It was a beautiful Friday afternoon. The sun played peek-a-boo behind the clouds. My daughter, Syvonne, had prepared a gourmet picnic meal with apparent ease. The guests were arriving and being ushered to the picnic area by my two little grandsons, Nicholas and Nathan. I was a beaming mother and grandmother, savoring the moment.
Earlier in the week, my daughter’s family had driven for two days, arriving unannounced, just to surprise me for my birthday. When I saw two little boys standing at the front door, I thought to myself, “They certainly do look like Nick and Nate. Hmmm, I wonder where they live.” It wasn’t until they exclaimed, “Surprise, Grandma!” that I fully comprehended who they were! From that moment on, the week was filled with cherished memories.
While I am a planner and a detail person, my daughter is spontaneous. She suggested that we have a party. “Oh, it will be fun, Mom, and we can have a picnic outside by the lake!” Since I had advertised a two-day garage sale, I was reluctant to take on another activity. Not to be deterred, she insisted that she would take care of everything and instructed me to enjoy spending time with my grandsons.
Ten months later, I have just completed the first digital scrapbook page documenting my favorite summer memory. Fortunately, I had written down my thoughts and observations which will serve as a treasure trove of inspiration as I design layouts using the remaining photos taken during the week.
If you neglect to jot down notes during your upcoming summer adventures, you may have difficulty recalling the details to include with the photographs when you finally sit down to scrap them. So here are my creative journaling tips for you to put into practice this summer:
- Don’t stress over taking copious notes while enjoying the occasion. Take “mental notes” and observations.
- When you have a quiet moment, maybe at the end of the day after everyone has gone to bed, simply write down a few words describing some standout moments: snippets of conversation, your impressions of the place or the event, etc.
- An easy way to prompt yourself toward creative journaling is to aim for the five senses: what did you see, hear, taste, touch, or smell. These triggers will move you past the basic facts of the event. Often, scrappers fill their journal entries with just the facts—who, what, where, and when. That’s a good start, but it’s so easy to add just a bit more detail and really bring the layout to life.
- Journaling blocks are amazing venues to document your feelings, your observations, and endearing conversations. Quips from children make for amazing journal material. On the layout below, I chose to use a series of photos of Nick sipping his cranberry juice “margarita,” while carrying on a very serious adult conversation with a family friend. The pictures alone are cute, but the added journaling invites you into the scene and provides the humor that makes the photos even more memorable.
- Finally, if you need some additional help in a journaling block, then employ quotes, song lyrics, or poems to describe your summer adventures. You can find an endless supply of options if you search the Internet for quotes, lyrics, or poetry along with your topic (such as summer, swimming, camping, etc.).
As you are taking pictures and making notes about your summer activities, keep in mind the things that will help preserve your memories in the most interesting way to help lead you to creative journaling later. Remember to let your friends at Scrap Girls have a look at your summer fun, too! Upload your digital scrapbook layouts to the Gallery so we can share the joys of summer with you.
Digital scrapbooking products used:
Tutorial written by Joyce Schardt