began to swing. Soon it was swinging as far left as possible.
became what I call “The Perfect Layout.” You know the ones. They feature one perfect
photo, one emotionally charged word (i.e. Beauty or Dream) and handfuls of perfectly
placed embellishments. The collateral damage from the pendulum swing toward
“Perfect Layouts” is the storytelling.
"It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Imagine, then,
the worth of a photo along with a thousand words—invaluable!"
We need to work together to bring back the genesis of this hobby of scrapbooking—
storytelling. The pendulum must rest in the middle where the best of all is
encouraged. We need to encourage customers to embrace layouts that tell our
stories, which capture the everyday moments in life, where the living really takes place,
as well as the milestones. The impact of storytelling has the potential to extend the
distance our voice travels. We have an opportunity to share our gifts of guidance and
wisdom long after we’re gone. Layout after layout with one word telling a child he’s
beautiful can only go so far. Scrapbook pages should be used to tell what it is that we
find beautiful about our children, what our dreams are for them, what we hope for them
and what we hope for ourselves.
career and nurturing a marriage,
"I want him to be able to open up his scrapbooks and hear my
voice telling him that his dad and I understand what he’s feeling.
In those pages he’ll find guidance, and our parenting love will be
extended."
We categorize many of today’s layouts as Art, which somehow diminishes journaling
as a creative expression. Underestimating the importance of telling your story through
written word is similar to choosing to leave out spices when making pasta sauce.
Sure, you’ll end up with sauce, but is it as good as it could be?
pendulum rests peacefully and beautifully in the middle. That’s a good place to be.
Used by permission: Deann McDaniel, owner of MyFourSons Productions and (wearestorytellers.
com), an online digital scrapbooking community. This article appeared in the June/July 2008 issue
of Scrapbook Retailer magazine.
GET SET
1. Make a list of albums you want to create and then decide
which one you will begin with first: (heritage, vacations,
family, pets, treasures, church history or club album, baby
book, etc.)
2. Purchase necessary supplies. Again, you will want to use
photo-safe products. An option is to create a story book
album, a hardcover book. Scan photos and memorabilia and
upload them to Put links in for Pickaboo, Kodak & Creative
Memories.
GO!
1. Set time aside each week to work on your albums whether
it’s adhering photos to pages, or working with digital images
on your computer. Be sure to journal about the people, places
and personal stories.
2. Don’t stress over creating a magazine layout, unless you
hold a degree in graphic art.
3. Follow your own inclinations to keep it simple or get
elaborate.
4. Remember that the most important thing is to capture and
document your memories.
1. Make a list of albums you want to create and then decide
which one you will begin with first: (heritage, vacations,
family, pets, treasures, church history or club album, baby
book, etc.)
2. Purchase necessary supplies. Again, you will want to use
photo-safe products. An option is to create a story book
album, a hardcover book. Scan photos and memorabilia and
upload them to Put links in for Pickaboo, Kodak & Creative
Memories.
GO!
1. Set time aside each week to work on your albums whether
it’s adhering photos to pages, or working with digital images
on your computer. Be sure to journal about the people, places
and personal stories.
2. Don’t stress over creating a magazine layout, unless you
hold a degree in graphic art.
3. Follow your own inclinations to keep it simple or get
elaborate.
4. Remember that the most important thing is to capture and
document your memories.
WHEN THE PENDULUM RESTS
Deann McDaniel
Deann McDaniel
Created by Lisa. wearestorytellers,com
GET READY (Cont. From Scrapbooking Page)
1. Gather all of your photos and memorabilia into one place.
(The dining room table works.)
2. Begin putting photos in chronological order. (By decade
if you have a lifetime of photos and memorabilia to sort.)
Don't give up - this is the most challenging part!
3. Sort and store photos in a photo safe box, such as the
Power
Sort by Creative Memories.
1. Gather all of your photos and memorabilia into one place.
(The dining room table works.)
2. Begin putting photos in chronological order. (By decade
if you have a lifetime of photos and memorabilia to sort.)
Don't give up - this is the most challenging part!
3. Sort and store photos in a photo safe box, such as the
Power
Sort by Creative Memories.
I was introduced to modern-day scrapbooking nearly 20
years ago. We were invited into someone’s home to
attend a class and then guided through the process of
taking our photos out of boxes and placing as many as
we could on a 12x12 page. We were encouraged to
journal, if only to add captions and dates, ensuring that
we would remember names and events. We added
minimal decorations so we didn’t distract from
preserving our memories.
This went on until the marketplace expanded and
dedicated scrapbook stores and magazines appeared.
Almost overnight, scrappers were introduced to a
years ago. We were invited into someone’s home to
attend a class and then guided through the process of
taking our photos out of boxes and placing as many as
we could on a 12x12 page. We were encouraged to
journal, if only to add captions and dates, ensuring that
we would remember names and events. We added
minimal decorations so we didn’t distract from
preserving our memories.
This went on until the marketplace expanded and
dedicated scrapbook stores and magazines appeared.
Almost overnight, scrappers were introduced to a
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |