Definition:

Written text on a scrapbook page that provides additional details about the event, emotions or photographs. Can be handwritten, computer-printed, or completed with die cuts, quilling, stickers or stamps. See also: Typography Q & A

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Why Journal?

In it's purest sense, journaling is the "words" found on the page. Journaling captures a moment,thougths, feelings, emotions or simply information. Journaling is the link the viewer of the scrapbook album has with the person who created the page and the people and/or events that are displayed. Journaling preserves the memory for current and future generations and is one of the most important elements of scrapbooking.

The reason to add journaling to a scrapbook page is so that people will know what happened that day, they will understand the moment that has been captured and why it is important to the person who created the page. Journaling is the most intimate or personal aspect of scrapbooking, it enhances the moment with information that would have otherwise been forgotten.

Historically, photo albums and scrapbooks capture family history. The person designing and creating the scrapbook page is considered a Family Historian, this is the individual who preserves the family history for generations to come.The information that is captured and shared on a scrapbook page provides information to the viewer on many levels, journaling provides:

• The context of the images displayed
• Information about an event
• Faces to the names behind the stories
• A glimpse to the way people lived
• A look at the love that was shared
• Insight into the challenges people face
  

Journaling includes the quotes or poems that someone chooses to accompany their page. The words don't always have to be unique or your own, quotes are an effective way to enhance a layout. The important thing is to add words to accompany the photographs on the page.

How Do I Add Journaling?

There is no right or wrong answer to where journaling should be on a page. There is also no correct way to add journaling. The following are some effective ways to use journaling:

• Handwritten - this means that the person creating the page has added journaling that is written by them or someone else, generally the person who is shown on the page. Some examples:
  
  
  • Recipes, always neat to see a version written by the person who provided the recipe
    
    
  • Children's pages - who does not want to remember the beginning writing of young children. Save those Thank you notes by scanning them in before sending them, perhaps a letter to Santa?
    
    
  • Actual letters and cards that were sent or left forsomeone. Sending letters may soon become a thing of the past, but sharing those that exist and have special meaning add a wonderful touch to a page.
    
    
• Computer or electronic journaling - This is any type of text that is printed from a computer or typewriter and added to a page. It is distinguished from handwritten because a person or pet did not put it down on paper directly.
  
  
• Cards or Framed Prints - Look through greeting cards or framed poems and add them to the scrapbook page.
  
  
• Rub ons, stickers, Phrase booklets - there are so many places to look with sentiments and phrases that require only your adhesive, brads, or eyelets to attach them.
  

There is much debate about whether journaling should be handwritten. There is no hard and fast rule that says it should be. If the person creating the page does not like their handwriting, there is no reason why they should not use computer journaling.

Apersonal preference for many is to find a way to hide the journaling on a page when it is handwritten. This is easily done by adding an envelope or creating a mini-book and placing the journaling inside. Often by raising a photo, the journaling can be added to a tag and slipped under the photo or some other element on the page. This is also an effective way to add additional journaling if there is a lot of information to share.

Be creative, share a piece of yourself, and make the page personal so that future generations can always have a piece of your heart to make that special connection with their past.

Some Examples of Journaling:

New layout below..... as of 2/18/08

Journaling is important because it describes the moment(s) that have been captured by the photos that are on the scrapbook layout. You can use your own handwriting to journal. You can print it off of a computer. Or you can use an embossing pen and heat emboss your journaling.

See the next layout as an example, by Heather of Heather's Scrapbooks

I used an embossing pen to write the journaling that's located in the bottom left corner of the above layout. Then I took green embossing powder, since it matches the background paper, sprinkled it on and heated it up.



For the journaling on the page above, I scanned the image of the journaling block which came with a kit I bought. I then brought up the image on my computer and did the journaling directly on the image and printed it.









The following example is a combination of many of the topics discussed. The Computer Journaling is in the use of many fonts for the "Just What Makes That Little Old Ant" song/poem that was printed directly onto a 6" x 12" strip of paper (to allow it to feed through the printer). The Handwritten Journaling is found behind the photograph as well as behind the computer written journaling. Layout contributed by Antonella DeFalco, Anton's Lens and Quilling, Art and Expression

The pages and journaling blocks are inked for a shabby chic look. The Clipart taken from the free Microsoft Clipart collection. The fonts included on this layout are: Tempus Sans (Microsoft), all remaining were free font downloads found on the internet: Bizzy Bee, Carolinga, Enviro, FunStuffXitalic, JoyCards, Angelica, CanyBits BT, Canadian Autumn, Fontdinerdotcom Sparkly, BulletHolz, Eyesis.

Share some fun tips on how to boost your creativity with journaling.

I love Computer Journaling because of the richness of the free fonts that are out there. Take some time and look around for free fonts and create a collection with samples of the Alphabet with the various fonts that have been collected or are the ones preferred for journaling. When preparing to create the journaling, take out these fonts and select the one(s) that match the mood or style of the layout.

Computer fonts are a fun way to create a mood on a scrapbook page. Simply by selecting a font that has a fun feel, the entire layout can become happy and fun. Experiment.