I create annual yearbooks and vacation yearbooks…and I am WAAAAY behind on both! I am currently working on a 2013 vacation book about a combined business/pleasure trip to England. We started in London and then, while I attended meetings in Bristol and Birmingham, my guys toured those cities plus everywhere they could reach on a tour bus (Stonehenge, Bath, Stratford-on-Avon, etc.).
We all had a great time but it was hard to consolidate pictures from multiple cameras. In fact, I was halfway through the album when we realized that there were TONS of pics my husband took on our waterproof camera (I didn’t even remember that we took that with us!). When I started working on the scrapbook, I realized that I was seeing the “data” from an informal experiment…more on that below
Take journaling notes during or right after vacation
I try to take some journaling notes on vacation. When the day is over and we are relaxing in our room, I write down the date and scribble notes on what we did that day, what we saw, funny things that happened, and if one of our group had a particularly big “WOW!” moment. Usually, it only takes 15 minutes and may only be a few sentences. If it was a very busy day with lots of events, it might be a bit more. It’s easiest if I look at the pics on the camera to remember where we went. The notes are SO helpful when it’s time to put scrapbook pages and journaling together!
So what was the unintentional experiment?
As I worked on the first part of the scrapbook (London), I referred to my notes…and the pages flew along. Then I got to the pictures where we were in Bristol. I had been in a meeting in Bristol, and the guys had been sightseeing and taking pictures…but they took no notes.
I had trouble knowing which pictures went with which location. I grouped the printed pics by date according to the digital file info, then laid them out on the table. I asked the guys to tell me about the pictures. They remembered many of the pictures and could identify what they were (“That was Bath.”). But there was no richness in their description, no funny stories, no excitement at what they saw. And there were many pics for which they could only say, “I think that was in X city, but I don’t remember anything about it,” or “One of these houses was where Shakespeare lived and one was his daughter’s house, but I’m not sure which is which.” I had waited too long to take notes on THEIR memories and now they have faded.
Using what info I had, I started the Bristol pages. It was like climbing a steep hill to put those pages together. They are fine: nice pages, good layout, nice pictures. But to me, they feel like a birthday cake without frosting…yummy but a little “blah.”
The results of my unintentional experiment? 1) Journaling notes make it EASIER to create scrapbook pages of events; 2) You need input on journaling notes from those who took the pictures; 3) Don’t wait to get that input…either during the trip or right after!
How to avoid “blah” journaling
- Try to take notes during your trip. You don’t need a fancy notebook!
- Half-used spiral notebook from one of the kids from last school year
- Paper pad or stack of paper in the suitcase
- Note app on your smart phone (dictate! Ignore spelling!)
- Save your notes with the pictures and other memorabilia. I use a photo box, scrapbook box, file folder, etc.
- Sort digital pictures as soon as you can but don’t wait years! Put them into folders named by the day and location (“Aug 12-Bristol”).
- Type notes into your word processing program and save them along with the pictures, if you prefer.
Don’t let time fly by…
Unfortunately, if you are scrapbooking older pictures, especially family pictures, there are people, locations, and events you may never identify. Recently, I have been scanning hundreds of printed pics from my parents’ many boxes of photos. Sadly, my parents have passed, so I am up uploading these to a shared online storage and asking aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. to help identify them. If you still have access to people who can identify older photos, take time to do so! Again, you are preserving family history for your children and future generations.
Does anyone have other ideas or suggestions about making journaling easier? Please share!
Happy Scrapping!
Marsha
Marsha's Scrappin' Circle 