Do any of these sound familiar?
- You had your first (second, third…) child and someone bought you a lovely baby book as a shower gift. Or maybe you were in inspired by the abundance of scrapbook supplies at the craft store and decided you’d create your own book to document all those “firsts” and keep all your photos. Months (or years later), the baby book has little more than your child’s name and birth stats, and the scrapbook remains a pile of unopened supplies.
- You returned from yet another vacation this year, uploaded the photos to your computer, shoved the souvenirs & momentos in a drawer and forgot all about them.
- Last year the holidays came and went again, along with photos you never printed, Christmas cards you tossed in a box, and little memories likely forgotten.
- You feel somehow disconnected from your own life.
I can relate to all of these. When I was pregnant with Jack, I searched for a baby book that didn’t scream cheesy or cutesy to me. I never found that book, so Jack’s first year ended up jotted down in a Moleskine Cahier paperback journal. I had a few family trips’ worth of photos collecting digital dust on my computer before taking action to do something about it. The holiday memories still need some proper representation in my life, something I hope to begin rectifying this holiday season. And the disconnected feeling was a driving force behind creating this Me-Mo Booking project.
So what is Me-Mo Booking?
Pronounce “memo” (as opposed to rhymes with “Nemo”), Me-Mo Booking is a play on words and an alternative to what scrapbooking/journaling/memory keeping could be. It’s a reminder to take note of what really matters and leave the rest behind.
Me-Mo Booking is about taking a moment to jot down your memories, print out the photos, doodle a bit of life, with a minimum of fuss. Certainly you can get as elaborate as you choose, but I find that people who are turned off by scrapbooking-type projects seem to be more turned off by the perceived amount of time or materials required, or a certain aesthetic they think it embodies.
I know because I disliked the term “scrapbooking” for those same reasons, until I realized that I can define it on my own terms, and so can you. Because let’s be honest, keeping a record of our life does matter to us- Facebook and camera phones are testaments to that. But I love flipping through actual photos, reading handwritten words, holding a memory in my hands. And with a minimal amount of materials and time, I believe you can create a tangible and meaningful record of life.
Me-Mo Booking Supplies
All you really need is some basic office supplies + photos + momentos. Of course, you can expand on this to suit your creative streak, unused scrapbook supplies, and time available. And my love of pattern designs will inevitably make its way into projects, but just know there’s no need to overly complicate things.
The Basics:
Pens & Pencils
Adhesives, tapes, and/or stapler
Clips- paper, bulldog, binder, etc.
Scissors
Book rings- Bookmaking made easy
Hole Puncher
Index Cards (I LOVE MY INDEX CARDS!! 4×6 are my favorite size these days)
Card stock
Optional:
Paper cutter
Matte photo paper
2 or 3 ring hole puncher
Me-Mo Booking Projects
Starting tomorrow, I’ll share ideas for creating your own Me-Mo books from photos, momentos, memories, etc. Each week I’ll share a Weekly Me-Mo from my life with you, along with a prompt to get you Me-Mo Booking a moment from your week. Over time I’ll have starter Me-Mo Books for sale for those wanting a creative boost, and I have this idea for a subscription type service with weekly email reminders, prompts, and printable cards to type and print out or print & fill out by hand.
So many possibilities to explore! This is all unfolding in a very organic manner, so leave me a comment and tell me, what would make memory keeping simpler/faster/more enjoyable for for you?
