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Scrapbooking Your Family History

By Kimberly Powell, About.com

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Add Journaling - Personalize your page by writing down names, date, and place of event, as well as memories or quotes from some of the people involved. Called journaling, this is probably the most important step when creating a heritage scrapbook. For each photo or set of related photos, you should follow the five Ws - 1) who (who are the people in the photo), when (when was the photo taken), where (where was the photo taken), why (why is the moment significant), and what (what are the people doing in the photo). When journaling, be sure to use a waterproof, fade resistant, permanent, quick drying pen - preferably black as research has shown that black ink best stands the test of time. Other colors can be used for adding decoration, or other non-essential information.
- Heritage Tip - When journaling in your heritage scrapbooking, it is important to be specific, adding related memories and details to the names and dates. "Grandma in her kitchen on June 1954" is nice, but it is better to write: "Grandma loves to cook and is very proud of her kitchen, seen here on June 1954. Her chocolate cake was always the hit of the party." Embellish by adding momentos from the occasion, such as a copy of Grandma's chocolate cake recipe (in her own handwriting, if possible).
Add Embellishments - To complete your scrapbook layout and complement your photos, consider adding some stickers, die cuts, punch art, or stamped images.
- Stickers add interest with very little work on your part, and help give your page a polished look.
- Die Cuts are pre-cut shapes cut from cardstock, available in many sizes and colors. They help add pizzaz to your scrapbook without the need for a lot of creative talent. Solid die-cuts also make great spots for journaling. Be sure to select die-cuts made from acid-free and lignin-free paper.
- Punch Art, the process of using shaped craft punches to cut various shapes from cardstock and them combining those shapes to create completed works of art, is another easy way to add interest to your scrapbook pages. Again, be sure that you use acid-free and lignin-free paper to create your punch art.