Meet the Coaches ❤️
This course is going to be exponentially BETTER because of the following six women, who are my 2021 Library of Memories (LOM) Coaches. I hope you’ll scroll slow and get to know them, as they each bring unique expertise to this community. You’ll be able to interact and learn from Ann, Blayne, Janelle, Melissa, Raewyn and Sue in our Facebook group and via Zoom calls. They are my team and we are here for YOU. I am truly so grateful I don’t have to do this alone.
NOTE: Coaches are listed in alphabetical order by first name!
Ann
A little about me . . . I am married, no kids or pets by choice, with siblings and their children to help fill my scrapbooks. We live in a small town in Northern Minnesota and have been here most of our lives. I have a passion for memory keeping and love adventures however home is my favorite place to be. I have been scrapbooking since 1999 and still love this hobby today. When not in my craft room, I like spend time on the water or curled up in a chair with a favorite book. I have a strong Christian faith and believe that everything will be okay. I love to solve problems and when I grow up, I want to be a detective.
I LOVE Library of Memories because … it has given me the freedom to scrapbook at a pace that I want to create. When I first started scrapbooking, I felt constricted to scrapbook in order and every photo. When I first learned about the concept of Library of Memories back in 2008, it created a sense to explore and look for more opportunities to tell whatever story I was inspired to tell. Over the years I have created layouts, projects and mini books that cover all areas of my life. I am not only able to tell the story of my husband and I, I have also adapted my scrapbooking to tell the stories of the people in our lives while enjoying the process along the way.
I use a Google Pixel 3 phone with Google photos. I have a Dell Laptop as my main workstation and have installed Lightroom to organize and store all my photos.
LOM Adaptation
Since printing photos for me are more project specific, I have adapted a drawer system to my Library of Memories to hold these project-based photos. Once I start working on the project itself, these photos are transferred to a storage binder to help layout the project. Also, if I come across a specific photo that I want to use, I have a temporary home until the project is formulated and completed.
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Ann’s M&M challenge page.
Blayne
Personal IG @blaynewhite
Business IG @photoburrito
Website: photo-burrito.com
Hi, I’m Blayne and I live in the suburbs of Atlanta, GA. My husband and I own a professional photography and art studio, where I am not the photographer, but the wizard behind the curtain who keeps everything running smoothly. I’m mom to a comic artist who is being published in 2022 and a computer nerd/gamer/college student. We also have a rescue dog Daisy, who we all probably love more than each other. 😉 My daughter and I are cosplayers, creating costumes based on movies, gaming, or comics and we love to attend cons, particularly Dragon Con here in Atlanta. We recently bought a new home and because my current creative space is smaller, I’ve scaled down to only the essential supplies and I truly love it. While I love photos and still take too many, the stories are really my favorite part of scrapbooking.
I am strictly an iPhone user for my photos and videos and use Photoshop on my MacBook Pro for any editing.
I organize all my photos and videos in Forever.
I LOVE Library of Memories because… I took Stacy’s very first Library of Memories class in 2007, when I was slogging away making a chronological album for each of my kids. I was duplicating family events for each book, thinking one day my kids were going to haul all these scrapbooks away with them when they moved out. I immediately loved the organizational component to LOM, but my biggest epiphany was when Stacy pointed out why you didn’t have to (and shouldn’t) scrapbook in chronological order. What?!? Being able to work on what I’m excited about in the moment makes my storytelling not only so much more meaningful and interesting, but easier. Instead of churning out stories in order, I tell the stories that are most important to me first. Being organized means I don’t waste valuable creative time searching for the photos I need. I can’t wait to revisit this course with you all!
LOM Adaptation
I have almost completely moved to an all digital LOM system. I create both traditional and digital books, and I now print only on demand. I use Forever to store and organize all my photos, videos, memorabilia and I have created category drawers within my overall photo library, where I can quickly find anything I need. I don’t need a big craft room and I can work from my sofa, organizing or adding stories directly to photos, where it’s all ready to go when I want to create.
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Blayne’s M&M challenge page.
Janelle
IG @janygb143
Blog Projects Inspired
Hi, I’m Janelle Horsley! I’m from Arizona, where I live with my husband, daughter, and two sons (ages 3, 6, and 9). When I’m not chasing kids, I love to shop at Costco, go to the tennis courts with my family, hike, try to love working out, make greeting cards, binge-watch TV shows, and cross things off my to-do list! While my husband and I were studying for our dental school Board exams in 2006, I discovered digital scrapbooking, the joy of combining writing with photography, and Stacy’s freeing philosophy on storytelling. Memory-keeping has been my favorite hobby since then!
I use a Canon 5D Mark IV, an old point-and-shoot Canon Powershot SD1100, an iPhone, MacBook Pro, and Lightroom Classic to organize my photos.
I LOVE Library of Memories because… I love knowing that everything— from the papers that the kids bring home, to the gobs of photos we take, to the hundreds of digital scrapbook pages I love to make—it all has a place in our house. Even when I’m super busy/overwhelmed, LOM allows me to follow my inspiration for making pages and projects, however it appears. I love organization and my photos and stories are one of the aspects of my life where I can actually feel in control!
LOM Adaptation
I keep my Family Words File in the Day One app (on both my phone and laptop). I use Day One as an on-the-go journaling app for everyday life, and I also tag my kids’ names on quotes/notes about each of them so I can easily bring those up when it’s time to make pages about them. One of my recent favorites, from my 6-year-old son: “How do you spell lay? Like I’m laying an egg?”
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Janelle’s M&M challenge page.
Melissa
FB MelissaGrossTX
Pinterest and YouTube
Website melissagross.com
Hi. I'm Melissa and I live and craft in the great state of Texas. I am a teacher by passion and by training and have taught everything from middle school technology classes to university level business courses, from Children’s Church to the Young-at-Heart (elderly) Sunday School, from online scrapbooking classes to in-person illustrated Bible journaling workshops. I am known for being very organized, reading four or five books at a time, and (when I follow Grandma's recipe and her advice to "cook it until it's done") making a delicious pecan pie. I am married to a wonderful man who totally supports my scrapbooking addiction and my calling to lead and encourage Christian women in their walk with the Lord. We both enjoy cooking, reading, traveling, working crossword puzzles (in pen!), and relishing the life God has given us.
I use my iPhone for snapping photos these days but like to carry our Canon EOS Rebel T2i DSLR when we travel. I use a PC and Photoshop Elements for organizing and editing photos.
I LOVE Library of Memories because…
I began scrapping in elementary school, putting memorabilia in the scrapbook my Mama started when I was born. Throughout my teenage and young adult years, I compiled a variety of photo albums and scrapbooks. In 2010, I discovered Stacy Julian and embraced her Library of Memories system. I began using a digital workflow plan, started sharing my photos, stories, and layouts on a blog, put processes in place to keep my printed and digital photos organized, and created a system to capture memories and inspiration for future pages. But it was the idea of inspirational scrapbooking – creating layouts when you’re inspired about what inspires you at the moment – that truly re-invigorated my enjoyment of this hobby. I've adapted Stacy's system to fit our family and lifestyle, and I've created a ton of meaningful pages, albums, and projects that I love…all the while having lots of FUN with this great hobby!
LOM Adaptation
Stacy’s Library of Memories system incorporates albums based on categories. After setting up my own system, I realized that I missed having chronological albums for each year. So, I adapted my system to include both types of albums, along with theme albums, travel albums, and mini-albums for a variety of memories. All these albums comprise my LIBRARY. However, I still scrap inspirationally rather than chronologically!
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Melissa’s M&M challenge page.
Raewyn
Hi, my name is Raewyn Aldridge, I am a scrapbooker from down under New Zealand. Since creating my first scrapbook layout in 2002 I have scrapped as many layouts about myself as I have about my (now) adult children because I feel MY story is just as important as theirs. Of course, my husband and extended family (including my three generation step-family) are also strongly featured in my Library of Memories.
I recently retired from my part-time job as a school librarian to spend more time with family. For the last six years I have been volunteering for the local Hospice compiling Life Review books for their patients. It is very rewarding knowing that their family will have a legacy to cherish long after they have gone. My other crafty pastime is crocheting, I crochet anything from table coasters, Christmas decorations and cot blankets to my current project which is a full-size Christmas tree!
I am looking forward to joining you all in 2021 as we are equally inspired by Stacy and each other.
All of my photos are now taken with my Android Samsung A-series smartphone which are backed up to the cloud via Google Photos. I also backup to two 2TB External Hard Drives, one of which is stored off-site.
I LOVE Library of Memories because…
I first read Stacy’s Photo Freedom book in 2008 after meeting her in New Zealand, then in 2011
I took her Finding Photo Freedom class at BPC. WOW that book and the class changed how
I document our stories!
My pre-digital photos are now all sorted into categories. My physical 'category drawers' have been created on a budget using plastic food storage containers! Downunder we call that ‘Kiwi Ingenuity’.
LOM Adaptation
I am continuing to work on my digital photo workflow, 15-30minutes at a time. I especially love finding connections between photos to extend our stories so categorizing photos under the main categories of People, Places and Things is a game changer. I have chosen not to use the Us category for digital photos though because Google Photos Face Recognition feature ensures I can search for Us photos quickly. I have added the Celebrations category to my system now i.e Easter, Christmas, Weddings, Birthdays etc. My Celebration layouts are the only ones stored in chronological order in my Library of Memories.
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Raewyn’s M&M challenge page.
Sue
Hi all! My name is Sue Triggs-Rhuda, I live just north of Boston, Massachusettes, USA where I part-time empty nest with my fabulous hubby Charlie while our twin girls, Lily and Gwen, are away at college. I am a Certified Professional Photo Organizer running my own business, Modern Memorykeeper. I have loved stories and photos and books my whole life, and I have been keeping scrapbooks and documenting my life since Jr. High! Currently, I am a paper and a digital scrapbooker. When I’m not working to help people organize their photos, I’m hanging out with friends, making magic out of fabric and yarn, attempting to garden, walking the dog, reading, puttering, hunting for fun shows to binge watch with hubby, and spending time at the beach. I love living near the ocean, in the footsteps of my New England ancestors, and in my favorite part of the country.
I LOVE Library of Memories because…
I was first introduced to LOM when I took Stacy’s class “Finding Photo Freedom” at Big Picture Classes in 2011(?). Until that point, I had been a strict “chronoscrapper” and I was looking for a different way to tell my stories…although I didn’t even know it at the time! FPF completely clicked with me in how it was possible to tell stories not just chronologically but across time periods and by topic instead of “this is what the girls did at girl scouts this week”. I felt completely freed from having to only work by the calendar and to be able to tell whatever story I wanted, whenever I wanted! I’ve made the FPF system work within other storytelling frameworks and prompts, organizing photos by topic as well as dates and generating and telling stories NOT in chronological order!
I am a Mac girl, with a 27” Mac desktop, an iPad Pro, and an iPhone 11. I take photos with my iPhone as well as a Canon EOS Rebel T3i and Canon G10. I organize my photos using Adobe Lightroom Classic, and edit in Lightroom and Photoshop, backing everything up with Time Machine and Backblaze
LOM Adaptation
I will admit, I still have an overwhelming urge to document chronologically! To honor this AND be able to tell my stories by subject/LOM, I organize my photos by year/month folders in Lightroom Classic and use the power of keywords and smart albums to organize photos by keyword groups that work back to the LOM categories.
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