One of our most treasured possessions is memories, yet, most of us have no idea how to keep them. Some write in their dairies, other record notes on their calendars or in digital organizers, but only a few creative ones scrap. Just as pieces stitched together in a quilt warm our bodies, scrapbooking binds together memories to warm our hearts.
Scrapbooking is simply a method for preserving personal and family history in the form of a scrapbook. What makes it different from regular photo albums, is that in addition to photos, scrapbooks usually contain extensive journaling and decorating. One thing that all good scrapbook pages do is that they tell a story. "It doesn't necessarily need to be a work of art or take a lot of time to be special," said 48-year-old Nadia El-Melegy. "Just as long as you pair a photo that represents a special moment to you with words that bring that moment to life, you are scrapbooking," added El-Melegy, a house wife who has been scrapbooking for eight years.
"Scrapbooking can be therapeutic for the person creating the page, as well as for the person looking at the album," explained therapist Sherine Abdel-Khalik."It helps you keep track of different developments and milestones, process difficult events and learn how to reframe experiences.”
It is therapeutic to create and put together memories in a visually pleasing format," she said. When you are going through tough challenges in life, "it helps to process the events by writing about them and including photos where possible. It helps when you are able to write your story the way you want it to be told," she added.
"Find the right photos that focus on personality and relationships, because after all, it's the people we love who matter the most," explained Mariem Nagy, a marketer and a fellow scrapper. Examine the picture, and decide what theme you want your layout to have. "You can pull your color inspiration from your picture," she added. Or you might also choose your color scheme based on your theme, such as red for Christmas or pink for a baby girl.
But most importantly, Nagy explained, "think about the story you want to tell and come up with a title for it." Recalling people, emotions and stories can help in so many ways. "It helps prevent depression, dementia and gives a person a sense of purpose," said Abdel Khalik. Moreover, "relaxing while doing something creative can take your mind off of other things that may be worrying you," she added.
Searching aisles of papers and cardstocks, examining die-cuts, stickers, scissors and pens, can be frustrating at times. But once you are familiar with the basic supplies you need, you can focus on what suits your style and desired results. "And if you take a friend or a family member along, you will find it much easier and perhaps fun," added El-Melegy.
Start by finding your focal point.
When looking at a group of photos, you will often find one that stands out and steals the attention, that's the focal point of the page. "It is that one picture that tells the story best or captures the right sentiments you want to illustrate," explained El-Melegy.
Journaling is one of the key elements of a successful layout and should be treated as an important part of the overall design. However, "for many scrapbookers it is the most intimidating element and sadly it is often left undone," explained Nagy.
But, the fact remains, a scrapbook without journaling is merely a fancy photo album." It doesn’t always have to be in the paragraph format to be effective," she added. Begin by deciding exactly what you want to say. The rule is that the writing should describe the events taking place in the pictures you are using. "I had no idea when I started scrapbooking that it would one day become an important record that I needed to reference for medical reasons," explained Nagy.
"When my son was struggling as a toddler and we were working with a speech therapist, he wanted to know about different development milestones in my son's life," she said. After Nagy's son was diagnosed with autism, the family had to fill out endless forms with questions about his developmental milestones. "His doctors were always impressed with the amount of information I had in my scrape books and it certainly made things much easier," she added.
But even though you might not always need your scrapbooks for medical reasons, "It is still very helpful to have an overview of your life on hand so that you would be able to actually see progress, changes and how you overcome obstacles and difficulties in life," said Abdel Khalik.
"You can use a computer to type what you want; it will allow you to change the font, formatting and edit the wording until you have a combination that you are happy with, said El-Melegy.
When choosing a design format, take into consideration the mood you are trying to create, the amount of space you have and the amount of text you wish to include. "Just as what you have to say is important, the way in which you say it, is also important," she said. Think outside the box: write points instead of a complete sentence or paragraph, repeat or highlight certain phrases or words for added emphases and try to include the date, if possible, for accuracy.
By writing points, your journaling will be easy to read and highlights the most significant information right away. However, there will be times when you simply run out of words. "Don't strain yourself; leave your writing space blank and come back to it later," she explained.
"Just make sure you remember to do so," she added. A good guideline is to leave about half a photo space per page for your journaling. Besides, there are plenty other methods other than you writing it yourself. "You can use poems, quotes or sayings you have in mind, whatever you think fits the idea or theme you have in mind," she further explained.
Short link: