Telling the Stories Behind Your Photos
I was inspired to create this Breast Cancer Scrapbook Album after the death of my dear aunt. Although, she did not have breast cancer, she did have cervical cancer. When she was diagnosed, they gave her 6 months to live. Devistating!! She started receiving get well cards almost daily. She loved them all and wanted something special to be done with them. She contacted me and asked me what I thought I could do with them. I immediatley told her that I could create a scrapbook album for her. We talked about all the details of the album. She wanted it to be an 8 1/2 by 11 binder with the sheet protector front. Not a problem!!! I set out to do this project for her fast because I wanted her to be able to see some of it before she passed. I got the binder and decorated the binder, front, back, and side, just as a book would be. I chose her favorite colors which were purple and yellow. I wish I had photos to show you. I printed on the front of the album her name and a quote I found that went something like this " you were not meant to fit in, you were meant to stand out as a light in the darkness". Inside the album she wanted the cards to be cut so that she could see the front of the card and the inside of the card. So I cut all the cards and put them side by side (the front of the card next to the inside of the card; who it was from) on cardstock scrapbook paper. I decorated each page to compliment the card. I probably did about 50 pages which she got to see a few weeks after I received the cards. She told my mom that she wanted her to keep it so that I could do all the cards. Then, she wanted the album to go to her husband and kids when she passed. My mom did as she was told. My aunt asked me what she owed me as she lay dying in her hospital bed. Absolutely nothing, I told her!! This was my gift to her and I would see to it that all the cards were done and in the album even after she would depart. She did pass away about 4 months later. She didn't make it 6 months, but I went to pick up more cards a few weeks after she passed from her son who had been collecting them as they came in from her passing. I wanted to include all of those too. I finished the album about a week later and gave it to her son. At the time, her son didn't understand why she wanted all these cards in this album for all of them. I hope over time he will come to realize that it was what she wanted for all of them to remember her. She loved it and hoped they would too.
I 'm telling you this story to tell you that it made me think about the stories behind our scrapbook albums. They are GREAT stories because they are OUR stories.
I made this Breast Cancer Scrapbook Album for someone to tell their story. Your family wants to know your story. Yes, most of the time they were there with you, but sometimes you were all alone. Document all the things good and bad. Photos of people who were there with you and the stories behind the photos. You and your family will treasure it one day, I promise.
If you would like to see all 20 pages of this album click on the link to my ebay store. Thanks so much!!
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