1. Home
  2. Scrapbooking
  3. Journaling in memory albums

Journaling in memory albums

This may sound strange, but I'm going to ask it anyways. :-) For those of you that have done special memory books as gifts, how do you go about doing the journaling? Well, here's the situation first, maybe that will help. I'm starting a ministry memory book for my parents (Dad's a pastor), and right now, the plan is to give it to them for Christmas. This will be a surprise for them, so I can't exactly ask them for their opinion. Basically, I'm having people send cards &/or letters for Mom & Dad, but I'm putting them in a memory album. The pages with cards or letters I don't plan on journaling on, unless I have pictures to go with them and then I'll journal for the pictures. There will be pages throughout the book talking about the different churches Dad's pastored in, special mission trips, etc. Those pages will have journaling, and probably lots of it, too! LOL I'm one of those first-person journalers, but maybe that's not the way to go in this case? And should I say "Mom & Dad" or "you" in the journalling? For instance, should I say "Dad was pastor at [name of church]..." or should I say "You were pastor at [name of church]..." Clear as mud? LOL Any insight to this quandry would be much appreciated.

Reply to
Deb in AR
Loading thread data ...

I don't have any advice since I'm still trying to get a handle on it myself, but I just wanted to say what a sweet gift! They will love it!!

Reply to
Shannon Bonenfant

I'm sure they will. When Mom finds out just how much conspiring I've done to pull this off, I'll be in trouble! LOL My sis has really helped me out in getting addresses (under the pretense of transposing Mom's address book into a database for Mother's Day), and she also got her hands on several pics that Mom had. Mom gets the pictures back AFTER I give them the book! hehehehe I can be so sneeky....

Reply to
Deb in AR

Deb, In most of the books I have done as gifts, I usually titled each layout and then made a creative box for them to journal. In cases where I knew the occasion or was familiar with the circumstances. I would journal my recollections of the day or person. When I did a 7 x 7 album of pictures I had of a dear friend's beloved pet that they lost due to cancer, I journaled on a page of her and the puppy when she first got her. What I recalled with great fondness was how my friend would take the puppy out in the rain, holding an umbrella over her so she would not get wet. She just would not GO In the rain:-)

Hugs, Sabrina in Kentucky

Lord,keep your arm around my shoulder.......and your hand over my mouth

Reply to
Sabrina

I'm in the process of doing a book for my cousin, her Bridal Shower. I am actually writing it from her perspective. I figured it was her book, and in a sense more of her life memories.

Reply to
valerie ramano

Deb, I just finished 18 pages in an 8 1/2 x 11 album that was a going away present for one of our dear employees. He's been with us since we bought the store and just graduated HS and is going into the Navy. His coworkers gave me most of the pictures and I wasn't sure what to say. I had asked them to give me something but only a couple did so I guess I was in the same situation you are. I found myself wanting to write from my perspective. I tried to make sure I was general or informative about a picture. So instead of saying "we went bowling when my niece and nephew came to town", I said "When Patty's niece xxx and nephew xxx came to town, we all went bowling". I don't know if this helps much but wanted to give you my view since I just did one similar.

Reply to
Patty H

Deb queried:

should I say "Dad was pastor at [name of

The album I did for my parents' 40th anniversary several years ago was one of my first, so I hadn't discovered "journaling". I labeled each photo w/ "who, what, when & where" & used my parents' names when they were in the pic (instead of "mom & dad"). I started the album by including the letter I sent out to friends & family asking for pics & memories, so all that followed would make sense to my parents (& anyone else looking at the album).

Scattered thruout the album I did have occasional text boxes labeled "Bud's Memories" (my dad; I have lots of his family stories & info on tape) or "Alicia's Memories" (things I'd write to go along with a particular picture that I wanted to tell the story behind). Flipping back thru the album, actually there's only one "Bud's Memories" blurb (written in 3rd person; it was of something that happened before I was born) & the rest are mine (written first person from my point of view).

(OK, I suppose that would be considered journaling , but I'm comparing it to my latest album, which was done completely in a journaling format [inspired by y'all here -- thanks!], as opposed to a little bit every few pages.)

The album is in chronological order, so interspersed among the photos belonging to my parents & I were letters & photos from friends (where they fit chronologically, when possible).

I ended with a "Happy Anniversary" letter to my folks.

Best of luck, Deb! Sounds like a great project. Enjoy your stroll down memory lane as you work on it.

Alicia

Reply to
AMc in CA

Thank you all for your insight into this. I think I'm going to go with how Patty suggested. I think that will work wonderfully for future generations. Oh shoot...I just remembered I used "Mom & Dad" on the title page. The good news is that I can redo the title page. WOOHOO! :-) Thank you all for your suggestions. I knew I could count on RCS to straighten me out!

Reply to
Deb in AR

When I did a Wedding and a baby album for my brother and his wife, I journalled from their view point what I could and left spaces for them to write on the pages I didn't.

Teresa in MD

Reply to
Tazmadazz

InspirePoint website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.