... that Mark Twain did scrapbooking? And that he invented a scrapbook product--which is the only product he ever sold and made money on? See the Mark Twain Scrapbook at http://www.pbs.org/marktwain/scrapbook/index.html

Did you know that the art of creating digital storybooks and portfolios is being taught in schools all over the US?

Did you know that you can use digital storytelling to create a professional portfolio of your work and accomplishments? Or that you can use this awesome media to tell your personal story for the generations to come?

Did you know that, as a Christian, you can chronicle your walk of faith to really impact the world around you?

Did you know that, as a writer, you can create your own book in any genre to submit for publication or publish yourself?

We are in the digital world, and the sky's the limit!

This photo is circa 1947, and I'm helping my little sister Phyllis ride a tricycle. Many years later I helped Phyl again, when she was dying of cancer. This picture tells my story like no other. And this is how I started my Journey to Faith scrapbook.

Don't you have a story to tell?

I started this project using MS PowerPoint. This is an easy to use program, and I will detail in another segment exactly how to do this to get started. I printed out the pages I created in PowerPoint onto 8-1/2 x 11 inch paper and adhered in my album using my
scrapbooking paper, adhesives, and embellishments.

As a Creative Memories consultant, I have access to all the products, and when CM came out with the digital Storybook option, I switched to that. I'm now using the CM Storybook software to create my own bound, professional looking book.

As a writer, I began to realize the dynamics involved in this wonderful world of digital we now live in, and I started doing the research. The news that schools are using digital portfolios really excited me. I have a special needs child, and the impact of where I can go with this was staring me right in the face. So I added another dimension to my writing projects, helping my son create his very own book to tell his awesome story.

I encourage you to start thinking of all the information and life experiences you can share in your own book. You may choose to do a simple digital scrapbook of your family, a story to leave for your children and children after them, or a compendium of information on a subject that is your passion in life. It's not as much about "creativity" as it is organization. If you can organize a file cabinet or the favorites in your web browser, you can put together a book.

Let's take the journey...