Hate my handwriting

I really don't like my handwriting, but would like to journal on a few pages I've done. I know it'll add "character" to the pages, something of my own, but I'll look at it and think it's ruined.

Any suggestions?

Do some of you just print off the computer?

Most of us do print off the computer. LOL. If you want it to look like handwriting, just find a font that looks like it.

I know alot of people that don't like their handwriting but I assume your albums are for your kids? They won't care what your handwriting looks like ~ they'll treasure it because you wrote it. But if you really don't like your writing I've seen lots of people that print it off of a computer. I'm not sure if you need any special ink to prevent fading, bleeding, etc over time.

I absolutely despise my handwriting, but in the future you'll probably want all those memories to be in your own handwriting. i did all my son's pages in his baby book in my own handwriting, and i hated how it turned out but everybody here loved it. everybody who looks at it says i have beautiful handwriting. (what prescriptions are they on?) anyway, i'd just write it in your own handwriting on a journaling block first, and then if you absolutely despise it, just do it on the computer. you might be surprised

• CMTNICHOLS Said:

I completely agree with your kids will treasure it. I like to find pictures with my grandmothers handwriting.

ITA with the PP's. It adds that something special to see the thoughts spelled out in the creator's hadwriting. My Grandma made a book for me, and spologized for her handwriting. To me it's the most special part of it.

BTW. I hate my handwriting, too.

I don't much care for my handwriting either...so I practice over some fonts (large sized) that I like or just take a scrap paper and try different styles, or holding the pen different. Just a thought.

I'll tell you a story. Two summers ago I was going through a box of my mother's things as she is now in an assisted living center. I found an old box that was literally falling apart. I untied the string that was holding it together and opened the box. There were some old, old post cards, a baby shoe that was crumbling and some papers folded in half. I took out the papers, unfolded them and I could see someone had written on them in pencil. It was very light and faded. I began to read it. By the time I finished the first page, the tears were streaming down my cheeks. It was a journal that my grandmother had written starting at the time she met my grandfather until they time they were engaged and planning their wedding. My grandmother died when my mom was two years old, so I never met her and my mom doesn't even remember her, but here was a journal in her own handwriting explaining how she met and fell in love with my grandfather (who later married her sister, the only grandmother I knew). I treasure those pages. Her handwriting isn't very good and parts of it I had to reread to understand what she meant, but I wouldn't trade that journal for all the tea in China. So, for your grandchildren's sake and the sake of all the generations after that who might look at your albums, you need to journal at least part of it in your own handwriting. BTW, I scrapped Grandma's Journal. It's in my gallery. I wish I could have used her original pages (which I sprayed with Acid Free), but they wouldn't even scan because the pencil was so faded, so they now have a home of their own in an altered acid-free box by Daisy D's. Sorry, I didn't mean to be so long-winded.

What a great story, thanks for sharing. I don't care for my writting, but I do both in my scrapbooks. I lost my father at a young age, and somehow finding his handwritten things even just his signature, is comforting. I also have all these old recipies that were written by my grandmother, and I love it.

I say journal some stories in your writting, it makes the pages more personal.

I do a combination of journaling with the computer, handwritten, stamping, die cuts, quotes, and alpha stickers. Whatever is out there, I at least try it.

My general rule of thumb is to use the computer if the journaling is really long. That way I can type it and use a small font size and the reader can figure it out. LOL For super short captions, titles, etc, I tend to stamp and use purchased items for speed and creativity. Anything in between, I journal in my handwriting for future generations.

Best wishes in your endeavors!

I really don't like my handwriting but every now and than I still write my journaling and kind of hide it on the layout behind a picture.

Check out the Heidi Swapp Love Your Handwriting book. I bought it and it really helps you to find a style that you would like to see on your pages.

I have some nerve and tendon problems in my writing arm. I guarantee mine looks horrible but I still do some. My Mom is gone but when I find something with her handwriting it still makes me melt.

I think in the years to come, your family will love being able to see your own personal handwriting. Regardless of how your handwriting looks, I think it adds character and love to the layouts.

Diane

I probably do half and half with computer and my handwriting. But my handwriting is neat, so I don't mind it too much.

I actually like my handwriting, but don't like the way it looks on my pages and I'm always afraid I'll screw it up - I don't do a lot of journaling, but when I do I pretty much always do it on the computer.

• Momma2Bryn Said:

I hear you - my handwriting *looks* good from a distance but get up close and it looks so messy - I hate that!

I love seeing other people's handwriting - there is a certain added component to the memory. I know I get misty eyed when I see my parents handwriting. I immediately know it's theirs and I can even hear their voice. I don't want to deny my own son that experience so I try to set aside my perfectionist nature and add some of my own handwriting.

Here's what I've been doing (and it's helped me).

I plan out what I want to write and then I practice it on a scratch sheet of paper. This alone helps my writing in 'the computer age' where everything is type written. It's hard to do anything well if you don't practice!

Also when I do journaling I rarely do it directly onto the layout. I do it on a tag, or another peice of paper and then incorporate it into the layout, that way if I mess up (which happens way too often) I can just ditch that small part and start over and the whole layout isn't ruined.

not much for advice but I hope it helps!

I felt the same way about my handwriting until I found some of my grandmother and grandfathers handwriting on the backs of old photographs. My grandmother has BEAUTIFUL handwriting, So whenever I see it, it makes me feel closer to her. She died when I was 14 and we were very close. I was named after her.

I want my grandchildren and great grandchildren to feel the same way when they see my handwriting so I try to journal in my own hand part of the time.

I agree with what everyone else said. I'm also a happy owner of the Heidi Swap book. It won't make you write like Heidi, but it did seem to help me like my own writing more.

Just one more suggestion I thought I'd share... if you want to save it for future generations, but don't want to have to look at your own handwriting, you can always make it "hidden journaling". That way, it's still there, but you don't have to see it.

I use the printer all the time for my journaling and titles....I don't' know what I did before I got it. I have a 3 in 1 and it's great.

I hate my handwriting, but I always journal with it. I love looking at old-fashioned handwriting in old scrapbooks and on pictures. Someday I hope someone looks at my books like that, so I try to use my own writing.

Since I don't love my writing either, I do journal on my computer a lot, but for handwritten stuff, I will often use the Autumn Leaves Journaling clear stamps. It gives some definition and form to my writing and it usually comes out looking pretty good.

Well, I did it! I made a little journal area with my hand writing and I *guess* it doesn't look too bad. I'll have to post it a little later for you guys.

Thanks for inspriring me to do it.

I too don't like my handwriting.... however, when I'm working on a LO, I'm too lazy to go to the other side of the room and work out the journalling onto matching paper, etc so I end up writing most of them by hand.

People always tell me that my handwriting is nice, but I hate it. I used to be a journalist, so I wrote on the computer all day long, that's why I don't want to use a computer now for my scrapbooking. I started to use tags for hidden journaling and I'm very happy with it.

I hate my hand writing too, I'm just messy & have to try really hard to write nice on my pages. I like using my computer, but I can never seem to get the color just right so I end up hand writing it, I feel like I take away from the page. I taught myself calligraphy in order to address my wedding invitations so I use that on a lot of my pages or a variation.

I like how I write in cursive but not print. I think that cursive is too difficult to read as journaling so that is why I have lots of fonts installed on my computer!!

I go back and forth on liking and disliking my handwriting. In the end I like having my handwriting on the pages, it makes it more personal I think. Every now and again I will use the computer to journal if I want a cool font or something.