What Matters Monday {with Chelle}
The other night I was relaxing in a bubble bath, browsing through the December issue of Scrapbook TRENDS magazine. The front cover features a layout with an adorable little girl obviously thrilled about Christmas. The journaling reads something like “You are a believer. I love to see the delight in your big brown eyes.” I really didn’t take much note of it until I turned to page 12. A page titled “Cover Story” where Stephanie Howell, the author of the cover layout had written:
“This past Christmas will be one I will remember for a long time for several reasons. My husband was in Afghanistan and I was bound and determined to make the holiday very special for my girls. Harper, being two, was really old enough to enjoy and anticipate Christmas. She brought tears to my eyes on several different occasions during the holiday season. The first time was when she saw Santa Claus and ran through the mall screaming “Santa! It’s me! Harper! I love you!” The second time was when I had the joy of witnessing her big brown eyes grow wide as she saw the Christmas tree at my parents’ home for the first time. That is when I snapped these photos. Watching her, I longed for the days when I believed. (I do still believe in the meaning of Christmas, but being an adult can be complicated.) Oh to be two, and to purely believe with all of your heart – to feel the magic and the joy and to feel it with abandon.”
That is what matters. The story. The story that should be part of that layout.
A while back, Kate shared this quote with us:
If you don’t journal, then you aren’t scrapbooking, you’re just showcasing a photo
Hmm….maybe I have a few too many “showcase a photo” layouts.
Shortly after I was married, my mother-in-law asked me to help her organize her photos. As we sorted through photos, I discovered a hospital newborn portrait. I could tell it was one of her two youngest sons, but when I asked her which one, she couldn’t tell either. In photos where the children were older, it was obvious. However, when we got to the photos of her husband’s aunts as young women, once again we couldn’t tell who was who. Remember you won’t always be around to show off your scrapbooks. Recording those stories, those details, is almost more important than preserving the photos. Recording the stories is what matters.
If journaling on your layouts is intimidating, here are a couple of tips:
Check out this WMM blog post from Jen. She has a short list of ideas to jump start your journaling.
Tell Me More (a journaling class) is starting today at ScrapMatters. It’s not too late to join us. You get this fabulous mega kit, 20 daily lessons, weekly freebies, access to a private class forum, and encouragement and support to make journaling a habit in your scrapbooking. Sign up here. Oh, and use this code to get $5 off: tellmemore_5
Remember to record the story. It’s what matters.
–Chelle
Tags: What Matters Monday
January 4th, 2010 at 12:06 pm
Chelle this is awesome! I also have a few too many showcased photos!
January 5th, 2010 at 2:27 pm
Gorgeous kit Chelle!! I love it! I so agree about the story being so important. Everyday it becomes more obvious that telling the story IS the whole point of scrapping!