In Loving Memory Scrapbook

Two weeks ago I was honored to win an online scrapbooking class called In Loving Memory. This class is about creating a scrapbook in honor of a lost loved one. Here is the description for the class ~ In Loving Memory: During this 5-week course (one session per week) I will help spur you on to create an album dedicated to a loved one you have lost, all the while encouraging you to be gentle on yourself through the process. I will provide prompts and challenges to help you get your thoughts in order and onto the page, as well as suggestions for selecting photos and how to overcome the dilemma of not having many photos at all. In addition, page sketches will be offered and a variety of embellishment techniques will be taught along the way.There's not a better way to complete a treasured project than in the company of a supportive teacher who is on her own journey of remembrance after losing her mom very suddenly and unexpectedly the summer of 2007. "It's scrapbooking as a healing therapy, not just art."

I have been able to start on a journey that I have wanted to for quite some time through this class. I have been wanting to create a memorial album and have gathered things to do so, but had not found the right time to start. This class has given me the extra push I needed. I don't know that I will share all my pages here on the blog along the way, as they are sure to be deeply personal the further along I go, but here are the first ones I have completed.

For our first class one of the prompts was to create a family tree of your loved one. Since my Mom has done tons of genealogy research, I could stretch our tree out forever, but chose to keep it simple. I wanted the focus to be on our immediate family and even felt that including our siblings (Abby's aunts and uncles) made things too busy.



For the second prompt we were to make a timeline of our loved ones life, so here's what I did.






The journaling boxes read~
June 9, 2003 Abrielle Lauryn Neff was born weighing 6lbs 15oz
4 months We learned that Abby was not gaining weight properly
4 1/2 months Abby has learned to crawl
6 months Trips to Omaha begin as Abby is not digesting food
7 months Abby is walking!

The pictures are at 3 weeks, 5 months, and 7 months.

The journaling boxes read~
18 months Yeah! Abby finally has her first tooth
December 1, 2006 "Baby Tyler" is born
August 20, 2007 First day of preschool
Age 3 Started Kip Kittens Gymnastics
February 19, 2007 Abby gets to see her baby sister on the 4D ultrasound
March 29, 2007 Abrielle is taken from us and given her Heavenly angel wings

Photos are at 10 months, 18 months with JackJack, Oct 2007 with JackJack, Sept 2007 preschool picture

These layouts are simple, but have taken me hours to create. It is such an emotional process to put our little girls life down on paper like this from beginning to end, but I know the outcome will be worth my time spent. It is definitely proving to be a form of therapy.