How do you journal your albums? About This Page:

[stretch2864]

I am working on journaling the pages that I scrapped on Saturday, and was wondering how you do this. I don't like my handwriting, so I always do computer journaling. I used to wait until my albums were done and then journal the entire thing at once. Lately, though, I have been journaling as I go along. Of course when I go to a crop, I am not able to journal until I am back home. So what is your preferred method?

[GingerJ]

I first waited and did journaling and titling when I was done with the album (or several...). Big mistake! What a pain, trying to remember what I wanted to say, or what happened, or where I was even going with that page, and to do so many at once...aargh!

Now I bring both my computer and my printer/scanner with me to crops (yes, along with my Cricut!), and I do journaling and titling as I go. Once you get into the habit, it really is easier. I can make the journaling more of an element on the page, since I know exactly what it will look like, what size it is, and how it will fit on the page.

The sole exception lately was when I needed to get DS16 to give me info for the journaling. As you might guess, a month later it's still undone!

It's a nice feeling to have the layout really finished when you move on to the next one!

Ginger

[Tigger71]

I can never journal at crops. I have to lay on the ground (soft carpet at home) and handwrite my pages to get them looking perfect (as perfect as I can make them anyway).
When at home I journal as I go so I can make any changes to the layout if all my words don't fit or I need to add a tag or pop up. I couldn't imagine leaving it all to the end - my hand would be so sore!
Sometimes I use the computer for special fonts or to make the writing small enough to fit the space but usually my journalling is by hand in my own script.

[Carousel96]

By hand. I don't like the look of it - I think computer journaled pages look much nicer. But I also know I would give my left arm to have something in my grandmother's handwriting. So I can't bring myself to do it any way but in my own handwriting.

If I do pages at home, I tend to journal as I go. I'm only doing a couple of pages at a time, so it's no big deal. When I go to a crop, I'm in production mode and don't want to take the time. So I tend to journal those in bulk when I get home. Like Ginger said, it's a royal pain. Sometimes I still here my old CM consultant's voice in my head -- at her crop events, we couldn't count a page as "done" unless the journaling was finished, too. Needless to say, my page counts weren't very high -- either I couldn't count it because it wasn't journaled, or it was so I worked very slowly.

[chezp]

I do it as I go along and some of it is by hand, while some of it is on the computer. I like having some variety.

[unewillow]

I think I am one of the few people who doesn't journal in my WDW albums. Though, oddly enough, I do journal (handwritten) in other albums. Mostly because these albums tend to get done a few pages at a time so it's not so overwhelming to write for them.

[Alex'sMummy]

I do mine by hand too. I have quite small handwriting though If i don't do it at the time then i'll forget what i want to write.

Do you keep a journal when you go on your trips or fill out the info on the passpockets? you could always use some of the info from that to help you

[Jennifer2003]

I keep it very short, never more than a few lines. I've also been mixing up handwritten journaling and typed journaling lately. I cut my typed journaling into strips and ink the edges. (Like this: http://www.passporterboards.com/foru...37-post22.html )

[GingerJ]

I haven't thought to use it on a scrapbook yet, but I found a site (listed in Creating Keepsakes magazine one month) that converts your own handwriting (printing) into a font for you, for $9! It actually took me three tries before I was happy with it. The site's name was something like myfont.com , but I really don't remember for sure. I used to get C's in "penmanship" in elementary school--kept me from straight A's!--so as soon as I hit high school, I printed exclusively, so the font being block printing is just what I'd do if I were hand-writing it.

I like the idea of having my own writing show up occasionally in my albums, but I hate the idea of messing up or maybe writing on a slant, so having it as a font is a good idea.

Like unewillow, I do minimum journaling on most of my Disney pages, because what can you say on the third year's pictures with Mickey or the castle?, but I do have stories to go with some pictures, and I try to journal them.

I've been doing computer journaling for a few years now, so it's not really that time-consuming for me to get it done at the crop. In fact, I usually have far and away the largest number of completed pages when I leave a crop. That's partly because some of my crop buddies will work on the same page for multiple crops! Using my Cricut slowed me way down at first, but I'm faster now and try to make the diecuts ahead of time, so I'm back up to my normal speed at an actual crop.

Ginger

[GingerJ]

Originally Posted by Jennifer2003

I keep it very short, never more than a few lines. I've also been mixing up handwritten journaling and typed journaling lately. I cut my typed journaling into strips and ink the edges. (Like this: http://www.passporterboards.com/foru...37-post22.html )

Jennifer, I love your page and the way you do your journaling there!

Ginger

[lazanya]

I like to journal as I go along. I either do handwritten or will type it up on the computer.

[lfredsbo]

I do a mix of it all............mostly handwritten........some computer..............and when I am working at home, I journal as I go - when at a crop, I tend to wait until I get home, as I have to have quiet time to be able to journal!!!

[stretch2864]

Originally Posted by Carousel96

By hand. I don't like the look of it - I think computer journaled pages look much nicer. But I also know I would give my left arm to have something in my grandmother's handwriting. So I can't bring myself to do it any way but in my own handwriting.

If I do pages at home, I tend to journal as I go. I'm only doing a couple of pages at a time, so it's no big deal. When I go to a crop, I'm in production mode and don't want to take the time. So I tend to journal those in bulk when I get home. Like Ginger said, it's a royal pain. Sometimes I still here my old CM consultant's voice in my head -- at her crop events, we couldn't count a page as "done" unless the journaling was finished, too. Needless to say, my page counts weren't very high -- either I couldn't count it because it wasn't journaled, or it was so I worked very slowly.

Maybe I'll have to try hand journaling on one of my albums. You make a good point about the value of having something handwritten by a grandparent. I still have cards and letters that I received from my grandparents over the years. They have since passed, but it is like still having a piece of them when I look at the cards and letters.

[KMB733]

I like to journal as I go along. I usually do handwritten entries. I very rarely do it on the computer.

[benjiboo25]

I hate my handwriting and can "think" more fluidly when I type. I journal from the pictures first. I generally format each entry in 2-3 different sizes (long and skinny column, less skinny column, and wide column). I then cut out which ever fits best when I arrange the page.

I am very behind. I recently finished my WDW 2009 trip and started on the 2010 trip. I took the TR I wrote here, cut out the negative/controversial, and "too honest" parts. I arranged all of it into columns, three to a page. It lacks visual interest, but there is a lot to include! So each 2-page layout has either one column one text on one of the pages, or a column on each page. I generally use the cricut for titles.

In general, the detail of my scrapbooking has spiraled downward since the birth of child #3. I am hopelessly behind and aim now for quantity and speed over quality and artistry...