Remember Family Moments

Everyone told me that children grow up way too fast, and to enjoy every moment. Although my children are still young, I am starting to just get a small idea of how much I wished I had enjoyed those early stages of their life. I have been grateful for a few things I have done to remember the now, and have a few ideas to show you how to remember those delicate, wonderful stages of your child, family, and personal life!

1. Storing memorabilia

During their first year, children’s feet grow faster than you can blink. I had a bit of a shoe fetish with my boys and bought more shoes that I can count. I decided to take a few of my favorites during the first few years of their life and display them so I can see them everyday (and enjoy those darling shoes I paid WAY too much for, for more than just a few months of their life).

Enjoy newborn – five years circle labels with a free printable

Shadow Box printable

Enjoying memorabilia too large for a scrapbook

These darling glass jars are such a big trend right now, for everything from candy, to punch bowls. Why not use the jar as a storage container for your shelf to display all the things you can’t fit in your scrapbook.

These cute jars include the hat my son came home from the hospital in, his hospital bracelet, shoes he came home in, one of his newborn diapers, a burp cloth, one of his bottles, pictures of his feet prints, announcement picture.

Other ideas for jars may include a special vacation, school year memorabilia, wedding memories, etc.

2. Fun with Photos

Creating a Photo Collage (instagram photos)
I find myself using my camera phone more than any other camera I own these days. It is easy accessible, and it is always with me. I am finding however, I don’t quite know what to do with all of those everyday moment pictures that I take multiple times a day.

Here is a photo collage of all the pictures that recorded those everyday fun moments of our life from the year 2012. Included is our family picture in the middle. A year in review isn’t the only subject you can create! Try a child’s year to date and pictures from their “4th” year. Or how about your vacation?

This collage was created in Photoshop, by resizing all the photos to 1.25″ x 1.25″ and creating a grid with them on a blank canvas. When you have placed your photos where you want them, flatten the image and save it as a JPEG. I printed it as a 12″x 12″ photo at Costco.

If you don’t have any idea how to use Photoshop, feel free to email me for information and pricing to have me create a collage for you! skierdouglass@gmail.com

3. Create a memory gift for a parent

Find a photo taken of you and your mom (or dad) when you were a child with you and recreate that same photo with your child. This would make a cute Mother’s Day gift!

Here is a link for a free printable to make for your mom!

4. Remembering the funny things they say

Kids say the funniest things and most often we always say “I need to write that down”. Here is a really easy way to do it. Print out the blank quotations. Frame them with glass on top (my frames were $1.99 at IKEA). Then use a dry erase marker to write the funny things they say. When you want to erase them, take a picture and put them in a memory album or journal.

Here are the links for free printables of blank quotation bubbles:
Quote 1
Quote 2
Quote 3

5. A peek into my week memory album

I found this exercise really fun a few years back when I was asked to teach a class for Creating Keepsakes Magazine. The little album included details of what our everyday life was like. I have realized now how much my life has changed in just a few years, and how fun we have come.

This album was created with the new Album kit from Stampin’ Up! called This and that. Here is the link for how to get one yourself! { http://www.stampinup.com/ECWeb/ItemList.aspx?categoryid=1448}

Include in your book your morning routine, a typical Monday – Friday. What your nightly ritual is. What you eat for meals, etc. Because we are all snapping pictures with our phones, instagram pictures make it super easy to print out and put directly into your book!

Check out Mandy’s other Studio 5 Segments on growth memories!
http://studio5.ksl.com/index.php?nid=122&sid=20071387
http://studio5.ksl.com/index.php?nid=71&sid=17306288