There are a lot of scrapbookers out there that refuse to write on their pages because they hate their handwriting. (You know who you are!) I can understand that. After all, my own handwriting is nothing to write home about. (Ha! See what I did there?)

My handwriting is a weird combination of printing and cursive, with bad habits exaggerated through a long history of working retail. (Working two jobs, with one always being a bookstore, paid off all my student loans and my first car!) My husband thinks it’s horrible, and my kids often have trouble reading it.

That doesn’t stop me though, and it shouldn’t stop you. As my mother says, you don’t have to be famous for your handwriting to be valuable. Think about it this way:

Things that are handmade are intrinsically more valuable than machine produced items. Items that are scarce are more valuable than items that are common. Items that were once common are becoming uncommon. Your handwriting is valuable because it is handmade, a finite resource (only YOU can write like you!), and is becoming more and more scarce as time goes by. (Think about how much you wrote by hand while in school, and how much less you do now. You may type all day long at the computer, but how much do you write by hand?)

Case in point:

This is a recipe my grandmother sent to my mother when she was in the service. Thereabouts. My mom lived on the other side of the country from my grandmother for quite a few years, back in the days when long distance phone calls were expensive, and snail mail was one of the best ways to stay in touch. And that’s the point. This handwritten recipe not only calls to mind my grandmother’s love of sticky sweet things and baking in general, but it’s also a record and reminder of how things have changed.

Your handwriting has value, both on a personal, emotional level, and as a cultural artifact!

But that’s enough deep thoughts for today. Later this week, I’ll link you up to some great ways to improve your handwriting, and get it on the pages you make!