Journals, joy and the art of memory-keeping with Sarah Fraser
Welcome to The Storytellers, our series spotlighting the creatives bringing their ideas to life with The Storyboard.
From journals to joyful family chaos, Sarah Fraser's world is full of color, creativity and connection.
As a busy mum of three boys and a lover of all things craft and photography, Sarah is big on celebrating the little moments in life. Now she's enjoying making meaningful, joyful displays for her whole family with The Storyboard.
Tell us your story!
Hey! I'm Sarah, I'm a mum of three boys (yes it's wild and messy but in all the best ways). I'm about to finish a degree in primary teaching, which is a huge passion of mine. I love to bring a little bit of magic into students' lives. I've always been creative — photography and art have been hobbies of mine since I was little. I love that now my craft isn't only something I do for fun, but also a creative job — whether that's for a shoot, party or my scrapbooks.
How are you using your Storyboard?
Our Storyboard is in our dining room, next to our Mustard Made Collector that I use for craft and above our Midi locker, which is the perfect place to see and add to the board throughout the month. I'm a sentimental girlie, so that's exactly what I use the Storyboard for!
"I put anything special that's happening in the month on there, whether it be a birthday, a holiday, photo strips, or the kids' art."
I normally tuck these special pieces into my scrapbook so it's been fun to display them on our Storyboard!
How does having a physical space to create a vision board help you bring your dreams to life?
Having a physical space for our memories helps to stay present and appreciate the little things.
"Time moves so fast with kids, so taking a moment to display what's important is really grounding for me."
I love to look up while I'm having my morning coffee and see what we have been doing over the month (as do the kids). I love hearing their excited giggles when they help to display an artwork they made or attach their little birthday hat picture. It's the first thing they show people when they come over now!
When you think about yourself in 5 years' time, what do you hope your life will look like?
Not much different to our life at the moment! We are in the golden years of our boys' childhood — they are 4, 6 and 8 and I would love to be able to pause time. I love slowing down and enjoying the afternoon at home with friends, hosting a dinner party or riding motorbikes. I want to savour this time in our lives as much as possible.
When did you start journaling/scrapbooking and how do you use it now?
I've been scrapbooking since I was 10! I love collecting things and when I found a way to do this, mixed with my photography, I was hooked! I use my junk journal for the same reason now — I document my year through the special pieces I've collected and made. The kids love my journal so much that we had to make them their own travel journals.
Do you have any advice for getting kids involved in craft and DIY at home?
Don't worry about the mess! Art and craft is meant to be messy — that's when kids do their best creative work (even if that is painting their whole body). I only get craft out when I have a lot of time to spend doing it alongside the kids, if it's rushed it's just not fun for anyone.
What types of things do you do for yourself to inspire creativity and ensure you're filling your own cup?
This year I've been making sure I journal weekly — it's my down time — and it helps to make sure none of the things I've collected get lost! But I'm also a huge social butterfly and get so much energy out of connection with my friends.
"I've been prioritising hosting monthly themed parties where my friends can just enjoy themselves and connect with each other!"
Some themes I've had so far have been scrapbooking night, galantines for the little princesses, paint your spouse night, 80s prom, wig and games night and girls' movie night. It's been so fun to add my photos from these parties onto my Storyboard to re-live the night until the next party!
