I'm Going Digital

...and I'm so excited!!!

First, I want to explain what that means. And then I'll share my reasons for the transition.

1. How is digital scrapbooking different?

I have the Project Life app on my phone. Within this app, I have endless options for basic page layouts. I also have endless options for artwork to purchase. Some of the packages are even free! Once you purchase a package, usually $0.99 or $1.99, you can reuse the art over and over. I take all of our photos with our phone, so everything is there in one place for creating. Once I have pages created, I can organize them into separate albums in the app. Then, all purchasing is done through the app. I can print single pages out, or I can print full album books. The books come in 8"x8", 10"x10" and 12"x12". There are a handful of color options available for the cover and a title can be printed on the front. The albums have a minimum of 20 pages and a maximum of 60 pages; plus, they lay flat for easy viewing! The vendor they use for printing is great too -- wonderful quality!

2. Why do I feel this is right for me?

: I currently use scrapbook albums that are 3 inches thick; these take up a lot of space on a shelf. A digital scrapbook will only be a 1/2 inch thick.

: I currently have 27 scrapbook albums; that number is only going to continue to grow, and at 3 inches a pop, I am going to eventually run out of room!

: We are planning to downsize our living space this year, if all goes according to plan; so the idea of downsizing the size of my scrapbook albums is a must! Also -- I won't need to purchase and store nearly as many scrapbook supplies anymore either...also a must when downsizing!

: I take all of our photos with my phone; so they will be right where I need them to create albums on my Project Life app on my phone.

: I will still upload the photos from my phone to my computer, so that I can back them up; however, I will no longer need to spend hours sizing and color correcting the photos to be printed on Shutterfly. This will save me both time and money!

: Since the app is on my phone, I can literally scrapbook anywhere! Standing in line. Waiting at the doctor's office. On the couch while watching tv. On car rides. In an airplane. You name it! And I don't need to be somewhere with free Wifi -- everything I need is on my phone, so I don't have to go online. Currently, I find that I rarely scrapbook. At the crops, I've been resizing photos for printing. I've been planning and planning hundreds of pages to work on at the retreat, and I will scrapbook there for sure. But those pages are needed for the retreat, so I have nothing to do now!

: I really feel that with digital, I will be able to stay up-to-date and current. Which is something that is very difficult to do the traditional way. For example, we had the crop on Saturday and I created a quick page about it on Sunday morning. My friend posted our group photo on Sunday evening, I plopped the photo into the layout, and done!

: This will save space and time, but I feel it will also save money too. Yes, it will cost money to have the albums printed through the app. But I won't be buying scrapbook albums, page protectors, paper, supplies like adhesive, doodads and decorations, or photo printing (+ shipping). That's a big perk!

3. Other Thoughts

: I will certainly still continue to scrapbook the traditional way. I have most of 2016 to still finish up. With that, I'll be current with our recent years (2003-2016). That is a huge accomplishment! Beyond that, I still have so many photos of my childhood and some from Chris' too! So there will never be a shortage of traditional scrapbooking, if I so desire!

: Scrapbooking is such passion of mine...and as I've found myself doing more and more simplification over the years, this seems to really fit in with my philosophy and my life. I'm excited to continue my hobby and take it into a new direction!