Simplicity | Step Six: Memory Keeping

The original post can be found here.

This post does contain affiliate links.

I would really recommend that you read the original post at some point. Why? Because over the course of a few years, people can change, ideas can change, and the world around us changes so quickly that it automatically causes us to adjust our ideas of what is really important.

I have learned that it is okay to change some things in life.

I used to be an avid scrapbooker.

Yet over time, life changes, technological advances, and priorities have opened my eyes to so many other forms of memory keeping. The key is finding the system that is right for you.

1. Traditional Scrapbooking- If this is your passion and what brings you a sense of accomplishment, then keep going! Having a group of women that you can meet up with can not only help you get a lot done in a short time, but the friendships made and developed in your scrap group help to create memories in themselves.

I love getting together with my group of scrapbook ladies! They are so funny and sweet- willing to give you some inspiration or a flower embellishment to finish off a page. I haven't been able to go in some time, but I have a bin of things just waiting for me to organize and put into some semblance of a memory book for my children.

2. Digital Scrapbooking- We live in a very digital world. Not only can we upload our photos to our computers, but now we can also make scrapbook pages right on our computer. I personally have done this several times and found it quite beneficial especially after becoming a mother.

• There is no need to take out a ton of supplies in order to make one layout. Everything you need is on the computer from digital papers to digital embellishments.
• Sharp and small objects are not out for little hands to get a hold of.
• If you do not care for how something looks, just hit delete. You will not have lost any money on supplies that have been cut too short, don't have the right color, or are ruined because you had to move them.
• There is no clean up. Just walk away from your computer and you are done!
• With as many free digital products as there are out there, the only cost would be the purchase of your computer program and the cost of printing your layouts- which is still considerably cheaper than purchasing all of the individual items used in traditional scrapbooking.

3. Custom Photo Books- Very similar to digital scrapbooking, creating a custom photo book happens right on your computer. Shutterfly (not an affiliate) is by far my favorite online photo book creator to use. Every thing you need or want to make a photo book has already been been provided. Coordinating backgrounds that can be mix and matched, digital stickers, and photo placement templates make it easy to drag and drop your photos in.

4. Project Life- I love Project Life by Becky Higgins. Her method is designed to quickly get your photos out of the shoe boxes (or Ziploc bags in my case) and into meaningful albums. These albums can be used in a multitude of ways from being a 365 project depicting the everyday moments each day in your year to being a week in a glance album. I have done both methods. My new method will be using her products to create memory keepsake albums for my children's special moments- Kindergarten graduation, special arts and crafts, photos of milestones, a place to keep track of what we call "Addie-isms" and "Ian-isms."

5. Smash Books- Although I have never personally made a Smashbook I have researched on Pinterest what a smashbook is. I like it! It is an artsy, eclectic way to preserve your emeories of the little moments in our lives. As its name suggests, as you accumlate tickets, brochures, recipts and others pieces of life, you put adhesive on the back and "smash" it right into your book.

This digital slideshow created with Smilebox

6. Smilebox- I am definitely a music person. I love adding soundtracks to our life. Smilebox is a free digital program which can be downloaded right from the Internet and allows you to put your photos together quickly and add a soundtrack (theirs or your own). The best part is you can share your Smilebox via social media! Now, you are not the only one enjoying your photos, but you can share it with others who would never get to see a "hold-touch-feel" scrapbook.

7. Blogs- Blogs are a great way to keep your memories. Writing out what your family is doing, what your children are learning, and how you are feeling all along the path of motherhood is a great way to remember what life was like. I often go back to the early days of this blog and just read. I am so thankful for all of the writing I did because there is so much I have already forgotten. Without the written word, so much of our family's memories would be forgotten. Pictures alone cannot tell the stories.

8. Social Media- I cannot count how many albums I have on my personal Facebook page. Can you? How many times have my children said something funny or sweet and I have quickly typed it up and hit post? I know where all of their saying are. Not on a scrap of paper that can easily be lost. They are all in one place. And I love having the interaction of others during moments that are special.

There are so many avenues of memory keeping today. Find what fits your personality and works for you and run with it.

Do not let yourself get so stuck in what you used to do that you create an added burden for yourself.

But most importantly remember- don't let memory keeping keep you from making memories.