FRIDAY PHOTO FOCUS

How To Organize Your Pictures

If you're like most of us, you probably have piles of pictures just waiting to be sorted. It is a daunting task, especially when you're just getting started, but there are few simple steps that can make it easier.

1. Schedule time.
This is the most important first step. Our lives are busier than ever, and it seems like something else always needs our attention more urgently than the box of pictures in the closet. The solution? Make an appointment with yourself and a personal photo organizer. Literally. Plan to meet on a regular basis. Treat this appointment as you would any other important task and you'll be amazed at how much easier it will be to sit down and sort pictures.

2. Sort.
And sort some more. Lay out your photos and begin to put them in piles by categories. Some people sort chronologically, others sort by family member or subject. You can choose whatever categories work best for you or come up with your own unique categories. The goal is to categorize pictures in a way that will make them easier to use when scrapbooking.

3. Label.
After your pictures are sorted, go through each category and label each picture. This is very important step to help you make sure you've captured the details of each picture. Scrapbooking is much easier when you can simply look at a picture, check the back, and know right away if the picture fits. Another advantage of labeling photos is that inevitably one or two will get separated from the rest. An accurate label helps you put those strays back where they belong. I suggest using Creative Memories photo labeling pencil for this. Ball point pens are not photo safe and can bleed onto the next picture!

4. Store.
There are lots of different ways to store photos, and which one you choose will depend somewhat on how you plan to use the pictures. For pictures you plan to use in a scrapbook, consider a Creative Memories Power Sort Box. This box will hold approximately 1200 photos neatly sorted in smaller removal containers for easy scrapbooking in the future. An added bonus is that the Power Sort Box is photo safe and looks nice if you just want to get your photos in order. You can also use a variety of photo boxes, slide in albums as an alternative for TEMPORARY photo storage.

For pictures you don't plan to use it's important to use a permanent storage system, again the Power Sort Box is what I use.
No matter what storage option you choose, look for containers that are acid-free.

Sorting through your pictures is sort of like building the foundation of a house, it's time consuming and not always as exciting as other steps of the creative process. But when you put the effort into doing it well you'll be rewarded with a solid base on which to build your scrapbook albums.

Remember the most important step is the first one...make an appointment with a personal photo organizer to get you started.

Make an appointment today...You and your family will not regret it!

Celebrating Ordinary Days and Extraordinary Ways!
Warm Regards,
Lisa

What You Can do with Storybook Plus 3.0

Have you ever wondered what people are talking about when they say Storybook Plus or Storybook 3.0 and been afraid to ask?

It is a wonderful digital scrapbooking program from Creative Memories. You can only purchase it through consultants with our company. You won't find it in the local "big box" store. The good thing about that is it usually comes with some personal training from your local consultant and then you have technical support directly from Creative Memories.

My dear friend, Anne, created this storybook to show you all the MANY things you can create in Storybook 3.0 using your favorite photos!
To see the shared StoryBooks Anne Lineberger shared with you, simply follow this link:http://www.cmphotocenter.com/photos/share.php?code=7fr4ziuH8CbKH7f_pl27IwL93Vd2L7UP&share_type=storybook

At the Creative Memories Digital Center, you can:
get great prints from your digital pictures
share pictures with family... and friends
get gifts and cards

Not a member yet?
Click on the Join Now link on the Web site and sign up (you will go
right to your shared pictures once you are registered).

Need a consultant to register your account with?
USE:
Lisa Morgan, Morristown, TN
CM ID #36363898


Once you log into the photo center...got to my account...then to My Projects...and then finally Storybooks. The shared storybook will be under friends projects for you to view!

Contact me if you want to know more about Storybook 3.0....and please don't be afraid to ask!

I will help find a photo solution for you.

Warmly,
Lisa

Celebrating Ordinary Days in Extraordinary Ways!

Making Deposits in My Memory Bank

A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably coiffed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today.

His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready. As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.


"I love it," he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy. "Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait."

"That doesn't have anything to do with it," he replied.


"Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged... it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up.

I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.

Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away. Just for
this time in my life.

Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in.

So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories! Thank you for your part in filling

my Memory bank. I am still depositing.

"Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred.

2. Free your mind from worries.

3. Live simply.

4. Give more.

5. Expect less.

Have a Happy Week!

Melanie Hempe
Creative Memories Senior Director
***This story was part of our consultant newsletter and I just had to share!***

I hope you are taking the time to enjoy your memories this week!
Remember Happiness is a CHOICE!

Lisa