatever they wanted from the menu.  Dawson wanted a salad before his meal, like grown ups.  When they brought his salad, I'll never forget it, he stood up and yelled, "Mom! This place is AWESOME! They have croutons and everything!"  I died laughing right on the spot.  Ever since that day, that line has become a family favorite. We say it all the time when we are served a salad with croutons.  THIS is something to scrapbook!  I don't have photos of that day, but I do have random photos of Dawson at age 3 that I could put on the layout.  I can also find a photo online of Frontier Pies and scrapbook this memory.

Journaling matters. It tells an important story.  Here's a thought:  next time you want to scrapbook, think of a memory like this in your life, a memory that tells a story that you want your family to remember.  After you have come up with the memory, THEN think of photos you have or can take that will go with the memory.  Maybe, just maybe, we should scrapbook with a specific memory in mind before we pull out the photos, instead of what most of us do when we scrapbook. We pull out the photos, create a beautiful page, then add a date and title.  Which of these two methods of scrapbooking do you think leaves a real legacy?  I vote the one with journaling that tells a story, don't you?

Now, let's talk about the artwork behind this layout.  I used the darling February Stamp of the Month to create it.

I thought the soft bunnies went well with the soft photos, and the "There's nobunny like you" sentiment made the perfect title. I loved using papers from the Hello Lovely paper pack to compliment the soft photos as well.

This stamp set can be yours (in February only) for only $5 with every $50 you order (before shipping and tax). Order $100, get 2...and so on. When ordering on my website, you'll be prompted to add your set(s) before checking out. Easy, peasy!  All of the products I used on this layout are listed at the very end of this post, complete with photos and links, for your convenience.

Here is a close up of some of the details of this layout:

I thought watercolor paints were the perfect way to keep the 'soft' feeling going that I had on this layout, so that's how I colored my bunnies.

Easter Bunny�February Stamp of the Month	12" X 12" White Daisy Cardstock	Watercolor Paper	12" X 12" Whisper Cardstock
Hello Lovely Paper Packet	Black Memento� Ink Pad	Whisper Thick Twine	Sequins Silver Assortment
Watercolor Paints	Paintbrush Set	2" X 3 1/2" My Acrylix® Block	1" X 3 1/2" My Acrylix® Block
Surecut� Deluxe Craft Paper Trimmer	Non-Stick Micro-Tip Scissors	3L® E-Z Dots® Adhesive	Thin 3-D Foam Tape

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