Request for Memory Keeping Q & A

It's been awhile since I did a big round of memory keeping Q & A here - August 2008 to be exact (you can check out that series here) - and I'd like to take some time over the next week to do that again.

Feel free to ask anything related to scrapbooking, supplies, creative process, words + photos, organization, techniques, minibooks, paper, digital, classes, etc.

I'll leave the comment section open until Friday at noon Pacific with the first-round of answers posted Tuesday or Wednesday next week.

PLEASE NOTE | Some basic FAQ questions (such as what equipment I use) are covered on my FAQ page.

Related Posts

Sign in or sign up to comment.

177 thoughts

  1. Christine says…
    04/27/2011

    I scored an old typewriter--where do you get ribbon, or how do you ink yours? This one has a ribbon, but it is dry, and when I tried stamp ink. it didn't work. Thanks!

    Reply 0 Replies
  2. Linda says…
    04/27/2011

    What are your thoughts on journaling with cursive handwriting, considering that many schools are eliminating it from the curriculum? I'm torn because I love the look of cursive, but it is sad to think that my son (age 2) may not be able to read my journaling when he gets older.

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. Gypsy Chaos says…
      04/28/2011

      oh good thought. My first reaction was "well we can read the Declaration of Independence through all those flourishes". Maybe that will be the case for future generations?

  3. Fun Mama - Deanna says…
    04/28/2011

    I don't know if blogging questions are ok? I've noticed that you write about pretty personal things on your blog about your family and your children. I am never sure what is too much to share. We are not really comfortable with having our daughter's photo online at this point either (she's 4) so I never show her face on my blog. How do you decide what is the right amount to share and what is too personal?

    Reply 0 Replies
  4. Claire says…
    04/28/2011

    I know you use albums with rings rather than posts. Do you find that these store upright okay, or do the page protectors sag? Do the ring holes in the page protectors last or get weak/tatty? I am finding the post albums hard going - they are really tricky to fill and add to, so I am thinking of switching to ring albums for ease of use.

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. Gypsy Chaos says…
      04/28/2011

      I use Pioneer Snapload thingies to replace the posts. Should be easy to find by searching. Pretty sure scrapbook.com sells them.

  5. Henriettae says…
    04/28/2011

    Maybe this is only slightly scrapbook-related, but I was wondering what kinds of crafts you have been introducing Anna to. I have a son in the same age, and I am reluctant to let him use my stamps, stamp pads, scrapbooking paper etc, even though he loves to paint and color and do other crafty stuff. Should I just get over it and let him use my stuff, should I buy him more kid-friendly stamps etc, or should I wait to introduce him to those kinds of crafts? Any input?

    Reply 0 Replies
  6. Mefi says…
    04/28/2011

    Do you photoshop most of your pictures before posting or are they straight from the camera? Any books or blogs you can suggest to improve on photographic skills?

    Reply 0 Replies
  7. Sharon says…
    04/28/2011

    Hi Ali - Thanks so much for offering this. I have the Adobe photoshop program and really don't have a clue on how to use it. Any suggestions on where is a good site to learn to use it? Thanks again.

    Reply 0 Replies
  8. Amy says…
    04/28/2011

    Thanks for the offer to answer our questions!

    How do you store your ribbons and and stickers??

    Reply 0 Replies
  9. Jennifer Kolakowski says…
    04/28/2011

    Hi Ali,
    I would love to know :) * how you organize your day to manage work + family+ exercise + home; *What you ended up doing with your Disney Pictures (I'm staring at 600+); plans for your next on-line class.
    THANKS so much for the chance to submit questions!
    Jen

    Reply 0 Replies
  10. Brooke says…
    04/28/2011

    Obviously part and parcel of memory keeping is the need to store your albums and Project Life, etc. How do you manage to maintain space in your home to fit them in? I'm currently trying to cull unnecessary items from our home. Clearly sentimental items are harder!

    I imagine ten years or so down the track of say Project Life, would amount to 10 albums you have to store. I know memory keeping has been in your family for years. How did your Mom manage with keeping things and knowing what to keep/what to cull etc?

    Reply 0 Replies
  11. Beth F says…
    04/28/2011

    I have Photoshop Elements 7.0 and I love it but it really messes up the colors if I print from there. I have been printing photos from windows or larger ones from Microsoft Publisher after saving them as a jpeg in Photoshop & reopening them in Publisher and the colors are just fine. I would love to save myself the time and hassle of the extra steps. Do you know what I am doing wrong in Photoshop?

    Reply 0 Replies
  12. Martha Thomas says…
    04/28/2011

    Do you ever struggle with a total lack of motivation? When you are alone at home with no physical boss, do you ever find yourself completely wasting time? Not with intention, but maybe as an escape to feeling overwhelmed and/or frustrated? If none of this applies to you, please just skip this question. Thanks Ali!

    Reply 0 Replies
  13. Lindsay says…
    04/28/2011

    Ali - You mentioned that you aren't using the binder that comes with the Project Life kit - what type of binder do you use for Project Life?

    Thanks!

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. Lindsay says…
      04/28/2011

      Nevermind! I actually went back to one of your post on PL and found the answer to my question! :-)

  14. Maureen says…
    04/28/2011

    Where are you now with the relationship between your digital photos and your scrapbooking? I am wondering about a more global view to taking hundreds of pictures a month, and scrapbooking a small percentage of them. While I am enjoying scrapping random things with a small percentage of my photos, I am also feeling a tug towards my entire photo catalog and how I want to edit (as in reduce,not process) organize, annotate and preserve these files for the future. Is this something that you think about?

    Reply 0 Replies
  15. Heather Tarrant says…
    04/28/2011

    Hi Ali,
    I would like to know if you're planning on doing a Disneyland/world project similar to your Scrapbook on the Road? And maybe even collaborate with Cocoa Daisy again to put together a Disney minibook kit?? I've seen some mention and questions from others regarding this in your past post comments section and was just curious....and hoping you might!!

    Reply 0 Replies
  16. slmnontec says…
    04/28/2011

    I already asked a question (#8). Brooke commented on my question saying she uses Project Life journaling cards to tell the stories.

    But that's not the type of story I'm referring to. I do Project Life and journal those little bits of daily life, but I'm talking about the in-depth reflective introspective stories, those we connect with. I've taken your Yesterday/Today classes -- it'sthat kind of journaling. How do you decide which ones to tell?

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. Brooke says…
      04/28/2011

      Owh sorry!

  17. Mary Beth says…
    04/28/2011

    Most of my pages seem rather two-dimensional. I would like to ask how you use semi-bulky embellishments, like ribbon, brads, or chipboard, on your pages. Do you use page protectors on those pages? Thanks for an inside peek into your scrappin' world!

    Reply 0 Replies
  18. Rhadonda says…
    04/28/2011

    Am a fairly new member of the Technique Tuesday AE collection. How do you store the clear stamps, yours and others, so that they are easily accessible and usable? Do you categorize by designer or company or theme? Thanks so much. Love your creations!

    Reply 0 Replies
  19. Gypsy Chaos says…
    04/28/2011

    When you realize or decide you just are not going to use a specific supply or tool, what do you do with those items when throwing them away is not an option?

    Reply 0 Replies
  20. Jen says…
    04/28/2011

    I am curious how you and others out there handle your physical prints from the past. I have boxes of photos (childhood, high school, college + my husbands) and I am not planning (right now) to scrap them but I want to keep them for when I do get to that project one day or just to flip through. How do you decide what to keep (questions/process you ask yourself)? what to part with? how do you organize and store? I feel like there is a lot of focus out in blogland on digital which is valuable but I struggle with those prints from the past. Really fun to read everyone's thoughts and responses!! Love all the sharing!

    Reply 0 Replies
  21. Reneecrops says…
    04/28/2011

    I would like recomendations on design books, web sites etc. I have the instinct to know when something is wrong with a layout, but I do not have knowledge base to fix the problem. I'm sure I can cure the problem (or at least move on to a different problem LOL) if I simply read, but the books I've picked up are over my head and not really a cure. Thank you!!

    Reply 0 Replies
  22. Sharon W. says…
    04/28/2011

    I love to take photos, I'm just not very good. Any recommendations on how to become a better photographer and not be so scared of my camera? (I have a DSL.) Any decent on-line classes you can recommend? Thank you.

    Reply 0 Replies
  23. joni possin says…
    04/28/2011

    I have soooooo much paper and I just dn't know how to organize it. I have metal racks and I've done it according to colors. Then I'm looking for polka dots, checks, or stripes so I changed it again. I've broken the paper down by seasons and holidays... didn't work for me. How do you organize paper?

    Thanks so much,
    joni possin

    Reply 0 Replies
  24. Melissa H says…
    04/28/2011

    I first have to say I love your work and find it inspiring and do some scrapbooking/journaling/memory keeping of my own but for some reason I get caught up worrying about what will ultimately happen to it all. Part of me is completely fine with enjoying the process and enjoying my 5 year old getting a kick out of her baby book but part of me worries what if my daughter doesn't want all the scrapbooks of her childhood and then do you just toss them? Do you ever worry about this and how do you get over it and just keep creating? As a note, I think I worry about this partially because my mom make about 10 giant scrapbooks for me and I can't figure out what to do with them :)

    Reply 0 Replies
  25. amyw says…
    04/28/2011

    I am sitting on about 3000 slides my father took over a 40 year period of travelling the world. It's amazing to think about the places he has been and he was quite a good photographer. He even wrote notes on each and every slide!!! I want to cull the images, send them off to be scanned and digitized, and get them in a photobook. The project is so daunting I'm not sure where to start. Help :)

    Reply 0 Replies

Sign in or sign up to comment.