Journaling Journey

I haven't been posting much this month as I haven't created many new layouts. This isn't because I've not been crafting, nope - it's because I am in my bi-annual phase of filing layouts, finishing journaling, and all general boring scrapping admin that I usually put off until my scrap room is about to explode.

And, as usual, as I filed my layouts, I got distracted looking over old pages, reading the journaling and generally tripping down memory lane...

But I spotted a problem.

A big problem.

Obviously I have a goldfish brain. Because, there were multiple layouts where the journaling began - "There's no particular story behind this picture...." Disaster! Once or twice, sure, not the end of the world, but three or four layouts in, not good! It was so prevelant that I was considering creating a new three letter acronym of NPS - 'no particular story' for my pages!

So, there was only one thing for it - I had to redo the layouts!

Handily enough this journaling disaster has coincided with another scrapping development. I've taken to listening to the Paperclipping Roundtable podcast. I'm new to this podcast, so I have practically the entire past three years of shows to binge on. And it's wonderful! In a country where there are about three and half scrapbookers (and so therefore so few people you can obsessed about scrapping with) it is bliss to get to listen to an hour show where all they talk about is the minutia of the hobby.

Anyway one little gem I took away from the show was about journaling. Someone said always journal what you will want to remember in years to come. Now, you know, this might sound obvious to everyone else but me. And it does sound obvious when I look at it here. But, my journaling tends to be a bit ropey. Sure, when there is an obvious story to tell, I'm grand. But if it's subtler, I tend to be a bit lost. I end up sounding like a Hallmark employee. Will I really want to read in twenty years time 'Oh darling you look so cute in this picture!' a few hundred times? I doubt it. Between 'gee, you look cute' and 'no particular story' it was all a bit of a mess. And to think my other interest is writing! And I've been paid for it repeatedly! (shakes head in dismay.)

So, what I did...

I redid the layouts. And I looked again at the pictures and thought about what I would really like to read in the future. And suddenly the photos went from cute but storyless to gateways to my thoughts and feelings and a record I will be delighted to have written down in twenty years and a record I will be delighted for my children to read when they are grown.

Phew!

So, here are a couple of the layouts I redid. Unforutntely I only thought to do a 'before' and 'after' when I got to the second one. So, with the first layout, imagine it with pointless journaling and lots of different paper that had to be ripped out to get rid of the stoopid platitudes.

This is the layout without the 'before'.

I am so happy now with the above layout - the journaling (all about how I was the only girl, and wish I had a sister and how delighted that they have each other) replaced pointless whittering which no-one would have been interesting in reading, even myself.


The second layout....


Before - 

 After -

The journaling here - which was completely absent before - is now a record of nine things she was doing at nine months. Lots of little annecdotes and memories that I would have otherwise forgotten. Am thrilled.



And just before I go - on a totally unrelated note, a link for Terri! (You know who you are :)

The Poetry Divas

I first speak at the third verse - the one that begins 'My squashy cushions'! Lol!



Bye for now!