Look at this old beauty of a scrapbook.
It belonged to my Grandma Vivien A. Seeber. It’s a scrapbook about being a member of Sigma Kappa sorority back in the 1920s. It’s quite a gem. (And it seems to indicate I have scrapbooking in my genes.)
Here’s another peek inside.
I love this little autograph book. My favorite part is seeing Grandma’s signature on the front. That’s right ladies…it’s her handwriting and I love it. I remember this handwriting, and it’s amazing how little it changed from when she was in her 20s to when she was in her 70s and 80s when I knew her. I love that and it helps me reaffirm the importance of using my own handwriting in my scrapbooks…whether I like my handwriting or not. It’s really quite irrelevant if I like my handwriting…it’s just a piece of me that I have the opportunity to share with people for years and years to come.
Lesson 1. Use your handwriting in your scrapbooks.
This is one of the deepest connections for me in this scrapbook. Seeing Grandma’s handwriting made her essence tangible to me today…even though she’s been gone for years.
Here’s another photo of the scrapbook…isn’t this great? But who are these people? I haven’t a clue because it doesn’t say anywhere in the scrapbook. Such a bummer. I would love to know if that lady golfing is my Grandma, one of her relatives, a friend…and if so, why is that person important enough to be in my Grandma’s scrapbook about her sorority? I’d love to know because I golf, too.
Although…I do dress differently, for the record.
But that’s not the point, really. This is:
Lesson 2. Every now and then, tell us who is in the photos in your scrapbooks.
Sure…it may seem obvious now, but in a few years (or decades, as the case is here) some grandchild may not not know that is YOU in the picture. And, speaking on behalf of that grandchild…she’ll probably be interested.
And look at this. Apparently Grandma went to the Sigma Kappa Golden Jubilee Convention in June of 1924. I wonder why she went? What was the convention about? What did she learn? Who did she go with? Was $30.00 a lot to spend on the convention? What did they do there besides Sigma Kappa stuff…golf perhaps? I would love to know…but the story is missing from this scrapbook as well.
Lesson 3. Take the time to journal and tell your story on your scrapbook pages.
If you can’t figure out what to say…try putting yourself in the shoes of someone 84 or so years down the road. 😉 What would he or she want to know? The little details that seem so obvious now…will be so interesting in the years to come. Start with the basics. Who made this scrapbook or page? Why did you take the time to create it? Looking at Grandma’s scrapbook, it’s clear that grammar and sentence structure don’t matter in a scrapbook. I don’t need complete sentences. I would just love a few nuggets about this experience and why it meant so much to her. It would tell me about her at a level I never knew when she was alive. And I might have discovered that we shared a love of golf…and never even knew it.
Lesson 4. Your scrapbooks matter…whether anyone is taking the time to drink them in today or not.
My Mom gave me this scrapbook years ago…and frankly, it didn’t capture my interest at the time. I had other things on my mind and other priorities. I said thank you and tucked it away. Today…it is a total gem. And next time Mom’s in town…I’m going to pull it out and see if she can help me connect the dots to my Grandma Vivien A. Seeber.
That was a great post. The precious piece of history your grandma has left is the best way to demonstrate the importance of scrapbooking.
That is just precious! And a good reminder to journal for our kids’ and grandkids’ benefit.
🙂
Great post Aby. Thanks.
O.K. Maybe I should get motivated about scrapbooking. I like your grandma, even though we can’t meet.
That is a great story. I loved seeing her old items and writing. I know what you mean about how important it is to see your grandma’s handwriting – I love finding old cards from mine. This has inspired me to write more in my scrapbooks to add details that future grandchildren will appreciate.
what a treat to have! i need to get back to scrapbooking. my children do love it so much when i do!
Love this post. My sweet grandmother is in her 80s and is working on her 66th scrapbook. It’s this amazing life journal and personal record of her life. Although we might not all take time to read them now it’s an amazing legacy she will leave behind.
I would give just about anything to have something like this from my grandparents. I only have a few pictures of them when they were old, none when they were young.
You are very lucky.
Scrappbooking AND sigma kappa?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
Whatever to do… heart be still…
as a sig kap alum and a scrapbook freak, I wish I could see this amazing gem in person!
What a wonderful treasure and an excellent point about handwriting. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Thanks for sharing. And it’s so true that we don’t always write the little details, that seem unimportant today, but if it was important enough to save the ticket/brochure/or take a picture of then you should tell the details about it so people in the furutre will know why it was important enough to glue into a scrapbook.
How wonderful! I’ve been debating on switching from traditional scrapbooking to digital scrapbooking. This makes me think I should stick with paper scrapbooking. I’m so worried that the traditional ones can be ruined/destroyed though! Any thoughts?
A few years after my mother died, I was going through an old box and I found a scrap of paper with my mum’s shopping list in her own handwriting in it.It bought back so many wonderful memories. It was a strong link to her.
I love this post! Just a reminder that some of these things we take time to document can actually become part of our family history!!!
Hi,
Just wanted to respond to Brenda’s comment about switching to digital. I think there are benefits to both digital and paper. Digital is great because you can back it up electronically so you’re safer in the case of natural disaster, fire, etc. It’s also good if you have more than one person you want to share your scrapbooks with. For example, multiple children who might like the same scrapbook.
Paper is great because it does allow touches like handwriting and memorabilia.
Have you considered doing both…some layouts / projects paper based and others electronic?
Aby
You are most welcome. I really really liked this post and I am a happy subscriber of your blog 🙂
What a treasure for you to have.
And, I was a Sigma Kappa, too! I hope my daughters and (someday maybe) granddaughters enjoy the things I have kept.
You bring up such good points today. I am new to scrapbooking and have yet to add any printed journaling to my pages. I believe in the writing and how it connects me to the page (even if those viewing it now care, they may later). I adore handwritten things. It’s a fingerprint of the person writing it – unique to that person.
Your grandmother’s name is beautiful and perfect for the time. I hope Vivien is headed for a comeback. So pretty!
How truly special. Thank you for the reminder to capture and document as much as you can. Currently, I am going through old photos, scanning them in and creating some heritage layouts and mini books and what you stated is so true. Recently my mother in law was diagnosed with some memory loss and the beginnings of dementia. She and I had talked about the family history and she wrote in her beautiful handwriting as much of the history on the backs of the photos as possible. I feel so fortunate to have been able to talk to her about those stories. She still has some of the memory, but so thankful she wrote it all before this started to happen.
As the keeper of the history I hope I can do justice to the stories I was told and document them for the next generations who are interested. Not everyone is at the moment, but that does not mean they wont become interested down the road.
I love the golfing photos – the clothes, etc. How special. Thank you for sharing.
This is a fantastic post. Wonderful lessons you have for us. It acts as inspiration, too. Thank you.
This is such a good post. I have many scrapbooks that my memaw made, but she journaled very little. She typed names and dates because she hated her handwriting. I wish I knew the other details about the people and places in her scrapbooks from her high school and college years. She passed away 10 years ago. I do love that every time I look through those books I can feel her with me. Her books have made me want to record the details, because I know one day my scrapbooks are going to really mean something to my loved ones. I love your blog! Thanks for the inspiration.