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
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!
Welcome to our new monthly series, Scrapbook Look, in celebration of our 16th Blogiversary! That's right--this blog turns 16 years old this month. Over the years, our content has included:
And probably a bunch of other things I'm not thinking of. After all, it HAS been 16 years.
You can still find regular inspirational and informational articles here on the first Friday of every month, with Scrapbook Look popping up on the third Fridays.
"Scrapbooking isn't just re-living memories. It's re-loving them." ~Janna W.
So, without further ado, here are some scrapbook pages I completed recently.
I absolutely loved this digital art collection (credited below) and how the layout came together. It's just full of darling papers and embellishments. I do a lot of journaling in my scrapbooks, so I loved the little notecard you see at the bottom left of each two-page spread.
I often Google layout ideas, and this was a combination of a couple. Because I'm a digital scrapbooker, I can resize and photos and embellishments by just clicking and dragging them instead of being restricted by the size of a sticker or the space in which I need to get a photo in.
I love scrapbooking because it really is re-loving memories! It was delightful to put the experience of this Siblings Trip into something tangible that I can look back on forever.
And thank you to Joanne at Slices of Life for the inspiration for this new series. She shares scrapbook pages and cards she's made each month, and I always enjoy seeing what she's done and getting inspired! I hope Scrapbook Look will inspire you each month, too.
You'll find Scrapbook Looks every third Friday of the month here at Life Tales Books.
When completed, the digital book will be 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?
Accessibility! Yes, I'm going to have my digital scrapbook printed 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 next month at Scrapbook Look!
To save and share this post, Pin this image.
Follow Photo & Story Treasures on social media here:
Scrapbooks have been kept for centuries! They're not a new tradition or fad. In fact, scrapbooks pre-date photos! Once photos came on the scene, scrapbooks meant even more because they preserved even more.
Scrapbooks turned into "scrapbook-ing" in the 1980s and 1990s when scrapbookers added a creative, decorative aspect.
The 21st century has brought us digital scrapbooking. Instead of papers, stickers, and scissors (and a lot of space to spread out in), a digital scrapbooker utilizes technology--a computer and computer software--to create books digitally, then submit them for publishing.
I know some digital scrapbookers keep only digital versions of their work, but print has a lot of benefits that digital doesn't, and photo experts have long maintained print as one of the safest ways to store photos. So I consider the "digital" part of digital scrapbooking in the creation only, not the finished product.
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.
Making Digital Scrapbooking Easy
Today I'll share with you a brilliant way to make your foray into digital scrapbooking easy: a starter project.
There are five things I love about this approach I'm about to share with you:
It's a great fit for anyone who doesn't feel very computer-savvy.
It's a great fit for anyone who doesn't have a lot of time to spend preserving photos and memories.
It's a great fit for anyone concerned about photo privacy.
It provides you both a digital (shareable!) version of your book (digital backups are always smart) as well as access to a professional printing service with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
Once you've completed the starter project, you'll have a taste of an easy way to digitally scrapbook. From there, you can continue using the simple software platform (free) or you can advance to a more creative and flexible digital scrapbooking software if you prefer. (In my opinion, this is the piece de resistance! Finding a digital scrapbooking method that works for you makes it not just doable but enjoyable moving forward. Fun is what makes it easy.)
There seems to be a false idea out there that preserving photos and memories is hard, is complicated, takes a long time, is only for some people but not for others. It's simply not true. Memories aren't just for certain people. Photos aren't just for some people. The feel-good benefits that come from photos, memories, stories, and connections are for everyone!
My two biggest tips for making digital scrapbooking easy and doable are:
First, use a template. It's just faster and easier. All the templates in the platform I'm showing you here are free, so that's an extra bonus.
Second, set aside some time. Take some Me Time on a Sunday night or a Saturday morning to spend with your photos and memories. As soon as you start, it will stop feeling like a chore because you will love it! I promise.
So let's get you there with a Starter Project. Right now, just explore the options and don't worry about how to make them. I'll explain everything! 😊
The Starter Project: Three Options
When you're trying something new, it's often easier when you first just get your feet wet. I have three ideas for your Starter Project which will do just that, so choose whichever one sounds most interesting and enjoyable to you.
I've chosen three projects that you can actually try out for free, too!
I'll give you some instructions on how to do that shortly, as well as a little tutorial video on how to make these items. You'll love how easy the software is to use!
OPTION 1
This starter project can be done in less than 5 minutes! This is a set of 4 cork-backed coasters. Keep it for yourself, or give it as a gift. Click this link to start the project if it's the one you choose.
You'll choose 3 photos, a quote or sentiment, and a little text with one of the photos. Easy, peasy. Really.
OPTION 2
This starter project can be done even quicker than the coasters! This little magnet has a quote as part of the design, then you just add a photo. Click this link to start this project if it's the one you choose.
The "Remember" book has a lot of different page options, each one with a word like "SMILE," "GROW," "SHARE," etc., room for a few pictures, and space for text. Write down a few of your memories--things you remember--and find some photos you can add in, too.
If finding photos is a little overwhelming for you because you haven't organized them yet, here's an idea: Go to a local park and take some nice scenery pictures. This is just a book of your memories, and you're just getting your feet wet making a book. You can save the photo organization for later if that's easier.
By the way, my goal here is for your Starter Project to be free if you're new to Forever, but I know there are several options for sizes and bindings available for books. If you choose the 8x8 softbound book during a 50% off sale, you'll still be able to get it for free!
The How-To: Instructions
Follow these simple steps to make your Starter Project (hopefully for free!).
Next, check your email for an email from Forever so you can verify your email address. If you're new to Forever and you verify your email address, you'll be emailed a $20 Welcome Coupon that's good for 60 days. You'll be able to use it for your Starter Project!
Next, click on whichever Starter Project you've decided on: the coaster set or the magnet or the "Remember" book. Make the project! 👊 I'm your Forever Ambassador, so reach out if you have questions. photoandstorytreasures@gmail.com
Once your project is completed, go to the "Deals" tab along the top of the page at the Forever website. Check to see if your chosen product is on sale. You should be able to use the $20 coupon to get these items for free if they are 50% off. Everything is on sale all the time, and sales vary between 35%-50%. If you want to wait until your item is 50% off, you certainly may. Whatever the sale is, use the sale code you see there so you'll get the sale price at checkout.
Now, go back to your email and get the coupon code for the $20 Welcome! Apply that $20 Welcome code in your cart as well. You should have the sale code and the $20 welcome code. You will pay shipping, but hopefully you're getting your lovely Starter Project for free.
Next Steps
Now that you've gotten your feet wet with the Create & Print software, you're ready to do some digital scrapbooking to preserve your photos and memories!
You can keep on using Create & Print by Forever for travel books, yearbooks, Reasons I Love You books, and much more!
There are hundreds of templates in Create & Print, and new ones are added all the time. Old ones are retired periodically, so if you see one you like, snap it up and get started!
And, of course, you have also seen that you can make plenty of photo gifts and home decor using free Create & Print templates, too!
If you love Create & Print, then my work here is done! 😊 Set aside the time, use Create & Print templates, and you're ready to become a regular digital scrapbooker. I like creating yearbooks every year, and you can find a lot of different designs by typing in "yearbook" into the search bar or just clicking here to explore.
However, if you liked Create & Print OK but haven't met the love of your digital scrapbooking life, let me introduce you to Artisan digital scrapbooking software by Forever.
It has many of the DIY elements of traditional paper scrapbooking (like using embellishments and alphabet stickers and "ripping" papers). There's a LOT of room for flexible pages and for creativity. You can see the basics at an introductory class I taught a few years ago:
It's my personal favorite because I can do things like this with it, playing with fonts and creating my own pages (whether from scratch or from blueprints) and choosing my own digital art and designs:
If you think you might fall in love with Artisan like I did, you can start a 30-day free trial here and read all the computer system requirements. (Mac users need a partitioning program.)
What Will You Do?
I love that these options mean there's something for everyone, that you can get it all with both photo privacy and a 100% satisfaction guarantee, and that you can really be your own digital scrapbooking hero!
Tell me--what will you do? Which of the three Starter Projects will you choose? Which of the digital scrapbooking options will be Your Thing? Let me know in the comments. You're going to love the world of digital scrapbooking, especially with Forever!
Who do you know who is looking for a simple way to get into digital scrapbooking? Share this post using the share buttons at the left, then Pin this image to save and share.
Follow Photo & Story Treasures on social media here:
It can feel daunting to even think about organizing your photos if it's been a long time, if you don't know where they are, or if they are scattered in multiple places. But organizing your photos really can be doable!
Following these 5 steps will get you there, and once your photos are well-organized you'll be able to keep up the system moving forward so it doesn't get so overwhelming again.
Plus, these steps have an extra benefit:
Your digital photos will be triple-backed-up and guaranteed safe for your lifetime so you can pass them on (without any monthly upkeep fees). There's no need to download various programs or use a whole bunch of resources. These steps are simple in addition to being secure!
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.
Step 1: Find out where all your photos are.
Your digital photos and memories may be on multiple devices, phones, computers, flash drives, or external hard drives. That just adds to the overwhelm and makes SEEING your pictures that much more complicated.
Let's fix that. We're going to get them all in one place. This makes organizing (and finding them again) SO easy! If you want to reduce your Photo Overwhelm, getting them into one place is a vital step.
First, gather all your photo "homes" together, either physically or just on a written list. Get your phone and your camera and your old computer and your new computer (for example) together, or just write down that this is where everything is. Do you have some stored with Google or Amazon or iCloud?
Step 2: Create folders and subfolders on your computer.
An organizational structure like this makes photos easier to find. I suggest organizing chronologically. Since most systems organize alphabetically, I suggest--for example--making a 2001 folder. Inside that folder, create subfolders, starting with 01 January 2001, then 02 February 2001, etc.
If you have a lot of photos, I recommend starting with just one year. In fact, it's often easiest to start with THIS year and just work backwards from there. Getting one thing (like one year) accomplished makes the rest of it faster and easier.
I personally divide even further when I have a lot of photos from a big event. For example, I might have a folder for a long road trip to California. After I've got a 2008 folder and an 04 April 2008 subfolder, I want to divide up even further to make the pictures are easier to find, based on events. Instead of trying to sort through 200 pictures from the California trip, if I know the one I'm looking for was from Sea World, it's nice to just have a Sea World folder.
I like listing them in order, too, such as 02 Monterey because we did that before we went to 06 Disneyland. Without adding the numbers, Disneyland would come before Monterey.
I have also made additional subfolders for events with a lot of photos by naming them Day 1 Monterey and San Francisco, Day 2 LA and Hollywood, etc. This is optional, of course, but it really does help me find and enjoy my photos.
In Step 4, you will also have the option of tagging photos and adding descriptions to them. Tags are searchable (so finding all the "Bob" or "beach" pictures will be a snap) using a more convenient and accessible resource than your computer. If you don't want to set up a whole tagging system, you can simply add descriptions to each photo like "Bob and Sue went to Windandsea Beach after dinner at La Valencia in La Jolla" because descriptions are searchable, too!
Step 3: Move your photos to your computer. (Digital Way #1)
Now it's time to fill your folders and subfolders. Bring all the photos together from all your digital photo "homes" into one year on your computer. (If you've got photos in the cloud like Dropbox or iCloud, that's ok--get them to your computer in this step anyway. We'll talk more about this in Step 4.)
If you have so many photos that you don't have enough storage space on your computer, you can use an external hard drive if you like. We will address the storage space issue with a fantastic solution in Step 5.
Experts say to store photos 3 ways: 2 digitally and 1 in print.
Once your photos are saved to your computer, you've got 1 digital way. It's safest for the 2nd digital way to be offsite (meaning, out of your house). If your house burns or floods and Digital Way #1 is damaged, you'll still have your photos.
We'll get to Digital Way #2 soon, but first comes a very important step in making your photos more accessible and manageable.
Step 4: Cull. Pick and Choose.
Now it's time to go through your photos. Immediatelyget rid of extra photossuch as blurry photos, duplicates, etc. They're just in your way. And they may be contributing to that feeling over overwhelm.
Next, sort through photos and choose must-have favorites. You can certainly skip this part, but I recommend slimming down your photos for two reasons. 1- You don't want more photos than you can look at. Keeping your photos at a manageable number can help us see and enjoy them more often. 2- We'll be buying permanent digital photo (and video) storage in Step 5, and since it's a per-GB price, you'll probably only want to pay for what really matters.
We take a lot of photos. In the 19th century, it was best to keep every photo you had. In the 21st century, it's best to pick and choose. Not all photos are of equal value.
If the amount of photos you have is overwhelming, it's time to look at them with a critical eye. How many of the 50 pictures you took at the zoo are must-haves? How many are special? How many will be cherished 25 years from now? Keep the must-haves. You don't have to keep the rest.
If deleting photos feels hard, consider setting up a folder on your computer called "to be deleted." It's sort of a middle-ground without being so final. Once all five of these Organize Your Photos steps are completed, go back and look through the "to be deleted" folder and double-check to make sure you indeed can part with them. When you're ready, delete the folder.
Step 5: Make Your Photos Last Forever: the Second Digital Way
Now you have access to your photos! They're all in one digital place (your computer, or a hard drive if necessary). They are organized, culled, and accessible, at least from your computer. So let's step it up a notch and make your photos last forever with Digital Way #2 (which also includes a phone app so you can access your photos when your computer isn't around and when you don't have a lot of storage space on your phone).
It's very common for people to think that Google or Dropbox or SmugMug or Shutterfly or Amazon Photos (etc.) are a safe second digital way. However, there is a lot more to them than meets the eye.
Yes, there's a lot there about how your photos aren't private when stored there, but phrases like "change, suspend, or discontinue the services" and "terminate your access to our sites... with or without cause, and with or without prior notice" mean that my photos aren't secure in these places. They might not be available to me next year or in 10 years. It's not what I want for my memories.
And that's just what you're going to do in this final step of organizing your photos. For Digital Way #2 of preserving your photos and memories, you'll be able to:
That's what I want for my photos and memories, so I use and recommend a company called Forever.
Step 5 is your final step where you'll move your well-organized, easy to find, streamlined photos to offsite permanent cloud storage you can trust. Here are the 3 parts to completing Step 5:
Open your Forever account. It's free and comes with a lot of really wonderful memory-keeping resources in addition to Forever Storage. Click here to open your free Forever account in about a minute. Plus, you'll get a $20 coupon for opening your account! (I suggest using it for #3 below or for the Optional Step 6 you'll see shortly.)
Your Forever account includes 2 GB of free Forever Storage. Depending on the file size of your photos, that's about enough for 250-500 photos. Upload your newly-organized photos from your computer or external hard drive by first creating albums and nested albums (the equivalent of folders and subfolders on your computer) either by following the directions in the video below or by using *Valet.
As needed, buy additional Forever Storage at this link. In my experience, most people need 25 GB, and it's cheaper when you buy in bulk, too. You'll keep taking photos, so even if you don't think you need that much yet, you'll definitely fill it up. (That's been true for me!) Forever Storage is always on sale up to 25% off, and you can use my personal code for an extra 5% savings, too--just enter jennifer10383 at checkout. You'll have an option to purchase storage in one payment or in 24 smaller payments, so choose whatever you prefer.
*For an Easy Button method of getting what you just organized on your computer (Digital Storage #1) into your offsite storage (Forever Digital Storage, #2), try Valet software by Forever. It allows you to maintain the same organizational structure on your computer and upload in bulk to your secure Forever Storage.
That's it! You've successfully organized your photos in the two digital ways experts recommend, plus you've got an app to now access all your photos straight from your phone (and upload them from your phone, too, if you want)!
Semi-Optional Step 6: Store Your Photos in Print
I would call this "optional," but it's actually a really big deal. Your photo organization and preservation is NOT complete without this! And storing your photos in print has a few advantages above storing them digitally:
Pulling out a photo book makes our photos easily shareable. (And when you create your photo books or digital scrapbooks with Forever, you actually get a digital PDF version, too, so you can share and preserve both physically and digitally!)
You don't need an expensive gadget (phone, computer) to be able to see your photos. (And you don't have to worry if your book is fully charged or not.)
Books make great gifts. It's not really the same if you just email pictures to someone.
One thing you'll really love about Forever--aside from the highest quality books in the industry--is that if you're looking for a super fast way to make memory books, it's here. And if you're looking for fully creative digital scrapbooking, it's here. There are THREE ways to preserve your photos and memories in print. You're sure to find exactly what you want. Check out the three options and see what you prefer.
P.S. There's a really good way to always save an extra 5% on top of sale prices for both print and Forever Storage while always having a little money set aside for all the memory-keeping you want to do. Plus, you can earn free Forever Storage (after you've purchased some) at the same time! Learn more about Forever Club here.
Whew! You did it! You have learned how to organize your photos in 5 easy steps while also preserving them in two digital ways and one print way like experts recommend. Plus, you've now got access to all of them through a convenient app, and your photos are secure, private, and guaranteed to be accessible to the next generation. Congratulations!
Once you've followed these steps, keep going! But don't forget to come back to this post and let me know in the comments how everything went! Who do you know who would love to know about these steps, too? Use your referral link and you'll both get a $20 coupon. It doesn't get any better than that!
Pin this image to Pinterest to save and share this post, and share it on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and more using the social media share buttons at the left!
Follow Photo & Story Treasures on social media here:
