Journaling is an important element in scrapbooking. It is the difference between understanding the family in the photos and having to guess what their lives are like.

Journaling is a chance to capture your life and what it feels like to live it for your own benefit and that of anyone else that ever sees it and wants to know more about your life and that of your family.

It will bring back wonderful memories for you in 10 years time as your life will have moved on from where it is now. How great to have a reminder of all your milestones. Even the parts that may seem mundane now you will look back and treasure. So capture the details now while it's still fresh in your mind.

The best pens for journaling are dark pigment-based inks which are easiest to read.

There are lots of ways to include words in your scrapbook. These are just a few and by no means all:

1. Writing on die cuts. Using a die-cut machine to add the color and design of your choice to the page for your journaling.

2. Putting words on stickers. Fast and easy journaling is possible with the large variety of stickers available in all sizes and shapes that you can add words to.

3. Use journaling blocks. You can cut these yourself in any shape and color to suit your page. You can also buy them from scrapbooking shops.

4. Border journaling. You can use the borders of your pages to gain the interest of the reader. This is very effective and can stop and start wherever you like.

5. Printing words on the computer. This does lack the human touch but can make a nice change especially as there is an opportunity to use so many different fonts.

6. Writing on the page. If you want to write directly on the page by all means do so. Be sure to use a pigment-based ink for longevity.

7. Word stamps and alphabet stamps. These are great when you want one word that sums it up. Alphabet stamps are great but not for large chunks of text. Use them instead for single words or short phrases.

A really good idea is to carry around a notebook at all times to jot down things you really like and are inspired by. Write down things that you want to remember and might otherwise forget.

Always date your entries so you can make a note of these dates in your scrapbook. Recording your ideas and thoughts is a good habit to get into.

If you find memorabilia for the scrapbook add that to the notebook as you can later decide whether to include it or not. If you come across interesting articles in magazines or letters add these to the notebook so you have it to consider for including in your scrapbook. You may decide against but you will have a larger choice of items to include.

Once you get into the habit these things become second nature and they are a great help in your scrapbooking routine.