Forget Me Not Journals

Collaborator Inspiration: Megan Hutchison

We've caught up with busy mum, entrepreneur and journalling guru Megan Hutchison for some ideas on how to share your family stories through keepsakes and journals.

Journaling doesn’t come naturally to everyone, but you’ve found a delightful and encouraging way to make journaling easy and stylish. Have you always kept journals since a young age?

Yes! I’ve been journaling for about as long as I could write! From around the age of five or six, my stepmother actually made us write holiday diaries. I also think I may have inherited it from my parents. My Dad was really into photography, and my Mum made amazing photo books and diaries of their lives, including one of a few years spent living in Monrovia, Liberia. I have always thought that photos tell half the story, while journals and people’s first-hand accounts really bring those photos to life. The ‘to my child’ range of childhood journals was inspired by the one my Mum wrote to me during her last year, and the Baby Book I’ve just launched is very much influenced by how much I love the one she created for me.

Having babies and young children leaves parents with very little ‘me time’ what advice do you have to the parents who say they don’t have time to create baby books?

I think all parents find it hard to find the time, or as much time as they would like, to create Baby Books My advice would be little and often – taking ten minutes once a week is enough to create something really beautiful and special for your little ones. I find it easier to do all the photos in batches, rather than try to print them every month – don’t be overwhelmed by the pressure to do it all at once.

For parents who feel overwhelmed by all the pages in a Baby Book, our lined journals with journal prompt stickers are the perfect in-between. You can start them at any age, so if you didn’t start in the first year, or even until you have older children, you can still create an incredible keepsake of memories. I make the same style in a Grandparents journal too, a great way to encourage your own parents to write to their grandchildren.

Family is worth celebrating! How do you think keepsakes, photos and journals help to strengthen families?

The practice of writing down special memories and turning photos into keepsakes is incredible for instilling a sense of gratitude for all that you have – both at the time of making them, and also to look back on.
As a mother without parents, I also treasure the keepsakes and photos I have inherited, to teach my family about the wonderful people who they descend from, how special those people still are to us, and how much a part of our lives they are now, even though they are no longer around.

We have a range of photo papers available, which paper do you feel best complements your journals?

I love the A6 retro prints, and the square prints in ‘photo matte’ paper. In our Celebrate Memory Book I can use between 1 and 4 of the 10×10 cm prints on the photo page, or I will use 1-2 of the A6 retro print cards, and decorate with captions, stickers or little mementos. To secure your photos in the journal; I’d recommend these little adhesive photo mounts (500pc for $2.25 at Kmart)

What do you love about printing your special moments with HappyMoose?

I first used Happy Moose to create a beautiful family photo wall for Father’s Day after the birth of our first baby three years ago, and the quality of them is outstanding. I’m not worried about them fading (they’re currently on display in my well-lit office – yes, I took possession of his first Father’s Day gift!). After my baby girl was born last year, I printed some of our first photos, including one of me still in the labour pool, and some family portraits taken shortly after. I just love looking up at them during the day while I’m working.

I always recommend the large photo prints for sentimental gifts, and personally, I would rather spend more on my prints, but know they will look exceptional, and last a really long time.