As a scrapbooker, you take on the important job of becoming your family's historian. That fact makes me crazy with excitement. We document memories, milestones, and special events. In the future, the books we create serve as evidence of the lives we led. Who will reference your albums as a place for reminiscing? Will they find validation, confidence, and love? Or will they find a box of pictures with little significance?
Almost a year ago, my grandmother passed away. Before her passing, I would sit by her side, photo album in hand, asking her questions of the people in the photos. She would tell me stories of some... but for others, far too much time had passed. Before her funeral, my uncle handed me five albums and two boxes full of pictures. My job was to scan them all, separate them into families, and put them onto CDs. Sorting thousands of photos with an occasional documented date or name became a hard task. Who were these people? What was the story behind these photos? How do they relate to me? I wish I knew. I didn't even recognize my own father in multiple photos.
This experience validated the reasons why we scrapbook. It hit my very core. I can't go back in time, but starting today I can choose to document the occasions of my life. I can make the decision to add journaling, titles, and dates to my pictures and pages. I can push myself to add emotion and passion to my journaling. Because one day, near or far, someone will pick up the albums I've created to discover the good, the bad, the happy, and the sad. I want them to find the friends and family that surrounded me, the jobs that challenged me, the events that pushed me... I hope they find me. And them. May my children find validation of my love and confidence in them. I hope to sit beside them one day and talk about my life stories... using my scrapbooks as triggers for the memories.
What will your family find? What motivated you to begin scrapbooking?
Whew... sorry about that long ramble of intensity. Like I stated earlier, I'm passionate about leaving a legacy through scrapbooking. If you're new to the hobby, want to start an album for your family, or want to dig deeper into reasons why to scrapbook, I encourage you to take my 4-week Scrapbooking 101 Class. It's become one of my favorite classes to teach. With each class 2-8 more family historians are created, leaving our doors with the confidence, resources, and inspiration to begin.
The above layout is inspiration for a title page of a family heritage album. It includes a few pictures of the family the reader will discover, the family's name, and quotes on ancestry. Title pages tell your reader what to expect within the pages of the album. Karen Foster has a nice selection of family themed papers and embellishments for all preferences and styles... from antique, like above, to fun, bold colors. Stop into Creations Galore to learn more about these selections and creating your own family album.
Happy Scrapping!
Nicole
