When people think of scrapbooking they think it is about fancy papers, ribbons, and buttons. But the real focus of any album should be the story you want to tell.
Sometimes you only need the photos and a bit of journaling to make the perfect page.
When we took our 9 month old to Walt Disney World last November we knew he had to see the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Hollywood Studios. Now as you know, the lights can’t be turned on until after dark. Well this was way past my son’s bedtime but we went ahead and pushed it.
We were there for the lighting ceremony and when those lights went on it was magic. He was smiling and looking around in amazement at all the lights and music.
Then he noticed the ‘Disney snow‘! He could not keep his eyes off of those flakes. That was until one landed straight in his eye. In that moment we went from Happy child to Sleepy child to Grumpy child. (We hit three dwarfs in under 5 minutes.)
When it was time to make the album with this story I knew I just wanted to focus on the mood of the night.
I added no papers or fancy embellishments. The pictures told the story with just a bit of journaling added on. This was done digitally so I had the flexibility to make the pictures the size of the page but this page could have been done just as simply with 4×6 photos and a single piece of 12×12 paper to mount them on.
Finally, I have a hint to share. I have become notorious for taking pictures of signs, menus, landmarks, etc. I do this to not forget where I was or something important. In this case I took a photo of the Spectacle of Dancing Lights sign. I added it to the top of the page and it blended perfectly!
So think simple. Pages don’t have to be complex or overwhelming. Make the photos and their story the center of your albums.
Thanks for your tips! I still haven't done anything with our photos from our first trip to WDW, because the whole scrapbooking thing kind of intimidates me….I can write, but my brain freezes up trying to put together words and pictures. Ill be poking around your site more later 🙂
Great hint! I use my camera to take notes for my trip reports. With photos of everything in the right sequence it's easy for me to remember just how the day went, once I look back at the pics.
Your little guy is adorable. And that smile…it's the kind that brings a happy tear to Momma's eye.
Thank you both for the compliments. I am really happy to know someone read my initial blogs. : )
Great tips! This post absolutely convinced me that we are going to take our son (who will be 11 months when we go) to the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights in November!!