I just added a new digital scrapbooking Book of ME QuickPage to my e-store. QuickPages are just what they sound like – they allow you to make “quick pages” to include in your scrapbook. This page is in 8½x11 format – I will be uploading square (12×12) formats soon.

US$2.00

Journal Jar

It would be easy enough to give someone a book on memoir-writing, and tell them to just start writing. And that might be motivation enough.

However, a whole book can be overwhelming to some people, or they may just not take the time to read the whole thing. Another way to get someone (including yourself!) writing about his or her life is to give them a “journal jar”.

Step 1: Make a list of questions you would want to know about that person’s life. Consider all the things you want to know about your great-grandparents, for instance, the questions you never got answered.

Step 2: Write these questions down on paper, and cut the paper into little strips, one question per strip.

Step 3: Place the strips in an empty jar, either pretty glass or even a cleaned-out empty peanut butter jar.

Step 4: Instruct the gift recipient to remove a slip of paper each day/week/month, and respond to the question. Each question is meant to evoke a memory, hopefully encouraging the person to WRITE THAT STORY DOWN (or at least share it verbally).

Step 5: You can make the jar pretty by covering the lid with fabric and a ribbon. What a wonderful gift!

Don’t hesitate to make one for yourself too! Any way you can encourage YOURSELF to save your stories is wonderful! And remember, each of these journal jar prompts can be the subject of a scrapbook page! You will never lack a subject for a page again! (Read more about using prompts as inspiration for scrapbook layouts here)

And don’t worry if you don’t have a picture for the memory that comes to mind — read more about scrapping with few or no photos here.

Here are some links to sites that offer hundreds of questions to include in a journal jar:

• Journal Jars at Young Women Connection
• Journal Jars at The Young Women’s Corner (some Bible-based prompts here)
• How to Make a Journal Jar by Merle O’Brien
• Gifts in a Jar: Journal Jar at HolidayOrganizer.com
• Sego Lily
• David Kellin’s writing prompts
• Journal prompts for children
• More prompts for kids (could be fun for adults, too!)
• Biography Assistant at Genealogy.com

Go ahead….save some stories with the gift of a journal jar!

Here are some recent “tweets” I’ve posted to my Book of Me Twitter account.

• February Book of Me Challenge at SBElements.com – A Most Unforgettable Evening
• Writing tips from author of Making History: How to Remember, Record, Interpret & Share the Events of Your Life
• Have you heard of Story Circle Network? Women exploring their lives by exploring their personal stories. http://storycircle.org
• Did you know WritersDigest.com offers journaling prompts? http://www.writersdigest.com/WritingPrompts
• One of my favorite journal prompt books – List Your Self:
  Listmaking as the Way to Self-Discovery
• On the Hodge Podge Art blog, a pictureless layout challenge
• Get thought-provoking journaling prompts from this list: Weekly
  Journal Exercise
• “Nothing will sustain you more potently than the power to recognize in your humdrum routine…the true poetry of life. — Sir William Osler What things/events/people contribute to the “true poetry” of *your* life?
• February Book of Me Challenge from Ali – Scrap your 10 favorite things (not people) – see an example layout here
• New Book of Me challenge starting at Australian site ScrapbookDivas
• Printable journaling boxes in a variety of colors
• Keeping a spiritual journal or scrapbook by Rev. Patrick Comerford
• Freebie digital download – Layout Template by Lindsay Jane Designs – great for several photos or lots of journaling!

© Tammy Thomas

I recently had to teach 150 kids at a local grade school about writing. I chose to do a creative writing activity about themselves.

Many people are doing the “100 things I love” layout, inspired by a piece in Rebecca Sower’s Scrapbooking Life’s Little Treasures. Some have mentioned it’s difficult to come up with 100 things. For my grade school activity, I have broken it down into smaller parts to help the kids come up with that many items. Use this breakdown to come up with your own list of 100 Things You Love:

• 16 ACTIVITIES: ex. dancing, reading, playing games
• 16 THINGS: ex. roller coasters, flowers, journals, yo-yo’s
• 10 PEOPLE: ex. mom, dad, aunts, friends, cousins, famous people
• 10 FOODS
• 10 PLACES
• 10 GAMES
• 5 BOOKS
• 5 MOVIES
• 5 DRINKS/BEVERAGES
• 5 ANIMALS
• 3 COLORS
• 3 SCHOOL SUBJECTS (applies to kids; adults could substitute something else)
• 2 MUSIC ARTISTS/TYPES OF MUSIC

See how easy that can be?

This was such a fun project for the students. They had a great time writing about themselves, and this list made it really easy for them. Believe it or not, there were some students who even gave up their recess to finish their writing projects.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Tammy Thomas has been doing scrapbooks since childhood, and is passionate about sharing her stories and helping others do the same. For the past 2 years Tammy has been a guest instructor at her local grade school and has taught many children the importance of sharing their own stories. Her work has been published by Creating Keepsakes, Ivy Cottage and Creative Concepts. Currently she sells her designs in a local store, and hosts a monthly scrap club in her home.

Tammy is a stay-at-home-mom of 3 great kids. She lives in Utah with her husband Scott. When she isn’t teaching or designing, Tammy is usually writing, taking pictures, scrapping and enjoying her family.