Scrapbook Process: It's Hip to be Square

Just one of  my many Instagram photos, with filter and frame.

For those of you who are in my age bracket, that Huey Lewis song is running through your brain right now, isn't it?

As we know from social media, there is one main reason why we are hip to be square:  Instagram.  I love (or maybe a little obsessed with) this social network, and as a result, I am using those cropped and filtered little square masterpieces of mine for many other things besides Instagram. They are perfect for blogging, sharing and printing.

But alas - even though I can crop my digital photo goodness to square formats, I find it difficult to send them off somewhere to get them printed in the same wonderful squareness. The main online photo companies do not print your square photos on 4" x 6" paper, but instead will try to enlarge your edited photo to fit the 4" x 6" format.  Why is that?  It seems as long as Instagram has been around now, there should be a slew of companies out there competing for our business when it comes to printing our Instagrams as we want them.

Recently I did find an app that is helping me out --it is through a free app called Printicular.  Upload your square photos and get them printed to pick up at your local Walgreens.  Photos such as the one I have in this post will be developed even with the photo frame, just as you have designed.  The store will even trim them for you so you don't have to do it at home.

There is also a company out there called Persnickety Prints which I just discovered on Instagram, but I have yet to try them.  I would love to hear from you if you have and if you are satisfied with the results!  Evidently, they will print in more than the 4" x 4" size.  Genius!  Just what scrapbookers want and need!

Please comment below on your favorite outlet for printing your square photos.  I want to try them out!

Photo Focus: Organizing Tips

I came across a little book at the library the other day called, "The One Minute Organizer, Plain & Simple" by Donna Smallin.  There is an abundance of quick to read, easy to implement organizing tips!

Some of these tips are beneficial for us scrapbookers (or paper crafters, or memory keepers!) too!  I have listed them here, along with some of my own notes:

• Take photos of your child with favorite artwork or school projects. That way you can scrap the photo and let go of the physical item later!
• Schedule a regular time each week (or month) to sort and organize photos until you are all up to date.  Decide how to organize your photos and digital photos based on what type of scrapper you are:  subject/event or chronological.  (I recently just finished organizing ten years of digital photos!  It was well worth the time -- I found things that I hadn't printed that I forgot about!)
• Throw away printed photos that didn't come out right or are unusable.  Scrap and use the ones that best represent your family.  Deleting digital photos you know won't be used makes it easier to archive.
• Throw away duplicate photos.  If you can't bear to toss them, separate them in a different box clearly marked so that you know where to find a photo for a special project or mini album.
• Consider keeping all of your formal or professional photos in a separate album.  
• Get in the habit of developing photos on a regular basis.  Put developed photos in your regular photo album or organizer right away so you are ready for scrapping!

Just like anything else in our home, keeping our scrapbooking areas organized will help us as we create wonderful things for our family.  

Have ideas that have worked well for your photos?  Please post here!