Scrapbook Look #3 - January 2026

Welcome back to Scrapbook Look!  Our regular inspirational and informational articles are here on the first Friday of every month, with Scrapbook Look on the third Fridays.  

Scrapbooking, however you do it, has a host of relaxing and therapeutic benefits, and this is what makes it extra fun:

"Scrapbooking isn't just re-living memories.  It's re-loving them."  ~Janna W.

This month, I'm sharing a few more favorites.  

First up, when my niece got married she didn't want a traditional bridal shower, so my daughter and my other niece came up with the idea for a bridal fiesta, which was the most fun I'd had in a long time.  Laughing so hard I cry is always my idea of a good time.  I just loved the fun digital papers and stickers I found for these pages.  (Credits below.)

Next, the first page of our trip to Mesa Verde National Park, an absolutely amazing place to visit in southwest Colorado where Native Americans built their homes right into the cliffs!  I loved the neutral design of this digital art kit, with an actual map of the park as one of the pages that I used as the background paper.

the printed version of my digital scrapbook

And last for today is a page layout (the first of the several pages of this trip) where I used a blueprint.  A blueprint is basically a pre-designed page where you fill it in with colors, papers, and embellishments of your choice.  (I actually made a tutorial video about what using a template or blueprint is like if you'd like to see.)  I thought the pictures that look like they're hanging on a wall here was so cute!

CREDITS

• Scrapbook pages made using Artisan software by Forever.  (information | subscription | digital art store)
• Digital art credit: Around the World Latin America by Forever Digital Art, Deckled Frames No. 2 by Katie Pertiet Designs, National Park Project Mesa Verde (CO) by Designs by Mandy King, Crop Blueprint Bundle 2017 12x12 by pixels2pages, At the Lake Bundle by Forever Digital Art
• Digital book printed here (in gorgeous, high-quality pages I fall in love with every time), with the digital version PDF also kept forever there in my private account.  

NOTE:  I am a Forever affiliate called an Ambassador (a decision I made because I love it so much), so you will find affiliate links in this post. I earn a commission from anything purchased at my website, and being your Ambassador means I'm here to help you with questions, too.  If you're new to Forever and open your free account here to give it a try, you'll get a $20 welcome coupon towards anything mentioned in this post.

FAQ

Why digital?

First, there's no "right way" to scrapbook, except for two things:  1- quality so your book will last for many, many years to come, and 2- something you will love and therefore do.  

I personally choose digital because it's faster and easier, taking up less space in my house than the papers and scissors and stickers (and table space) I needed when I was a paper scrapbooker.  I like that instead of having to crop (cut) a photo to make it fit, I can easily resize, zoom in, etc.

I also love the ability to print multiple copies with just the click of a button, and for safety reasons I like that my scrapbooks exist both digitally and in print.  (I have scanned my old paper scrapbooks for the same reason.)  

Why digital just to print it?

Aside from what I mentioned above:  Accessibility!  Yes, I print my digitally-created scrapbooks because print is an easily-accessible form of seeing and also sharing (and gifting!) photos and memories.  Print doesn't need a full battery in an expensive gadget.  Plus, photo experts still recommend print as an important way to store photos and memories, in addition to digital forms.

Thanks for stopping in.  See you at next month's Scrapbook Look!  (Or, first click the Scrapbook Look tag at the bottom of this post to see more scrapbook pages.)  

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Chick Click: Memory-Keeping Retreat 2026

It's true that spending 10-15 minutes per day on photo goals makes an enormous difference.

But it's also true that spending some extended time on them makes an enormous difference, too! So, how about a long weekend?

You're invited to the Chick Click Memory-Keeping Retreat

July 30-August 2 in Las Vegas, NV!

What It Is

This retreat is being hosted by knowledgeable and experienced FOREVER Ambassadors Carol Stewart, Melodie Jones, and Jennifer Wise. A total of 11 mini-classes will be offered, on topics including

• photo organization
• digital scrapbooking with Artisan
• creating legacy stories
• creating digital vaults for your most important documents, photos, and videos
• and more

What's Included

The Chick Click Memory-Keeping Retreat starts at $389 (depending on the room you choose) and includes:

• 3 nights' lodging in a private home
• work space
• work time
• 3 days' continental/light breakfast 
• lunch and dinner Friday and Saturday
• snacks and select beverages
• pool access
• mini-classes and trainings (optional)
• retreat swag bag

A 50% deposit will secure your spot.  Bring a friend!

What To Expect

TBA in June

Meet & Greet over Zoom with introductions, making an easy photo gift project together, final agenda, GroupMe (for ridesharing, updates, etc.), and Q&A

Thursday, July 30

5:00-6:30 check in 

Friday & Saturday July 31 and August 1

10:00-7:30/8:00 work time, classes, food, and fun

Sunday August 2

9:00-10:00 clean up and check out

Registration is open now, but space is limited, so don't delay.

You'll come away with knowledge and skills, having made a lot of progress on your photo goals, and we'll have fun along the way, too. We can't wait to see you there!

Maybe Your Photo Project Isn't as Big as You Think It Is

It works.  My 10 Minutes Daily Plan really works.

I know it works for other people because they've told me, but to be honest with you, I had never tried it myself because I'm so consistent at saving my photos to the cloud and to my computer (2 digital versions like photo experts recommend) as well as saving them in print (as photo experts also recommend) due to my, well, addiction to digital scrapbooking with Artisan by FOREVER.

When I came up with my 10 Minutes Daily Plan in late 2023, I knew it was a good idea, for all the reasons I mention in the plan, but I didn't realize that it would also work for me!

Here's My Story

My photo preservation habits were only lacking one thing when I met FOREVER in 2021:  a trustworthy cloud backup that could serve as a digital legacy (something I could pass down).  

I already preserved my photos in scrapbook pages along with the memories that go with them, and I already preserved them on my computer with a backup on an external hard drive because I know computers can crash without warning.

But I will never forget the day that I finished backing up my photos onto the external hard drive and placed it in the basket where it goes.  Right next to my computer monitor.

And I realized:  If something happens to THIS ROOM (water leak, fire, anything), all my digital photos are gone.  GONE.

If something happens to my house (since that's where my scrapbooks are), ALL my photos in any form are gone.  COMPLETELY GONE.

It's a much longer story, but let's just say I'm incredibly thankful to have met Forever Cloud Storage through a friend. 

Since then, I back up all the photos on my computer to Forever Cloud instead of an external hard drive.  Photo experts recommend that the 2 ways you store digital photos (and videos) are onsite (at your house) and offsite (in the cloud).  So NOW I can really check that box. 

How I Used the 10 Minutes Daily Plan

But what about photos from 1997 and from my parents' wedding and my baby pictures?

From when I was a teenager in the 1980s until about 2007, I only took photos with a film camera.  I put them in paper-and-scissors scrapbook pages.  They were the only copies of them anywhere in existence.  No backup.  Except those awful negatives.  

So I set out to take my own advice and try my own plan!  I chose 7:00-7:10am every day (which I did almost every day).  I used my home scanner in my office and got to work scanning these beauties.

NOTE:  I am a Forever affiliate called an Ambassador (a decision I made because I love it so much), so you will find affiliate links in this post. I earn a commission from anything purchased at my website, and being your Ambassador means I'm here to help you with questions, too.  If you're new to Forever and open your free account here to give it a try, you'll get a $20 welcome coupon towards anything mentioned in this post.

What I Learned That I Want You to Know

I was actually a little surprised at what I learned and how much it impacted me.  I know how important our photos really are to our hearts and souls.  So, this is something I really want you to know:

I had been dragging my feet a little about starting all that scanning because I thought it was such a huge project.  Dread kept me from starting.  

But it was the most delightful and enjoyable project!  I looked forward to it every day.  I saw little faces I haven't seen for 20 years (because they're older now), remembered special moments, re-lived and re-loved the memories of my life.

And one day while doing my scanning, I realized that it didn't feel like a big project any more.

Part of that feeling came, I'm sure, from the fact that I was only spending 10 minutes a day on it instead of reserving a whole weekend or something.  But I know, too, that part of that feeling came from how much fun I was having.  It didn't seem like a big deal because it was so fun.

Just Do It!  Please.

Whatever your photo project is, just do it.  Please.  🙏  You will be so happy that you did!  It will MATTER.  It will make a difference.

Get started by following the steps here, or come back next month on the first Friday for a new blog post with a comprehensive tutorial video that will help you with whatever photo project has been patiently waiting for you to make time for it.

Just start with one thing.  And see if that project isn't as big as you think!

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