Blog Index, page 4

Family Records

Family History
Family Reunion Calendars
Heritage Albums
Not Your Grandma's Journal!
A Book of Remembrance
Book of Remembrance FAQs
Kid-Sized Personal Histories
Family History Albums

Scrapbooking
Holiday Photo Tips
Photo Preservation Tips
Fast, Beautiful Album Pages
Be Organized And Do Fast Pages
Awesome Family Vacation Albums and Journaling!
Photo Capturing Your Pets
Fabulous Journaling and Merger Layouts
Baby Album Page Layouts
Touch of Class: Graduation Layouts
Family Albums
Simple Hand-Drawn Scrapbook Borders
Page Layouts with Hearts, Stars and Circles
Scrapbook Layout: The Balance Game
Fast, Beautiful Album Pages
Family History Albums

Women's History
They Shall Call You Blessed (Grandma)
Homemaking Journals (Aunt Phala)
10 Things I Learned from My Mom (Mamma)
Country Girl (Grandma)
A Time to Die (Grandma)

Family Night
Do You Know Your Family?
Family Reunion Calendars
Christmas in July
Resurrection Eggs
St. Patrick's Day FHE
Including Family History

Newsletters
Church Newsletter Ideas

Fast, Beautiful Album Pages

I did a whole album using this method.  It caught me up really fast--the layout pictured above is a good example.  This process will help you get your scrapbooks done FAST in seven easy steps!

1. Sort your photos for each scrapbook page so you can work on an album in short time increments:

a. Eliminate blurry photos and duplicates.

b. Separate photos in chronological order by the events they depict or perhaps into pages (5 to 7 for each page).

c. Store them in separate envelopes or files.

2. Be selective so your album is a showcase of your best photos:

a. In order to save time and space, choose only the best of what is basically a series of the same shot.

b. Put the rest aside to create additional albums for family members or friends.

3. Use "speed tools":

Rotary trimmers, personal trimmers, and a mat and blades to cut circles and ovals are all you need to crop most of your photos.  

b. If you limit yourself to these cropping tools for most of your layouts, you will save a lot of time and effort.

4. Have a plan when you crop:

a. Train yourself to quickly select one or two photos that will look good cropped as circles or other patterns and cut them out.

b. Straight-cut the rest and move on!

5. Crop your photos first and make layout decisions later so your pages go together more quickly:

a. Presort your photos into envelopes for each album page.

b. Grab an envelope and crop the photos whenever you have a free minute watching television or whatever.

c. Worry about layout, journaling and page decorating later.

6. Make journaling a priority:

a. Words add meaning, depth and value to your scrapbook photo album.  "Who, What, Where, When" journaling gets the job done in no time flat.

b. Bullet journaling is making a list of descriptive phrases or sentences that capture the essence of the photo or group of photos.  Mark each thought with a bullet such as a small sticker or punch.

7. "Done is better than perfect":

a. Remember this motto and don't get bogged down.

b. People love looking at the pictures and reading the journaling.

c. Getting too caught up in the fun of the "craft" of scrapbooking obscures what is fundamentally most important--to preserve your precious photographs and memories.

(Adapted from Creative Memories' Fast Formulas 1998, pp. 4-5).

The album design I used for fast pages (yet attractive pages) involves strips and triangles of card stock.  Then you embellish with stickers or die cuts.  Voila!  You're Done!

Creative Memories' Fast Formulas 1998

Page Layouts With Hearts, Stars and Circles

Here's a fun idea for those post-Valentine's Day photos, engagement/wedding photos, Mother's Day or any someone-you-love photos.  The die-cut hearts, templates and colored paper make it quick and easy!  Some layout ideas for stars and circles are shown below.

TIP:  Use pigma pens (like Zig) to make the dots around circles.

Kid-Sized Personal Histories

I know I got this page from the Friend Magazine, I just can't find the link!  The parent fills in the top part and the child fills in the bottom part.   This is awesome for just getting a few interesting memories down quickly during Family Night or a Sunday afternoon.  Be sure to put them in the personal history portion of the family book of remembrance (family history album).  This page is a great way to involve children in making their own books of remembrance by beginning their own personal history.  This might help them write experiences that are meaningful to them now.

Here are some other ideas and links for including family history on family night:

1. Prepare a small section of the family book of remembrance (personal histories section?) with key photos interspersed with appropriate comments to illustrate the growth and development of your family.  Share this often.  Small children will especially enjoy listening to family experiences being shared.  Go through family pictures, baby books, souvenirs--when children were too young to remember--incidents they will enjoy hearing about such as my eldest child's first smile, or how she would look out the window on a winter's day while Dad was fixing the car and yell "Da!" over and over and was thrilled when he would take time to wave back.  Or after my son experienced riding in a big rig with his dad he from then on would point and yell, "Truck!" whenever he saw another big rig.  Or the middle child who would always exclaim, "I need a hug!" when she sensed she might be in trouble.
2. Family history can be interesting and colorful.  Even children, who can't write yet can start a book of remembrance.  Let them tell you what their drawings represent, and write a caption underneath the pictures.  For instructions visit "Picture Journals."
3. Collaboratively as a family or on their own, write "What we remember best about our life in our family," even if they are not necessarily spiritual but made you and the family happy.
4. "25 Terrific Ideas for Family History Fun" is a great source for family home evenings, especially for teens.

Book of Remembrance FAQs

This is placed in front of the FGR section of my Book of Remembrance. 

Sacred family records should be prepared by inspiration and as described in the helpful guide, The Priesthood Genealogy Program Booklet, a book of remembrance could contain the following:

Personal Records:  A personal record for each family member showing the highlights of his or her life.  Each child should be encouraged to complete his own personal record.

For your own portion of the family book of remembrance, write the story of your life, including the influence each child has had on you as he has come into your family.  This makes a nice gift for each family member to have a copy.

Family History and Biography:  Family Group Records (FGR) showing the complete families of all names listed on the pedigree chart and all temple ordinance work completed or in progress on the direct lines.  A good beginning for this section of the book of remembrance would be the Four-Generation family group records.

For a nice Christmas gift, make a family record containing genealogical information for each of your children and grandchildren.  Record all important dates and a brief description of important events in the lives of each one.

Pedigree Charts:  A pedigree chart showing the direct ancestry of the family for at least four generations should be placed in the book.  As additional information is gathered it should be added to this chart to complete the family record as far back as the direct family ancestry can be traced.

Include special letters saved, like the newsletter my grandmother wrote every year for as long as I can remember.  It summed up the year (each and every baby born) but also included memories, testimony, and love.  Reading ancestor's feelings about life binds a family closer together.

Sacred Personal and Family Experiences:  Sacred personal experiences which would be faith promoting for future generations.  Sacred personal and family experiences would include those faith promoting or spiritual experiences which have brought you and your family closer to the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The Spirit of the Holy Ghost will dictate to you which of those spiritual experiences you may wish to share with family members to help increase their testimonies of the Gospel.

Spiritual and faith promoting experiences could include the following types of principles, activities or events:

• Your personal testimony of the Gospel
• Your Missionary experiences
• Your conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ
• Inspirational experiences with spiritual leaders and friends (i.e. inspirational stories and experiences, great church leaders known or met, personal testimony and feelings about such occasions).
• Special blessings such as patriarchal blessings and father's blessings
• Church job/position related experience
• Interpretation of favorite scriptures (for instance I have collected scriptures about homemaking, my chosen profession)
• Personal and family testimonies of gospel ordinances such as Baptism, Gift of the Holy Ghost, The Priesthood, The endowment and sealing ordinances.  Don't forget to ask the clerk's office for an official blessing certificate, baptismal certificate, etc.  These are great to copy and include in your book of remembrance.  (Include impressions at the time you were baptized, confirmed, gave a first testimony, attended a significant church meeting such as a solemn assembly, took out your own endowments in the temple, temple marriage).
• Personal and family testimonies of Gospel Principles/Personal Characteristics, (i.e.  Faith, Love, Prayer, Tithing, Baptism, Revelation, Hope, Reverence, Kindness, Repentance, Service, Integrity, Obedience, The Holy Ghost, Gifts of the Spirit, Patience, Well prepared talks, Understanding
• Write your testimony, not the formal type, but just how you feel now--at age 8, 14, 25, 40, 65, 80, etc.

A Book of Remembrance

I'm sharing a handout I found and followed faithfully.  I found it in March 2004 from a web address that's no longer available.  Please note, only copies of official records such as blessings and patriarchal blessing should be included in your Book of Remembrance.  The originals should be placed in a fire-safe place.

You are encouraged to work on your individual Book of Remembrance at least once a month such as on the Sabbath and during Family Home Evening.  A Book of Remembrance should not be a scrapbook.  Rather, it should be something that would be spiritually uplifting and faith promoting for future generations.  It should rate second only to the written scriptures.  It is your own "personal scriptures" of your life and the Lord's dealings with you.  The Lord distinguishes between the righteous and the wicked, in part at least, by their diligence in recording His dealings with them (Doctrine and Covenants 85: 9-10).  Your Book of Remembrance is a physical witness to the Lord that you are keeping His commandments.  It should be used along with the scriptures in teaching the gospel to the family.

What we record in our Book of Remembrance may be recorded in heaven.  Let us therefore, offer unto the Lord, when it is finished, a book containing the records of our families which shall be worthy of acceptance.  (Doctrine and Covenants 128)  In 1 Nephi, chapter 3, Lehi commands his sons to go back to Jerusalem and obtain their Book of Remembrance (the plates of brass in the house of Laban) and they did murmur, saying it is a hard thing which he required of them.  Lehi replied saying, I have not required it of them but it is a commandment of the Lord.

The following steps are nothing more than a suggested outline for those who are not sure where to start.  Write down the month you begin and each month you work on your Book of Remembrance.

MONTH:

• Write your personal testimony.  (I LOVE this article from the Ensign!  It's an easy way to get started on a personal history and if that's all you do, it's better than nothing!  Carol Huber, "One-Hour Life History," Ensign, June 1994, 54)
• List positions held in the church.
• Start on your pedigree chart.
• Write some spiritual experiences of a sacred nature from your own life.
• Begin to compile addresses, phone numbers and email addresses of family members who may have information you will need regarding your family history.

MONTH:

• Complete a Family Group Record (FGR) for your family.
• Work on FGR's where husband and wife appear as children (2 sheets).
• Make contacts or write letters that will give you missing information on your pedigree chart and/or FGR's.
• Write down the spiritual goals you would like to achieve as a family.

MONTH:

• Start FGR's for grandparents of both husband and wife,  (4 sheets--this makes a total of 7 sheets you've worked on and is known as your Third Generation set of FGR's).
• Continue on previous sheets where information was missing.  Write letters NOW to get missing names and dates.
• Start your personal history.  Start with the first 20 years of your life.  (Do not attempt to make it so lengthy that it becomes a chore.  Cover only the highlights of your life.  In some instances a paragraph may cover several years).

MONTH:

• Continue on first seven FGRs.  Verify if temple work has been done for deceased persons.
• Put Patriarchal Blessing in your book.  If you don't have one, make an appointment to talk to your bishop about getting one.  (For all you need to know about Patriarchal Blessings, read:  Robert K. Wagstaff, "When Should I Get My Patriarchal Blessing?," New Era, Aug. 2009, 10-12).
• Continue on personal history.
• If you attend a family reunion, plan ahead to take your sheets with a list of missing information you need to complete them.

MONTH:

• Work more on your personal history--finish as soon as possible.
• Start on FGR for grandparents of both husband's and wife's mother.  The husband and wife should now have a total of 15 sheets.  When completed, you will have completed your Fourth Generation family history.
• Gather pictures for a Picture Pedigree Chart.

MONTH:

• Include special certificates in your Book of Remembrance such as birth certificates, ordinances, etc.).
• Gather any known spiritual experiences of your ancestors.
• Write a few paragraphs about each of your children.  Mention some of their virtues and capabilities.  You may want to have a page for each child and add to it from time to time.

MONTH:

• If not covered already, write down sacred experiences in the lives of your children.  It need not be meaningful or even impressive to everyone, just to your family.  Examples are:  prayers answered, miraculous recovery from illness, etc.
• Continue on to complete FGR's and other items not done yet.

MONTH:

• Brethern include your Priesthood line of authority.  You need only to give your line of authority for the highest office you hold within the Priesthood.  Sisters might want to include line of authority of person who baptized and confirmed her.
• If not done already, organize your Book of Remembrance in a logical way.  For example:  Title Page, Introduction, Table of Contents, Personal Records, Life Story/ Biography, Genealogy (FGR's, pedigree charts, ancestor stories), Spiritual Record (blessings, answered prayers, testimony, spiritual experiences, church activities/callings), Family Life and Traditions, etc.
• Check FGR's to see that temple work has been done for all deceased persons.

MONTH:

• Look at your Book of Remembrance--how do you feel about it?  Do you have a personal feeling that it is your very own?  Has it begun to represent the spiritual tone of your individual family?
• Should death take the father or mother, the pages of the Book of Remembrance should remain to reveal to the bereaved the spirit of that individual.

Congratulations!  Now keep your Book of Remembrance up-to-date as special events occur in the life of you and your family.  Make any necessary copies of things for your children.  Why not do some research on your fifth generations?  Or keep a blank book to record important experiences of all the family members in their own handwriting.

Here are some more scriptures regarding a Book of Remembrance:
Doctrine and Covenants 85: 9-10
Malachi 3:16-17
Rev. 20:12
Abraham 1:31
Rev. 1:11
Doctrine and Covenants 128

Achievement Days Country Fair

Blogging has helped me find spelling errors on my scrapbook pages!

This was probably the best event I've ever help to put on.  I found the idea on one of my favorite Mormon websites (don't recall which one).  We used it as a Recognition Night, just as Loralee Kurzius of Goldsboro, NC shared on whatever website this was found.  Everyone was to dress "old-fashioned countryish."  We too had the girls bring a dessert for judging.  They also brought anything they had done or made in Achievement Days so far that year.  We had sixteen girls and two Achievement Day leaders, so we did A LOT!

Loralee said that when the girls arrived, "they were free to wander, play and visit the first 30 minutes or so while

Family Albums

Elaine Cannon, former general Young Women president, said, "Our posterity has a right to know their roots without scrounging for them."  That's why I am dedicated to making sure I leave my own information so that my descendants won't have to work so hard to find out about me or our family and ancestors.  I consider it keeping my genealogy up-to-date! Here are my scrapbooking and family history posts, etc.

by Cathy Guisewite

Posts

Touch of Class Graduation Layouts

Baby Album Page Layouts

Photo Capturing Your Pet

Photo Preservation Tips

Recipe Album Layout

Holiday Photo Tips

Fast, Beautiful Album Pages

Be Organized And Do Fast Pages

Family Vacation Layouts and Journaling

Heritage Albums
Journaling and Merger Layouts

Page Layouts with Hearts, Stars and Circles
Scrapbook Layout: The Balance Game
Fast, Beautiful Album Pages

Family History Posts

Country Girl
Not Your Grandma's Journal

Ensign Classic Issue on Family History (Jan. 1977)

Do You Know Your Family? (FHE)

Family Reunion Calendars (FHE)
A Book of Remembrance
Book of Remembrance: A Sacred Family Record
Book of Remembrance FAQs
Kid-Sized Personal Histories (FHE)

Family History Quotes

Anyone can leave money to their children, grandchildren, etc.  But we are the only ones who can leave them our memories, and they are truly worth more than money. ~Ethel Jackson Price

If you are going to write about your days, you had better be doing something to write about. ~Caroline Eyring Miner

Three Best Family History Books
Scrapbooking with Memory Makers
This is literally the best scrapbooking book that I have found and I have looked at a lot of them.  I have gotten so many good ideas for pages in my albums, such as creative ideas for all the leftover photos.  (ISBN 0883639289)  
Family History Scrapbooking by Becky Higgins
Everything you need to know to get started (and be really organized) with family history scrapping. (ISBN 1933516623)
Timeless Treasures by Emilie Barnes
This is a charming little book that I kept (and I don't keep many) because of all the great family history ideas such as having everyone outline their hands on a sheet used as a Thanksgiving or Christmas Day tablecloth and then later embroidering this or turning it into a one-of-a-kind quilt.


Traditions

Stake/Ward-Branch/Home Visitor's Guest Book:  “The Lord has called a modern prophet, President Spencer W. Kimball. It is a great privilege to live at the same time as President Kimball. I remember when I was in Oklahoma with a man whose father had been a stake president there for about fourteen years. The stake president kept a visitor’s guest book for General Authorities and other special guests to sign. It was a pretty thick book, as I recall, and it had the signatures of Joseph Fielding Smith, Matthew Cowley, Adam S. Bennion, and other great leaders. There was space for the date and the person’s name, position, and hobby. Under one entry in 1954 I read these words: ‘Name—Spencer W. Kimball; position—Apostle; Hobby—I love people.’ I kept turning the pages, and I saw that President Kimball had revisited the stake ten years later. Except for the date, everything was the same, including ‘Hobby—I love people.’ I think when the prophet loves us so much, we can love him and pray for him too.”  ~Vaughn J. Featherstone, Friend, Aug-Sep 1984

Baby Album Page Layouts

Above is my version of "Cute as a Button" layout. I CANNOT BELIEVE I HAVEN'T JOURNALED THIS! This is evidence that one should journal the day a page is completed. I completed this ages ago, and I'm sure I don't remember a whole lot of what went on. The Creative Memory journaling prompts below might be helpful. They really delve into details--which is where I need to improve! (Layouts from 1996 Ed. Scrapbook Page Design and Layout Ideas, p. 24 and Creative Memories Idea Book, Vol. V, p. 26)

I used this example to complete the layout shown.

Photographic Time-Line of the baby's first year.

Baby Layout Journaling Prompts:

Who did you call first when you found out you were pregnant?

How long did you keep the secret?

What was hubby's reaction to the news?

How did the two of you select a name?

What noises does the baby make?

How long was the hospital visit?

Who were the first visitors?

Who has the baby inherited certain features from?

What are your future dreams for the baby?

Who does the baby look like?

What special things does the baby do?

Where does the baby seem the most content?

When does the baby sleep?

Touch of Class: Graduation Layouts

Oldest Child's Graduation Layout

I cut one scrapbook page in half with a paper cutter so that I could make a pocket page.  It is held on with adhesive.  I use a protector cover which I slip off to see the pocket contents which include momentos and cards.  Before filling the pocket, I decorated the page just like any other layout.

On my pocket page, I used only a few "Finishing Touches" using most of the space for pictures from graduation season.  The final touch will be my journaling penned in with fine-tip pens.  I have also typed up my journaling when I plan to write quite a bit.  It saves room.

Here's a tip for aligning your alphabet stickers:   Place them on the backing paper of leftover tape runner coated paper.  When ready, simply place the top half of the letters on the album page and remove the strip of coated paper.  Press down the lower half of your letters for a perfect title.  

Aligning Stickers

Layout by Cristine Zocchi

(Source: Creative Memories Vol. VI Scrapbook Page Design and Layout Ideas, p. 69 and p. 39).

Journaling and Merger Layouts

Journaling

I like rereading these old Idea Books from Creative Memories 'cause I'll always find something I haven't tried yet.  The journaling is something I do, but I have to admit it takes me a while to get around to it.  This is terrible because pictures need to be journaled while it's fresh in our minds, and besides how interesting are family photos without words?

"Bullet Journaling includes the who, what, where, when, and why written either under each photo or as a paragraph detailing events on an entire page.  It is normally a list of words, descriptive phrases or sentences that capture the main details of the event.

"Quick Captions and Comments journaling lets you reflect on what is happening in a photo and may tell why you took the photo.  Often, captions or subtitles can set a mood or tone, and they may describe what the thought and feelings of the pictures are.  Examples include quotations, anecdotes or poems.

"Storytelling is writing the facts or information of the event in paragraph form.  This provides a full illustration of the event and will capture more of the details.  If you are writing from the heart and sharing special feelings, storytelling may be your best option."  (Scrapbook Page Design and Layout Ideas, Vol. VII, p. 11; Illustrations by Shelly Parks 1/94 and Adapted from article by Nancy G. Hill).

Merger Layouts

The layout photo at the top shows a type of Merger Layout where you mount miscellaneous photos from different events on a single page or two-page spread.  I did a whole album based on "themes."  It turned out really cute and interesting ("Counting Sheep," "Boo Boo Page," "Water Fun," "Smiles"...).  

I save room in my albums by arranging photos by seasons, unless it's something like Christmas which gets its own page.  That way I don't use too many duplicate photos, and only the most interesting and well-taken photos are displayed in my albums.  The rest are kept on disc or (as with my pre-cd photos) in a photo box.  

From now on, I plan on using one color of ink for photos from the same event on my 2-page season layouts.  Such as for Fall I might use deep purple, burnt orange, and sienna for the three autumn birthdays--another color for the annual campout and corresponding school colors for cheerleading and cross country.  I really like the idea of similar colored photo mounting paper for pictures from the same events.  (Inspired from Scrapbook Page Design and Layout Ideas, Vol. VII, p. 77).

Not Your Grandma's Journal!

"Capture the Norm"

The last talk I gave was on Gratitude--not the typical talk on gratitude for our Heavenly Father and the Savior, but showing appreciation to everyone in our lives as a way of showing God and Jesus our gratitude to them.  After recording the talk with a little tape recorder, I listened daily to it at least twice while taking my walk before arriving home.  I was so familiar with my talk by the time I gave it (I started about a month in advance--they give us a lot of notice), that I didn't have to use my notes as much as usual.  Later, I found that whenever my spirits were low, I could listen to the talk and it would always perk me up.  

A story from President Eyring that I shared in my talk inspired me to keep a gratitude journal much like his own ("O Remember, Remember," Ensign, Oct. 2007, 67).  To me, my blog really is a (homemaking) journal that I am leaving to my children and posterity.  It will be printed into book form.  Not only is the present recorded, but also a collection of the past which has brought so much back to my remembrance.  
I have learned to  keep a file of all my family member's talks for many years, and have recorded the recent talk I gave, as well as a few old ones, as blog posts.  I love to go through them and rediscover the teachings therein.  Reading my son's first talk which was on Father's Day brings tears to my eyes--how quickly they grow up!
When teaching a family history class at church, I discovered so many great talks including President Spencer W. Kimball's (1895-1985) "The Angels May Quote from It," (New Era, Oct. 1975, 4-5).  So it was no surprise how much I enjoyed reading the March 2011 New Era's article, "Remember to Remember," which referred to both President Eyring's and President Kimball's talks, both of which I was very familiar and highly recommend.  Many quotes by people such as these are also recorded in my journals and blog.

Newspaper Clippings

Tickets

The article's suggestions work especially well for those of us who love to scrapbook.  Scrapbooks can contain special letters (such as those you write to your future self), newspaper clippings (photo-copied onto acid-free paper), and travel pages with maps, tickets, and brochures.  My scrapbooks contain many "everyday" shots, which the article recommends--they are not just for portraits!  You want to remember what your home looked like, including the bedrooms, exterior, gardens, kitchen--even the phone.  My advice, (which is what I have done for the past thirty years since I got my first camera), has been to always include at least one person (or a pet) in all of the pictures.  Believe it or not, the photos are soooo much more interesting.  Once-in-a-while, there might be a beautiful scenic shot or a picture with nature as the subject (such as when a hummingbird landed on my husband's finger in the garage), but most family photo album photos should include people.  

Include People!

Missionary Album

I am currently working on a "hall of fame" much like my Grandma Jordan had in her spacious, old-fashioned hall that will have family portraits and such to make this boring spot a little brighter.  Included in this hall will be a 12 x 12 framed scrapbook page of my husband's mission, which includes the Oakland Temple from thirty years ago.  I also made a smaller scrapbook of his mission, (small because he had a lot of pictures of "scenes" that I didn't find particularly interesting). In family home evening, we recorded my husband describing these photos to us and the background information which jogged his memory, and then we heard some really interesting stories!  I used this information to journal in his little missionary scrapbook, and kept the recording for anytime I need a good laugh.

My own scriptures are really another form of journaling for me.  I have developed a particular way to mark my scriptures--some of what I learned in seminary and BYU and some of my own making.  One thing that I do that might be unusual is to mark scriptures that are probably the origins of a heap of "sayings."  My grandma and mother always used the most interesting sayings, and I noticed that in a lot of historical fiction such as Gone with the Wind and the Little House series, many of these sayings are also found in the Bible.  Very few people use this picturesque, old way of speaking, although it is still prevalent among the elder folks in the south.  Many young people today have no clue what many sayings mean and really cannot understand fine literature or the King James version of the Bible.  Rather than clue them in, educators are dumbing the writings down!  My scriptures are yet another way for me to journal not only spiritual things, but also a way of recording these old sayings for my posterity.
Sometimes writing in an old-fashioned journal leads to writers-block.  Journal writing prompts are a great way to get you writing when you can't think of anything worth writing about.  Scrapbooking found on the Pages tabs of this blog, (listed under the blog title), has many handouts that I used for teaching scrapbook classes.  Some of these handouts lists photo journaling prompts for scrapbooks that would also work well for a traditional journal.  Also a list of writing prompts is found in "Remember to Remember" on page 19.  Here's a family history journal jar (more for adults) found at http://www.christysclipart.com on the Relief Society Page, (Christy's Clipart is also on Facebook).

Photo Capturing Your Pets

Don't forget your pets when scrapbooking!  They deserve a page or two all to themselves.  Above is one of my more recent pages devoted to our cat "Kitty."  

Pet Journaling Prompts:

Who named your pet, and how did they choose it's name?

What kinds of games do you play with your pet?

Where does your pet love to sleep or hide?

How does your pet show you how much he/she loves you?

Why is your pet is so important to you?

What tricks does your pet know?

When and Where did you get your pet?

For the layout below, cut circles for animal heads from card stock.  Cut triangles for ears and noses with scissors.  Cut dog's mouth freehand with scissors.  The journaling and layout idea (shown below) is from Scrapbook Page Design and Layout Ideas, Vol. VI, p. 53.

Layout design by Lynda Kanase

Heritage Albums

Here's a great Creative Memories handout I used for a scrapbooking class for heritage albums:

"Assigning Colors to Your Family Lines

Memories that are rescued from attic chests and basement boxes become even more treasured keepsakes when they find a home on an album page.  To begin your heritage album, choose a color of photo mounting paper for your mother's photos/memorabilia.  Use this color of photo mounting paper to accent pages of your mother's childhood to adulthood.  Choose another color of photo mounting paper for your father's photos/memorabilia.  Create pages of your father's childhood to adulthood using the second color of photo mounting paper.

When your parent's lives begin to intertwine (photos of their courtship or marriage) begin to use both colors of photo mounting paper."  

"Heritage Journal About...

Who in your ancestry you feel you are most like.

When and Why your ancestors immigrated.

When your ancestors were born, married, passed away, and What they did for a living.

What family traditions you carry on.

Who the family photo historian was before you.

What stories you remember hearing told.

Where the photos were taken.

What was occurring in the world at the time the photos were taken.

Who from your family has had the greatest influence on you.

What your favorite family story is.

When important family events occurred."

(Creative Memories Scrapbook Page Design and Layout Ideas, Vol. VI, 1999, p. 43)

"Wedding Journal About...

What made you fall in love?

How did your family react to news of your engagement?

Why did you decide on your wedding date?

Where did you find your dress, cake, ring, veil, etc.?

Who gave the wedding toast?

What songs were sung at the ceremony?

Where did the bride and groom first meet?

When did the newlyweds leave for their honeymoon?"

(Creative Memories Scrapbook Page Design and Layout Ideas, Vol. IV, p. 65)

Awesome Family Vacation Albums and Journaling!

Vacation Journal Prompts:
Who planned the details of your vacation?
What part of the vacation did you enjoy the most?
Where did you eat the best food?

It's best to keep to 6-8 photos per page so the page isn't too busy, but sometimes that's hard because you have so many great photos to choose from--especially vacation photos.  Here are more of my Family Vacation Layouts:

A Trip to Disney!

Reuse the Disney Park map and trace Mickey using an inexpensive light board (or a bright window).

A Trip to The Beach

A Trip to The Park

Here are two great layouts that can use a lot of your photos.  I have done the top layout for many different themes.  

designed by Lorene and Layne Kamalu

Create a 10 x 10 inch grid filled with 2.5 inch squares.  Crop photos to fill one or two squares.  Start placing photos on the scrapbook page in the upper left corner and continue to the right and down.  Included are some thought-provoking questions to help you better journal your pages.  The following is from an old Creative Memories Idea Book (no longer in circulation):

Creative Memories Scrapbook Page Design and Layout Ideas, Vol. VI, p. 68

Use silver and gold metallic pens to write on dark card stock.  Use a tearing tool to create the "waves effect" in the bottom left photo.  For more journaling how-to's see my post Organizing and Journaling Photos.