[staceycanada]

I try to journal as much as i can. The best advise I have heard is pretend you are sitting with a friend who has not seen these pictures what would you tell them about the pics or day?

[genie]

Sometimes the title says all that needs to be said. Such as in a particular persons album. However I always add the add somewhere on the page. In paper scrapbooking I often include journalling on tags and tuch them behind the photo with just the end sticking out. I then slit the page protector so that the tag can be pulled out to read. Other times I use flippers and have the journalling in the underside.

But I believe the most important thing is that the person/s and date can be identified at a later date. Provided this is covered it's very personal what you do.

[Shayla]

An option for those who want to include a note without putting it on the LO or cutting the page protector would be to buy those self-adhesive CD pockets or tag protectors (like you see at Costco holding the information and price card for the item). Then just tuck the note inside, you could even print out something that coordinates with the LO. I've found these pockets at places like Associated Bags and Uline, and I'm sure they're other places too. I'm not very good at journaling, the opposite of my sister who has written at least 10 journals, and of course, has an English degree. Sometimes I'll write a little poem that kind of tells the story, I've found this easier than writing a paragraph sometimes. Another idea I saw was to use the sheets of adhesive sticker (you know the kind like Avery makes that are the entire 81/2x11 page) and write captions for each photo and place them on the inside covers of the album.

[HaleyB]

I guess I think about all the old family photos 50+ years old, and I think, if only they'd taken the time to write something on the back of the photo...who, when, where? And what a treasure it would be to have thoughts and feelings included with those photos! I hang my beautiful photos on the wall, but in my scrapbooks, I add at least minimal journaling to give it personal meaning and hope that whoever reads it in 50 years will understand why I felt the way I did about the page I created.

[SandiC.]

I'm so glad to see this thread rejuvenated. Never hurts to think about journaling. Great comments and food for thought.

[Sonia11]

There have been so many wonderful suggestions on here what I am about to say has probably been covered.

I like to do a mixture of both. Sometimes I journal loads & loads and sometimes A quote or a nice title is all it needs. I've just picked up this years photoalbum (I save all my layouts up and get all 120 printed in one album - I love the drive to pick up and the hour in the car after.) and I'm glad I did journal some pages because one day my children will pick up one of my scrapbooks and know without a shadow of a doubt how much I love them. They will also be able to understand some of the stories behind the pictures and finally they will understand why I am so obscessed with my camera and scrapgirls.

I guess it's all about how you approach the layout.. Is it about the photo or the story and the moment.

For anyone who is self conscious of journalling I would truely urge you to try. I found it hard at first and started with the 5Ws When Where Who What and Why.... now a year down the line you can't shut me up and sometimes 12x12 just doesn't seem big enough!!!! <laughing>

[Scrapin Pat]

For me journaling is what scrapping is all about - capturing the story. I journal on most of my layouts. And frankly I love to write so it isn't hard. But there are times when I just want to highlight a great photo and I do so without the captioning. However it is usually part of a book that has a journaling page near by to tell the details. I rarely do random pages. Even when I do challenges here I try to make it fit this years album or something I am working on. I have an on going family album that I keep up with pretty well. Other projects are usually small gift albums or a special trip or whatever and they have a story to be told in themselves. I guess its hard for me not to journal.

[sunnie2004]

Sandiemcr, on 29 April 2005 - 10:02 PM, said:

Do you ever do a layout with no journalling at all? How do you justify it? Do you think that some pictures require no journalling? How important is the story to you?

Doing a story on a layout is not important to me at all. I prefer to let the layout tell the story. I very rarely journal and I am absolutely fine with it. I think scrappin s a personal choice and it is the person who is doing the layout to portray (sp?) it to be what ever they wish. I have a hard time with journaling unless I am forced to. I also prefer the layouts that do not have the frames flowers and embellishments. Iprefer the ones that are extracted and blended and showcase what I was trying to do with the layout. JMO