BKC Solutions Corner

The digital age has even affected the scrapbooking hobby.  Digital scrapbooking software lets us make entire page layouts on our computers.  Traditional scrapbookers who may like the more tactile materials on their pages still like the neatness of computer fonts for their journaling.

A computer font may be prettier than handwriting. However, it lacks the personal touch and meaning of our handwriting when our families view our pages.

We all hesitate to use our own handwriting on our scrapbooking pages for different reasons.  A few reasons are common. You might think your handwriting isn’t neat enough for others to read.  Consider how your family views your handwriting.  You can get beyond your concerns if you realize how much your families will value that you preserved something as personal and unique as your handwriting.  Remember how important those handwritten family recipes or letters are to you now.

Are you worried that you will make a permanent mistake with your journaling? Handwriting errors aren’t difficult to correct.  Try using a paper journaling block first.  You can use a second one if you mess up the first.  If you’ve already attached it to the page, just glue another one over it.  Use other page elements to cover your errors.  Stickers are a simple way to cover a handwriting mistake.

Handwriting success depends on using the right pen.  You should first consider the type of paper you are using.  Choose a pen designed to write on that type of surface.  Some pens will run or smear on certain types of scrapbooking paper.  Width is also important.  Using a wide tip pen on a small square of paper is not going to be successful.

Practice, practice, practice.  Write out the journaling first on a scrap piece of paper.  Read it over slowly out loud.  This will help you spot errors in spelling and grammar.  For longer narrative writing, you may want to have someone else proofread it for you before you place it on your page.  Be sure to test the pen on a small piece of the paper you want to use. Writing a draft will let you know how much room you need to write on as well.

Do you write on a slant or uphill?  Many of us find it difficult to write straight on a blank paper. Try using lined journaling blocks.  These are available in your local scrapbooking stores or you can make them yourself with lined stamps or with a ruler and pen.  Try using the natural lines on your patterned papers.  Write with the stripes on your paper as your guide. Frames can be accented by printing along the edges.  You can even writes along the boundaries of your page borders.

There are few things as personal as our handwriting.  Handwriting is unique.  Like our signature, it is a statement of who we are.  When you use your handwriting on your page layouts it adds character to your scrapbooks.  It will tell your family and anyone who looks at your albums about your mood and your personality.  Your family is sure to treasure your scrapbooks even more.  Let your handwriting add depth and emotion to your pages, not a computer font.

Christine Perry is an avid scrapbooker and has more than 10 years of scrapbooking experience. Her favorite scrapbooking subjects are her reluctant teenagers. She invites you to her website, http://www.intoscrapbooking.com for more scrapbooking ideas and information on Mother’s Day cards for scrapbooking.