How do I convert from traditional scrapbooking to digital scrapbooking?

"When my first child was born, I vowed to make a scrapbook of him for each year. It became an overwhelming task when each set of grandparents also wanted a book. So, of course, I had to make three. Now, with my fourth child, I'm way behind on the scrapbooks so I'm eager to get going with digital scrapbooking. My question, though, is how do I make the transition? I have a shelf unit full of scrapbook pages I will never use and I have a drawer full of leftover embellishments. I feel guilty for spending so much money and not using them but the clutter is weighing heavily on me too. Any suggestions?" -- Tammy, West Bend

You are not alone, Tammy! I was a scrapbooker too. I got married nearly eight years ago and scrapbooked my wedding. Then I scrapbooked our trip to Ireland ten months after our wedding. Our trips to Hawaii and Austria have been in boxes for five years, complete with the scrapbook binders, pages, and embellishments I planned on using. Just the thought of taking time and spreading out the supplies, cutting and pasting, etc., made me nauseous.

Being very frugle, I too felt guilty from having spent all that money. Most of the stuff was still in their cellophane wrappings! I knew I wasn't going to make any more traditional scrapbooks so I gathered everything together and sold it as a bundle on eBay. What a relief!

And to top it off, I finished my 53-page Austria book in Heritage Makers within two weeks. My husband and I can relive that wonderful experience of singing with the Classical Music Festival just by opening a book. And stuff won't fall out either. Plus, our book is archived forever on the Heritage Makers site.

So, if you want to get some of your money back and a lot of weight off your shoulders, either bundle it up and sell it on eBay, or give it to your scrapbooking friends, or donate it to Goodwill. You will not only be very relieved, you will be able to get caught up very quickly, easily, and with much more fun making your Heritage Makers storybooks.

Blessings,
Carolyn
www.AStoryToHold.com