How the Best Way to Appreciate Life is through Memory-Keeping

This post was updated 2023.

When people ask, "So, what do you do?" I generally have a hard time answering.  I try to focus so much on individual needs that in reality I end up doing a variety of things that fall well outside the basic "Photo & Story Treasures consultant" description.

I was asked this "So, what do you do?" question recently, and since my answer wasn't planned, I've thought about it a lot since it came out of my mouth.  Here's what I said:

I teach (free) classes on the importance of our photos and memories and then provide strategies and solutions to make high-quality memory-keeping doable.  It's less about "scrapbooking" and more about appreciating and cherishing life.

In the 14 1/2 years I've been sharing the *Heritage Makers vision ("Everyone has a story.  Tell yours."), I've been met with surprising responses when I mention that one of the methods of telling your story is digital scrapbooking.  

There are lots of methods, by the way, from{the Yearbook method} to {creative, flexible digital scrapbooking},  etc. 

But the word "scrapbooking" seems to get the most reaction.  People tend to either love it or hate it.  And people tend to mistakenly believe the {myth that if they don't scrapbook then they can't preserve their memories}.

So let me say this again.

Preserving photos and memories is less about scrapbooking and more about appreciating and cherishing life.

See "how to get started" for more options!

Why We Need Memory-Keeping So Desperately

Doesn't it seem like depression, anxiety, fear of missing out, and a lack of real connection are prevalent these days?  

So doesn't it follow that happiness, security, joy, gratitude, and connection are needed right now more than ever?  

The good news is that these things are closer than we realize!

Let me be so bold as to suggest that the best way to appreciate your life is through memory-keeping.  Call it "scrapbooking" or don't, but we need what it does for us!

Research going back over 25 years has concluded the following amazing (and very hopeful!) facts:

• {Spending time with your photos and memories has a grounding, centering effect.}  It engenders a sense of belonging and purpose.  It increases gratitude.  {It fosters personal growth.}
• {Kids who know their family's narrative have higher self-esteem}, better {coping skills, and more empathy towards others.} 
• Preserved {photos and memories help create connections} between family members.
• Memory-keeping has therapeutic benefits including {healing from grief} and {reducing stress}.
• Looking at {photos boosts mood (happiness) by 11% and relaxation by 22%!}  (Chocolate only comes in at 8%, by the way.)

So don't you think it's time?  Don't you think it's time to stop worrying about "scrapbooking" or "not scrapbooking" and just be a memory-keeper?  

Photos and memories do so many good things for us--so many things we NEED!  They aren't just "nice"--they're necessities.

{Memory-keeping} is nothing more than sitting down with your photos and memories--your life experience--and putting words to them.  It's organizing the things that happen in such a way that you can develop perspective and gratitude.  It's seeing {long-gone moments and long-gone faces in order to remember and appreciate}.  

How I Know It Matters
I'll end here with two personal examples.  

In 2012, my brother and sister-in-law were finally expecting a baby after years of trying, waiting, and trying new (very expensive) options.  When my baby nephew died halfway through the pregnancy, the grief was unlike anything any of our family members had ever felt.  I couldn't do anything for them, so I made them a book.  (I discussed my experience {here} if you'd like to read it.)

Looking through pictures that were taken at the hospital 2,000 miles away from me helped me "be there."  Writing down the little miracles that happened along the way that my family had told me about over the phone helped me tell this little boy's story in a really beautiful way.  We grieved, yes, but putting those things to paper helped us through the grief AND helped us recognize blessings we might otherwise have missed.  

And now that baby boy's 6-year-old sister gets to read about the big brother she never got to meet.  He is real to her, and it has created a connection for her.

Example 2:  Mostly, though, life is great!  There are birthdays and graduations, new jobs and old friends.  I take pictures of all these things.  Because I don't let them sit on my phone or camera and forget about them, I get to re-live them!  I get to re-love them!  

Experiences and sweet times don't fade and disappear.  I put my pictures and memories in digital scrap pages and in digital photo-memory books.  That's how they stay in my memory and in my heart.  Good times are always close by.

How You Can Get Started
Remember when I said, "I teach (free) classes on the importance of our photos and memories and then provide strategies and solutions to make high-quality memory-keeping doable.  It's less about 'scrapbooking' and more about appreciating and cherishing life"?

Well, I record them all!  You can find classes on a variety of topics at my YouTube channel right here!  Be sure you share your favorite one with a friend.

Because the best way to appreciate life really is through remembering it--through memory-keeping.

Pick an easy peasy option or pick a creative me-time option, but whatever you do, pick.  Get started here.

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*2023 UPDATE regarding any outdated references:  Heritage Makers and Snap2Finish became YPhoto under Youngevity (which purchased Heritage Makers in 2013).  YPhoto uses only templates, so the creativity showcased here is no longer available there, and they also no longer have capability to print previously-created projects like these from the old system. YPhoto is not a photo storage site like Heritage Makers was. 

Best-in-the-industry quality and permanent cloud photo storage with guaranteed privacy are required for anything recommended here by Photo & Story Treasures, so we highly recommend Forever for:  

·        creative digital scrapbooking applicable in a variety of photo products using Artisan software

·        easy photo-memory books using free AutoPrint and Design & Print software programs

·        private, permanent, secure, and guaranteed photo and video cloud storage (triple-backed-up and bank encrypted)

·        white glove digitizing services for old memories like VHS tapes, slides, old scrapbooks (scanning), 8mm film, audio tapes, and much more

Learn more here to  find similar products at top-quality with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Three Gift Ideas for Connecting Kids with Far-away Grandparents

Do you know or love a toddler?  You probably already know that little brains have a hard time with long-term memory until they get a little bigger.  So the three ideas I'm sharing with you today about helping toddlers connect with faraway family members are just perfect for that toddler you know and love.

Thanks for stopping by.  We have a 2023 UPDATE before you read on:  Heritage Makers and Snap2Finish became YPhoto under Youngevity (which purchased Heritage Makers in 2013).  YPhoto uses only templates, so the creativity showcased here is no longer available there, and they also no longer have capability to print previously-created projects like these from the old system. YPhoto is not a photo storage site like Heritage Makers was. 

Best-in-the-industry quality and permanent cloud photo storage with guaranteed privacy are required for anything recommended here by Photo & Story Treasures, so we highly recommend Forever for:  

·        creative digital scrapbooking applicable in a variety of photo products using Artisan software

·        easy photo-memory books using free AutoPrint and Design & Print software programs

·        private, permanent, secure, and guaranteed photo and video cloud storage (triple-backed-up and bank encrypted)

·        white glove digitizing services for old memories like VHS tapes, slides, old scrapbooks (scanning), 8mm film, audio tapes, and much more

Learn more here to  find similar products at top-quality with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

___________________________________________________

Marissa at Just Simply Mom has two little ones and faraway family members.  I wrote a guest blog post for her in September about three of my favorite ideas for using pictures, books, and games to connect across the miles.

You can see pictures and descriptions and even directions on how to create these amazing products for your toddlers--and they make the perfect gifts for grandparents, too!  

And these are not your ordinary grandparent gift ideas.  Trust me!  In fact, just go look for yourself.  These are AMAZING gift ideas that grandparents will love and cherish always.

Click on over to Just Simply Mom to read

{Helping Toddlers Connect with Family Across the Miles}

Don't forget to share the post with someone who will love it!  You can find more ideas beyond these three that are even faster and simpler to create right here.

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Tiny Lay-Flat Nativities

I am a self-professed nativity addict, and I am always looking for just one more unique one to add to my collection.  Last year I came up with the idea of using a deck of Heritage Makers playing cards to make multiple sets of tiny, lay-flat nativities.  When I say "tiny," I mean 3.5" tall.  And when I say "lay-flat," I mean that these fold flat so that they take up almost no room to store!

These would make AMAZING little gifts for very little cost!

2023 UPDATE:  Heritage Makers became YPhoto under Youngevity (which purchased Heritage Makers in 2013).  YPhoto uses only templates, so the creativity showcased here is no longer available there. Best-in-the-industry quality and permanent cloud photo storage with guaranteed privacy are required for anything recommended here by Photo & Story Treasures, so we highly recommend Forever.  

Using Forever's Artisan program for digital scrapbooking, you can make items similar to those shown here.  This video tutorial shows you how to craft with high-quality scrapbook pages, and this one shows you how to use Artisan to create something unique and then print at home (for instances in which you need thinner paper, sticker paper, etc.)  You can see just a few examples of crafting I've done using Artisan here, including cards, magnets, dry-erase boards, and other products.

Forever does not currently print playing cards, but you could do this same idea with a card/invitation!  Cut and punch holes and tie with ribbon or raffia the same way you see here.

Love this idea?  Pin and share!

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Stop Wishing Your Scrapbooking Was Done and Do It (with 3 options)

This post was updated 2022.

Are you one of the many people who WISHES your scrapbooking was done?  Would you really like to have your photos in a book instead of languishing somewhere in the cloud?  Do your kids ask to see pictures of themselves, but you don't have anything significant to show them because you can't find them on your phone?  

You've come to the right place!  Today I'll show you three completely do-able ways to stop wishing your scrapbooking was done and do it!

 

Solving Photo Organization Woes First

If you have some hurdles you need to get over before you're ready to start memory-keeping or scrapbooking, here are some videos and articles I've created that may help.  Have a look around, click on whatever you need help with, and then you'll be ready for the 3 digital scrapbook solutions I have for you. 

If you don't know how to get your photos from your phone to your computer, here's how (5 minutes):

Or, for my favorite solution, read "Help! My Photos Are In Too Many Places!"  There's even a 13-minute video tutorial on how to upload and organize your photos using my favorite solution (which also has an app so I can access all my photos from my phone without taking up storage space.

For a very thorough and in-depth look at photo organizing (and why storing and preserving are not the same thing), watch my 3-part series!

Part 1 is "Organizing and Decluttering Photos"

Part 2 is "Solutions for Storing and Preserving Photos"

Part 3 is "Strategies for Consistency"

Three Options So You Can Stop Wishing Your Scrapbooking was Done 

And now on to the 3 options I suggest to help you stop wishing your scrapbooking was done and do it!

It's very important to find a high-quality method to preserve your photos, but it's equally important to find something you love.  If you don't love it, it feels more like a chore instead of something to look forward to.  

Putting your photos and memories into something you can hold and look back at for years and years to come is good for the heart and soul.  In fact, I've called it {The Secret Ingredient to Self-Care and Wellness}.  So you should find something do-able that fits your needs and preferences so that you can enjoy all the {personal benefits of memory-keeping}.

So let's explore!!  These 3 different options really offer something for everyone.  Truly.  If you are an "I love creative Me Time" for scrapbooking, there's something here for you.  And if you're a "who has time for THAT?!" person, there's something here for you.

See which one you like best: 

Something to consider as you create digital scrapbooks, no matter which of those 3 high-quality options look the best to you, is a yearbook! If you're feeling stuck or overwhelmed, I really believe a yearbook is a genius way to get up and going again, preserving your photos and memories.

A yearbook is a home for all the photos and memories from one year.  This video gives a few ideas and examples (and shows how easy it is with [free] Design & Print software). 

You saw there that you can add pages beyond the 21 that a book comes with (for a per-page fee, which varies depending on book size), but you could also try the Yearbook Method!  

The Yearbook Method is one that helps you just preserve your favorite photos from one year in print.  Start with page 1 as a "highlights" type page, and then each two-page spread moving forward is dedicated to just one month.  This helps you narrow down your pictures by only preserving your favorites in pages, which makes scrapbooking take less time.

Which One is YOU?

You can create something simple and quick but still top-quality using either of the first two options from the video, AutoPrint and Design & Print.  For a more creative, flexible digital scrapbook, Artisan is easy to fall in love with.  

To learn more about Artisan and what you can do with it--expanding on what you saw in the video above--read What to Love About Digital Scrapbooking.  The first part is about transitioning from paper scrapbooking to digital scrapbooking, so start reading at "The Best Digital Scrapbooking Company and Why."  You'll find additional (short) videos and several photos of my own Artisan scrapbooks.
   

What do you think?  Which method do you think would work best for you?  Which one will be THE ONE to let you stop wishing your scrapbooking was done?  Let me know in the comments below.

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2023 UPDATE regarding references to Heritage Makers and/or Evolve (live.grow.give):  

• Heritage Makers and Snap2Finish became YPhoto under Youngevity (which purchased Heritage Makers in 2013).  YPhoto uses only templates, so the creativity showcased here is no longer available there, and they also no longer have capability to print previously-created projects like these from the old system. YPhoto is not a photo storage site like Heritage Makers was. Best-in-the-industry quality and permanent cloud photo storage with guaranteed privacy are required for anything recommended here by Photo & Story Treasures, so we highly recommend Forever.  
• The Evolve website was a lovely one I wrote for from 2017-2019 before the owner of it had to retire it.

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The Best Thing You Can Do For Your Kids (really!)

It might seem a little suspicious that I could tell you THE BEST thing you can do for your kids, but--believe it or not--it's true!  

Over the last few years, I've done a lot of reading about actual research that has been conducted about the family and what helps kids the most.  The findings are absolutely fascinating!

In fact, if you're a mom who worries about too much screen time and not enough vegetables, this post will help you take heart.

I know—it seems a bold statement.  I can almost see the suspicious look on your face.  I’m sure you’re thinking, “Can you really tell me in one blog post the best thing I can do for my kids?”  Actually, I can.  It’s something simple with powerful, lasting effects, and the great news is that it’s something you already have.  This Best Thing has been proven in studies, too. 

So let me tell you how I first learned about this Best Thing, starting with a little background.

I’ve been a journaler, photo-taker, and photo-preserver for as long as I can remember.  I made it my business in 2005, and in 2009 I started blogging about it.  In 2017 I was invited to be a regular contributor for a new blog where I’d write about family, photos, memories, and connections.  Because of my own personal background and passion, I knew already that photos and memories (“scrapbooking,” if you will) was really good for you.  I knew it was good for kids and families, that it increased connections between people, and that it was a therapeutic and cathartic activity that was a known stress-reliever.  There was a period of about a year and a half where I was writing two blog posts every week, so I started doing reading and research beyond my own personal experience. 

HERE’S THE BEST THING

The first article that really struck me with a sense that I had been onto something all these years was called “The Stories that Bind Us,” by Bruce Feiler, published in The New York Times.  Feiler met with experts, looked at studies, and determined that the best thing you can do for your kids is create a family narrative.  In other words, give them their own stories.

One of the main studies Feiler looked at was one by Dr. Marshall Duke of Emory University.  In the mid-1990s, Dr. Duke was studying the dissipation of the American family and what could be done to counteract it.  Almost by chance, Dr. Duke’s wife Sara mentioned to him her own observation in her work as a psychologist for children with learning disabilities.  

Sara had noticed this about her students:  “The ones who know a lot about their families tend to do better when they face challenges.”

Dr. Duke and his colleague Robyn Fivush decided to test Sara’s hypothesis that knowing family stories makes an enormous difference to kids.   The results were astounding.  They found that kids who know and connect with their family through their family history (or family stories) had higher self-esteem and a stronger sense of control over their lives.  Duke and Fivush determined that family stories were the best source for a child’s emotional health and happiness.  

Shortly after their research, testing, and findings, Duke and Fivush were able to test their theories and results even more thoroughly because September 11, 2001, happened.  Afterwards, they tested the same kids again and found that those who knew more about their families by belonging to their family’s narrative were more resilient in the face of stress and trauma.

So add “resilience” and “coping skills” to that list we’ve started of what family stories do for kids.

Another article that solidified my belief that preserving photos and stories is more powerful than we think was Elaine Reese’s “What Kids Learn From Hearing Family Stories” in The Atlantic.  This article gives even more insight into the power in a family narrative.  She cites 25 years’ worth of studies on the family that show that family stories—any family stories—give kids greater ability to empathize and connect with others, lower rates of depression and anxiety, and a stronger concept of self.

Family stories can be interesting, scary, funny, or even sad.  They can be anecdotal or have distinct morals to the story.  A family history can includes humorous events and silly traditions which strengthen bonds and camaraderie.   Whatever they are, family stories help children know they belong. 

A family narrative lets kids know that Grandma Ethel overcame a hard thing, so they can, too.  Fivush noted that kids with the most self-confidence had a strong sense of their “intergenerational selves.”  Kids learn how to go through and overcome challenges when they know that their family has a history of doing that very thing.  Family stories emphasize that we are capable and there is hope.

GOOD FOR KIDS AND GOOD FOR YOU

Where are your stories?  Is it easy for you to be a storyteller, or not so much?  

I feel too much like a deer in headlights when I think, “Gosh, I should tell a family story at the dinner table.”  When I write things down, I have something to refer to in order to refresh my memory.  Some stories just come up naturally, but others (like stories that didn’t happen to me) aren’t at the tip of my tongue so easily.  When I make a record of my family’s stories, they’re fresher and much easier for me to tell very naturally.  So I collect them!  I record them in books with pictures of the person the story is about.  That way, I can tell them or we can read them together at our family night (or any time).

And here’s what’s cool about that.  All the while these stories are good for my kids, they’re good for me, too. 

Memory-keeping in general is cathartic, therapeutic, and healing.  It’s good for us to sit down with our life’s experiences, sort through them, and give them somewhere to live (book, photo album, digital scrapbooking, etc.)  Journaling is used in therapy for lots of reasons!  (If you haven’t heard of memory-keeping, here’s what it is and why it matters.)

Pictures alone have been shown to increase happiness!  Gretchen Reuben’s “Happiness Project” found that viewing photos help us remember happy times (which makes us happier in the present) and can “bring back” people, places, and things we love.  

I also enjoyed Dr. Peter Naish’s study on how photographs lift your mood and happiness level.  Naish found that the common things we use to try to increase our happiness are eating and drinking.  His study showed that those things actually only increase mood by 1%.  After looking at photos, people reported an 11% increase in happiness!  (By the way, his study also found a 22% increase in relaxation after looking at pictures!  Pictures even beat out chocolate for relaxation, which only came in at 8%.) 

So don’t forget pictures when you’re recording your family stories.  Pictures bring your family’s history to life!  They make the people in the stories real, even if they’ve passed on.  Putting together your own family stories (preferably with pictures) will make you happier while you’re on your way to giving your kids the Best Thing you can do for them.

(If you need ANY help turning your good ideas into reality, just ask me.  I have lots of free resources and ideas and guides, or I hire out to roll up my sleeves and do the work for you if you prefer.)

WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW

Start anywhere!  

Think of a story your mom always told, or a funny thing that happened to your grandpa once.  How did your grandparents (or great-grandparents) come to this country?  Who was the first person in your family to go to college?  What did your ancestors have to overcome?  Whose life seemed like one challenge after another?  What was the defining moment of your grandmother’s faith?  Where did your parents meet?  What’s a lesson you learned as a child that you’ll never forget?  What are your cherished family traditions?

Family stories don’t have to look a certain way.  In fact, that’s the beauty of it.  My family stories are probably not very much like yours, but mine are meaningful to me and yours are meaningful to you.  Just like it should be.  Write down what you know and what you remember, then ask siblings or cousins what stories they remember.  Ask parents or grandparents.  Keep a running list and continue adding to it.        

 

Because I’ve been helping people professionally publish their photos and memories and stories for several years now, I’ve got a little collection of resources that can help you right here at this post: Why Your Family Needs Its Stories.  It has several suggestions of where to start and how to write down or publish your stories, including several additional links to additional helpful posts.  Find high-quality options for publishing at this link.

If you’re worried about all the things moms are usually worried about, take heart.  I’ve been momming for more than 21 years now, and I’m still concerned about vegetables and technology and if I’ve taught them enough.  As it turns out, just telling them stories of my great-grandma’s hard life and what she made of it and my parents’ faith and my grandpa’s sense of humor has a lot more power than I realize.  

So if your kids won’t eat broccoli or clean up after themselves, tell them a story about something hard you did once and what makes your grandma amazing.  

Tell them a family story of perseverance, tell them your favorite tradition, or tell them how you know you can do hard things.  

It’s actually the Best Thing you can do for your kids.

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Digital Scrapbooking and Memory-Keeping For Hire

One of the casualties of the busy lifestyle so inherent in today's culture is our photos--and with them our memories.  Unfortunately, we're not just losing our photos and our memories.  We're {losing ourselves}. 

I believe strongly in the process--how sitting down with your own photos and memories is a great source of peace.  Taking the time to look through photos, choose your favorites, and preserve them in a hand-held way where you can write memories next to them is powerful.  There's actually a lot of perspective, gratitude, and connection to be had through it, too.  Studies even show that looking back on happy times (in a photo album, for example) actually increases happiness in the present.

I've been doing this myself for years, so I know all these things firsthand.  However, I also know that memory-keeping has become a lost art.  And, no, I'm not (necessarily) talking about scrapbooking.  I'm really just talking about the simple act of printing up a picture and writing down something about it.  People just don't do that any more.  Digital photo snapping is super cool and easy to share, but we have SO. MANY. PICTURES.  So many people I talk to are {overwhelmed}, and most people don't even know what they're supposed to do with all those pictures.  Or how.

an heirloom-quality book plus digital scrap pages of the same event
(Click here for a variety of top-quality options.)

Because memory-keeping comes second-nature to me, I have--in recent years--begun digital scrapbooking and memory-keeping for others.  There's no way, of course, that I could do ALL that memory-keeping entails since they're not my pictures and not my memories, but it's really easy for me to be the boots on the ground, so to speak, making everything happen.  Your wish is my command.

So if you find yourself wanting to do something more with your photos than confining them to JPEG Jail, let me help you.

There are lots of options from digital hardbound books to digital scrap pages.  If you'd like a cute scrapbook-y kind of look, I can do that.  If you'd like a clean look, I can do that.  I can let you pick a template or I can create from scratch for a fully-flexible option.  (I do charge by the hour, so templates will go much faster, but getting exactly what you want without needing to fit into a template has perks, too.)  

I can make any project you have in mind, from baby books to family yearbooks to graduation sign-in books and tribute books and cookbooks and canvases and holiday gifts.  It all matters.

Let me be your memory-keeping partner.  You take the pictures and make the memories, then you share with me your favorites (both pictures and a little blurb about each one) so I can make those pictures and memories last.  {Here is the basic information} about how Scrapbooking For Hire (or any project) works.  For more details how it works, just {contact me} and I'll e-mail you a document outlining everything.

If you need a memory-keeping partner, don't put it off!  Memories get dimmer all the time, and photos left in digital form are always at the mercy of technology.  Let's get your photos out of the cloud and your memories out of your head into something that will be seen, held, and loved for generations.

Know anyone else who needs memory-keeping help?  Share!
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My Best Methods for Organizing and Storing Digital Photos

Are you in {my Facebook group}?  It's a great place for information and inspiration, but I love it when people use it to share projects they've created and to ask questions.

A few months ago, Angela posted a great question.  Here's her post:

"Looking for some advice on best methods of organizing and storing photos.  Please share your methods!  Go!  Thanks!"

This is a great question!  AND this is such a common question and common need that I want to share the answer with you, too.  Here's what I told Angela that I hope will be helpful to you also.

There's so much talk today on photo organization and storage that it can feel overwhelming and even impossible.  Some people even pay to have their photos stored.  But the purpose of a photo isn't to store it.  It's to see it.

So here's how I make sure my photos are taken care of, all the way around:  I store them digitally and in print, which are the two suggested ways for storing them.  (Experts say not to put all your eggs in one basket and that the safest way to store photos is in print.)  Storing photos in multiple ways might seem overwhelming, but the way I do it is actually really convenient--I only use one website for multiple methods!  

Here's what I do:

STORING MY PHOTOS IN PRINT

1. I store my photos in print (again, one of the safest ways to store them).  By "store in print," I mean that I publish my photos and memories in books and/or individual scrap pages.  You MUST prioritize quality, though.  {Find my recommendations here.}
2. I love using a company where my entire projects are safely stored digitally as well.  So I not only have my photos saved in printed books and scrap pages like the ones shown below, but I have access to the digital versions of those works-of-heart as well.

STORING MY PHOTOS DIGITALLY

1. First, I save my photos to my computer.  Computers {aren't the safest places to store photos}, but I also use Digital Method #2 (below), so my Photo Eggs aren't all in my Computer Basket. 
2. Experts recommend one onsite (computer/hard drive) storage option for digital photos, plus one offsite (not in your house).  When looking for an offsite (cloud) storage option, it's important to prioritize photo privacy!  (If you haven't heard yet that other photo companies sell your photos, be sure to {read this article ASAP}!)  My go-to recommendation for cloud photo storage is {Forever}, for privacy and more:  

Doing this means I know my photos are SAFE and secure, plus I get to actually LOOK AT THEM in printed pages any time!  Print is where photos actually get loved.  

UPDATE 2023:  I've put my answer to Angela's question into this 13-minute video:

 

And for a lot more detail covering everything you need to know very thoroughly, including strategies for consistency, I highly recommend these 3 videos to you:

Part 1:  Organizing and Decluttering Photos

Part 2:  Solutions for Storing and Preserving Photos (and why they're not the same thing)

Part 3:  Strategies for Consistency (10 ideas to make your good intentions into reality)

I think video is the best way to see what I'm talking about, but here are some pointers in written form for both physical (already printed) and digital photos, if you prefer.  Just click here to read:  How to Organize Both Printed and Digital Photos

JUST ONE EXAMPLE OF THE REAL-LIFE BENEFITS

My niece was here visiting for my daughter's graduation in May.  We were really busy most of the week (especially me), but it was fun to see that during downtime, my niece would pull out the scrapbooks and photo books I've made.  She and my son are the same age (22), and they enjoyed looking at pictures of themselves when they were babies "meeting" for the first time and toddlers playing together.  

That just wouldn't have happened if I'd had a CD or a flash drive sitting on the shelf.  The printed version, complete with details and memories written out, is what means something.

It's what pictures are for.

Get started preserving them {by following these steps}.  Because it's the BEST!  Really.

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This blog post was updated in 2023.  Any references to Heritage Makers are no longer valid since they discontinued their photo storage capabilities after they were purchased by a health and wellness company, and it was never guaranteed storage anyway.  Forever's focus is digital cloud storage for photos and videos that is guaranteed to outlive you by 100 years.  Learn more about Forever Storage here and the Forever Guarantee here. 

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