The one item I absolutely have fallen in love is my Flip-Pal mobile scanner! The Flip-Pal mobile scanner is the world’s original color flatbed scanner for photos, cherished memorabilia, and documents that does not require a computer to operate. 

I know there are a lot of you out there (including me) who have old scrapbooks that have been handed down to us by our parents or grandparents. Usually these consisted of black paper not too far from construction type paper. Chances are these books are not in the best shape as little was known back then about preservation.

Or maybe the scrapbooks are just from a generation or so ago. Take magnetic albums...If you look at old magnetic albums you may notice they are yellowed and faded and the photographs don't look vivid. This is the effect of not having proper materials to preserve our memories. What a shame to lose these treasures. What if I told you you could at least slow the progression of the deterioration?

I found this article I wanted to share about how to preserve the albums of the past. 

Flip-Pal ambassador Carrie Keele shares her techniques for scanning photos from old albums.

Over the river and through the woods, literally, to Great-Grandma Lois’ house we go! My husband’s mother’s, mother, Lois (Jeppson Hatch) Wells lives in a cabin in the mountains. From the main highway, you cross an ancient, wooden, rickety bridge (with only room for one car at a time) with no guardrails. Each time we cross, I half expect this is the time it will finally give way to the river below. A dirt road with sharp switchbacks leads to the cabin that the Hatchs built in the 70s. The familiar flamingo pink trimmed balcony brings a smile to your face and stirs memories of summers past.

Everyone loves Grandma’s house. Removed from technology with only one (corded) white telephone to reach the outside world, you can literally breath deeper. Life moves just a little slower and there’s more time for conversations and memory sharing. Last summer we had the chance to stay at the cabin for several days as family gathered to celebrate Lois’ 90th birthday party.

During this visit I realized that while Lois was quite healthy and active for her age, she was slowing down. She has stories to tell and memories to share that I want my kids to remember.  Using my iPhone recorded several impromptu interviews and cherished the stories.  We also explored her bookshelves upon bookshelves lined with old picture albums. She has hundreds of pictures from years past, most of them being non-archival, sticky albums. You know the ones that we all used until we realized it’s a black hole that slowly disintegrates your precious memories.Since I hadn’t planned on doing anything more than celebrating with family, I hadn’t thought to bring my Flip Pal with me. No matter, I thought. I’ve got a great digital SLR … I’ll capture the pictures with my camera. Ummmmm, easier said than done. I tried three different locations and numerous angles but was never completely satisfied with the glare, distortion, blur, etc. (If you have ever tried to take pictures of pictures in albums, you’ll know exactly what I mean.) I even tried to jimmy rig my tripod to make it work. I ended up with a few okay pictures, but nothing that was nearly as good as the original. I’m almost too embarrassed to post the proof!

Learn from my failures, don’t do it the hard way!

Just a few weeks ago we spent a day with Lois on the way to Washington for a family vacation. This time I came prepared with my trusty Flip Pal. Much to the delight of my mother, AKA DearMYRTLE, I couldn’t wait to grab some albums and try it out.. My mom snapped these pictures while I happily scanned. I loved that I could easily sit and chat with the family while scanning away. I didn’t need to worry about lighting or even devoting my attention to capturing the pictures.

The best part? The look on Lois’ face as she watched me use this mysterious gadget. Remember, technology has not touched this cabin in the woods. The one computer that was purchased for her years ago sits untouched upstairs covered by a towel. (I think it has Windows 95 on it!) and is only used once a year to write a family Christmas letter. I explained to her that the Flip Pal is a scanner that uses batteries to operate. With the touch of a button and about 5 seconds is all it takes to get a beautiful scan. And that it intuitively “stitches” pictures together so I could easily scan whole pages of her albums. She shook her head in amazement at this world that we live in. While she mostly scoffs at technology and the “waste of time” it is and how impersonal it is, she actually said, “Well, isn’t that is a great little tool!”

So next time you head to Grandma’s make sure to pack your Flip-Pal as you never know when it will come in handy. After all, Great-grandma Lois approves!

Click here to learn more about the Flip-Pal and watch their video on what else it can be used for! 

Flip-Pal provides  information and tools for collecting, organizing, and safeguarding your photos, documents, videos, and other memorabilia for your enjoyment, and for the enjoyment of future generations. All I have to do is get creative and scan away!

7 Tips for Keeping a Travel Journal

Happy Summer! It's finally here!I hope you have some fun things planned this summer. We talk a lot about the importance of taking pictures to visually capture our memories but it is equally as important to give those pictures meaning through journaling. Here are some great tips from a guest writer Mari McCarthy on keeping a travel journal.

Are you traveling this summer? Whether it's a weekend getaway to the mountains or a month by the shore or a dream excursion in the South Seas, journaling your adventure is a sure way to make its pleasures last.

Have you ever had the feeling that too many things are happening, and you're not as alive to every one of them as you would like to be? We want to enjoy every drop of our vacations, but the time goes by so quickly. Experiences tend to get jumbled in memory.

Even in the moment, it can be hard to be 100% 'present,' taking everything in with clarity and proper mental organization. Most of the time, we return home from a trip with a vague sense of having enjoyed ourselves but we seldom pause to specify what, exactly, was impressive or fun.

You worked long hours to afford your vacation; don't let it slip past you into oblivion. Journal your journeys and you'll find that not only do you end up with a record for the ages but you also enhance your daily appreciation of the experience as it's happening.

A few tips for your travel journal:

1. Start writing in your dedicated travel journal at least a couple weeks before you depart. Note your plans, your emotions, fears, expectations.

2. The trip itself may afford many a moment for journaling, depending on whether you're driving or riding. If you're the one piloting the forward motion, write a line or two about your progress and the environment whenever you stop for a break. If you're riding, try journaling a few lines every hour on the hour.

3. Once you reach your destination, make journaling part of your settling in activities. Take a shower, order a drink, and tell your journal all about the new surroundings.

4. We tend to be such creatures of habit that we'll quickly identify routines that we prefer even in a brand new place. As you enjoy your holidays, find that perfect moment in each day to reflect on your experiences in your journal.

5. Wherever you go, collect mementos that might be pasted into your journal. Bits of nature, paper, photos, postcards, tickets, ribbons, buttons... you'll develop a keen eye for these small reminders.

6. When it's almost time to go home, devote a special journaling session to listing highlights of your trip. Ask yourself questions as if you were being interviewed: What did you enjoy the most? What was beautiful, awesome, fun, strange? What was difficult or distasteful? How are you feeling emotionally, spiritually?

7. As soon as you can after returning home, make a final entry in your travel journal, and include your present thoughts about the vacation as well as how you are feeling now that you're back to everyday life.

It's obvious that these practices will produce a deepened appreciation for travels as they unfold and a book of memories that will serve you for a lifetime. In light of these facts, journaling while journeying is a no-brainer!


By Mari L. McCarthy - The Journaling Therapy Specialist, founder of Journaling for the Health of It™. Mari offers counseling and encouragement to writers through her many online journaling resources as well as private consultations. Please see http://www.createwritenow.com/journaling/ for further information. Mari's latest publication is titled, Start Journaling and Change Your Life in Seven Days. Please visithttp://www.createwritenow.com/start-journaling-challenge-free-samples/ and download a free sample chapter.

If You've Been Struggling to Take Better Photos With Your Camera...

You're going to love this!I love when I find products that will be helpful to my readers! I recently discovered thisPhotographyMasterclass.

This new series of 29 videos will take any DSLR beginner and make them a pro...

Including *YOU*!

If you've been struggling to get better photos with your camera...(Or even if you don't know what DSLR to buy)

I think you're going to LOVE THESE VIDEOS:
http://www.PhotographyMasterclass.com

Photography Masterclass was put together by Evan Sharboneau. He's helped over 9.2 Million people with their photography skills. BUT he's also really down to earth and willing to show you where he started.

Catch his "beginner-to-professional" story on the website:
http://www.PhotographyMasterclass.com

(You'll even see some of his old, UGLY PHOTOS there!)

No matter where you are with photography - just starting out, a hobbyist, or want to get 100% comfortable in Full Manual Mode -

You owe it to yourself to check this out:
http://www.PhotographyMasterclass.com

(Because you'll see also GORGEOUS PHOTOS and learn how they were created)

Anyway, I'm just passing along the good news that you can stop digging around blogs and forums...

Finally, you can get the photography training you've been looking for.

Warmly,

Tracey
OrganizedPhotos.com

Just Discovered This App!

A Clutter Free Way to Save and Enjoy Your Child's Artwork! I was in the waiting room for an appointment when I saw a story on this app and knew I needed to add it to my list of favorites! I wish this was around when my kids were bringing home piles of art. Take a look!_

When it comes to caring for your photos, the first thing that might pop into your mind is the need to keep them safe.  Or if you're feeling overwhelmed by piles, then your first thought might be to gain control of the mess.  ;-)

Both of those considerations are very important, but there's one more that you may not think about.  And yet, that one other factor could be the difference between your photo collection being considered a treasured heirloom or being simply disregarded as a heap of stuff.

So what is it that could have such a drastic impact on the value of your photo collection?  Simply put, it's the memories that go along with pictures!  Taking the time to journal the details of the people, places and events surrounding the images is what will create a collection to be treasured.

Not convinced?

Have a look at this beautiful poem by Pam Harazim of East Hampton, Connecticut


Strangers in The Box

Come, look with me inside this drawer,
In this box I've often seen,
At the pictures, black and white,
Faces proud, still, and serene.

I wish I knew the people,
These strangers in the box,
Their names and all their memories,
Are lost among my socks.

I wonder what their lives were like, 
How did they spend their days? 
What about their special times?
I'll never know their ways.

If only someone had taken time,
To tell who, what, where and when,
These faces of my heritage,
Would come to life again.

Could this become the fate,
Of the pictures we take today?
The faces and the memories,
Someday to be passed away?

Take time to save your stories,
Seize the opportunity when it knocks,
Or someday you and yours,
Could be strangers in the box.

That's something to think about, isn't it?  But how do you get started capturing your memories?

• Although we DON'T recommend it, you could write directly on the back of your photographs.  If you decide to go this route, then you need to do this very carefully, with photo safe materials.  (A word of warning:  Never write on the back of a photograph with a ballpoint pen!) 
   
• You could keep a journal to record your family's growth and memories along the way and then store the journal with your photographs.  It's a start, because at least there will be some details, but it doesn't really allow you to match specific pictures with documentation.
   
• Scrapbooking is another option.   You would be able to journal directly on your album pages right alongside of your photographs, which would certainly enable you to record the memories that go along with specific photographs. Or considerdigital scrapbooking if you aren't into the actual scrapbooking process.
   
• Lastly, consider  acid-free, lignin-free photo envelopes where you can sort your photos and capture the memories that went along with them.

That sounds like a simple way to make sure that your photo collection can be meaningful--and treasured, doesn't it?

This is such a great story for all of us who hate to have our picture taken! This article in the Huffington Post written by Allison Tate gives a good insight as to why we need to be in the pictures!


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/allison-tate/mom-pictures-with-kids_b_1926073.html

Up-cycled Guitar String Jewelry
So, no this has nothing to do with organizing photos; but I'd like to give a SHOUT-OUT to my friend Betina who just launched her new site Stringin' Along With ME She designs unique, one-of-a-kind jewelry by upcycling used guitar strings. A portion of the proceeds of the sale of her jewelry benefit 317 Main, a non-profit music community.

So, if you didn't get what you were hoping from from that special someone on Valentine's, treat yourself to her Heart Clasp Bangle :)

BRUSH UP ON YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS! 
I've learned over the years, that as I go through my photos, I end up discarding so many because they are either dark, blurry or otherwise just unattractive. I decided to take a photography class to learn how to take better pictures. Here is a great resource for you if you would like to brush up on your photography skills too. Amy Renfrey, Digital Photographer and Teacher offers some tips!

While going through my photographs one day, I discovered this one of my kids taken eight years ago at one of our families' favorite places of all time. I just love this photograph so I decided to turn it into a 16 x 20 canvas! There are many companies you can get these through, I happened to use my local Staples and got this print for $29.99!