My New Happy: Creative Memories

Monday, January 12, 2015

Creative Memories


Years ago, a friend invited me to a Creative Memories scrapbooking party.  My first response?  Absolutely not.  I didn't have time to scrapbook, I wasn't "creative", and I had no idea where to even start with the mountain of pictures I had stored in boxes.

She eventually wore me down and I told her I would go, but I was not going to have fun. Famous last words.

This is a picture of the very first scrapbook page I made that night.



Nothing fancy, and definitely not very creative, but I had so much fun and I loved how it turned out.  I was hooked, and within a few months I signed up to be an advisor for Creative Memories.  I enjoyed teaching their message that "moments with family and friends are worth sharing, remembering and cherishing".

Over the course of several years I hosted parties and workshops, and loved sharing my interest in creating hands on, paper scrapbooks that could be enjoyed by generations. During that time I created dozens of scrapbooks of my own, and they have become treasured family possessions.  

Eventually the world of cell phone pictures and digital storage took over, and Creative Memories wasn't able to stay current.  The company went up for sale and languished for many years.  Recently, however, they were purchased by a small company with an entrepreneurial spirit and a love of the original mission.

Creative Memories has relaunched with a limited release of their original high quality coversets, refill pages and protectors.  They have also added a new line, called Ahni & Zoe, which features Fast2Fab Albums featuring pre-printed pages that can be completed in an hour or two.  Everything is available in both the 12 x 12 and 8 x 8 sizes.

I know that all of us lead very busy lives, and it's so much easier to organize our photos on the computer and back them up to look at later.  But believe me, nothing beats holding a physical scrapbook, with printed photographs, written in your handwriting.  My boys still love to look through the books I've made.

Where to start?  That's always the hardest part.  I recommend creating a "year in review" scrapbook from 2014.  The memories are fresh and the pictures will be easy to find.  If you discover it's something you enjoy, you can look through your photos and make a plan from there. Not every picture or event needs to be scrapbooked!

I'm very happy to be partnering with Creative Memories again.  If you have any questions about getting started or want more information, visit their website or leave me a comment.

**In the spirit of full disclosure, this post contains affiliate links, which means I will get a small commission if you decide to purchase anything.  I only recommend products and programs that I use and love myself, so I know you'll be in good hands!**

18 comments:

  1. My sister was a Creative Memories consultant too. I have not made a scrapbook page in years! I keep saying I need to get back at it but now it is so overwhelming! I have so many photos and not sure where to get started!

    Jill
    Doused In Pink

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    1. Getting started is always the hardest part! That's why I recommend that people start with the most recent pictures and work their way back - so much easier to organize that way.

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  2. I have never dabbled in scrapbooking, but I love the idea. I started doing digital albums for each kid birthday...but it kinda fell off my to do list. Maybe I'll take it back up!

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    1. I would love to see your albums - I bet they are amazing!

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  3. I got into scrapbooking back in the late 90's, and went scrap crazy! haha I have about 12 really great books full of memories of my children growing up. I've been dabbling in some basic digital scrapbooks with iPhoto lately, but there is nothing like crafting pages with your own hands and ideas that match your family's personality. Something I'll have to see if I can make time for again. Good luck to you with Creative Memories. :)

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    1. Thank you! I won't have as much time to devote to it as I did last time, but I really believe in the concept!

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  4. I never got into scrap booking... but I love the idea as it is great to look through photos hands on... This looks like a great product Lana♡

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    1. I still love looking through mine - but I need to find time to get started again!

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  5. I am in awe! I love looking through a photo album!

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  6. Oh I absolutely LOVE scrapbooking, I really wish I had more time to do it, but instead I have lots of pictures and empty books. I've done a few (okay a lot) of digital scrapbooks. One day I'll get back to scrapbooking. I started in '97 and have done hundreds of pages...books upon books, upon books. All I know if there is a fire, that's what I'm grabbing! Although it would probably take me forever to load them all up in the car, so hopefully it's a slow moving fire...hehe.

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    1. So funny Sarah! I always say the same thing, and my husband tells me there isn't room in the car for all of them!

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  7. I have friends who used to do it but I was one of the last hold outs even though I used to make very small ones of certain vacations that I took with my friends. I have so many more that I could choose from now....if I just had the time!

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    1. I wish I had more time to scrapbook, but I know I'll get back to it someday!

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  8. Ah, that's so cool that they came back and caught up with the times. You must be so excited!

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    1. I'm really happy that they have relaunched with the same high quality products. We'll see where they go!

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  9. Congratulations for partnering again with Creative Memories. I think helping people organize their memories is a really worthwhile thing to do!

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    1. Thanks Susan. I do think it's really important, but finding the time is hard for everyone!

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