Forgetting the photos is probably not the worst mistake you can make, but I can relate completely. In fact, perfect example. Last night I made cookies with my four girls (my son thought baking seemed too girly for him). We were all up to our eyeballs in cookie dough. We made four different batches of cookies and all made about four dozen cookies each. That’s a lot of cookies.
About halfway through cleaning up the huge mess we created, I realized that I had not taken ANY photos of the girls cooking. In fact, we had simply had so much fun that I hadn’t even thought about taking pictures. I was suddenly very sad, that this very creative and fun time that we had as a family, had not been preserved for prosperity.
So what do you do in a case like that? You do what I did, you create another mess to clean up. No, really. I took out the cookie sheet, yes after I had cleaned it. I then placed a dozen of the same cookies on the sheet. I set up a photo shoot for these silly cookies. But guess what, I’m so glad I did. Now when I create these layouts, I have picture to commemorate the whole experience, and I can journal about the funny things that happened and how much fun it was.
Each time the kids look at the layout, they will be reminded of the fun night we made cookies.
But what happens when you cannot re-create the event in question? Try to find memorabilia. If there is no memorabilia, try a postcard and if there is absolutely nothing you can use, then journal. Yes, that’s right. Include a whole layout of journaling. Talk about the good points and the bad points of the event. Re-create the moment through your words. Use a poem or a quote to help if you’d like.
There is nothing wrong with a layout having no pictures. You can embellish it the same way you would have if you had photos. Or go back and use an older technique like paper piecing and paper piece a scene.
It’s easy to forget the camera when you are in the middle of an exciting adventure or situation. If it happens, just grin and bear it and find a way to make it memorable in your scrapbook anyway! Good luck!