Dating & Journaling on Layouts?

Kristi Martin

Kristi Martin

Well-known member
When creating layouts do you always add a date to your page?
Do you always journal on your page?
Why or why not?

I will be honest (and this isn't meant to be a criticism but an observation), this question came about because I am noticing while browsing the gallery that SO many layouts don't have any dates or journaling on them and it surprises me.
I may not always journaling but every single layout I create always has a date and at least some kind of text spot telling who people are or where the photo is taken. Of course I know when and where the photos are taken but those in the future may not and if it isn't included in my layout how will they know?
We have gone through boxes of old photos belonging to my grandparents that don't have any documentation on them so many we have no idea when they are taken or who are in the photos. This fact has caused me to always add a date to my page no matter what the topic is.
Looking back through my old paper layouts I get irritated with myself for not adding more journaling and sometimes not dating the pages, I think it was just what I considered then as too much of a hassle... I didn't want to add my handwriting to the pages and it was extra work to print something to add. However, now with doing digital it is super easy to add the date, name, or journaling if the photos have a story to go along with them.
To me the date, name and journaling is what completes the picture and documenting the story is what this hobby is all about not just getting photos on a page and using a kit.

Again... I hope this doesn't come across as being critical as that is not my intent at all. I know we all have our own reasons for creating scrapbook layouts and have different things which are important to us and we have to do what is best for us and our creative process. I am curious to know others' thoughts and opinions on this topic.
 
Many of the layouts I post in the gallery are created to highlight product for my creative teams, often with photos I’ve previously scrapped. I have all my personal album layouts saved on ehds, all with dates, the large majority include journaling. That being said, I didn’t date/label my photos pre-digital. I just knew I would remember which kid was which. I didn’t count on getting old and being so forgetful!! 😂
 
I try to always put dates on my LO, for the reasons you mentioned. Also because up until recently I didn't print my LO's as I made them, so if I don't date things I have no idea which album to put them in!

I looked back through my gallery and I put journaling on the vast majority of my LO's, at least a sentence or two, but usually lots more. Only a few exceptions, an album cover page that didn't need journaling, a couple pages with my cute cat looking cute, and a couple about my mom's death. Those do actually have journaling but I turned off the text layers for privacy when I posted them.

The other times I don't add journaling is if I know that I'm going to make a series of LO's about the same place or event. In those cases I want to have a mix of page styles, journal heavy pages, photo heavy pages, and some "just for pretty" pages. Though honestly I'm very bad at actually going back and finishing them. That's something I'm trying to get better at lately. Like I have a "pretty" fall LO in my gallery from a farm we went to. I thought for sure I'd make several more LO's full fleshing out the story and adding lots more photos, but I haven't yet. That might just be a "me" thing. I get easily distracted LOL.

I think what Jenny said is true too, if you're on a CT sometimes it's just easier to make "pretty" LO's without journaling.
 
Because most of my pages are my journal pages, I always date them so I know what day. Sometimes when I do bird or landscrap layouts I do not date as they will just go in a bird book, but I have all my photos dated and in month and year file folders.
 
Until now I don't put a lot of journaling on my layouts, but I try to put a date. But if I have "only" landscape, plants or so and wouldn't put it. As I don't make books out of these layouts it's ok for me. The dates are on my digital photos and I write the name of places on the folders and sort it by year and months. If I make a "real" photobook out my pictures, I do put journaling and dates. But I coudn't scrap a whole vacation (as I make a lot of pictures!)- I would never get to an end :)...
 
I don't scrap chronologically at all. I grab whatever photo catches my fancy on that particular day. Most of my photos are in dated photos by month and year and if I have that info I put on the page. As for journaling, I only add event or place if I remember. Sometimes I add stories that I do remember (sometimes as time goes by, I'm sure the true story changes in my head LOL!). Sometimes the title is the location. Many of my photos are just random pictures of our fun poses and may just have a date (if I had them in a dated folder).
Hope that makes sense!
 
Love all of the replies, ladies... thanks for jumping in!

I am on CTs but I have such a back log of photos that almost every time I am still scrapping the photos for the first time and my goal is not only to highlight the kit but as always I also want to document my story so that doesn't change for me no matter rather the layout is for an assignment or just for me.

Like LilyAnn said above, I also don't scrap chronological, I am all over the place as I look for the photos in my stash to match the CT assignment or the challenge I am working on so again it just doesn't make sense to me to complete a layout and not at least add the date or the name/location.

As far as scrapping photos in the past and forgetting the details, for many years now I have used the journaling app, Day One, and every single day without fail I document my day and add many of the photos that I took that day. Then whenever I get around to actually creating a scrapbook page about some of those photos, my layout journaling is easy to put together because it is always saved in my Day One app so can use that writing to refresh my memory. If I didn't do that I know those memories would fade.
 
Oh my gosh Kristi!! You’re waaaay more organized than me!! But the Day One app sounds intriguing…. :)
 
AmaneseFe said:
Oh my gosh Kristi!! You’re waaaay more organized than me!! But the Day One app sounds intriguing…. :)
Click to expand...

:) I love the Day One app and have tried for years and years back to when I was a teenager to keep a regular diary but it never worked until maybe 6 years ago I discovered the Day One app and it finally stuck with me. It helped me tremendously to have something where I could document my day on my phone so I could pick it up and add to it as the day goes along so I don't forget those little moments of my day. I feel that because of that the for me Day One and scrapbooking goes hand in hand. I also use Day One to keep track of all of my layouts as far as supplies used and where I have shared and for CT work especially that has been invaluable.
https://dayoneapp.com/
 
Yup... I treat my digi scrapping like my diary. So I put a date on the pages. My poor brain doesn't remember what day/year things have happened, so I rely on my pages to "remember" for me! Ha!

I do try to add journaling, although sometimes I add the journaling only to my private albums (depending on the topic). When I do journal, I pretend that my best friend is sitting next to me and I think "what would I say about this page to my friend?" And that's what I journal.
 
I like to think that I date and include journaling on most pages. I went back to my gallery to check; sure enough, there is a date and journaling on most pages. I do know that I have run into pages in the past that I neglected to date, but it is an oversight when I do. I love the journaling, though; it is always fun to re-read some of the journaling. I have been known to handwrite journaling on pages after they are printed because they are stories just my family should know, haha.
 
Lynnie, that's awesome about handwriting the stories that just the family needs to know! LOL! My younger brother often comments that "my" version of the stories are not the same as "his" memory. I simply tell him that she who scrapbooks writes the family history! LOL! And if he wants to start scrapbooking, I'd be happy to teach him. That's usually when he walks away. LOL.
 
breoni said:
Lynnie, that's awesome about handwriting the stories that just the family needs to know! LOL! My younger brother often comments that "my" version of the stories are not the same as "his" memory. I simply tell him that she who scrapbooks writes the family history! LOL! And if he wants to start scrapbooking, I'd be happy to teach him. That's usually when he walks away. LOL.
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"That's when he walks away" LOL at least you tried!
 
I try to date or journal most of my pages. I noticed some are missing it though. I am a double page LO kinda girl so one page many not have that info if it is planned for the other page. I did notice when I went through my gallery though that I am behind on my second pages! Need to fix that! I do think its important to journal though because you want to remember the story behind the memory!
 
breoni said:
Lynnie, that's awesome about handwriting the stories that just the family needs to know! LOL! My younger brother often comments that "my" version of the stories are not the same as "his" memory. I simply tell him that she who scrapbooks writes the family history! LOL! And if he wants to start scrapbooking, I'd be happy to teach him. That's usually when he walks away. LOL.
Click to expand...

Sometimes it is fun to scrap both sides!
Journaling reads:
It is a well-known fact in the family that Lynnette does not like condiments on her food. She does not like ketchup, she does not like mustard, she does not like dressing and above all, she does not like mayonnaise. She does not like American pickles either, but that is a different story.

It came as a complete surprise, then, when her mother called upstairs from the kitchen to ask if she would like mayonnaise on her sandwich. She walked out from the master bedroom in the Corona House onto the balcony that overlooked the family room and said, quite sweetly, she recalls, "But mother, dear, you know I hate mayonnaise."

Karen remembers the story just a little differently. She would have it that Lynnette came out to the balcony, balled up her fists as she worked her way up into a temper tantrum, then stomped her foot and shouted, "I HATE MAYONNAISE!"

It is a fact, dear reader, that Lynnette's version of the tale is much closer to the truth.

And in reality, don't you think her mother should have remembered just how much SHE HATES MAYONNAISE!

I-Hate-Mayonnaise-20200306.jpg
 
FormbyGirl said:
Sometimes it is fun to scrap both sides!
Journaling reads:
It is a well-known fact in the family that Lynnette does not like condiments on her food. She does not like ketchup, she does not like mustard, she does not like dressing and above all, she does not like mayonnaise. She does not like American pickles either, but that is a different story.

It came as a complete surprise, then, when her mother called upstairs from the kitchen to ask if she would like mayonnaise on her sandwich. She walked out from the master bedroom in the Corona House onto the balcony that overlooked the family room and said, quite sweetly, she recalls, "But mother, dear, you know I hate mayonnaise."

Karen remembers the story just a little differently. She would have it that Lynnette came out to the balcony, balled up her fists as she worked her way up into a temper tantrum, then stomped her foot and shouted, "I HATE MAYONNAISE!"

It is a fact, dear reader, that Lynnette's version of the tale is much closer to the truth.

And in reality, don't you think her mother should have remembered just how much SHE HATES MAYONNAISE!
Click to expand...

HA!! Great story and this is exactly why journaling on our layouts is so important. You have preserved a cute family story that may otherwise be forgotten.
 
Lynnie! That layout is a hoot! I particularly love the cartoon graphic with the “shakes fist” text. This has me rolling!
 
Wow! What a cool app! I always put a date, but not always journaling. I, too, had to go through my grandparents albums. I got lucky and my grandpa went through all their pictures before he passed away and gram's dementia got too bad. I know that others are not so lucky. I realized at that time how important at least dates are.
 
I'm late to the conversation, but my private scrapbook pages are very different from my public ones.

My family members have requested to not be in pages I post on the internet, and a lot of what I post is for creative teams where it'll be all over. I don't always put much journaling or dates on those because I won't print them, but the ones I make for my personal or gift albums always have a LOT of journaling and dates. I have a few posted where I've blurred out faces, but for creative team things that isn't awesome so I default to ones with just me or without other people.
 
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