One thing has been weighing heavy on my mind lately so I thought I’d share my feelings and get it out in the open. When I scrapbook – I focus on my photos and journaling so I capture the memories of that event or moment – which is what I always thought scrapbooking was meant to be. I know deep in my heart that I’m really scrapbooking for myself but I do hope that some day when I’m gone from this earth either my child or grandchildren would glance at the scrapbooks that I devoted my blood, sweat, and tears to creating or at least blow the dust off of the albums occasionally.
It is the people that will look at your scrapbooks one hundred years from now that I would like you to think about. If you are like me, you can relate to finding a trunk in my parents’ attic that is full of old black and white photos and none of them have any documentation with them. A handful of them had some writing on the back but the vast majority are blank. I sat on the floor many times with my mom looking at these photos but on many of them she couldn’t even tell me who the people are or what they were doing. This is my fear! This is one of the many reasons I scrapbook. I’m striving to tell my family’s story.
While browsing Pinterest (which I do waaaaaay too often which is why I haven’t posted in months…LOL) I see many layouts that have a huge amount of flowers, lace, buttons, bling, and embellishments… Don’t get me wrong – the layouts are beautiful – like a piece of art…but the problem is that I’m so busy looking at all of the “stuff” on the page that I never see the photo. It does not tell me a story. I am not made to understand why it is important that I look at this page except that it has half of the scrapbook store’s embellishment section on it. I truly feel that your photos and journaling are what makes your scrapbooks special – not seeing how many embellishments you can fit around that two inch photo! I do not mean to offend anyone that scrapbooks this way – I just wish I understood the fascination.
Am I crazy? Am I alone in my fear of my family’s legacy ending up in a nondescript trunk or on a computer NEVER printed out and our story never being told? I hope not! My family is important to me and I will do my best to keep the stories alive for many generations to come.
Some of my scrapbooking friends and CTMH customers have shared with me an aversion to journaling. Some say “I don’t know what to say” or “I don’t like my handwriting”. We have to journal – it is too important. I wrote one of my very first posts on journaling ideas so if you don’t know what to write – go back and see some of the ideas I shared. If you don’t like your handwriting – type it out on a computer (but know that it would be very special for your great great great grandchildren to see your handwriting even if you don’t like it!) Just please, please tell your story – or at the very least tell me who is in the photo and when and why it was taken!
This post feels like I’m preaching! Please know that I’m writing this message from a place of love and I hope that you feel my passion about why scrapbooking is more than just decorating paper and embellishing. Yes, I use embellishments and stamping – but I am conscious when using these things to not distract from what is important. I want you to see the photos and know why it is important that I shared my life with you on paper. I am stepping down from the pulpit… can I get an Amen?
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