Several months before my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary, I came up with the idea of creating a scrapbook-style photo album of their lives together as a gift to them.
My thought was to gather some old photos and design something that included special moments from the past 50 years. It seemed simple enough until I realized how many photographs they had.
There was no way I could use my all-in-one printer/scanner for the job. It would take me years to do it. The stores that offer scanning/digitizing services offered no real support or advice – and they couldn’t care less about me, my project or my photos.
So I decided to learn how to digitize everything myself using the same professional equipment they were using – and I poured through boxes of different-sized photos, slides, slide carousels and photo albums. Tens of thousands of photos!
I made prints from the digitized photos and purchased supplies designed by Becky Higgins. Her Project Life scrapbooking supplies are so easy to use. I’m happy to say that the gift I designed is beautiful and my parents, and other family members, absolutely loved it.
Once the photos were digitized, I was able to share them with anyone I wanted. Every photo from an entire lifetime literally sat in the palm of my hand!
And just in case you don’t exactly know what that means, it means that you can make prints at stores like Walgreens. You can also email them to people or post them to Facebook or Instagram.
If you put together a photo album or scrap book, you can cut up the prints without worry because you can always print more! If you send out family newsletters, you’ll be able to import photos into your newsletter or document. Do you have a empty wall in the house? Print photos, frame them and bring that wall to life!
Another thing I love is that I was able to upload them to my free Google drive. Now I can access them anytime I want from my smart phone!
You can also copy the images to discs and archive them, or make slide shows, or send them to family members. It’s so easy!
I’m really excited to be able to help other people save their photo collections. It truly is something that every family should do. Not only is it a great personal experience to see old photos, but it’s also something that can be shared and passed on to your children and grandchildren.
I’m also excited that I can offer a faster, more personal, more affordable, more convenient way for my neighbors to rediscover their family’s past and to save it forever.
Please get in touch with me with any questions or to get your preservation project started (use this: Customized Projects). You will be so glad you did!