MDS 2: Amy Keeps Memories and Cleans House

Something I've wanted to do for three years now is create an art book of all of Giacomo's art and projects that he's done in school. I have to be honest—my primary objective in doing this is so that I don't have to keep all of that stuff around the house—the countless pieces of paper, the glitter, the oversized projects—it's all way too much clutter for me! But, of course, I treasure everything that Giacomo has ever created, so creating an MDS photobook where I could keep everything virtually was the perfect solution for me.

Over a year ago I started going through the piles and bags of his work that I've kept since his two-year old preschool class. I decided to use a blackboard as a photograph background so that there would be some sort of consistency, and I started taking pictures of all his work. He's just started Kindergarten, so to catch up, I've decided to combine all three years preschool into one book that I'm calling "the Pre-School years, 2009-2012".

This is a real labor of love. While I plan to keep my book very straightforward and have the art be the primary focus (I don't plan to use any stamp brushes or embellishments), it's still taking me a bit of time to gather all the photos, insert, crop, and position all of them. When that’s done, I plan to sit down with Giacomo and have him tell me about each piece (hopefully he remembers!) so that I can include a little artist commentary too.

With it being back-to-school time, I think it's a perfect project to get caught up on while cleaning out your kids' old artwork while they are in school. Or, if you just want to start fresh with the new 2012–2013 school year, start taking photos of projects that your kids bring home and create your book throughout the year. You'll have a great surprise for them all ready when school is out!

I'll be back soon to share Giacomo's completed art book with you—until then, get started on a book for one of your kids!

Amy Swartz, Stampin’ Up! VP of Sales

Tags: Amy Swartz, Guest Blogger

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Comment by Patty Brannan on September 6, 2012 at 5:22pm: Wow this is so awesome...thank you so much for the suggestion, I can't wait to do this when I have kids! I think it would just be nice to have it all in one place organized by year! LOVE LOVE LOVE this idea

Comment by Alana Jean-Louis on September 5, 2012 at 10:42pm: you bet! when stuff comes home from school, we take pics of it to put in his mds 'yearbook', and then split up the pages into big envies and send a pile to each grandparent! let THEM keep the clutter and cover their fridges! haha! it also makes them feel special and included when they are all so far away!!! sometimes it even motivates a letter or phone call back - which in turn makes my son feel very special!

Comment by Janet Wakeland on September 5, 2012 at 6:34pm: Awesome idea!

Comment by Patty Bennett on September 5, 2012 at 6:31pm: AMAAAZING Amy!! GREAT project... do you think i can go back and do that for 21 years of Jason's art projects?? aaaaaaaaaah! :) They sure grow up quickly!!

Comment by Susan M Erickson on September 5, 2012 at 6:04pm: Great idea! I'll have to do that with all the cards I've received over the years and with the kids art work I've been keeping for almost 40 years. I've got a file drawer full of memory stuff and photos will work very well. Then I can give the kids what they want to keep and throw the rest away. Less paper clutter!!!

Comment by Wendie Waldman on September 5, 2012 at 5:52pm: Love this, it's beautiful.

Comment by Tracy Bakunas on September 5, 2012 at 3:07pm: What a great idea. Now I just have to dig it all out from 14 years of storage - that's the real challenge!

Comment by Jeanna Bohanon on September 5, 2012 at 2:11pm: I've been doing that too!!!