Celebrating your Patriotism

Patriotism, noun. devoted love, support, and defense of one's country; national loyalty.

It's more than that though, isn't it? Patriotic pride runs deeper in some hearts than others, but I believe that most of us are proud to call ourselves Americans. One way that we pass on our love for our country, and our respect for the men and women who protect it, is through our scrapbooks. Found within its pages are lessons and observations about home, pride, acceptance, devotion to country and family, strength, and loyalty; timeless themes which are used to tell future generations who we are, and what we believe in.

Fourth of July photos can be fun and colorful, or they can be a tribute to family togetherness and good, old-fashioned fun. They can also be reflective and emotionally powerful. You can use only a few images and heartfelt journaling as I did in the layout entitled "Freedom" to help teach your children what it means to live in our country and how you personally feel.

Layouts don't always need to be deeply moving masterpieces, with long paragraphs of detailed and emotional journaling. Sometimes a bright, happy layout with carefully chosen embellishments and simple journaling does the trick. Your personal style will dictate what direction to take when choosing photos and materials to complete your layout. The most important part is to share your ideals and thoughts. This style of layout is a wonderful reminder that family and friends are the backbone of our nation.

Not all patriotic layouts need to be in the traditional red, white, and blue color scheme either. Don't let tradition dictate to you how you decorate your layout. It's the emotion, photos, and journaling that will be remembered, not necessarily the color scheme. In the layout entitled, "Building the American Dream," I stuck with a muted color scheme of tan, chocolate, and grey-blue with just a pop of scarlet red. I let the home-building theme dictate my embellishments. In my opinion this layout is just as patriotic, if not more so, than my more whimsical pages because it talks about something deeply personal, our home.

There are many different traditional symbols used on patriotic-themed layouts: eagles, flags, stars, fireworks, the Statue of Liberty, bells, military symbols, and our nation's capitol building. Try mixing it up and using more non-traditional embellishments to achieve the same feeling. You could try adding in the silhouette of a soldier or a child, peace doves, olive branches, hearts, handwritten letters or notes (to symbolize writing to a loved one over seas), children's hands, a rose, or anything else that symbolizes hope, love, and pride.

No photos? No problem! The themes of love, respect, and patriotism are definitely enhanced by photos, but you don't have to use them to create a stunning and very personal layout. Using a lovely embellishment and some appropriately-themed patterned paper I was able to create a journaling-only type layout for a very personal Book of Me that I am working on. One day my children will get to read these pages and they'll have a better idea of who I am (or was) and what I believe in. I think that in the end these are the layouts that will tell the most about us as women and artists, as mothers, wives, and Americans.

Dig deep, looking into yourself to see what lessons you want to impart to future generations. We all have something to say, and using your patriotic-themed photos and thoughts is a wonderful way to accomplish that. I hope you'll create a layout or two of your own and share them with us in the Scrapjazz Gallery. We would love to see how you express your pride and national loyalty between the covers of your scrapbook albums.

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