Scrapping Self Pages: Who Are You?

Submitted by rockester on November 21, 2001 - 23:00

"Whhoooo are you? Who? Who? Who? Who? I really wanna know!" These are the lyrics of a popular song by a classic rock band called The Who in 1978. (Am I dating myself?) LOL Well, who are YOU?

Have you ever done a page just about yourself? Well, you should!! You are an important part of your family and YOU need to be documented too! Your parents, children, and siblings as well as friends and coworkers would love to see a page about you now and then. Put one in your own personal albums or in group albums. Tell the world a little about the things you love and hate and enjoy. Don't be shy! Tell them the foods you love, your pet peeves, and the highlights in your life so far. Here is how I did a page about myself recently for a group directory I participated in for the MNscrappers of yahoogroups. You can use it as a model for your own Self Page.


Step One: Choose the Photo

Choose a photo or two that show your real self. You may have a quiet side that no one sees. Include that. Or perhaps you have a wild and crazy side? Express that in the photos you choose? Or even blend the moods by showing several photos in different moods. You can also do a sequence like a filmstrip showing The Many Moods of (your name here).
Step Two:Choose the Papers
I went through certain steps to determine what I wanted my page to look like and to say. First I chose a photo as above. then I choose papers that I loved that really expressed the mood of my photos for my Self Page. My favorite color is blue. So I used that color scheme. Perhaps you love a certain color. Use it! Or perhaps a certain artist and style is a favorite. (Think Mary Engelbreit, Jill Rinner, Sharon Ann, Rebecca Sower, K and Co, or Debbie Mumm??) Use their papers if so! Since I was going with blues, I choose a set of blue papers that were soft and muted. Perhaps it was just my mood that day but they seemed right to me. Don't think too hard on paper choices. Your first inclination is probably the truest one to follow.

Step Three: Add a Poem or Quote

I think the word can convey so much of our true selves. We may not all be poets but we can use other people's quotes or poems to express beautifully what is INSIDE us. I search several different poem and quote sites to find what fits my mood and the photos for my Self Page. I searched for keywords like Self, Me, Hope, Dream, and Life until I found a few good ones to choose from. I printed them out so I could see how I liked them. I settled on one that expressed my message the best about myself. As you can see you don't have to be a scholar or a writer in order to use great words! Just borrow some of these!

Here are a few places to start.
http://dmarie.com/asp/poems.asp?action=queryform

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Farm/9753/

http://www.gracefulbee.com/avenueb/titlecompany/articles/pageTitles.html

http://www.n2scrappin.com/mothers.htm

http://www.n2scrappin.com/love.htm

http://scrapbooking.about.com/cs/poemsandquotes/index.htm?once=true&

Here are a few examples:
WHO YOU ARE- author unknown

YOU TELL WHAT YOU ARE BY THE FRIENDS YOU SEEK
BY THE VERY MANNER IN WHICH YOU SPEAK
BY THE WAY YOU EMPLOY YOUR LEISURE TIME
BY THE USE YOU MAKE OF A DOLLAR AND DIME.

YOU TELL WHAT YOU ARE BY THE THINGS YOU WEAR
BY THE SPIRIT IN WHICH YOUR BURDENS BEAR
BY THE KIND OF THINGS AT WHICH YOU LAUGH
BY RECORDS YOU PLAY ON YOUR PHONOGRAPH.

YOU TELL WHAT YOU ARE BY THE WAY YOU WALK
BY THE THINGS OF WHICH YOU LIKE TO TALK
BY THE MANNER IN WHICH YOU BEAR DEFEAT
AND BY SO SIMPLE A THING AS HOW YOU EAT.

BY THE BOOKS YOU READ FROM A WELL FILLED SHELF
IN THESE WAYS AND MORE, YOU REVEAL YOURSELF.

HUMAN HEART- author unknown

THERE'S LOTS OF LOVE IN THE HUMAN HEART
IF WE JUST DIG DOWN A BIT
IT'S THE MASTERPIECE OF A MIGHTY HAND
AND HE GAVE HIS BEST TO IT

THERE'S LOTS OF GOOD IN MOST MEN
JUST UNDERNEATH THE SKIN
AND MUCH WOULD SHOW THAT WE NEVER KNOW
COULD WE ONLY LOOK WITHIN

THERE'S LOTS INSIDE THAT WE NEVER SEE
AND PERHAPS WE'LL NEVER KNOW
UNTIL FORTUNES TURN AND WE'RE DOWN AND OUT
OR SICKNESS STRIKES US LOW

BUT THE HEART IS RIGHT IN MOST MEN
WHEN THE TRUTH IS REALLY KNOWN
AND WE OFTEN FIND THAT THE HEART IS KIND
WHEN WE THOUGH IT WAS COLD AS STONE

WE SOMETIMES TIRE WHEN THE ROAD IS ROUGH
AND THE HILL SEAMS AWFULLY STEEP
AND WE SOMETIMES FEEL THAT ALL HOPE IS GONE
AS WE SIT ALONE AND WEEP

AND WHEN OUR FAITH IS BURNING LOW
AND WE LOSE OUR TRUST IN MEN
TRUE FRIENDS APPEAR WITH WORDS OF CHEER
AND THE SUN COMES OUT AGAIN

AND SO I SAY THAT THE HEART OF MAN
IS ABOUT WHERE IT OUGHT TO BE
FOR IT'S MADE OF GOODNESS ALL THE WAY THROUGH
COULD WE LOOK INSIDE AND SEE

GOD MADE ALL THINGS AND HE MADE THEM WELL
ON A TRUE AND PERFECT PLAN
BUT HE OUTDID HIMSELF IN THE GREATEST TEST
WHEN HE MADE THE HEART OF MAN

HAPPINESS- author unknown

THINK OF THE THINGS THAT MAKE YOU HAPPY
NOT THE THINGS THAT MAKE YOU SAD
THINK OF THE FINE AND TRUE IN MANKIND
NOT THE SORDID SIDE AND BAD

THINK OF THE BLESSINGS THAT SURROUND YOU
NOT THE ONES THAT ARE DENIED
THINK OF THE VIRTUES OF YOUR FRIENDSHIPS
NOT THE WEAK AND FAULTY SIDE

THINK OF THE GAINS YOU'VE MADE IN BUSINESS
NOT THE LOSSES YOU'VE INCURRED
THINK OF THE GOOD OF YOU THAT'S SPOKEN
NOT SOME CRUEL HOSTILE WORD

THINK OF THE DAYS OF HEALTH AND PLEASURE
NOT THE DAYS OF HURT AND PAIN
THINK OF THE DAYS ALIVE WITH SUNSHINE
NOT THE DISMAL DAYS OF RAIN

THINK OF THE HOPES THAT LIE BEFORE YOU
NOT THE WASTE THAT LIES BEHIND
THINK OF THE TREASURES YOU HAVE GATHERED
NOT THE ONES YOU FAILED TO FIND

THINK OF THE SERVICE YOU MAY RENDER
NOT THE SERVING SELF ALONE
THINK OF THE HAPPINESS OF OTHERS
AND IN THIS YOU'LL FIND YOUR OWN!!

MYSELF- author unknown

I HAVE TO LIVE WITH MYSELF AND SO
I WANT TO BE FIT FOR MYSELF TO KNOW
I WANT TO BE ABLE AS DAYS GO BY
TO LOOK MYSELF SQUARE IN THE EYE

I DON'T WANT TO STAND WITH THE SETTING SUN
AND HATE MYSELF FOR THE THINGS I'VE DONE
I DON'T WANT TO KEEP ON THE CLOSET SHELF
A LOT OF SECRETS ABOUT MYSELF

AND FOOL MYSELF AS I COME AND GO
THINKING THAT NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW
THE KIND OF MAN I REALLY AM
I DON'T WANT TO DRESS MYSELF UP IN SHAM

I WANT TO GO OUT WITH MY HEAD ERECT
I WANT TO DESERVE ALL MEN'S RESPECT
BUT IN THE STRUGGLE FOR FAME AND SELF
I WANT TO BE ABLE TO LIKE MYSELF

I DON'T WANT TO THINK AS I COME AND GO
THAT I'M BLUSTER AND BLUFF AND EMPTY SHOW
I NEVER CAN HIDE MYSELF FROM ME
I SEE WHAT OTHERS MAY NEVER SEE

I KNOW WHAT OTHERS MAY NEVER KNOW
I CAN NEVER FOOL MYSELF--AND SO
WHATEVER HAPPENS, I WANT TO BE
SELF-RESPECTING WITH CONSCIENCE FREE.


Step Four: Add some Artwork if you Like

Here are the Creating Keepsakes magazine Cut and Copy freebies if you need some printable artwork to go with your Self Page. Each monthly link has a different theme so you are sure to find something that suits your needs. I especially liked the May 2001 offerings as well as the National Scrapbooking Day 2002 items.
http://www.creatingkeepsakes.com/magazine/cutncopy/

I chose to use two of these sheets for a quick but adorable art accent for my own Self Page.

figure 4 and figure 5

My choices of the Mothers Day art and the Scrapbooking Day art seemed to cover all the bases for me--both my private side and my professional side. I printed both sets onto vellum on the computer printer so I could color behind the artwork with chalks for a soft effect. Combined with the "Who You Are" poem, a few page accents from the CK artwork and my photos, I should have enough for a very nice Self Page.

Step Five: Add Some Personal Journaling
If you like, you can add a touch of personal journaling to your page.
Certainly you can add vital statistices like your name and height and personal favorites. Or write a little essay on the important things in life or about your philosophy. Be sure to add lots of descriptive words and emotion to your words. Don't worry if it seems pained, corny, sentimental, or gushy. That is just what we want. A hearty message. If it is sappy, but genuine, be proud of it! Tell us not only that you love gardening, but WHY!?? Who introduced you to it? What does it make you feel like? Are you a kid again digging in the dirt? This is just the kind of thing your loved ones will want to know about you. You can even hide this kind of journaling underneath a piece of artwork like I did under my vellum accents.

Put it all together in a pleasing layout format that you like and presto! Your photos, poem, quote, artwork, journaling and paper all combine to quickly create a work of art that tells us who you are. Don't let your own identity get lost in your albums. We want to know the scrapbooker behind the lens! Put yourself on the page soon! You might just learn a few things about yourself in the process!