confessions of a storyteller

A Storyteller's Memory Keeping Plan 

We memory keepers really want to have it all, don’t we?

We want to take all the photos.

We want to record all the moments.

We want to tell all the stories.

But first..we really need to print all the pictures.

I just felt that collective sigh. It may have even been tinged with a bit of shame.

There is no shame here.

Attention all memory keepers: This is a no shame zone!

Remember in this post I relayed “better late than never?” >>>(December Planner Recap)...

Consider that the motto of the moment with regard to all those un-printed photos floating around in your phone…or if you are like me…in your actual camera. As well as your phone. Oy vey.

But first true confession, and warning…there may be a tinge of shame found here…just hang on, we’ll get through it together. #noshamezone

As 2018 ended, not only did I not have accomplished the memory keeping plans I hoped for, but I remembered…oh yeah! I did not even have a plan to begin with. (insert hand smack on forehead). (And this may be where the shame comes in.)

So that’s the first step in my hashing out what I want 2019 to look like.

Here’s the thing. I have been doing what is commonly known as Project Life pretty much from it’s inception. I have albums that range back to 2009 that were purposefully Project Life inspired.

Here’s the other thing…the past 2 years I have fallen off the documenting wagon like nobody’s business…and it makes me sad.

Don’t get me wrong…it’s not like I’m sitting around here eating bon-bons and watching reruns of Suits. Well, ok…but maybe just on occasion.

Nah. Seriously. That’s not what has happened.

But here IS what has happened.

I’m raising 5 kids! And while I finally have launched 2 of them, a house full of teenagers plus a little guy running around makes for a busy life.

Here’s the second reason I have decided I have not accomplished my unsaid goals…

they were unsaid! 

Seems silly, I know, but even memory keeping requires intentionality and that is not what accompanied me with regard to my albums and photos the past few years.

So. I need a plan. And a work flow. 

I’m big on work flow…but that will be for another post.

Today I am sharing my pages I did finish from December 2018. I discovered doing them all at one time, at the end of the month, was a super win for me.

Here’s another thing…these first few pages are not of a high level of creative prowess. I am out of practice. And when I get out of practice I lose a certain creative groove, and it really shows here. Well it shows to me anyway.

But instead of getting frustrated with that, I simply pressed on. Because the goal of having some of my favorite photos in my family album was of more necessity to me than getting it perfect. And that just might be a slogan for us all when it comes to getting these stories in our books.

A few things I did to streamline this process for the sake of seeing if I could get December 2018 in my album before my son graduates in 2028:

• all photos were printed at 3x4.

I just really did not put too much thought into this. I wanted to streamline this process if only to see if I liked it, but to also get the photos printed! This worked well and I will probably add to my work flow. Stay tuned.

• use same format for documenting week and date

I like knowing what week I am looking at when I go back and look at my albums. It’s strictly for me. I don’t think anyone else cares. I have kept this the same for all the other weeks that ARE already in my album. This just helps simplify for me as well as gives my pages a connected look.

• no pocket pages? no problem.

Sadly. I ran out of pocket pages. But I did not want to wait to order more. If I waited to place an order it was going to just delay my intention of my above goal of getting these done before 2028. Instead, I just formatted the page to look like a pocket page. This was more for cohesion as I do like to feel some continuity from page. If only even a little.

In light of taking all the photos, documenting all the moments, and telling all the stories, I am in fact creating a plan to tell these stories more consistently as well as more completely. It will take some work. It will require not living in shame. And it will require sticking to the plan. But I think I can do this. Who’s with me?

Here's to storytelling all our memories in 2019.

supplies | Heidi Swapp Emerson Lane: 12x12 Paper Pad. 6x6 Paper Pad. Cardstock Stickers. Clear Stamp Set. 

Silhouette Cutting System.

This is a personal blog. All editorial content and projects are intellectual property of jamiepate.com I do receive financial compensation and material product from American Crafts to develop my craft posts, but all ideas and opinions are my own.