Sew its Saturday: Grow With Me albums

A couple weeks ago, I posted about doing Monthly Digital Cards for my babies. Even though digital is now my preferred method of scrapbooking, I still have a couple things I like in my traditional albums.

One of those is the “Grow with Me” album. A consultant friend of mine introduced this idea to me very early on in my consulting days. I didn’t have any children at the time, but I loved the idea so much that I knew I wanted to do it when we did have children.

It’s a quick and simple project you can do in a matter of minutes each month or year. Or however often you choose to update your album.

First, create a super cute title page! 

I love how this one turned out with all the different stickers that span a child’s life.

Next, start taking a TON of pictures!! You’ll need a good 8x10 each month for their first year and then you can do 15m, 18m, 21m and 2yrs. Then, just do them semi-annually. Maybe a birthday picture and school picture?

Keep in mind, these don’t always have to be professional ones. Sometimes I like our own pictures better than ones we’ve had done at a studio. Truth: The pictures in my oldest child's album are mostly professional though. He was our first. We wanted to really capture his first year...and I was maybe, just maybe a little obsessed with dressing him up for the month/holiday coming up! Isn't he so darn cute though?!

 I do try to get at least a family picture (and some singles) taken twice a year. I do summer and then Christmas for our cards.

 I like to throw in little touches of stickers that kind of coordinate to the outfit or time of year too. Just makes it a little more fun!

I mean...isn't that smile just the cutest thing?! And what about those chubby fingers?? I just love chubby fingers!!!

So, really…this album takes literally minutes to update!! In fact, I need to get all my kids’ albums caught up. All it takes is printing some 8x10 photos and a few extra minutes during naptime.

How do you preserve your family memories? Do you like digital or traditional scrapbooking? What’s your favorite album?

Happy Memory Keeping!

Blessings,

Annette

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Sew its Saturday: Monthly Digital Cards

I have been a Creative Memories Consultant for almost 8 years. My love for scrapbooking and preserving my memories began when I got married. I received a wedding album and paper kit from my then future Mother-in-law and thus it began.

I scrapped everything from my college years: my choir trips, Week of Evangelism trips, dorm life and of course, my engagement, wedding and everything it entailed. I was hooked!

Shortly before our two year anniversary I gave birth to our first child. He was 4 ½ weeks early and was in the NICU for a week. I delivered via c-section, so I could not get out of bed to see him for nearly 16 hours after his birth. All I knew of him was pictures!! So, when I began his baby album, I could not bear to part with any of the pictures. I loved them all! So, they all went into the album. All 34 pages of it!! Yep, his first week is one entire album! And, his first year is TWO volumes! To say I went a little overboard might be an understatement. I am embarrassed to say that my other children barely have albums, but there are several reasons for that.

1. Our digital program came out before our second child was born.
2. None of our other children were away from me for 16 hours after birth.
3. I didn’t live in the pictures with any of my others.

Now, this is not to say I love my other three any less. In fact, I have started a new tradition with my kids. One of which I am going to share with you today.

I make Monthly Digital Cards for each of them. Now, hear me out. I do the monthly cards for their first year of life (1-12mos) and then 15m, 18m and 2yrs. After they turn two, I make one after their birthday party to send with the Thank You notes. So, really it’s not that bad.

Why do I do these? To keep our family up-to-date on the new baby’s milestones and life.

Who gets them? I usually send them to all the grandparents, aunts/uncles, some of my cousins (the girls mainly). I also have a couple friends who like them. They are so fun for me to make and everyone loves them!

How do I make them? I use Creative Memories Storybook Creator Plus 4.0 software. (You can download a 30-day trial here.)It allows me to make 4x6 cards that I can customize to meet my needs! I love it!!! (And, I’m not just saying that because I sell it.) It is a very simple program to use. If can type in Word, you’ll easily be able to use the program. (It’s available in PC or MAC format too!!)

What to do? Take LOTS and LOTS of pictures each month! I try to take pictures not only at special events or outings, but in everyday life too. With the siblings, learning to sit, stand, roll-over, tummy-time, smiles, etc. With so many pictures, I do have a more difficult time picking some favorites, but it also makes for easier work! I’m searching and hunting down pictures for their cards.

As an added fun effect, I write the cards from the child’s perspective. It’s fun for the grandparents to read and I occasionally I come up with some cute quips that only a baby could think/say!

With four kids, the Hubster’s busy/weird schedule, housework and just day-to-day life to keep up with, I don’t get much time for traditional scrapbooking anymore. All of my albums are now done digitally and I love being able to keep up with my little ones with these monthly cards!! It not only helps me keep track of their milestones until I can work on their albums, it also lets me look back at their progress and life over the months and years. It’s so fun and quick!!

Do you love making albums for your family/kids? How do to keep up with your kids’ albums? Please share!

Blessings,

Annette

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Sew its Saturday: Digital Faithbooking

I attended a scrapbooking class once where the teacher said, “My books are filled with stories of me, my family and our lives. But they are also filled with my Faith! How can I leave that out of my albums when it’s who I am?”

For many years that thought has stayed with me. That class was probably almost 8 years ago. But that statement rang so true with me that it has stuck with me.

For a long time I struggled to get pictures in the actual album, let alone get the stories written. And, when I did I was so intent on getting the details just perfect that I simply put down the facts. Names, dates, what happened. There was very little fluff.

Over the past several months I have tried to be more intentional in the journaling in my albums. I want my kids to know how much I loved them. How proud I was (am) of them. How they were (are) perfect just the way God created them. I want them to look back at those albums and see how God’s love carried us through the difficult times because we also trusted Him completely during the easy times.

I want my kids to look back through these albums one day and see not only my love for them but God’s unending love!! So, today (er…tonight, sorry this is so late getting posted) I want to share with you a couple of pages I’ve recently created.

Even though I do have “traditional” albums (and a few I still need to complete…), I absolutely love my digital albums!! Let me give you a few reasons I prefer digital over traditional.

1)        No Mess!!! (With 4 kids…or any for that matter…this is HUGE!

2)     I can change things as many times as I want with ease!! (Thank goodness, because I am so indecisive sometimes!)

3)    Virtual stickers are NOT stuck for good! YAY!!!

4)    I can edit my journaling as many times as I want! (At least until I have the album printed.)

5)    The albums are thinner and take up MUCH less space on my shelf.

6)    The overall cost is MUCH less than traditional albums!

7)     It’s so much fun to play around on the computer and see what you can create!

Page created using: Creative Memories Storybook Creator Plus 4.0

The journaling says: “Mommy’s two middles are such a JOY!! At times I think you all are twins! You enjoy the same activities and each other so much. This day I caught you both playing in the hats and just giggling up a storm. (You love to pull all the hats out and try them all on.) The Lord has certainly blessed you with sweet smiles and contagious laughter! You bring JOY to everyone you meet. I love you!!”

Page created using: Creative Memories Storybook Creator Plus 4.0

The journaling says: “Tyler climbed up on mommy’s and daddy’s bed next to Bekah. He was showing her videos on mommy’s phone. They were so cute together. Staring at the screen and smiling. Sweet, Sweet memories!! Tyler, you will be a wonderful loving and gentle father someday. I am so proud of who you have become! You love Jesus and it shows!! I love you!”

As you can see, not every page has to be filled with Scriptures or a prayer. It can be simple things like why you love this person. What has God blessed them with. What made this event so special. How has it impacted your Faith and relationship with Jesus. It doesn’t have to be long or fluffy. Just be honest and they will love it!!

My oldest loves to get his birth album and look through the pictures. (yes, I have one entirely too big album for his first week, but that’s another story for another post.) Now that he can read, he likes to read each page and ask me if I remember when… Those are some of the most precious times I have with him. He is so gentle and sweet while he’s looking through those albums and it makes me just smile. He loves to hear stories about when he was a baby. And, that…that is why I continue working on my albums as I can. I want each of my children to have that opportunity. I want each of them to know just how much I loved them and how much more their Heavenly Father loved them.

Do you scrapbook? What is your favorite way to preserve your children’s childhood? I would love to hear your stories!!

Blessings,

Annette


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