Lauren Reid Hometown. Heather Hess The Typewriter font.

As I (Katie) pondered goals/projects/words etc. to guide me in this new calendar year, I kept coming back to the same almost urgent feeling… I have stories to tell. When I think about where my stories are, many of them exist on my blog or on scrapbook pages. I’m so grateful for the memories I have documented because I don’t have to worry about forgetting the details and I can share them with the people I care about. I’ve become more aware lately that so many of my stories have not been written down on my blog or on a page of any type. These are the pieces that make up the experiences of my life. They are precious, interesting, and often quite entertaining. None of these stories are about big events – they are the small everyday things that I want to remember.

I decided to make a list of all the stories I could think of that I want to share. I set a timer for 20 minutes and just started to write. When I ran out of ideas, I opened my photo files and browsed through pictures until something jogged my memory, and then I continued to write some more. This is the list I came up with:

1. Putting parmesan cheese in the dishwasher instead of soap

2. Vacuuming up the living room curtains

3. Riley decorating the cat with toothpaste

4. Coming home to sleeping kids covered with pop tarts

5. Calling the police when I thought someone was breaking in because Jeff came home early from a business trip and thought it would be fun to surprise me

6. Alex yelling “those thieves stole my blood” in the hospital parking lot

7. The $30 I loaned Jeff to pay for a marriage license

8. Zach’s electrical “experiment” at age 2

9. Finding out I was going to be an aunt

10. Mike’s scary broom face

11. Drinking a raw egg in front of my high school

12. Chasing the kids with the vacuum

13. Game dates with the Andersons

14. Quilts made by Jeff’s Grandmother

15. The 2,000 Tony the Tiger towels Alex tried to order on the internet

16. Hosting crop parties

17. Fogged in at the airport for 5 hours

18. Playing Risk with Brett and his dates

19. Drinking a raw egg at a Super Bowl party

20. Marshmallow gun fight

21. Eating lunch in the courtyard in high school

22. Alex reporting Jeff to the Oregon airport security

23. Riley drenching herself in Asian hot sauce

24. Why we joke about “minor skin irritations”

25. Riley’s warning from the go-cart operator

26. Mike’s “mild” New Mexican lasagna

27. Grandma Smith’s rolls

28. The custom Barbie Doll Alex made for Riley

29. Accidentally cutting the cable wires while doing yard work

30. Scaring my Mom with loud music in the car

31. Sleeping in a leaky tent in a rainstorm

32. Alex’s monopoly games with Kyle

33. Playing balloon volleyball in the living room

34. Lola eating our puzzle pieces

35. Alex’s Amazing Mumford tuxedo

36. The time my Mom thought she had a blog stalker

37. Winning a bet by eating octopus

38. Jeff trying to stop the New York Knicks from coming in our window

39. Riding the Matterhorn with our eyes closed

40. Riley singing “Don’t Buy the Liverwurst” in her sleep

41. Being sorted into Slytherin at Pottermore

42. Laying on my left side

I bet you would like to know more about some of these memories. Can you imagine how my family must feel? These are experiences that I want to journal about! Now that I have taken a few minutes to jot them down, I feel very motivated to put them somewhere to be enjoyed. It didn’t take me very long at all and I’m going to use this layout and list as motivation to tell my stories. I bet if you set a timer for a 20 minutes that you would find you have a lot of stories inside of you as well. Think about the little moments worth remembering. Reminisce about inside jokes, things that make you smile, and the kind of memories you swap around the kitchen table when you get together with friends and family. Make a list and keep it somewhere near your scrapping supplies. Don’t worry that the items you want to share might be small or uninteresting – I promise you that they are meaningful and worth sharing. YOU have stories to tell!

P.S. Rhadoda was the random comment chosen from those that commented on K Studios post from Monday. She won $10 in product from K Studio!

krafty title by Shawna Clingerman, font is traveling typewriter

It’s no secret that I (Katie) love this time of year. I really enjoy the slower pace of the week after Christmas and I take inventory of the year that is passing and prepare for the new one ahead. Of course, I do my monthly roundup at the end of December, and I like to use that same format to look back at the year’s events. One of my favorite things to do is to conduct year-end interviews with my family members. You can turn this into an official activity (great for family gatherings) or just sneak in a few questions here and there into your everyday conversations.  Need some ideas? Here are a bunch to get you started:

• Use a top ten list format to countdown favorite memories of the year. It would be fun to list the top ten favorites for  the year in several categories such as music, entertainment, accomplishments, etc.
• Since we are ending the year 2011 you might want to play off of the number eleven as a theme. I put together 11 lists on 11-11-11 and I’m excited to use these on some scrapbook pages!
• Act like a newspaper reporter and take notes on the big stories of the year. Get quotes to use in your “story” (even from very young children) to add eyewitness accounts.
• Use a letter-writing format and write a letter to the year 2011. Tell 2011 what you liked and didn’t like about it, or what you learned or enjoyed most because of it.
• Review your past blog posts, status updates, and email archives for 2011 to get plenty of information to use in your interviews.
• Interviews are perfect for lightning-round journaling!
• Even if you can’t talk face to face with someone, send them an email or ask them questions on the phone or via skype.
• Include historical events and pop culture in your year-end summaries. There are so many great resources to tap into!
• Browse through the past calendars from the year for some great memory-joggers and ideas.
• Use memes (rhymes with themes) and quizzes to find ready-made interviews to use.
• Don’t worry about writing huge blocks of text, use a simple bullet journaling format to record the information.

Without even realizing it, I just gave you 11 ways to document your 2011. Now go and ask someone (even yourself) some questions and have fun recording the memories of 2011.

Notebook & Pencil from Extra Credit at Digital Design Essentials (Gina Cabrera)

Quite often, the hardest part of journaling is getting started. It can be daunting to face a blank page and realize you need to fill it with words – believe me, I (Katie) go through the same thing when I write a post! Whoever invented the standard form of letter writing must have understood that it’s a lot easier for us if we have an opener to get us started. When you address a letter as “Dear Mom” you immediately establish that you are talking to your mother and you can then proceed with the message. What if we did the same thing with scrapbook pages?

Here are some fun digi layouts to illustrate this approach (all images are linked for credits):

Write directly to someone in your family and tell them what they mean to you. Just treat the page like a letter or note you would put together to describe a feeling or memory about that person.

Address someone who might not be able to hear you in person, or someone who might not appreciate all of your wisdom just quite yet. (think teenagers)

You don’t have to limit your letter writing to a person, how about “Dear Fall” as the subject of your journaling? Talk to a season, a building, a vacation, or anything that is worth a scrapbook page!

Talking to a certain date or point in time will give you a great way to include several events at once.

Pretend like you are opening up a journal and start off with the classic “Dear Diary”.

Here’s your chance for an open letter to anyone, even a large group of people. How about writing to the entire world?

Using the word “dear” and then filling in the blank that comes after it can lead to some incredible creative titles like “dear computer of indeterminate age” – love it!

It’s easy to tell Santa what you want if you include a “Dear Santa” greeting at the start.

Did you ever think to write to yourself? You know the reader will appreciate what you write!

Writing to your past self is a great way to reflect on your own growth and development.

I love the idea of writing a break-up letter or a “Dear John” to document the end of an era.

Can you believe how many journaling ideas come from starting off with the word “dear”? It’s a simple shortcut that will help you create many wonderful pages. Remember, your words will make the memory more meaningful!

Are you always searching for ways to make journaling easier? Chances are, you are already writing down many details that can easily be copied and pasted right onto a digital scrapbook page! I (Katie) love using words I’ve already written when it comes time to add details to a layout. You might be surprised at how many ways there are to “harvest” the journaling you’ve already done and turn it into a wonderful keepsake! Here are 3 great resources to use:

A Blog

Do you keep a blog? Even if you have only posted a few times, there’s probably something there you can use for a scrapbook page or two.  Even infrequent bloggers will find that they can use previously written entries as journaling. I’ve been keeping a personal blog for more than 6 years now so I have a huge resource of entries to pull from. Surprisingly, I don’t always think to go back through past posts when I’m looking for scrapbooking ideas. I love the pages I’ve created directly from blog posts though, so I’m setting a goal to improve in this area myself.

Here’s a page where I took the journaling from a blog post and copied it word for word on the layout. Thank you ctrl+c and ctrl+v – love those shortcuts!

Layout by Katie. Silly Socks on Flickr

Daily Digi team member Tara likes to use the same trick. She created this page using the words she had written in a previous blog post.

dandelion moments by TaraMcK, on Flickr

What if you don’t have a blog? You might want to consider starting one, it really isn’t difficult and you will be so glad to have the record it creates. Check out this post for advice on blogging.  Even if you are not a blogger, perhaps someone else in your circle of family and friends does blog. I often find great journaling on my Mom’s personal blog and I regularly save her entries to use bits of her writing on my own pages. Most friends and family members would probably be honored to know you care so much about what they write. If you aren’t sure how they would feel about you copying and pasting their words for your own personal use, it’s a good idea to double check with them.

Emails

Emails are a great resource for journaling material, and don’t forget about the emails you’ve written. I like to look through my folder of SENT emails from time to time to find my own recounts of events and ideas to use on digi pages. I also have a folder set up in my email system called “Keepsakes” where I file messages from others that I want to keep and/or document in some way.  If you aren’t interested in keeping a blog, you may want to consider sending some occasional email updates to people you care about and saving a copy for your own use. Here are some helpful links for effectively using email as a good source for journaling:

• Ask others to help you with scrapbook journaling
• Managing your email
• Scheduling email (this can be helpful if you want to send out updates to family/friends)

Even a simple email message can inspire a fun layout! Email is a part of our everyday life, so don’t forget to use it as a way to record your memories.

Social Media Updates

Social media updates on services like facebook and twitter are sometimes referred to as microblogging. By adding small bits of information to these streams, you are really journaling your life in very small segments. I’ve been on facebook for 2.5 years and when I look back at my status updates, I can see that I have an abundance of material to use for memory keeping. Here are just a few of some small moments I’ve shared on facebook that I will eventually use as scrapbook journaling:

• went out for pie with my family. Today is 3.14 – get it? March 14, 2009 at 3:54pm
• We called an April Fool’s Day “truce” in our house this year. My son has been stressed for days that everyone is going to pull pranks on him so we promised him our home would be a safe and fool-free zone! March 31, 2009 at 9:06pm
• Went to the store today. Bought silly string, gummy worms, licorice, barbecue potato chips, orange juice, soap, and a Venus Flytrap plant. All the essentials. We should be nice and stocked up now. June 22, 2009 at 5:15pm
• Alex just finished homeschool for the day (he had a lot of work!) and he said “finally, I get a break!” Then he went and got his book about the Aztecs and sat down to read it. Love that kid. December 11, 2009 at 4:22pm
• Took the kids to the orthodontist today. At one point Alex yelled out “Holy Cow! What are you doing to me?!” Everyone in the office heard it. I’m sure it helped all the people in the waiting room feel excited for their turn in the chair. LOL! January 26, 2010 at 11:07am

Besides using my own status updates as a resource, I also plan to use some of the comments that my friends left in response to what I shared, that’s what makes facebook such a fabulous resource!  I’ve seen many great layouts in the galleries with snippets from social media for the journaling.  I love this page filled with cute quotes from a silly little lady.

Next time you’re searching for something to write about, try searching your blog, email account, or social media streams. Chances are, you’ve already written something that will be perfect for your next digi page!

Use a Template Designed for Journaling

There are some awesome templates for journaling-focused pages. I look for ones that have pre-made text paths to make it simple to drop in my journaling.

Layout by Heddy. Supplies: Thankful for You kit by Zoe Pearn and Jenn Barrette, Captivated by Lynn by Captivated Visions

List It

The journaling is randomly placed on the page, but the numbered tags make it a cohesive and easy-to-follow.

Layout by andrea4376. Supplies: A Photo a day and Serendipity by Plum Dumpling Designs, Just Plain Fun, Arabian Adventure and Mouse Stitches by Britt-ish Designs, Font : SMD Wannabe Teacher by Stolen Moments

Magazine Style

This page came together easily. I created one photo box and copied it four times. This established the width of each of the columns. Then I created text boxes above and/or below each one and filled them in.

Layout by Heddy. Supplies: Love In the City Mscraps collab

Mat the Text

Matting text gives it some visual weight and provides useful start and stop points.

Layout by 1girl1boy. Supplies: Sweet Dreams by Shabby Miss Jenn

Use Paper Strips or Tags

Place a long list on individual paper strips or tags to break up the list and provide some visual interest to the text.

Layout by Heddy. Supplies: Fall In Bloom by Digi Junkie

Break It Up

This page by Peppermint actually has a lot of journaling on it, even though the overall look is uncluttered. Breaking up the journaling into two sections also reinforces the “then and now” theme of the page. Using justified text also helps to keep the design clean.

Layout by Peppermint. Supplies: Then & Now by Paislee Press and Three Paper Peonies; frame from Conversation Piece no. 1 by One Little Bird & Paislee Press; border from In The Loop by One Little Bird; photos processed using Fable by My 4 Hens Photography.

Use Text In a Path

Using text-in-a-path can help to make a statement and the shape of the text outline can visually symbolize the subject of the page.

Layout by Heddy. Supplies: Note to Self by Biograffiti

The Fill-In Technique

I use the word “technique” loosely here! I often just centre my photos and title and toss all the journaling above and below it. Sometimes when you have a big story (or an entire year to summarize), you just have to do what you have to do to fit it all in:

Layout by Heddy. Supplies: Resolutions by Scooty’s Designs

Find Some Great Storytellers and Copy What They Do

Is that really a technique? I hope so, because I do it all the time!

I’m pretty sure that no post on journaling would be complete without a Janet Phillips page. She has a gift for sharing her stories on her pages.

Layout by Janet Phillips. Supplies: Template by Janet Phillips, Crazy 4 You kit by Fee Jardin

So, there you have a few ideas to get you started telling your longer stories. Happy scrapping!

P.S. Jane in Alberta was the random winner chosen from the comments on Tiffany’s feature from yesterday. She won $10 in product from Simply Tiffany!

When we document our memories, we often look to photographs to remind us of the details we want to share. Usually, there is an obvious scene or story in a photograph like the one pictured here. This was my (Katie’s)  16th birthday and I was trying to stop my almost 4 year old brother from blowing out my candles. That is the memory I journaled about when I digi scrapped this page and I will always cherish that thought. Just because that photo has been scrapped and I told that story doesn’t mean that this picture can’t give me any more information. Most photos have more than 1 story to tell and can bring up many forgotten experiences. I like to call this “photographic memory” because the photo itself can jog your memory.

If I take another look at  this picture, I discover a few interesting memory joggers; my brother’s sweatshirt, my bow tie scarf, the cake, the brick bench,  the wood paneling, and the wallpaper.

• The Mickey Mouse sweatshirt was from a vacation my family took to Disneyland the previous summer. It’s notable to remember that since I only went to Disneyland twice with my brother. It also reminds me that I had a matching Mickey sweatshirt that I later had to give away. I had a major leg surgery later that year and after that, the sweatshirt suddenly smelled like anesthesia to me, even though I had not taken it to the hospital with me. I couldn’t stand it after that experience and gave it away. I’m not sure if I have a picture of my own sweatshirt, so this was a great reminder of this memory for me.\

• How about that jazzy bow-tie scarf? That was definitely an early eighties trend and I felt very fashionable in my gray sweater, pink oxford button down, and print scarf. Preppy handbook anyone?

• The cake is a poppyseed Bundt cake with powdered sugar on top. It was always my very favorite cake that my Mom made. It’s a very simple recipe that uses a cake mix, so I’m sure she was pretty happy that I chose that for my special birthday cake. This recipe is similar to this one, but my Mom would coat the pan with shortening and cinnamon-sugar and then add the mix. So yummy! I haven’t thought about that cake in years, but looking at this picture makes me want to dig out my Bundt pan and make one!

• The brick bench came with our house and we kept it around for at least a decade before my parents tackled a major remodeling and add-on project. I think it opened up for storage, but I don’t remember that we kept anything in there? It was kind of unfinished inside the bench. I do remember that my Mom always had cute cushions and pillows on that bench. I don’t remember ever sitting on it though. Interesting to remember that.

• Our house was also filled with that dark wood paneling. My mom painted over it in some of the rooms, but I think she kept it the original color in this room for as long as it was on the walls? Not sure – makes me realize that it would be worth discussing the timeline of the house renovations.

• About the wallpaper, every wall in our house had it. My mom was really into wallpaper and I still tease her about some of the wild patterns we had on our walls. The backdrops of my childhood memories definitely were well decorated!

Can you believe all of that came from the background details of this ONE photo? I know you will find that many pictures are holding many memories just waiting to be rediscovered. I encourage you to look through your photos with a new appreciation for what might not be obvious at first glance. Using your own photographic memory will help you tell the meaningful stories of your life.

(sign from Hogle Zoo)

One of my (Katie’s) favorite resources for finding journaling comes from taking pictures of signs. When I go to the zoo, a museum, or any location with informational signs, I snap photos of the words written on these valuable journaling sources. Someone put a lot of effort into compiling and displaying the information on these signs and that means that I have some easy shortcuts to use when I create my own scrapbook layouts.

I knew when we visited the Totem Pole park in Alaska, that I would never be able to remember all the things we learned about. We loved reading all of the signs to understand more about the meaning and history of the various Totems. I snapped a picture of each Totem Pole and then photographed the accompanying sign right after. When I browse through my photos I have ready-made bits of journaling that I can include by using pieces of the photos, or I can rewrite the messages in many ways to document the memory I’m sharing.

A recent trip to the zoo gave me the perfect photo-opp with the elephants. I knew I would want to scrap those photos so I took pictures of the plaques that shared details about the family of elephants residing at the zoo.

Even if the journaling doesn’t show up very well in a photograph, I can enlarge it on my screen and read through it to jog my memory. I can also extract the shape of a sign (like the round one pictured below) and use it as a type of “journaling card” embellishment on a layout.

My kids appreciate me taking the time to snap pictures of the things they learn about on our field trips. It’s a great way for them to review their new knowledge and it adds interest to the memory being shared.

Signs can tell an important part of the story that you might otherwise forget to include. We’ve been going to the Shakespeare Festival for years, but somehow I’ve neglected to mention the ongoing campaign to raise funds for a new theater. Now that I have this photo, I will remember to journal those details.

We had a fabulous time at a recent Weird Al concert (he’s so funny!) and the t-shirt we bought for my son had all the tour stops listed on the back. This is a fun and interesting tidbit to remember!

If you get a really clear picture of journaling (like this jellyfish sign at the aquarium), you have a ready-made journaling card. I can use this picture just like a photo on a page, but it tells a very interesting story that I wouldn’t have known about without the sign.

Journaling doesn’t have to be hard, and it doesn’t always have to be in your own words. Feel free to borrow from all the readily available pieces of text that are informative and well-designed. Just take a picture and you will have instant words to add interest and meaning to your layouts.

Layout by Aaron Morris (Sir Scrapalot). Papers and Elements: All Star by Kristin Cronin-Barrow. Template: Take Out Tuesday 5/25/10 by Lynnette Penacho. Fonts: The Typewriter by Heather Hess and Lizzy Fizzed Out by Darcy Baldwin. Shadows: One Little Bird and Jenn Barrette. Photo Action: My Four Hens

When I (Katie) saw this fabulous layout from Aaron, I had to ask him where he got the idea for the “Lightning Round” journaling? He told me that “the layout was actually for a challenge in the June Portfolio at Sweet Shoppe Designs. For the challenge, we were supposed to pick one of the parts of the fill in journal pages from this site. There are a TON there and they are all great!”

This reminded me of how awesome the internet is when it comes to journaling! There are so many prompts and ideas already out there to help us! It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of journaling ideas and information. I want to encourage you to just pick something to jumpstart your journaling and then simplify the idea by mimicking Aaron’s “Lightning Round” approach. All you need to do is list a few prompts and answer them. Don’t spend a lot of time on the task, you could even set a timer for yourself if that would make it easier.

Here are some great resources to get you started:

• Memes & quizzes to help you “cheat” on journaling
• Journaling is as simple as answering a question
• Monthly portfolio challenges at Sweet Shoppe Designs
• Journaling Pad at The Lily Pad
• Journaling prompt – list your current favorites

Here are some fabulous layouts with “Lightning Round” style journaling to inspire you: (all images are linked for credits)

Isn’t it amazing to see all the ways this type of quick journaling can be used to tell a story? Let some lightning journaling strike you when you sit down to create your next layout!

School Days by Kitty Designs, PeaAngeDawn font

One of my (Katie’s) favorite ways to trick get someone to help me with scrapbook journaling is to ask them about a specific photograph. You could do this in person just in casual conversation, or while you are looking at photos together, but it’s difficult to remember everything they say. You could pull out a tape recorder (many smart phones have voice recorders), but that adds pressure to the situation and pretty much tips them off to what you are doing. Instead, I use one of my favorite journaling tools – email. Yes, it’s just as simple as sending an email message! Let me share a few emails I sent yesterday.

I attached this photo to an email and sent it with this message to my Mom.  (she had no idea I was doing this for the purpose of this post)

Do you know how old I am here? Did you make my dress? Anything else you can think of about this photo, or this general time period?

She sent back a quick reply that gives me some helpful information, even if it isn’t overly detailed Sometimes all you need are a few specifics.

I think you were about 2-1/2 or 3.  I did make the dress.  I believe the photo was taken at a studio – probably Penney’s or Sears, and pretty sure it was in California.

Can you believe this next picture I dug up to send my Mom? Talk about vintage Mickey! And also vintage Katie! I decided to ask about this trip to Disneyland that I barely remember.

I vaguely remember this trip. I’m pretty sure it was when I was in 2^nd grade. I have no idea what time of year it was, where we stayed, or how long we were there. I do remember that we flew there because that was very unusual for us. I remember spending a lot of time thinking about how I wanted to use the tickets for Disneyland because that was back in the days when some rides were “E tickets” and so forth, but that’s all kind of fuzzy for me. What do you remember about this trip? Can you help me fill in any of the blanks?

Her reply:

I think it was probably 2nd grade.  I have to think about this one.  I think the trip may have been in conjunction with a business trip of Dad’s.

Of course I was hoping for all the details, but I’m actually glad she is going to take some time to think about this. Maybe she will even ask my Dad about this memory? It will also be fun for me to discuss with her and maybe we can piece together the mystery as a team. I would have never thought we took this trip as part of my Dad’s business travel because I just don’t remember that part of it. This took place about 34 years ago so it’s not surprising that we don’t remember much.

I decided to send a picture to my husband. I wasn’t sure how quickly he would respond since he had a busy day. He also had no idea what I was up to. I attached this photo to an email and wrote this message:

This is from the trip you took to Japan for business with Jeff ____. Do you know what these signs are about? What part of Japan was this? Does this photo bring up any other thoughts or memories about your trip, or the time you have spent in Japan?

I was very interested to read his reply since I had no clue what this picture was about, or why he even took it. He said:

This is likely in Shibuya Japan.  Close to Tokyo.  We were pulling our luggage through this very busy part of town and there was a festival or something going on.  It was crazy.  There we were, two Americans in the heart of Japan, pulling very large luggage through the middle of a festival-like atmosphere.  It was crazy.  I tried to get some photos on the move.

I decided to send one more to my husband since he was in the answering mood. I try to only send 1 or 2 of these types of emails at a time so I don’t overwhelm the recipient. I looked through my files and found a picture of him on a fishing trip. I had no information about this photo and would have had very little material for journaling without his input.

Do you know where this picture was taken? You were with Brett at the time because we also have a picture of him in the same place. Any other thoughts or memories associated with this photo?

This was a trip to fish the Logan river.  It was cold and snowy, but we had a great day (always a good day with Brett).  We caught a lot of white fish, but also got into some rainbow trout.  The original plan was to go to Brett’s Father-in-law’s secret spot, but Brett mentioned this to him at breakfast, and he absolutely exploded.  (I wasn’t there, but this is how Brett described it.)  Brett was forbidden from taking me to the spot, so we went to the Logan River instead.  It was a bit of a let down because Brett had told me that we would have many large fish (guaranteed).  We still had a great day, but I relearned a valuable lesson, never bank on the guarantee of a fisherman.

I’m not sure my husband realized what a journaling gem he gave me, but I’ll be sure to tell him now that this post is done! Not only did I get details about the fishing, I got a very interesting background story, and even FEELINGS about how much he enjoys fishing with his friend. I also love his little “life story” summary at the end. Won’t that make a great title for the page?

I’d like to encourage you to give this a try. I think you will be amazed at some of the great stories you learn, and you will be more inspired to scrap the photos you have journaling for. I have a few tips to keep in mind:

• Start off by sending only 1 photo to each friend or family member that you want to involve. See how they respond. Some might never reply (I have those in my life). Others might be thrilled that you asked! It might take a few emails back and forth to bring the memory back to life. Enjoy the process!
• Create an email folder to file the conversations in. That way you will have a resource to go to when you are ready to scrap those photos.
• Be patient. it might take a while for some people to answer. They might not be checking their email every day, or able to spend time writing back immediately. Don’t send a photo that you need information for that very same day, you might not get it.
• Jog their memory by writing a few things that you remember. You might worry that you are influencing what they will write, but it really just gets the ball rolling.
• Send full resolution size photos when possible (another argument for only sending 1 at a time). You will probably find that the recipients are happy to get a copy of these photographs and they will be more likely to respond because you are sending them something of value to them as well.

Have fun sending lots of emails!

I (Katie) would be able to get the same information by looking at the EXIF data for this photo uploaded in my flickr account.

Just go to the drop down menu under “Actions” and select “view EXIF info”

As you can see, I took this photo at 5:45 p.m. (Mountain time) on April 28, 2011. Thanks to current technology, we can find out when a picture was taken – IF it’s a digital photograph. That information is also available to us IF we are looking at the photo on a computer or examining the EXIF data in a flickr photostream.

What about if the photo is printed? What if it’s not even a digital photo to begin with? What if the photo is used on a scrapbook layout? The only way to know what date a photo was taken on is if you include it. This may seem like a simple thing (or even a tedious chore), but by including the date with your photographs and layouts, you ensure that the information lives on. You may think you will remember, but you will forget! Even if you are lucky enough to retain a perfect memory, should someone have to rely on having you next to them to understand when the photo was taken? Too many times we have to act as detectives and piece together when a photo was taken by looking for clues in the background, or trying to guess how old someone is in the photograph.

I love this layout and I love this photo of my Dad and brother. I’m not sure when the pictures was taken. My Mom isn’t really sure either. We can both try to guess by looking at my Dad. We can both try to guess by looking at my brother. My Mom knows a time frame it would have to be after because the glass bricks in her bathroom were an addition to their house, after a remodeling project. It would take a lot of guesswork to figure out the date, but we could still get a ballpark figure if we tried. After thinking about this, I’m motivated to pin down a general date and add it to the page so no one else has to wonder when this sweet scene happened.

credits

Another layout I love, with some favorite pictures of my son. There’s no date information (no journaling either, but that’s a different post). How will anyone else know when these pictures will taken? Someday, I will even struggle to remember that this was Easter weekend of 2009. Just a simple little date on the layout would save everyone so much work later on!

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Another missed opportunity on journaling, but at least this page has a date. It’s small, and barely noticeable, but it’s there! At the very least, my kids will be able to figure out how old they were in these pictures.

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Are you beginning to see how important just a little date is? By including a date, you at least have a reference to figure out when the picture was taken. Even if you don’t include anything else (and you know I hope you will add some journaling) -  at the very least, remember to include a date!

Need some ideas and inspiration for dating your layouts? Here are some fabulous resources:

• 10 ideas for dating your layouts from Log Your Memory
• Save the date from Suzy Q Scraps
• 9 quick ways to date your digital layouts from Sir Scrapalot

A date might just be the most important embellishment you put on the entire layout!