Go Deeper in Your Journaling with Cheryl
I’ve been scrapbooking for most of my life, and when I began digital scrapbooking in 2007, I went through a phase where I felt journaling wasn’t really necessary. Over time, though, that changed, especially after losing my Mama in 2024. She was a gifted storyteller and genealogist who loved sharing stories from her own life as well as the lives of the people she loved. After her passing, I realized how meaningful those stories truly are. Since then, I’ve moved beyond simply adding names and dates to my layouts and started including at least a small piece of the memory behind each page.
For example, on this layout I created with Story Foundations: Milestones, you can clearly see a photo of three women: my Mama, my sister, and me. I could have simply added our names and the date and called the page finished. But the real story behind that photo is what makes it meaningful. My 50th birthday happened during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. I had imagined celebrating with a large party like I did for my 40th birthday, but because of state restrictions, gatherings were limited to small groups. Instead, these two incredible women went above and beyond to make the day special, preparing an amazing meal and giving me a thoughtful gift that meant so much during such an uncertain season. That single photo holds so much more than faces. It holds love, gratitude, sacrifice, and the memory of a birthday that turned out differently than expected, yet somehow even more meaningful. Honestly, there are several more stories connected to that one photo, but I’ll save those for another day.
Today, I want to encourage you to move beyond simple identification journaling and step fully into storytelling. Choose a photo and brainstorm several different memories or emotions connected to it. Don’t be afraid to include your feelings on the page. Years from now, you’ll be grateful you captured those thoughts, and your family will treasure having those stories preserved alongside the photos.
5 Tips for Deeper Scrapbook Journaling
1. Start with a feeling, not a fact
Instead of beginning with names, dates, or locations, ask yourself how the moment felt. Were you relieved? Overwhelmed? Proud? Nostalgic? Emotions are often what transform a scrapbook page from a record into a story.
2. Write the part people can’t see in the photo
Photos capture appearances, but journaling captures context. What happened right before or after the photo was taken? What conversations were happening? What challenges, surprises, or little details would otherwise be forgotten?
3. Focus on one small memory
You don’t have to tell the entire story of a trip, birthday, or season of life. Sometimes the most meaningful journaling comes from zooming in on one tiny moment: a joke someone told, the smell of dinner cooking, or the way someone made you feel safe and loved.
4. Imagine someone reading it 20 years from now
Ask yourself what future generations might not know just by looking at the photo. What would you want them to understand about the people, relationships, or season of life captured on the page? That perspective often helps uncover deeper stories worth preserving.
5. Give yourself permission to be honest
Not every scrapbook story has to be perfectly happy or polished. Some of the most powerful pages include disappointment, uncertainty, growth, or gratitude that came through difficult seasons. Real emotions create connection and authenticity in your storytelling.
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