How do you record your memories?

[katie34]

I have always been a chronological scrapper, and I love printing my pages into the photo books. In order to keep both of these things going I am scrapping a ton of pages to get ALL my memories recorded. Sadly, this is sucking some of the enjoyment out of my hobby, as I feel like I have to document everything - using as many pictures as possible.

As I have browsed the gallery and really thought about what I enjoy scrapping I have realized that I want to do more complicated pages with fewer photos - but that leaves me with a lot of pictures that will never make it into my scrapbooks.

The thought I am having at this point is, maybe I should do just plain photobooks (maybe even using a built in template on a photobook website) to "archive" all the photos I take. By doing that it would free me to scrapbook the one or two photos I love to tell the story or record special moments - but still have the other 30 photos available to look at if I want!

Does anyone else use a system like this? Does anyone else worry about this? I would love to hear what you do to have ALL of a memory accessible, but not burn yourself out by feeling like you have to scrapbook every single photo.

I look forward to hearing more about how each of you find the happy medium between capturing memories and enjoying scrapbooking!

Katie

[dugarner]

I have been thinking about this lately, too. I enjoy shoving as many pictures as I can on a page for my scrapbooks, but I still have hundreds of great photos that don't make it into my official books. I just looked through about 1,000 prints yesterday, many of which were never scrapped, and while I like the streamlined look of the digital books, I may go ahead and buy a regular sleeve album for the prints I've never scrapped. I have a Creative Memories album that would work, but you can't expand it, and it's 2 portrait and 3 landscape on each page, no matter what. I don't take pictures at that ratio.

I don't really know what to do. I think at least I need to put the prints in a book and put it on my bookshelf. That way I can have the best of both worlds.

[Lynn Grieveson]

I'm a chronological scrapper too and I would struggle to leave that behind. I love the fact that the DDs have these books for each year and it is fun to relive as I scrap my way back through the years.

But of course, it is first and foremost a hobby and it should fun and it's great to really get creative scrapping those fab one-photo pages.

I do a mix of both anyway and they are mixed together in their books. I also have a folder of "random" out of chronological order layouts for each DD which will be printed as photobooks as it fills up. Instead of pre-made "drag and drop" photobooks you could always use multi-photo templates for the majority of your chronological pages. They are so quick and easy that it is probably as quick as putting together those on the photobook websites but you can personalise better :-)

[HeatherPrins]

I am a chrono scrapper too and thats why i like to print mine and put them in AC binders. I can scrap a lot of grids and then throw in a couple of single photo more fancy layered layouts together all for the same event.

[Jaycee]

I know just how you feel. I am 'ploughing through' vacation photos. We travel overseas often and take so many photos. I also love to look at the layouts at DD that are more complex. I love to try out new techniques, and getting my travel and special family events scrapped does take over. I think there is a place for very simple photobooks for the photos we want to print, but don't necessarily want to scrap! When I finish my photobooks I'm currently working on (Paris, Venice etc etc etc and a childhood memories book I want as a Christmas present for my daughters] i will think about your idea. A simple template or two and a limited range of scrap supplies may be the way to go for some 'quick' recording. One thing I do is have several projects going at once. Then I can take a break from one and go back later. I'm probably not disciplined enough to be a strictly chronological scrapper!

[akpatterson]

Great question. I've been pondering that myself for a while. The more that I have thought about it, I want to capture the essence of the year/event being scrapped. I don't REALLY need every photo that I take to make it into a book. I'd rather tell a story through a few pictures than have a book crammed with photos that people just mindlessly flip through. When I look though other people's photo albums, I often wonder why they included EVERY photo! But when they are your own photos, it is often hard to edit. Sometimes a little time can help with the editing process.

That being said, there definitely are some photos that I like that just don't get scrapped. So I am considering creating pages at the back of my yearly album that are just a very basic page of smaller photos of the ones that didn't appear in the album.

[Jacqueline T]

It's impossible for me to be a chronological scrapper - I didn't begin scrapping - digital scrapping until just over a year ago. The photos of the past years have to wait.

As a 'senior' I'm trying to scan and do all the boxes of photographs from years ago. I am the 'recorder' of our family heritage and sometimes I find the knowledge overwhelming and come to a stand still.

I'm torn between starting my heritage albums chronologically of my childhood or to randomly tell stories of my dear family I don't want forgotten.

what I NEED to do is complete 20 pages and get one album printed regardless....
I'm amazed at the members here who complete so many albums -
please share your secrets and knowledge with this beginner.

[Amson]

I am definitely an events and memories scrapper of photos and could never scrap chronologically. I do however love to scrap with more than one photo to a page and love the template selection here at DD.

[Jen D]

I have to scrap chronologically. I would go insane otherwise I just like to work my way through it... occasionally I skip around within a month but for the most part I go in order. I do use D-ring binders if I happen to miss something or change my mind about a layout.

[HeatherPrins]

Originally Posted by Jen D

I have to scrap chronologically. I would go insane otherwise I just like to work my way through it... occasionally I skip around within a month but for the most part I go in order. I do use D-ring binders if I happen to miss something or change my mind about a layout.

me too Jen, I skip around within a month. I have my 2008 redo album on the go as well but as soon as I scrap a page I put it in its place in iPhoto so when i print it its in order.

[JulieSade]

I scrap mostly events, or days. I don't necessarily scrap them in order, though. Mostly when I feel like doing that page, and think I have a better feel for which photos really show what I want to show. What I am doing now is choosing a year or two that I want to get recorded (2010 & 2006) and jump around those files and scrap which events/people inspire me at that point.

I've been trying to get more into individual photographs now, too, or moments in time type pages, too.

One problem with doing the yearly books the way I'm doing them now is that they don't look coherent since I'm using lots of different styles of templates, kits, backgrounds, you name it--AND that also means the 2010 book is going to be HUGE. But I've been enjoying myself, and that's the main point. That, and there's no way my kids are going to forget a year that's been so well documented!

[home in ottawa]

I did Ali's "Yesterday and Today" last year at Big Picture Classes. We did some pages with multiple photos where we just scrapped the story or memory under the photo. Not a great description, but for example I had a picture from my childhood of some dolls under the Christmas tree. I attached it to a page and journalled underneath about my memories of the "best Christmas ever" and framed them to unite the photo and journalling. There were a total of 6 memories with photos on a double page spread. Some pages we just journalled (I can hear your eyes rolling!) memories where we didn't have pictures. It allowed me to capture some things that I wanted to write down for my daughter. As the class name suggests, we did this with past memories and we also documented today. I know that BPC is running the class again early next year. It was very worthwhile.

Susan

[Jana Morton]

That is an excellent question and I have struggled with the same issues. I am usually scrapbooking pictures taken within the last 6 months and then just go with the photos that move me at the time. I recently switched to a D-Ring binder and I love it. I have found that I enjoy scrapbooking moments much more than events. I started 365 this year and have really enjoyed it. I feel like it has taken the "pressure" off so to speak because I can still have record of something we did and not have to do an entire page on it. I just created a basic template for my 365 pages and that has really helped me keep up with the project and it also allows me to spend more time creating what I call "fun pages".

[Julie DeGuia]

This is not something I do personally but I think it would be a good idea. You could keep a blog - public or private - that records your day-to-day memories/activities adding pictures where you have them. Some of these pictures may get scrapped, and then you would already have the journaling handy by taking it right from your blog post. Everything that doesn't get scrapped could be put into a book - for example I think Blurb has a program for getting your blog into a bound book. That way you can get more creative with a few of your pictures but still have all the "journaling" elsewhere. If this sounds like something you would want to do look at Laura Vegas' blog - you can access it on the side of the Creating Keepsakes blog - she has done several posts on the Blurb books she has made.

Creating Keepsakes Blog

[esther_a]

I am a chronological scrapper, too, and try to put all the representative photos of an event onto a page. It has bothered me that I had sundry photos that had a little story to tell but didn't deserve a whole page. I have found the POTD project liberating in that I choose one photo and put that into a very simple template with some text to tell the story. I managed to whip through 2009 retrospectively and had a book printed in a matter of weeks. I don't worry so much about scrapping all the sundry photos, I just scrap the main events. But even that is a challenge! Thank goodness I saw the light and gave up paper scrapping is all I can say!

[ValerieP]

Interesting conversation.
I scrapped the 365 for the first 6 months and then summer came and I am still working on the DC trip, tons of photos and most are making it into the book, because I want all of those to pour over in days to come. So, I put more photos on a page than some, but it really becomes the memory book of the destination i visited that wasnt for sale than anything else-
I still NEED to go back through all the years my kids were growing up and scrap and get the stories told, but it seems like I am too busy with the present to spend as much time in the past as I need to get that done.
On top of all that there are the most wonderful challenges here-those are a break from the books and the past and I love them, so those generally have fewer photos and more thoughts.
I would like to do more creative and detailed things on my pages, but not if it slows down the process-at least for now!
So for now I seem to be more event centered than chronological

[thessh]

I scrap LO's for books chronologically, but I do not do the books in the right order...
I'm working simultaneously on my yearly books for 2006 and 2010. And in addition to those, books on; a trip in 2007, a wedding in 2007, two books on two separate scrapping conventions in 2008 and 2009, a NYC weekend with my girlfriends in 2008 and two separate trips in 2009!

I use the photos I like, the photos with special meaning or a funny story.
I never feel that I HAVE to use all photos from a particular event.
They're still there if I ever want to use them or print them.
And I mix between pages with lots of shots and pages with only one or two photos in the same book.

[krystav]

I've not really been scrapping for a long time, so not quite sure what suits me best.
At the moment I'm only really working on one album for my sons first year, and trying to do the pages chronologically, thats more due to the scrapping being therapeutical so I'm reliving the earlier times in his life to help deal with my postpartum depression. Seeing all the photos again and scrapping them helps me realise that I did enjoy the times back then too, but just dont see that now.
I love the challenges on here as they incourage me to get pages done, either for my boys album or stand alone.

Right now I'd say chronologically scrapping works for me, but I do plan on printing contact sheets with all my photos (someday). I might include those in the back of my boys album too.
I find it difficult to choose which photos not to include, always worried I'll make the "wrong" decision.

[happyone]

I scrapbook chronologically also=within a few months. With no kids don't have as much photos. I only use the ones I like best, but there are always ones I want in a album but don't want to necessarily fuss with. So this last year I bought a ring binder and will never go back to the others. I can only print out 8 1/2x11 pgs on my printer. The binder lets me mix different pages, different sizes. I have 8 1/2 x11 I do digitally, 12x12 I do traditionally, a bunch of different 12x12 page sleeves. I love the page sleeves where I put those photos I just want to slide in (or add a digital frame/etc,then slide in). So many options! I use the we R memory keepers stuff.

[anke]

I never scrap chronologically, that would drive me up a wall with boredom I think if I wanted to include all the photos I would use the D ring binders (which I started using anyway) which would allow to add slip in pages for the rest of the photos. I usually don't include all the pictures but should I change my mind, I can always add them later, which is the beauty of using the binders.
I do books only for special events, like vacations, 365 pages and maybe Christmas etc.

[maureenreynolds]

Yikes, I'm hearing a lot of worry and pressure here. People, be easy on yourself! If you feel it isn't fun, well...is it really a must or should in your life? Will your children judge you to be a failure if you don't? I seriously doubt it. If you want to scrap, then a question I hear a lot when one is planning scrapping is who are you doing it for and why?

Costco prints are 13cents each and if you print them and put them in a ring bound album, you can later pick the ones you want to scrap and still have the memories to 'touch'.

I, too, do a lot of travel and so most of my scrapping is event scrapping. When I had time and a good internet connection I blogged each day about the trip events. I am hoping to do this now and if not in blogging then at least write it down in word or texteditor. I know it wore me down doing the recent Hawaii album even though it was so recent. I did that mainly for my husband. I don't know that our six adult children will really have any interest in seeing them once we're gone but who knows. I know I don't care because I scrap for me and Dick. Mostly me.

I have digital pics going back to 2000 and gobs of boxes of printed ones from years past. I am going to continue writing details on the back of the photos before they go into albums. Most of them won't be scrapped but occasionally I'll pull one out and either blog it or scrap it. I know if it isn't fun, I balk and have the feeling of something left undone. I seriously don't need that.

Bottom line is be easy on yourself and don't add any more pressure to your own life. You seriously don't need to do that, do you?

[katie34]

Maureen, you bring up an interesting point that is exactly the point of my first post - I AM stressing about getting them ALL in, and it is making me not enjoy it as much! I am looking for the most effortless way to archive the pictures so I can focus on the stories I WANT to tell and am motivated to tell, without all the rest of it hanging over my head. But it sounds like I am in good company with my worry! I am having a lot of fun hearing what everyone else is doing to deal with this "problem"!

[dugarner]

I don't stress about what I put on a page. If it fits and I like it, I slap it on there. If it doesn't fit, I put it aside.

What bothers me is how many photos I have that I've simply **forgotten** about. I cannot afford to print layouts of all my pictures, even if I had time to put them all in a book.

I have considered going through my digital photos and making a goal to delete half of them. I really think I could. I think I hang on to 50 pictures from the same event when I only need 2-3.

So I think if I print the "forgotten" pictures out and at least put them in a photo album and put a line or two next to the photos about who/what they are, I'll be in good shape. Many I will never scrap because I took them with an APS camera and I don't feel like scanning them, or because they were taken in my paper scrapping days and I don't have a place to fit them. I am fiercely chronological, to the point of it probably being OCD in some respects, all kidding aside. The thought of having out-of-order photos in a printed book causes me so much stress it takes the fun out of it! So I'm going to keep it fun and keep printing chronological pages, and when I have extra time over the holidays I'll go through my catalog and choose a huge pile to print and stick in sleeves somewhere.

[Lynn Grieveson]

Just to add to the pressure (LOL):

Daughter-Two was chattering away on the walk home abput Diwali (an Indian festival) and I mentioned how we went to see the lights when we lived in Singapore only she was too little and stayed home in bed and she said, "I can't remember much stuff about Singapore, only if it is in the memory books. Then I can remember it. That's why I call them memory books not photobooks or scrapbooks. I love being able to sit on the stairs and read them".

That's why I try to scrap the lot :-)

(BTW I have found that doing my monthly version of the 365 is a great way of not missing out the events or activities that only resulted in one or two photos and which I don't really want to do a dedicated page for - they still end up in a photobook but are not adding to my "to be scrapped" list).

[kathleen.summers]

Originally Posted by akpatterson

Great question. I've been pondering that myself for a while. The more that I have thought about it, I want to capture the essence of the year/event being scrapped. I don't REALLY need every photo that I take to make it into a book. I'd rather tell a story through a few pictures than have a book crammed with photos that people just mindlessly flip through. When I look though other people's photo albums, I often wonder why they included EVERY photo! But when they are your own photos, it is often hard to edit. Sometimes a little time can help with the editing process.

This is my philosophy as well. As I'm creating the family's album for the year, I evaluate: "Am I capturing the basic essence of the year?" I certainly don't scrap every time I took the kids to the park or every photo from one event. Because I agree... overkill is boring... who's really interested in the minutia of everything that ever happened or every moment of the birthday party? Doing a summary allows me to "get it done" as well as leaves me time to "just have fun" with my scrapping. Like making a page about how I'm jonesing for a pumpkin spice chai tea latte from Starbucks. Eventually I will have enough of those kinds of pages for an All About Me book, etc.

Originally Posted by akpatterson

That being said, there definitely are some photos that I like that just don't get scrapped.

One of the ways I solve this is to create a page like THIS. There were a handful of fun pics all taken that month, but none really "worthy" of a page on their own, so I put them together and made a page about it!