Yearbook Boot Camp - preserving a year's worth of pictures in 4 weeks!

Have you preserved your photos and memories from last year yet?  What about 2016?  Or 2002, for that matter.  

If it's been a while, or if you feel a little lost about the best way to go about preserving the myriad pictures you've got on your phone, camera, cloud, computer, etc., do yourself a favor and come to Yearbook Boot Camp.   It's all online!  And it makes {a fantastic gift that is meaningful for decades to come}.  

If the upcoming date that works for you, request your own personal Yearbook Boot Camp (at a discount!) and invite some friends!  

Look for testimonials from previous attendees in purple throughout this post!

CURRENT INFORMATION:  

Minimum 5 attendees in order to hold the session--so bring a friend!

Session 1:  September - November 2019
Session 2:  January - March 2020 

(2020-2021 hiatus while I attended graduate school)

Moving forward, Yearbook Boot Camp will only be 4 weeks because we will use a simpler photo project platform that only takes about 10 minutes to learn!

Session 3:  September - October 2022

Session 4:  March 2023

Session 5:  September 2023

Session 6:  May 2024 

Session 7: January 2025

Session 8:  Thursdays in January 2026  ~  Find details and register here.  

How Does Yearbook Boot Camp Work?

In 4 weeks you will preserve one year's worth of photos and memories in a high-quality, well-organized hardbound (or softbound, if you prefer) book--which makes a great gift, if you choose.

Every week of Boot Camp, we'll "meet" at a 90-minute video call where you'll receive your assignment for the week and plenty of resources to help you complete it.  Most of the time, you'll be able to complete your assignments in the hour we're together, but if there's outside work (like organizing your photos), you might need about 1-2 additional hours per week to complete your assignments.

Look at what you can have in just 4 weeks!  And I'm not talking about bargain bin "photo books," either--these are heirloom-quality treasures!!

When I say "heirloom quality," I mean these books are printed with the highest quality inks, bindings, and papers in the industry!

With Photo and Story Treasures, you have a lot of options to make your Yearbook exactly what you want it to be.  There are several sizes, two types of top-quality covers, and a wide variety of styles to choose from as well. 

Here are all the details of Yearbook Boot Camp:

"Jennifer is so professional and knowledgeable.  It was an excellent experience start to finish and the best part is you actually finish a family yearbook!  It's something my family will always treasure."    

-Candi, Washington, Yearbook Boot Camp session 1

Some people like to just choose favorite photos (instead of preserving every photo they take) and just dedicate 2 pages to each month of the year.  However, you have the option to add more pages if you like (up to 99) if that fits your needs and preferences better.

"Thank you for the workshop.  I have been scrapbooking for years but appreciate the format in which you broke it down in small chunks.  Never thought of that!  I'm happy to work with you." 

-Brenda, Yearbook Boot Camp session 1

How Do I Register for Yearbook Boot Camp?

REGISTERING FOR YEARBOOK BOOT CAMP IS SO EASY!  You just do it here.  Once you're registered and paid, you'll receive an email with a link to our weekly video calls (via Zoom).  

You'll pay for your book and for shipping separately at the end of YBC since you might have more pages or choose a different cover than someone else.  (All the templates we'll use are free!)  

"This was a great boot camp!  I committed 3 hours a week (sometimes less) and I have a whole year of memories done for my kids.  This is super doable for anyone.  Jennifer was always super fast at responding and helping when I needed it."  

-Elnora, New York, Yearbook Boot Camp session 2

FYI:  Previous YBCs required about 2-3 hours of additional work outside class per week, but the new platform we moved to in 2021 could shorten that to 1-2 hours, or less!  If you'd like a look at the new platform, here's a short walk through it:

We will be using this website (where you'll get a free account plus a $20 coupon 

if you're a new customer) to make our Yearbooks.

"Thank you, Jennifer, for doing the Yearbook Boot Camp.  As you know, I've done several calendars and storybooks with you, but you taught even this old dog some great new tricks that I will be able to use for years to come."  

-Radeen, Colorado, Yearbook Boot Camp session 2

What Makes Yearbook Boot Camp So Great?

Putting photos and memories in pages is on just about everyone's to-do list.  Yearbook Boot Camp is the perfect way to get it done!  

Interacting with your photos and memories has a host of personal benefits, including increased happiness, relaxation, self-esteem, gratitude, and connection.  

Although the yearbook you'll create is (or can be) a physical gift you can give yourself and/or your family, it's also a personal gift that will keep on giving right back to you because you'll have the skills and knowledge you need to keep creating and preserving your precious photos and memories!

"I love the way you have broken everything down.  I have ADHD and it's hard for me to keep up with things sometimes, but not this.  Your explanations are very clear.  I really appreciate it."  

-anonymous, Yearbook Boot Camp session 1

One of the best things I've seen about Yearbook Boot Camp in my years of teaching it is that people come away both happy and relieved.  

• For people who don't know where to start with their memory-keeping, I've broken everything down step by step.  
• For people who struggle to find or make time for their memory-keeping, here it is right on your calendar, and it only takes a few weeks.
• For people who are short on time and don't love the intensity of digital scrapbooking, here are hundreds of beautiful templates to choose from (clean and simple or scrapbook-y) that look like you spent some time on them without having to actually do that.
• For people who are overwhelmed by the idea of making a photo-memory book, you'll be thrilled at how straightforward it is.  

"Thank you so much, Jennifer!  I am so glad I found you and your class.  I think it's going to be a game-changer for me, and my pictures, and my time." 

-Michelle, Yearbook Boot Camp session 6  

There's absolutely no time like the present, so don't delay!  Register here but don't forget to bring a friend along for maximum fun.  😁

See you soon at Yearbook Boot Camp!  

Just about everybody could use some help getting a handle on their photos and memories, so share this post on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest using the social media share buttons at the left.

NOTE:  I am a FOREVER affiliate, called an Ambassador, because I love FOREVER so much!  This means I'm here to help you with questions and have a great FOREVER experience.  I also make a commission from any purchases at my website.

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How to Transition from Paper to Digital Scrapbooking (or, what to love about digital scrapbooking)

This post is based on a online class by Photo & Story Treasures in 2019 and was updated in 2022.

Memories fade, and photos in digital form are always at the mercy of technology.  Maybe even more important to remember, though, is the fact that photos and memories {have been shown} to increase our happiness, gratitude, and sense of belonging while also lowering stress and anxiety.

At this blog you've seen lots of examples of digital books, from {life storybooks} to {time-saving yearbooks}, but {paper/traditional scrapbooking} remains a favorite method for some people.  As I always say, it's important to find something you love so that you'll do it.  Looking forward to something you enjoy makes it easy.

But what if you're a {burned-out scrapbooker}?

Or what if your favorite paper scrapbooking company is no more?  :( 

Or what if you LOVE the hands-on method of cutting pictures and using fancy scissors and adorable stickers but you just don't have the time (or table space) any more?

Well, you're in luck.  I can help.

If you're a scrapbooker but find it hard to make time for handcrafted pages--or if you've never been a scrapbooker but just need a fun but high-quality way to preserve your photos and memories--you have come to the right place.  

Let's first look at 5 common questions about digital scrapbooking.  And then answer them!

1. Why do people switch?  What does digital offer that paper doesn't?
2. What if I have a lot of paper supplies that I don't want to waste?
3. What digital scrapbooking method or company is the best, and why?
4. Why did YOU switch from paper to digital?  (I'll tell you my experience.)
5. Can I still be as creative with digital scrapbooking as I am with paper?

WHY PEOPLE SWITCH

If you talk to 10 people who switched from paper to digital scrapbooking, you could get 10 answers.  These are the most common reasons I hear:

• Digital saves lots of time due to the ability to duplicate a page and get multiple copies of the finished product without extra work.
• Digital doesn't require a lot of table/work space, and it doesn't require any storage space for supplies.
• You can scrapbook with kids without worrying about what they're touching.  Not having to be kid-free helps busy moms find time for scrapbooking.
• You can resize a photo or a digital sticker to make it fit your space without the limits of physical photos and embellishments that can only be cropped.
• Since all you need for scrapbooking is a computer, it's easier to find time because you don't have to spend time getting everything out and putting it away.
• Digital books--if you use those instead of digital scrap pages--take up a lot less space on a shelf.

Note:  If you have old scrapbooks that are falling apart, want a second copy of a scrapbook, or simply need to save some space, don't miss this tutorial video on how to digitize old photo albums and make digital books from them.

USING UP PAPER SUPPLIES

It is very common for paper scrapbookers to have a lot of supplies (A LOT!), and equally common for paper scrapbookers to not want to waste them!  Many people create what's called Mixed Media scrapbooks, with some of the pages digital and some paper.  

This is what I did when I made the transition.  I created simple pages with paper, and more involved pages (like a big trip or other big event) digitally since it's so much faster and easier.  So when you go through my scrapbooks today, some pages are paper and some are digital.  You can see some of my digital pages above.  

I'm jumping ahead a little bit, but this is my favorite tool for digital scrapbooking because you can do so many things with it!  Layering, drop shadows, all sorts of things.  Plus, you can even "cut" digital papers with edge effects like you can with paper!  There are "rip" effects and everything!

And this leads us to the next question we're going to answer:  What digital scrapbooking method or company is the best, and why?

THE BEST DIGITAL SCRAPBOOKING COMPANY & WHY

I'm sure you'd get different answers from different people, but for me personally, I want certain things from my digital scrapbooking and memory-keeping, and in almost 20 years as a memory-keeping consultant, I've only found one that satisfies everything I want and actually impresses me!  

I have pretty high expectations.  I require my memory-keeping company to:

• keep my photos private (many don't)
• offer me powerful digital scrapbooking software that offers both individual scrap pages and bound books with best-in-the-industry quality, and a 100% satisfaction guarantee
• provide excellent customer service and have excellent customer satisfaction
• provide me a method of digital scrapbooking I can absolutely fall in love with so I have a lot of fun doing it
• provide me a mobile app for convenience in uploading my photos to my account

Bonuses would include an online digital scrapbooking group run by pro scrappers, as well as an option to digitize old family photos from slides or prints (and videos, too!).  And a photo preservation system that allows me to tag my photos and add descriptions to them, too, would be wonderful.

I have found all of that answered in Forever, and their digital scrapbooking software, Artisan.  Here's a basic overview of what it looks like to create in Artisan, but I have a couple more excellent resources for you, too, so that you can love your digital scrapbooking method as much as I love mine!

There is so much that you can do with Artisan software that I have created two additional resources to help!

1. Artisan Cheat Sheet - I put this together when I first started using Artisan to help me remember how to do something I just learned.  I update it periodically, so I suggest you bookmark it!
2. Artisan Quick Tips with Jennifer - This is basically the video version of the Artisan Cheat Sheet, which is nice, I think so you can see how 

By the way, if you want more, the digital scrapbooking group for Artisan meets online and has events every month with bigger weekend ones every quarter.  They have TONS of videos and fun resources (including blueprints, which are like templates) for free, too.  It's called Pixels2Pages and has a monthly or yearly membership fee.  The ladies who run it are called Pixies, which is kind of adorable, and you can learn more about the Pixels2Pages online scrapbooking group here.

Note:  Artisan runs on a PC, but MAC users can use it with a partitioning program.

"SO, WHY DID YOU SWITCH?"

I had scrapbooked--in one way or another--for as long as I could remember.  I made a wonderful friend when I moved to a new city in the mid-90s, and we started having kids about the same time.  She was a scrapbooker, too, and we started getting together for scrapbook days while our kids (who were friends, too) played.  We'd have 3-day stints where we'd leave everything out on a table and come back each day to work.  It was beautiful--a great "me time" for me to be with my friend, and a great playdate for our kids.

And then everything changed.  

In 2009, I moved across the country, and about that same time, Heritage Makers came out with digital scrap pages.  I loved looseleaf pages because I liked keeping my kiddos' artwork and class pictures and such--and Heritage Makers was high-quality, had tons of beautiful digital art, and allowed me to be so creative while scrapbooking faster than paper.

I decided that once I finished up my paper supplies (does anyone ever do that?!) and once my youngest graduated from high school, I'd switch from individual scrap pages to books since they are cheaper and take up less space on a shelf (and I don't have to bother with ALSO buying sheet protectors and binders and everything).  

And then everything changed again when Heritage Makers was purchased and eventually lost not only the creative capabilities I was used to but also the photo cloud storage capabilities I wanted.

This book is jumping ahead quite a few years from 2009, but it's my first digital scrapbooking BOOK made with Artisan by Forever (which is on sale almost all the time, by the way) and the digital art I bought from Forever, and I LOVE IT SO MUCH!

This is a screen shot (below) of me working in Artisan--I'm trying a two-page spread from a blueprint I bought at Forever.  I used it for my whole Florida trip and loved it!

DIGITAL SCRAPBOOKING IS JUST AS CREATIVE AS PAPER SCRAPBOOKING

If you get the right software, digital scrapbooking is just as creative as paper scrapbooking.

The "Artisan Jump Start" video posted above will help you see that digital scrapbooking can be just as creative (maybe more, in my opinion) as paper scrapbooking.  If you'd like to see a couple of examples, here's an Artisan Quick Tip about ripping digital papers

and here's one about adding a drop shadow (or a glow effect)

and here's a fun one about creating your own alphabets--kind of like creating your own stickers!

So come dip your toes in the world of digital scrapbooking and see what it can do for you!

By the way, if simpler digital scrapbooking without designing sounds better to you, Forever has a free program full of professionally-designed templates.  Here's a quick example of what using Design & Print looks like:

Do your friends a favor and share this with them!  Everyone needs a little more happiness in their lives, and pictures are one of the best ways to get it!  So let's make memory-keeping fun and easy.

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The Antidote to the Emotional Toll of Social Media

In June, I shared my best time-saving hack with you: {Use Your Phone as a Phone}.  One of the things I looked at in preparation for writing that post was the effects that social media have on us.  When I googled it, all sorts of things came up about mental health dangers (in many forms) and how social media is disconnecting.  

Isn't that the ultimate irony--something created to connect people actually has the opposite result?  As it turns out, social media takes quite a toll on us!

In reading articles about what social media does to us (two of which I'll share with you shortly), it occurred to me that I actually know the antidote to all these harmful effects!  So I am beyond thrilled to share them with you today.  We need an antidote to the emotional toll of social media.

This post was updated in 2022.

SOCIAL MEDIA PROBLEMS

I'll cite sources, but you will probably recognize the problems caused or exacerbated by social media use without needing sources, whether you recognize them in yourself or someone else.  They are, unfortunately, quite common.

The Independent published {this article} citing six ways social media negatively affects your mental health, which are:

1. lowered self-esteem (which comes from comparing yourself to others)
2. decreased human connection (including FOMO, Fear Of Missing Out, as well as fewer face-to-face interactions)
3. disturbance of memory (spending so much time making sure you're posting the best photos that your memory of actual events is neglected and then forgotten)
4. lack of sleep (using an electronic device too close to bedtime makes it harder to fall asleep; endless scrolling capability makes it harder to put the device down in the first place)
5. decreased attention span (both from decrease in concentration and increase in addiction to social media)
6. increased depression and anxiety (41% of people in a March 2018 poll said viewing social media made them feel anxious, sad, or depressed.)

"The Emotional Toll of Social Media" at beliefnet.com adds a few more dangers of social media to our list:

• having more "Facebook friends" than real friends (real=people to whom you'd send a wedding invitation or Christmas card)
• feeling a sense of inadequacy (seeing only cookie cutter ideals and false standards)
• cyber bullying (most common with children but not unheard of with adults)
• feelings of isolation (easy to feel like you've "connected" with others when it's actually just one-way)
• being socially stunted (with too much "virtual" interaction and not enough eye contact and hand-shaking)
• stress (all of the above)

Many Millennials and Gen X-ers who are literally "connected" to thousands of people online suffer from loneliness.  At {a conference on loneliness among young adults} presented by University of Delaware professor Dawn Fallik and Brigham Young University professor Julianne Holt-Lunstad in March, so many young people registered that they had to add another session.  Imagine a whole room full of lonely youth, complete with the irony.  Twice.

A SOLUTION and THE ANTIDOTE

Of course, one of the biggest solutions to the emotional toll of social media is to cut down on social media use.  You may remember some of my suggestions for how to do this in the "Use Your Phone as a Phone" article I referenced in the first paragraph of this post.  I share my experience there plus seven fantastic suggestions from Michele Tripple.  If you pick up your phone or login to Facebook more often than you should for good mental health, definitely check out that article.  (Link in the first paragraph of this post.)

The antidote, though, is something else.  An antidote combats a poison.  It counteracts or prevents a disease or other unwanted effect.  So if you've been depressed or stressed or felt inadequate because of social media, here's the fix to that!

It's something you may or may not have heard of:  Memory-Keeping.  If you click on the tab in purple at the top of this blog (under the header) that says {"benefits of memory-keeping,"} you'll find links to several articles, but here's a summary of what memory-keeping has been shown in studies to do:

• reduce stress
• lower rates of anxiety and depression
• increase a sense of belonging and purpose
• increase connections (to family members, friends, and life in general)
• increase happiness (even more than chocolate and wine, the most common "go-to"s for boosting mood)
• increase self-esteem
• increase gratitude

It's true!  Memory-keeping can do all that.  

WHAT EXACTLY IS MEMORY-KEEPING?

If you missed my article last November, {"What is Memory-Keeping? And Why Does it Matter?"}, you can hop over there for the details.  In short, though, memory-keeping is doing something with your photos and memories.  Sometimes people throw around the word "scrapbooking," but memory-keeping isn't exactly that.  It certainly can be, but doesn't have to be.

Both photos and journaling are how we record our life's experiences.  All too often, though, we don't make the time to go through photos and do something with them.  Photos are most often left in what I call JPEG Jail.  They stay on cameras or phones or computers, never to be seen again.  The process of choosing favorite photos and giving them a HOME (a tangible place for them to live, such as a book or album) and writing down our memories is Memory-Keeping.  It's organizing and giving meaning to our life's experiences.  It's reminiscing about good times and appreciating that we made it through the bad ones.  

I often hear people say they don't have time for memory-keeping.  It's unfortunate that we make time for social media and its potentially damaging effects while the antidote to those effects is right at our fingertips.  Ironically, we would all have more time for memory-keeping if we allowed less time for social media.  

Re-visit that list of the benefits of memory-keeping in those bullet points above.  Those things are not just things we want.  They are things we need.  We need less stress.  We need more connections with loved ones and more happiness.  

HOW TO BE A MEMORY-KEEPER

If you're ready to combat the depressive effects of social media, it's time to make time for memory-keeping.  Here are five steps to begin a memory-keeping habit:

#1 Set Aside Time.

We never "find time"--we make it.  You probably set aside time for other self-care such as haircuts and exercise and time with friends.  Setting aside time for memory-keeping isn't any different.  Choose a time that works for you, then put it on your calendar and keep your commitment to yourself.  It could be every Friday night or the first Sunday of every month.  

I have a lot of resources and ideas for creating time for yourself at the {"don't have time?"} tab at the top of this blog if you need it.  If doing this with another person would help you, team up with someone else who needs the positive effects of being a memory-keeper, too!

#2 Go Through Your Photos Regularly.

Delete garbage photos (pictures of your finger or 12 pictures of the same thing) immediately!  Get your photos off your phone or camera regularly, too.  Set aside specific time to do this if you have to.  

Saving photos from your phone/camera to your computer is smart photo storage since you'll then have your photos in more than one place, but it also puts the photos in a place where you can actually do something with them.  From your computer, you can {create photo-memory books with them--this link shows you three different high-quality ways to do that}.  If you don't know {how to get your pictures from your phone to your computer, this short video} shows you how. 

Photo experts say to preserve your photos in 3 ways--2 digital ways and 1 in print.  So your computer is a good place to start, but an offsite (not at your house) way is also recommended.  {Read more about the best way I know of to store your photos in the cloud permanently and privately here.}

#3 Organize Your Photos.

With the hoards of photos people often have, this can be a daunting prospect, but don't let it!!  This can be a really fun part of memory-keeping!  Seeing your photos and reminiscing has been shown in studies to increase your happiness! 

Because memory-keeping involves doing something with your pictures, not just seeing them, though, organizing is an important step.  You have to know what you have and where those pictures are before you can do anything with them.  If you have digital photos to organize, you can see my method (and copy it!) if you like here at this {playlist of my photo organization video tutorials and classes}.  It's a treasure trove!

If you have printed or physical photos to organize, find strategies at {"How to Organize Both Printed and Digital Photos."}  Please don't feel like you have to keep or preserve every photo you take.  Generally speaking, we just have too many for that nowadays.  Preserve just your favorites.  

#4 Choose Your Weapon.

There are lots and lots of ways to preserve your photos and record your memories.  It's important that it fit your style, interest, and budget, but it's equally as important (maybe a tad more!) that the memory-keeping method you choose be high-quality!  You don't want something this important to fall apart a few years from now.  

I only recommend high-quality methods, and you can see {my top memory-keeping recommendations} right there at that link. Remember that you're not just finding a tangible home for your photos!  As important as that is, writing down your memories and experiences is vital.  You need a method that will support the journaling you want/need to do.

#5 Start!  If you haven't been a memory-keeper before, just start!

Start with something small like looking through your photos and deleting some you don't need.  Or start by looking through memory-keeping methods you might like to use.  Don't get overwhelmed.  Do something small and enjoyable first and then your excitement will propel you from there.  

And speaking of starting small, I suggest that you begin your memory-keeping with whatever is easiest.  Do you want to preserve the photos you have on your phone right now and do a {yearbook} from last year?  Do you want to write a {life story for a loved one or for yourself}, starting with baby pictures?   Or do you want to start with an event--the wedding, the graduation, etc?  Start with whatever sounds easiest!

IT'S REALLY THAT POWERFUL

I know that using something you already have--your own photos and memories--seems like a pretty simple way to truly combat serious problems such as depression and loneliness.  While not a replacement for medication if it's needed, memory-keeping is a much more powerful thing than we give it credit for.  It's {good for kids} and equally good for the big kids we call adults.  

While social media use can contribute to feelings of sadness and isolation, memory-keeping engenders connection--connection with family and friends, connection to your purpose and value, and connection to your own heart.  In his compelling Ted Talk, {"Everything You Know About Addiction is Wrong,"} Johann Hari even says that the opposite of addiction is not sobriety.  It's connection.  

So what are we waiting for?

I suggest you {get started right here}.

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"Conversations with the Inspiring Jennifer Wise" from VoyageDenver

If you've read this blog much over the last 9 1/2 years, you've found hundreds of articles about photos, memories, family and personal stories, memory-keeping, photo organization, digital scrapbooking, time management, crafty DIY projects, and meaningful (and totally fun!) gift ideas.

What you haven't read a lot about is me.  My personal experiences and my own Heritage Makers projects are often scattered throughout, but there are very few posts about me, Jennifer Wise, the face (and heart and soul) behind LifeTales Books.  Why do I write this blog?  Why am I so crazy passionate about something as commonplace as pictures?  What brought me to this point?  And why?

I'm honored and thrilled to be featured in VoyageDenver Magazine in their Trailblazer: Rewriting the Narrative series where they "interview hidden gems from Denver and the surrounding areas."  In this interview, I talk about my business and my story, my path in entrepreneurship, what sets me (and Heritage Makers) apart from the rest, and my thoughts on female leadership in business today.

2023 UPDATE regarding references to Heritage Makers in this post as well as the VoyageDenver article:  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 I recommend, so I now 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.

___________________________________________________

The interviewer chose the title:  "Conversations with the Inspiring Jennifer Wise."  So you can take that to mean that you'll come away inspired after reading my Trailblazer article!   And you can do that right here:

{Conversations with the Inspiring Jennifer Wise, 

from VoyageDenver Magazine}

If you enjoyed the read, let me know about it by commenting below!  And share it with someone you know who would enjoy it, too!  Pin, Tweet, email, or share on Facebook.

It's Not About Photo Storage: How to Organize, Print, and SEE Pictures

This post was updated in 2022.

Isn't that kind of the focus these days, though?  Photo storage?  People spend a lot of time and money making sure their photos are safely stored somewhere.  But guess what?

We're missing the entire point!

Have you put away your winter clothes?  Why?  Because you don't intend to use them for six months, right?  That's what storage IS.  It's putting something elsewhere that you don't intend to use or see or even look at right now.

That's great for winter clothes, but what about pictures?

Pictures aren't meant to be temporary.  In fact, we take pictures to hold onto and remember moments that are fleeting.  So pictures aren't meant to be stored.  The purpose of a picture is to SEE IT.

So let's get back to basics and not listen to the digital photo storage frenzy going on around us.  Now I'm not saying digital pictures shouldn't be backed up, because they should, but that should never be our final goal.  We shouldn't be satisfied that our precious photos are somewhere where we rarely if ever see them, somewhere where we can't actually write down a couple of sentences about what makes that photo worth taking and worth remembering.

Connecting with your photos and memories has tremendous power including self-esteem and increased happiness.  Read more benefits, including self-care and wellness, {at this list}.

These four blog posts will help you organize, print, and SEE your pictures!  Read these helps and start seeing your pictures again!

• {Decluttering and Organizing Photos}
• {How to Get Your Pictures Off Your Phone--and Why!}
• {How to Organize Both Printed and Digital Photos} HINT:  Organizing and preserving your photos are not the same thing!
• {How to Print Your Pictures}

Now when I talk about printing photos, there are lots of options, so here are three recommendations.  They're all highest-in-the-industry quality, so you really can't lose.  

Each of these three options is different, and I love that because there is truly something for everyone, from simple pre-designed templates to creative and flexible digital scrapbooking.  See which one is your favorite and would work well for you.  

Then get started right here--all the information you need is listed out for you, step by step.

Plus, if you're behind on preserving your photos, I have several suggestions (and a PLAN!) at the "how to catch up on your photos" tab along the top of this blog below the header.  Or find it {right here}.

When you're done reading whichever of those posts interests you most, or watching whichever video catches your fancy, come back and comment below to tell me which suggestions were the most helpful.  Which ones will get you SEEING and loving your memories in pictures, not just storing them?

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