Now that we’re a few days into 2010 and hopefully everyone has had a chance to spend a little time with your Memory Logbook, it’s time to get serious about logging those “real life” memories!

First Things First …

If you own the Memory Logbook 2010, a monthly version of the Memory Logbook or Real Life Scrapbooking Weekly Challenges 2010, be sure you have registered for the Log Your Memory Book Club so you can take part in all of the fun activities I’m about to share!

If you were among the many who has already spent a month logging with the December 2009 version of the Logbook, I’d love for you to share what you’ve learned so far through this forum thread. And if this is your first time logging, be sure to check out that thread yourself to see what they have to say!

Get Started with These Worksheets

The time has come to start putting your new Logbook to good use. Hopefully you’ve already begun jotting down notes, filling in important dates, perhaps sketched a layout idea or two, or even completed a few questionnaires. Of particular interest this week are several worksheets found near the beginning of your book.

The Today’s Prices worksheet is a fun way to document what a handful of everyday items cost in your part of the world at this time in history.

The Annual Check-Up worksheet is there to create a baseline for your scrapbooking year, which will be very interesting to look back upon in January 2011.

Once you finish the above two pages, be sure to share them in our special Book Club forum … not only will you inspire others to do the same, but you’ll earn points through our new Real Deal rewards program (see It’s the Real Deal below).

Now is also the perfect time to complete your first Monthly Check-Up, which you’ll repeat at the beginning of each month throughout the entire year.

And don’t forget to fill in the Holiday Worksheet for New Year’s Day so you’ll have a permanent record of the day’s events. If you get inspired to create a layout about the day, great! And if not, you’ll have all of the information ready and waiting for you for later on.

This is also a great time to start using your Story List page. Spend a little time thinking about all of those memories and stories you would like to get scrapbooked “someday” and then jot them down on your Story List. As the year goes on and you think of others, add them to the list. And don’t forget to check off the ones that you scrap so you can see how much progress you’re making!

Kicking off the Logbook Weekly Challenges …

Now we’re getting to the real core of the Memory Logbook … the Weekly Challenges. Week #1 officially begins today and to help you get started, you can now find a forum thread focused exclusively on this week’s challenge topic. You’ll find another one each week in the Weekly Logbook Challenges 2010 section of the private Book Club forum. (Hint: If you’re having difficulty accessing those pages, you are either not a registered Book Club member or you have not logged in to the forum.)

"2010" by Jenn Barrette

Don’t forget to check out this week’s album in the private Weekly Challenge Layout Gallery where you’ll find tons of inspiring layouts like the one above created by our talented Calendar Girls and fellow Book Club members!

It’s the Real Deal …

Everyone can use a little extra motivation, even when it’s something fun like scrapbooking. So today I’m excited to kick off a special reward program exclusively for Log Your Memory Book Club members who are using the Memory Logbook 2010 and taking part in the Weekly Challenges.

Through our Real Deal program, Book Club members will earn points each time you complete one of several “real life” scrapbooking activities related to the Memory Logbook. Points will be totaled each week, eventually earning you special discount coupons good for purchases of downloads from the Log Your Memory on-site store. The more points you earn, the higher the discount. The program will continue throughout the entire year, with a handful of special prizes awarded at the end of the year to our top point-earners.

Points will be earned each time participants complete the following activities:

• Posting a completed layout in response to the Weekly Challenge prompts in the corresponding Weekly Challenge album.
• Participating in Weekly Challenge discussion threads in the Book Club private forum.
• Participating in other special discussion threads in the Book Club private forum.
• Taking part in other designated Book Club activities throughout the year.

All point-earning activities will include information regarding Real Deal point values within their description. There are no deadlines for most Real Deal activities, though points will only be totaled & reward coupons emailed once per week. A running point total for each participant will be recorded in the Book Club Weekly Challenge forum once points start to accrue.

Rewards will be given as follows:

• 500 points: 10% Discount Coupon (Good for one purchase of a downloadable item from the Log Your Memory On-Site Store)
• 750 points: 25% Discount Coupon (Good for one purchase of a downloadable item from the Log Your Memory On-Site Store)
• 1000 points: 50% Discount Coupon (Good for one purchase of a downloadable item from the Log Your Memory On-Site Store)
• Other rewards may be offered as the year progresses.

All reward coupons are non-transferable and will expire on 3/31/2011.

Later This Week …

• A special “real life” scrapbooking guest post from our Calendar Girl of the Month ~ Heather Guenther: The Good, the Bad & the Adorable “Ugly.“
• Information & a special freebie download from our January Guest Designer!
• Details on how to enter our 2010 Scrapbook Idea Yearbook contest.
• Our weekly Story Board and Layout of the Week.

Click on “comment” below to share your thoughts…

It’s here! 2010 has officially arrived … which means it’s now time to get busy using your Memory Logbook!!! It’s also time to welcome Calendar Girl Heather Guenther, our lead Creative Team member for the month of January!

But first, we have some celebrating to do …

New Year Traditions Giveaway

Thanks to everyone who shared their New Year traditions in response to yesterday’s post! As of midnight (MTN), comments had been shared by the following:

1. Claudi
2. Rosemary
3. shanduck
4. cole19
5. scrappysue
6. debzanne
7. gerich
8. kathy jo
9. zonemama
10. CaroB71
11. Jenna09
12. Lainey
13. Zoezmom
14. suemoyer
15. smcpheeters
16. crecia27
17. Heather Prins
18. nof007750
19. erink88
20. dadon
21. winkasheart
22. grannymike
23. paperprincess
24. shamrock
25. jsilman
26. sheilah
27. Ravenwood1950
28. Ida
29. Dianne
30. terry
31. nannette13
32. conniemiles

Our winner (chosen by random number generator) and recipient of any one download of your choice from the Log Your Memory on-site store is …

22. grannymike

Congratulations, grannymike!!! … Please contact me with your email address & your choice of download and I’ll set you up with a link as soon as possible!

Year-End 100 Things Layout Challenge

Coming up with a list of 100 things is not as easy as it seems! But we did have a few scrapbookers willing to accept the challenge… you can check out their amazing entries, as well as the examples provided by our amazing Calendar Girls, in our Challenge Gallery. Our contestants included:

1. Claudi
2. Zoezmom
3. rsk
4. Ida

Now for our winner … chosen by random number generator, the winner of our challenge and a free print copy of List My Life is …

2. Zoezmom

Congratulations Zoezmom!!! … Please send me your shipping address & I’ll have your book delivered right to your doorstep as soon as possible!

"100 Things Challenge" by Zoezmom

Check out her winning entry!!!

We had a TON of entries for our December Challenge contest. Thanks to all of you who participated and shared so many fun holiday-related comments throughout the month of December! And now … the name you’ve been waiting for and the winner of our $50 gift certificate good toward any item(s) available directly from our on-site store is…

Terry!

Congratulations, Terry! Information on how to redeem your gift certificate will be headed your way via email within the next few days…

Thanks again to everyone who participated in our challenges & contests! Be sure to come back tomorrow for information on a special year-long “real life” scrapbooking opportunity at Log Your Memory!

Click on “comment” below to share your thoughts…

Welcome to Day 6 of our Countdown to 2010 … the last day of 2009! As of midnight tonight, we’ll begin officially celebrating (and logging) the New Year!!!

There seems to be no shortage of wonderful Christmas traditions. Just check out the responses to this December Challenge post and you’ll see what I mean.

But I haven’t heard about as many New Year traditions. So I thought I’d share a couple of traditions from within my own immediate & extended families … and then invite you to share a few of your own, as well! In fact, I’m even throwing in a little giveaway for one random winner from everyone who posts a comment in response to today’s post.

Rutten/Gunderson/Neill New Year family traditions …

• Each individual in the family writing down predictions for the coming year, folding them up, then sealing them in an envelope to be read aloud on the next New Year’s Eve. This is usually good for at least a few giggles and can sometimes be quite revealing…
• Enjoying a steak fondue on the living room floor in front of the TV on New Year’s Eve.
• Staying up until midnight to watch the ball drop with Dick Clark.
• Watching the New Year’s Day parades on New Year’s Day morning.
• Taking down the Christmas tree & putting away the decorations for another year.

New Year, New Tradition …

In the spirit of traditions and to help celebrate the New Year, we’re going to start our own special New Year tradition at Log Your Memory! Beginning tomorrow, “real life” scrapbookers of all backgrounds, mediums, ability levels and life situations are invited to submit their favorite layouts each month for a chance to win a prize as well as be featured in our latest project … the creation of a Log Your Memory “Real Life” Scrapbooking Idea Yearbook!

Winners will be chosen monthly – one for every single day of every month – plus one talented scrapbooker will receive the special honor each month of being the highlighted Scrapper of the Month. Daily winners will each receive a $10 gift certificate good toward any downloadable product in our on-site store, plus have their layout featured in our Yearbook, which will be published early in 2011.  And the Scrapper of the Month will receive a check for $25.00, in addition to the $10 gift certificate and special attention in our Yearbook!

Look for contest rules & information on how to enter in the next several days right here on our blog! Don’t want to miss the announcement? Be sure you’re on our daily update email list … you can sign up or manage your email subscription HERE.

Today’s Giveaway …

Now for today’s giveaway … to enter, simply comment below and tell us about any New Year traditions you already practice or might be thinking about starting this year in your family. The contest closes at midnight (MTN) tonight and then tomorrow, one randomly-chosen winner will receive their choice of any one download from the Log Your Memory on-site store! Good luck & Happy New Year!!!

Don’t forget … midnight tonight is also the deadline to enter the Year-End 100 Things Layout Challenge as well as our December Challenge!!!

Click on “comment” below to share your thoughts…

Another Christmas has now come and gone. Does it leave you feeling a bit sad? It does me … but not for long this year! We’ve got LOTS to look forward to at Log Your Memory, not the least of which is finally officially putting our full 2010 Memory Logbook to use!!!

To help keep the fun of the holidays alive right through until January 1st, today I’m kicking off our official Countdown to 2010! Starting today and for the next five days, I’ll share fun little ideas, projects, suggestions and other tidbits to help get you inspired & ready for a great year of memory keeping! And then the real fun begins January 1st with TWO fabulous prize announcements – the winner of our December Challenge $50 gift certificate and the winner of our Year-End “100 Things” Layout Challenge – plus details about two very exciting year-long “real life” scrapbooking projects!!!

How will YOU document “real life” in 2010?

A new year is a great time to consider beginning a year-long memory-keeping project. Many scrapbookers have taken the “photo-a-day” route … and I’ll share more about this option on Monday. But today, I’d like you to consider using a tool you very likely already utilize on a regular basis … your social networking accounts.

If you maintain a page on Facebook or an account on Twitter … or any number of other similar sites … you have at your disposal a fantastic tool for preserving your everyday life story. Cathy Zielske teaches a wonderful class for doing just that called Everyone Can Write a Little. I took the class last spring and I highly recommend it if you have the opportunity.

The concept is fairly straightforward …  use your social networking “status updates” to record little pieces of information you want to remember about your daily life. Then transfer those updates to some sort of permanent memory-keeping device for future enjoyment.

If you’re not up for a full class (or don’t want to wait until it’s offered again) but this concept interests you, I’ve got another option ready for you in our bookstore. It’s a simple little book called Status: Updated and it will provide a place for you to permanently record your favorite daily status updates, with room for one update every day for an entire year!

Status: Updated is available in three versions – printed & coil-bound, print-your-own download, and eBook, which is writable right on your computer using the free Adobe Reader. You can check them all out by starting here in our on-line store.

Coming up in tomorrow’s Countdown to 2010: Saving Season’s Greetings

Click on “comment” below to share your thoughts…

With Christmas now less than a week away, I know it may be a little challenging to think beyond the holiday. But if you’re starting to plan your New Year, we have two exciting opportunities I want to be sure you pencil in on your calendar …

Real Life in 2010: A Collab Project

I am very excited to be almost ready to announce a unique opportunity for a limited number of scrapbookers. The details will have to wait just a bit longer, but you will definitely want to keep an eye out for this one! Let’s just say it will involve a year-long workshop, “real life” scrapbooking themes, the opportunity to get published in a very special book, and lots of fun & friendship! Want to be the first to know when the details are released and applications become available? Drop me a line via the Contact Us page and I’ll make sure you’re on my “first-to-know” early announcement email list!

Log Your Memory Yearbook Challenge

This is another exciting year-long event with an opportunity to get published, but this one will be open to all scrapbookers and will feature a prize-winner for EVERY SINGLE DAY of 2010, with an extra-special prize-winner every single month! Yep, you read that correctly! So brush up on your “real life” scrapping skills & stay tuned … the fun will kick off January 1st, with more details to be provided during the last week of this month as part of our “Countdown to 2010″ series of blog posts.

And don’t forget our current challenges …

• December Challenge – Participate in our daily holiday-related question in our special December Challenge forum and have a chance each time you play at winning our $50 gift certificate to be given away January 1st. Details in this post…
• Year-End “100 Things” Layout Challenge – Sum up 2009 in a scrapbook page featuring a list of 100 things and have a chance at winning a free print copy of List My Life. Details in this post.

Click on “comment” below to share your thoughts…

With our Grand Opening SPOOKtacular coming up in just a few short days, I was inspired to share a few more details today about all of the fun in store for everyone who attends. This is just the beginning…

It’s a mystery…

… guest, that is. You definitely don’t want to miss our Mystery Chat at 7 p.m. Pacific Time on Thursday, October 29th in the Log Your Memory Member Chat Room. (Need help converting that to your time zone? Check HERE.) Participants will attempt to guess the secret identity of our mystery guest through a series of questions that can be answered with a simple YES, NO, or MAYBE. The first person to guess will win a fabulous PRIZE, plus there will be a special FREEBIE download for everyone who plays along. Mark your calendars now … you don’t want to miss this !!

Speaking of FREEBIES …

… What’s better than 225 LBs of chocolate? That’s right … more than 225 MBs of downloadable scrapbooking goodies will be given away during our three-day Grand Opening event to every single person who participates, not to mention the generous PRIZES that will be awarded to our various contest & challenge winners. You must be present and participate in each event to get access to the FREEBIE of the moment, so plan to come early, stay late & have lots of fun!!!

A special thanks…

… to our fabulous SPONSORS who have so generously provided all of those amazing FREEBIES I just mentioned. These folks have gone above and beyond the call to make our Grand Opening truly SPOOKtacular … I hope you will take a few minutes to visit each of them personally and show your support and appreciation. You’ll probably see most, if not all, of them hanging out with us during the big event. Be sure to help make them feel welcome, won’t you?!? Here’s the list:

Sweet Shoppe Designs

Peppermint Creative

Jen Allyson ~ The Project Girl

Julie It Is

Kris Meyers Designs

Shelleyrae Designs

Sahlin Studio

That’s just the beginning…

… of the fun in store, but you’ll have to wait just a bit longer for the rest of the details. After all, would you rather have me sitting here writing about it… or getting the final arrangements in order? Watch this BLOG for more juicy details as our big event approaches…

But before I go…

… just a couple quick reminders. First, if you haven’t done so already, be sure you enter our Grand Opening Kickoff Contest! The deadline is Saturday, October 31st. It’s a three-step entry process, so make sure you complete all of the requirements for your chance to win a free copy of the Scrapbooker’s All-In-One Memory Logbook in the format of your choice. Not sure if I have your completed entry? Check the list at the bottom of the post HERE.

Also, the deadline to submit an application to be on our 2010 Creative Team is quickly approaching. November 2nd is the cutoff date for the current call. Find out more about the opportunity & expectations, as well as how to apply, HERE.

Finally, be sure you take a look at our first online workshop - The Gift of the Year: 2010. During this workshop, you will create a very special calendar for a very special someone. This is the kind of gift that really makes an impression and will be appreciated long after the holidays are over. Plus, you’ll have tons of fun in the process … and it’ll get you busy scrapping “real life” style while we all wait for January and the chance to put our Memory Logbooks to good use! Find out more about the workshop and/or register HERE.

I am very excited to introduce the core product at Log Your Memory – the Scrapbooker’s All-In-One Memory Logbook. This book is my answer to a problem common among busy scrapbookers … too many memories & not enough time to scrap them.

Picture this scenario: Your daughter says the cutest thing. You manage to write it on a scrap of paper and tuck it in your purse. Later in the day, you catch your hubby doing that thing he always does and think to yourself, “I oughta scrap that.”

The next afternoon, you take some great shots of your son and his game-winning play, proud as punch when you overhear the other parents comment on what a great sport he is. You manage to scribble a couple notes on the calendar fridge about it when you get home. You list the great birthday gifts you received on the desk calendar in your office.

Later in the week, you see a layout idea in your favorite magazine that triggers an idea for that album you’ve been meaning to start. You grab a notebook to sketch it out, but then get sidetracked and start your grocery list on the next page.

By the time the weekend comes, it’s time for laundry and cleaning and … you haven’t had a moment to yourself, even less time to scrapbook. That scrap of paper in your purse? Crumpled & buried with all of the other stuff you pack around all day long. And all of those great ideas and wonderful memories – some that you managed to write down, others that didn’t quite make it that far – are threatening to slip away before you have time to find them all again, let alone do anything with them.

Here is how the Memory Logbook can help.

This book is intended to take the place of all of those scraps of paper and multiple calendars and half-filled notebooks. It will provide you with one consistent place to write down your family’s schedule, jot down those special moments you want to remember, sketch out those layout ideas, even write out your shopping list if you’d like.

But it goes beyond that. Through a series of weekly challenge questions and a variety of questionnaires and worksheets, the Memory Logbook will get you thinking about the parts of your life you might be overlooking in your regular scrapbooking, particularly if you’re struggling just to keep up with your life.

Your daily routines. Your strange habits. The ways you are like your siblings or parents. The things your kids do that remind you of your own childhood. The stuff that makes up your “real” life … and the memories that will most likely prove to be quite revealing when you look back a few years down the road. Spend a few minutes at the end of each day jotting down a few notes in your Logbook and when you do finally find some time to scrapbook, you’ll know exactly where to start.

The Memory Logbook includes …

• Monthly calendars for at-a-glance planning & documentation.

• Daily calendars where you can jot down your schedule or make notes about things that happened that day.

• Space at the bottom of the daily calendar pages to document your memories, jot down ideas, create a gratitude list or whatever suits your purpose.

• Your own personal “Story List”… a checklist where you can list all of those pages and stories you know you want to share but haven’t had a chance to complete yet. Write them down so you don’t forget and when you have some time to scrap, you’ll know right where to start.

• A page every week where you can sketch your ideas for scrapbook layouts you’d like to do.

• Weekly challenge questions to get your creative juices flowing and help you tell the “real” story of your life.

• Examples of “real life” scrapbook layouts that go along with several of the weekly challenge topics for added inspiration.

• A questionnaire repeated every month to help you track how life changes over the course of the year.

• An annual questionnaire and price sheet to help set the stage for where you are in your life right now and the world you live in. Take a few minutes to fill this one in and it will provide a fun look back at “the good old days” many years from now.

• Monthly worksheets for documenting family holidays, plus extra pages at the back of the book for birthdays and other celebrations that you may or may not get around to scrapping but you still want to remember.

• A handy list of 2011 holidays on the last page, plus a place to jot down birthdays and other important family dates.

The 2010 edition of the Scrapbooker’s All-In-One Memory Logbook is available in three formats – coil-bound (also known as spiral-bound), perfect-bound (like your typical softcover book), or as an eBook that you download and can then print yourself or take to your local print shop. (If the print-it-yourself version interests you, be on the lookout next week for tips on how to customize the book with a few simple additions.)

As an added benefit, owners of the Memory Logbook are eligible to join the Log Your Memory Book Club and enjoy special privileges on this site. Click HERE for details.

Click HERE to read an excerpt from the Scrapbooker’s All-In-One Memory Logbook introductory pages.

The Print-It-Yourself downloadable version of the Memory Logbook is available for purchase directly from the Log Your Memory Web site HERE.

You can also purchase the print versions of the Memory Logbook, as well as the downloadable eBook, through our Lulu.com Bookstore by clicking on the following buttons:

You may be here because you know me from my favorite scrapbooking haunts and were curious about what I’m doing now.

You may be here because I’ve been teasing & taunting you for the past couple weeks on Facebook.

You may be here because a friend of a friend of a friend pointed you this way.

You may have Googled “scrapbook” or  “2010 calendar” and landed here.

Whatever got you here, I am so glad you came!

For those of you who do not know me, I am a …

• Work-at-home mother to four crazy kids ranging in age from 1 to 14 years;

• Wife to an avid outdoorsman who also happens to be the publisher of the local newspaper where we met back when we were both reporters;

• Native Montanan with a not-so-secret desire to live somewhere a little less “rural;”

• Digi-scrapping addict who favors documenting the everyday much more than the big events.

You can find out even more about me by taking a peek at the layout I created for our first official Challenge at Log Your Memory, which brings me to my next announcement…

Today is the official start to the Log Your Memory Grand Opening Kickoff Contest! One lucky winner will receive a FREE copy of my new book – the Scrapbooker’s All-In-One Memory Logbook 2010 in your choice of spiral-bound, coil-bound or downloadable eBook format. To enter, check out the contest guidelines HERE. The deadline to enter is October 31^st at 12:00 noon, Mountain Time, which also happens to be the culmination of the Log Your Memory SPOOK-tacular Grand Opening weekend! More about that in the next week or two…

So just what is this new book I keep referring to? It’s really my answer to a problem I’ve been having for some time now … too many things to remember, tons of ideas & inspiration, stacks and stacks of photos (both print & digital) … and not enough time to get it all scrapbooked before I forget what I wanted to do with it all.

Sound familiar? If so, you are in the right place & you are going to want to get my book. I will go into much greater detail about the book tomorrow, but you can check it out HERE while you are waiting.

Once my idea for the Logbook started to take shape, it quickly evolved into what you see today … a full-fledged online community including a community forum, layout gallery, chat room, bookstore, gift shop, and so much more. My goal is to create a supportive, inspiring & fun-filled community that will start to feel like home and family for all of us and let us connect with lots of wonderful folks with common interests. I hope you will join me in this adventure and invite your friends to do the same!

In the next week or so, I’ll be sharing more detailed information about what is available on this site and what’s on the calendar for the coming weeks. For now, I hope you’ll take a minute to register as a member and then wander around the site to get a taste of all there is to do and see.

Want to be sure you don’t miss anything? Sign up HERE to get an update by email every time there is a new post.

Thanks again for stopping by … and please make yourself at home! {Psstt… you can start by leaving me a note below (after you register) to let me know you were here!!!}