Stacy's Pick

I asked Charlotte Elvedal what advice she has for someone just getting started with memory keeping, and she said, "Don't think too much, just take any picture or group of pictures, from yesterday or from two years back, find a sketch or a layout to inspire you and get the story written. Then, glue it all down." I love that. It's no nonsense. Charlotte adds, "Use good tools. Don't buy the cheapest things when it comes to knifes, cutters, glue and scissors. You want these things to last, and you don't want them to ruin your prints or products." Smart. These are your memories. Don't make it hard. Focus on photos and stories and purchase quality tools to support you. 

I know now why Jess Forster's Prep Your Pocket Cards challenge from our Summer Craft Party appealed to Charlotte. It just makes sense. It's a solution. It's summer, you've got some kind of fun getaway planned and you're anxious to balance the memory making with the memory keeping, so you sit down with a selection of Project Life journaling cards and you think about where you're going and what you'll be doing and you then personalize these cards for your trip. How cool is that? Totally cool. Charlotte, her husband and her 13 year-old son, Ferdinand are taking a big road trip through Sweden, Denmark and Germany, into Poland, and she is ready to document this adventure all along the way. She admits, "As I am an addict of "making things", I am SO much looking forward to filling in the cards I have made, while still on the road. My husband was a little concerned about the pre-designed card, that reads, "Epic Fail" but with cross country travel like this, you always experience at least one disaster—perhaps missing a turn and having to go on for half an hour before you find the way back, or not finding the camp area and arguing before you realize that the map is upside down and you are on the wrong side of town! Sounds to me like the Elvedals have been on a road trip or two! Charlotte explains, "I always want to see a LOT, and tend to push us to go, go, go, so I have asked my boys to remind me that relaxing is also a part of a vacation, and that we must have time to play the boardgames we have brought. My "Taking time to be still" card is ready for when I am encouraged to slow down!

When her family returns from big adventures like this one, Charlotte usually creates an entire 12x12 album, which can take up to a year to complete, but this year she wants to get right to it. These already-made cards and her Heidi Swapp Capture 30 calendar, will be key to her success. It's hard to believe that Charlotte, for years, swore she would never scrapbook—too much stash and drowning in photos—definitely not for her, but she looks back gratefully now, because she knows it is so much more. We only get one chance to live and one chance to tell these stories. See the second to last card in her collection ... Let's Go!

If you would like to be featured as a Stacy's Pick here on the blog, post your work to our Student Gallery. I am always on the look for interesting people and projects, like Charlotte and her cards!