Scrapbook Page Inspiration

Something all four of these scrapbook pages have in common is there is only one spotlight photo or even no photos.  I think the “Twenty Quotes I Like” page could showcase a special favorite photo as well.  Also unique about these examples is how journal inspiring they are.  I have a personal journal of favorite quotes and it would be so awesome to include a page devoted solely to my love of special quotes.  A page devoted to meaningful quotes would reveal much about the scrapper’s personality and character.

“10 Things I Love About Being a Mom” is not only a touching tribute, but also a wonderful journal prompt.  I could see even longer responses being given with more details.  Or this could be a recurring theme in successive albums.  The spotlight photo would show changes in the scrapbooker from album to album and create a timeline theme that is consistent throughout the family albums as the years go by.

Sometimes I only have that one great shot that I want to scrapbook so the page has to be extra special--extra creative.  That’s why I love the “Seaside” page with its simplicity and minimalist beauty, yet the page is filled with a lovely memory.  This is a mostly wordless journal page with only a short caption to capture the moment concisely.

A Pinterest album page layout idea just makes me smile.  Where would I be without Pinterest?  I remember having to use bookmarks to help me relocate all the amazing stuff and things I found on the Internet.  I usually would just give up in the end.  I also had an Idea Book that had years of clippings from magazines carefully filed away.  But when I found Pinterest, “the world became my oyster.” 

Of course I would want to create a fabulous (yet simple in design) album page devoted to one of my favorite and helpful past times. This can also be a wordless journal page with just a Pinterest Board title to say it all.  As with the real Pinterest Board, choosing a catchy board cover photo is very important and draws the viewer to click on for more.

  

   

These Pinspirational album page layouts have made my priority list when I sit down to get creative with my family photos.  I hope they inspire you as well.  Please visit my “Cuttin Up” Pinterest Board to see all the wonderful ideas I have come across so far.

Family History Albums

Cartoon by Cathy Guisewite

More than ever, we are OBSESSED with getting that "great shot" of ourselves for today's photo albums--Facebook and Selfies! With all these great photos floating around, hopefully we're doing a good job of providing the story behind the photo...the who, what, where, when and how of the person pictured. "Our posterity has a right to know their roots without scrounging for them" (Elaine Cannon)

Providing "the rest of the story" is keeping our genealogy up-to-date!  As Ethel Jackson Price once explained, "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."

I have scrapbooked for the last twenty years and the following scrapbook resources have remained on my shelf:

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. (ISBN 1565074289)

I found most of these books at my local used bookstore and I'm sure they can be purchased online for even less!  Remember to take time to do something meaningful with all of those photos, even if it's just a caption to go with each photograph on your phone.  And remember to leave your phone's password with someone you trust so the phone can be opened and pictures retrieved in the event of your passing.

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

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

Scrapbook Layout: The Balance Game

I really struggled so much when I began creating layout pages for my Creative Memory albums.  This was before Idea Books, before the internet, before scrapbooking really caught on.  I can't tell you how many pages have been disassembled and put back together again--sometimes over and over!  That is when I learned you really have to have a plan (or copy someone else's idea!).  I'm sharing information from a handout I received when I first started scrapbooking with Creative Memories in the early 1990's.  It has helped me so much in planning my layout pages so that I get it right the first time.

"When you are laying out your photo's for your page, remember that it is your balancing game and you balance according to your visual likes.  Some people like a symmetrical look--same sizes, same spacing.  Other people like a more abstract design with flowing patterns and color."

Put your visually heavy picture down first, then start balancing.

...it's just like hanging pictures on the wall.

You can balance with stickers or colors...You can balance with words.

Work with your page in 1/2's or 1/3's.

(Layouts by Homemaker's Journal.  "The Balance Game" source unknown--circa early 1990's)

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

A Time to Die

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven:  A time to be born, and a time to die (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2).

This topic may sound morbid but I really became interested after my beloved grandma passed away at age 93.  Grandma was ready to die.  She mentioned it many times.  She had a large family and was always there for her children and grandchildren.  Though of modest means, Grandma was rich with unconditional love and caring.  My children, her great-grandchildren, also loved her deeply.  But Grandma was one of the last survivors of her people and her generation.  It can be lonely to be the last.

After Grandma fell the first time, she was never the "same" grandma.  I think we all knew it would be the beginning of the end.  She insisted that she live in her home--in case anyone needed a place to stay, and she cooked and cleaned, entertained, attended church, continued to travel to relatives homes and live as normally as possible.  However a couple of years before she died, she had an episode like a mild stroke that seemed to change her personality.  Whenever I was around her she was very much the same and recognized me, but I knew that some of her behaviors were not right.

Grandma talked to me about her loved ones now gone, and how she was the last of her very large family.  Even some of her twelve children had died and a few of the grandchildren.  It seemed like life had become more of a struggle than she could bear.  This was sad for me because I couldn't imagine a time without Grandma.  Even now as I write this, I want to reach out and hug her small, bent and fraile figure once more.

I knew that it was Grandma's time to die and I wish I could have done more to help her through it.  I was sad for my aunts and uncles who seemed to not deal well with her slow demise.  They almost seemed to resent Grandma for leaving them--I think we all depended on her more than we knew.

However, I think I can accept the death of an elderly loved one more than the death of someone in the prime of life.  That's what I fear the most.  What I learned from this experience is to get my affairs in order in a clear and concise manner.  I need to let my loved ones know what I want so that they can help me die with dignity and peace whenever that time comes.  I recommend reading  It's OK to Die, by Monica and Kris Murphy for anyone who needs help preparing for the eventuality of death.

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.

Simple Hand-Drawn Scrapbook Borders

The layout shown is one I probably found in a Creative Memories Idea Book.  I needed some way to use up a bunch of little stickers.  I also like how the whole page is filled and it's a montage of photos from my oldest daughter's childhood.

Before scrapbooking merchandise became so plentiful, I started out using pens in what I thought were clever ways.  The above shows cute, simple borders that anyone can do with a Zig pen from the craft shop.

Here's a sample I did to show how simply you can decorate a page.  If you don't like to draw, you can use micro stickers in the same way.

Here are two ways I like to dress up my handwriting.  You'll notice that all of the vowels are lower-case but the same size as the upper-case. 

By adding little slashes at the end of each letter, you have a different look for your handwriting.  I also like the little fish in waves drawings.  

The line-dot-line-dot is easy to do with a straight-edge.

All of these examples were drawn free-hand but you can use a light board found at scrapbook supply stores to trace anything you want.

Click below for more finishing touches from Scrapbook Page Design and Layout Ideas, Vol. VII, p. 39:

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

How to Love Scouts

By the time my daughters were in Young Womens at our church, my son was beginning Scouts.  Before that, I did  Tiger Scouts with him on our own because we couldn't find a troop in our area.  This worked out fine for us because we were starting to homeschool kindergarten and I treated Tiger Scouts like another subject with fun field trips the whole family took together.  I wish I would have thought to take pictures of this but since we were not in a troop it didn't occur to me.  They wore orange shirts with matching caps.

When Bryce began Cub Scouts, I made sure the leader had something Bryce had accomplished at home to record at each meeting.  Next thing I knew, I was called to be the Cub Scout Leader for our church Cub Scouts.  We went on field trips, but mostly I helped the boys get caught up and advance.  At one family meeting there was a fun obstacle course to complete in the gym.  We did a Cake Bake where father and sons (without the help of a female) made and presented a cake and held it out at the church pavilion.  Everyone received an award.


We also had a Court of Awards where I went all out on the decorations!  I made these lanterns as centerpieces and used them at several Court of Awards.  They were made with painted Popsicle sticks and wax paper with fleur de lis (Boy Scout symbol) cut-outs on each side.  This was the second time they were used.  I used battery operated tea candles to light them.  I found all kinds of ideas just by Googling Cub Scout decorations.

When my son was in Cub Scouts, they really encouraged families to be involved.  This is a recipe holder that Bryce made with his dad's help.  I've used it ever since!

When planning a Scout meeting of any kind, I always tried to fill the entire time (60-90 minutes) and even practiced the activities ahead of time.  Because of this, most meetings (involving several short activities) transitioned smoothly and kept the boys from becoming restless.  See MORE of my Boy Scout photo gallery by clicking on Read more...

This layout shows a box car rally and field trip to a local fire house that the recent tornadoes just demolished!  There's also pics from our Blue and Gold Banquet.

Here's the Cake Bake and Relay Race from two separate family events.

This shows the boys at the Stake Raingutter Regatta and the second Blue and Gold Banquet that I did.

My husband took Bryce and Sam to the last Cub Scout event before they turned eleven and became Boy Scouts.

Rickwood Caverns is a great place for a Boy Scout over-nighter (just get permission from the Boy Scout office first!)  There are caverns to tour, a pool, group primitive camping, lots of pavilions, etc.  Here Bryce and Sam are working on many beginning requirements such as lashing, swimming, cooking, etc.  They also went to their first Boy Scout Camp near Mentone, Alabama at Top of the Mountain.  Those are the top three pictures of this two-page layout.

My husband took advantage (with a little help from moi), of all the camping opportunities for new scouts.  The stake had an 11-yr.-old campout that Sam and Bryce went to and were able to sign off quite a few requirements!

Chief Ladiga Trail in Cleburn County, Alabama is such a great place to do Cycling Badge.  They guys loaded up their bikes and headed out on several trips to the trail to finish a total of 50 miles!  They're legs looked awesome (see below pic!).

Winter Camp (right after Christmas) is a good time to get those badges that can be completed at camp (so Mom doesn't have to help you finish them at home!)  I never minded my husband taking the guys to camp (using up rare vacation time) to spend quality time with his boy and helping the other young men from church advance in Scouting.

My husband had volunteered to be the Scout Master because otherwise they weren't planning on doing Scouts--just in time for my son to become a Scout!  Apparently, not too many people at our church do 11 yr. old Scouts, even though the Stake has an event for them.  So with my help (record-keeping), my husband took on not only the new guys like Bryce and Sam but anyone else who wanted to do Scouts.  There were only a handful of us--believe it or not only 3 families!

Spencer's dad volunteered to go to summer camp and ended up writing the skit our troop was to do.  It sounded like they were very successful.  They did pretty much everything you could do at Camp Sequoyah near Mt. Cheaha.  Before they went, we did a preclinic were we got some Camping Badge and other requirements completed (see top three photos, left page).  In fact the Young Women actually ended up attending this as well.