Wednesday, January 12, 2022

How to Create Photo and Story Treasures

This blog has been dedicated to all things photo, memory, and story for well over a decade now!  Yes, we've had a sprinkling of crafting and DIY, too, but all-in-all, it's really about photo & story treasures.  It's about self-care, family connections, creating legacy and heritage in your home, and connecting with your own heart.  

If you're not sure how something as basic as a photo and a memory can do all that, it's definitely time to learn about the benefits of memory-keeping.

If you're like most people, you don't have a consistent memory-keeping solution that works for you.  You might be "behind on" your photos or your scrapbooking or your photobooks.  You might feel a lot of Photo Overwhelm.  Or you might have a desire to do something with your photos and memories but don't know where to start.  

So start something new in 2022!

Photo and Story Treasures is your go-to resource to make photos and memories into something meaningful.  Here's what Photo and Story Treasures ft. Forever can do for you, from permanent digital photo storage to printed treasures you can hold in your hands (and heart):

So that's what Photo and Story Treasures can do for you, but let's look at why it matters to you in the first place.  It's so much more than you probably think.

Why You Take Photos

Taking photos these days is so commonplace that you've probably never stopped to think about why you do it.

A photographic image has power to unleash emotions, connect people, and bring back to our minds why we took the photo in the first place.  Photos connect us with our stories.  Photos let us see things or times or people that are gone. Photos have been shown in studies to boost mood (in other words, make us happier) as well as increase relaxation and lower stress.   

In fact, if you click that link, you can read about studies done on the effects of photos on your happiness level.  Spoiler: looking at your photos has been shown to make you *ten times* happier than eating chocolate!

And photos are about even more than happiness, especially when they're connected to your experiences.  

Kids who know their family stories have greater resiliency, higher self-esteem, and do better when faced with challenges.  This is especially true with stories of those who have gone before, but it's also true of the story those kiddos are living right now.  A current "family history" is the vacation you took to the beach last year and going to Grandma's 80th birthday celebration last weekend.  The photos and memories you record from events like those and other everyday events are your story!  And your child's story.

Having access to our own photos and stories makes a big difference.

What To Do With Them

We have precious pictures and meaningful memories, but they often don't make it off our phones or out of our heads.  The best thing you can do with a photo or a memory is preserve it.


NOTE:  I am a Forever affiliate (a decision I made because I love it so much), so you will find several affiliate links in this post, from which I earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no extra cost to you.


Here's what I've discovered about why I take pictures and why I make sure I preserve them with my memories:

  1. I take pictures because I want to remember special moments.  I want my kids to have the benefits (listed above) of being the stars of their own photo-storybooks.  I want them to be able to sit down on their beds after a really hard day and be able to look back at happy times and get a little lost in better times for a few minutes. 
  2. I want that for myself, too.  My pictures on my phone don't tell the whole story.  Putting those pictures on actual pages I can thumb through and smile at later lifts my heart.  Being able to put down on those pages some descriptions and memories of why those photos mean something to me allows me some therapeutic time in my own head and heart that increases my gratitude and re-centers me as it gives me perspective.
Why It's So Much More Than Photos

In this busy world where we often feel like our life controls us instead of us controlling our lives, we often don't take opportunities to sit down and breathe, to connect with ourselves, to record our life experiences through photos and memories.  There is great power (and peace) in all these things.  Photo & Story Treasures will help you grasp it.

Yes, creating treasures from your photos and stories is meaningful for you and for kids and for loved ones and can directly affect your happiness and self-esteem and feelings of connection and capability.  But it's even more than that. 


One thing I love about the tools at Photo and Story Treasures is that you can do the important, meaningful work of creating photo-storybooks of vacations and weddings and everyday moments like first days of school--it's a great way to get into a regular habit of preserving your photos and memories, whether you consider yourself a digital scrapbooker or not--and it's also an important way to give heartfelt, irreplaceable gifts to people who might need a little extra boost.

But it's also perfect and beautiful for life storybooks to remember those who have passed on.

Photo & Story Treasures Can Do All That For You

This blog is an amazing resource, full of tips, strategies, solutions, ideas, and helps.  Click around (especially at the tabs along the top--accessible from a desktop but not mobile) and find plans and approaches that will work for you.  Above all, contact me with any questions or help you need!

Whether you want simple, easy-to-create photo-storybooks you can make in an hour or two, or you like the full digital-scrapbooking feel of creativity and flexibility and font options, Photo and Story Treasures has what you're looking for.

Whether you want to share your photos digitally with family members over a secure site, or you need media digitizing services (like VHS to DVD) for old family treasures, Photo and Story Treasures has what you're looking for.

There's no better gift.

There's no better option.

And there's no time like the present.

Many people are overwhelmed with years of photos, not sure what the best ways to preserve and share them are.  This method provides them with the peace of mind that comes from fireproofing their photos by giving them a permanent home.  People love escaping the overwhelm and enjoying convenient access to their memories by safeguarding them at Forever.

This 30-minute class will give you all the details. 


Why not get started right now?!  That blue "get started" link has all the details you'll need.

There aren't many things you can do with your time that you'll thank yourself for that your children and grandchildren will also thank you for.  

But Photo & Story Treasures are right at the top of the list.

Pin to Pinterest to save for later.  Know someone looking for the best
photo solutions, too?  Share this post with the social media share buttons at the left! 
 

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15 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for linking up at the Unlimited Link Party 65. Pinned!

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  2. My adult children are in their mid-40s, now. They visited with us for Christmas and had so much fun looking through old photos from their childhood, all the way back to their grandparents and great-grandparents. Great suggestions in this post -- thanks.

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    1. Thanks so much, Carol. I'm glad you liked the ideas and suggestions. And you make a good point that you're never "too old" to enjoy looking through old photos, reminiscing, and enjoying your childhood. The older I get, the more I miss my grandparents! I'm so thankful for both my photos and memories. Thanks for reading and for commenting!

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  3. Visiting again to say thanks so much for linking up at the Unlimited Link Party 78. Pinned.

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  4. Hi, Jennifer. I did sign up. For now the free. I was looking at the Artist 6. Does Forever have anything for us Mac users? I have switched from PC to Mac. For me this was a big leap. I have many software programs that are not available for Mac. How would I be able to use this service?
    Thank you.

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    1. Hi, Debra! I did see that you opened a (free) Forever account! I emailed you with some details on everything available to you with it. Yes, the free templates through Create & Print are a great option for anyone not wanting to learn a whole new program and/or anyone just needing to get books (or photo gifts, home decor, etc.) done quickly. Artisan 6 is only available for PC, so Mac users use it with a partitioning program such as Mac Book Camp Assistant. The reason for this is that Apple makes it very difficult to let anyone make programs for their operating system.

      A Mac version of Artisan has been in the works for many years, but let's just say Apple likes to be special and doesn't really like to let others play in their sandbox. ha ha I have a client who uses a partitioning program (I can't remember which one) that costs several hundred dollars to purchase, and I have another one who figured she might as well just buy a new PC laptop to use only with Artisan for the same price the partitioning program costs! I believe Boot Camp is free from Apple. Anyway, those would be your choices for Artisan. I personally *love* Artisan and do a lot of creating with it! :) But I also know a lot of people who like the simplicity of Create & Print, too. I like that we have choices! :)

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    2. I did get your email. Thank you. I have also sent you more questions thru email!!
      Take care and best wishes.

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    3. Glad you're asking, Debra--I'm happy to help. :)

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  5. Thank you so much for sharing with us at Talking About it Tuesdays!

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  6. Jennifer, your information is always great! Thank you for sharing it with us at The Crazy Little Lovebirds link party #40.

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    1. Thank you so much, Stephanie! And thanks for hosting! :)

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  7. This is a wonderful article, it's so informative and detailed. Pinned 📌 and Tweeted .
    Thanks' so much for sharing this with Sweet Tea & Friend's this month dear friend.

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    1. Thanks very much, Paula. I'm so glad you enjoyed it--and I appreciate you letting me know that you did. :) Extra thanks for the Pin and Tweet!!

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