The Blog

Create Moments | Preserve Memories | Personal

Madeline Jacobs 10/31/26 Madeline Jacobs 10/31/26

My Memory-Keeping System (And What I Haven't Figured Out)

After four years and twenty thousand photos on my phone, I realized what I was doing wasn't going to last. This is the whole system I’m building — the trunk I use as a limit, three albums covering birth through eighteen, and the video problem I still haven't solved.

Madeline Jacobs 10/30/26 Madeline Jacobs 10/30/26

My Memory-Keeping Toolkit: The Tools I Use to Make the Memories + Keep the Story

If you've ever looked at your camera roll and thought I should really do something with all this, this is the whole system I use. Four categories, the tools that go with each one, the trunk I bought to stop myself from keeping everything, and the backup setup I put in place after losing every photo I had.

Madeline Jacobs 8/7/26 Madeline Jacobs 8/7/26

What My Mom Taught Me About Memory-Keeping — A Conversation With Donna

My mom, Donna, on scrapbooking, memory-keeping, and what she's learned helping clean out the homes of people who've passed. Episode 10 of Postcards for Posterity.

Madeline Jacobs 8/6/26 Madeline Jacobs 8/6/26

I Ordered 111 Prints From 10 Photo Companies — Here's What I Found

If you've ever stood in front of the CVS photo kiosk wondering whether it actually matters where you print, this post is for you.

I finally started my daughter's photo album this spring. And because I apparently cannot do anything the simple way, "starting her album" turned into ordering 111 prints from ten different photo printing companies so I could figure out — once and for all — where those photos deserved to be printed.

Madeline Jacobs 6/29/26 Madeline Jacobs 6/29/26

Becoming the Memory Architect: Holding Your Child's Memories Until They Can Hold Them Themselves

I recently finished The Art of Making Memories by happiness researcher Meik Wiking — and this episode is about the ideas that hit hardest as a parent of a young child. The reminiscence bump, what the science says about baby memories, and the family story I had to rewrite as an adult. Plus: why "they won't remember it" isn't the point.

Madeline Jacobs 5/19/26 Madeline Jacobs 5/19/26

8 Ways to Make Memories That Actually Stick (Based on the Science of Happiness)

I just finished reading The Art of Making Memories by Meik Wiking — the CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen and one of the world's leading researchers on happiness.

This book made me rethink some things.

Madeline Jacobs 3/13/26 Madeline Jacobs 3/13/26

Making a Custom Kids' Book from Travel Photos (Japan Trip)

If you've ever wanted a fun, low-pressure way to make a trip more memorable for your kids — and actually turn the photos into something they'll revisit — this episode is for you. I'm sharing how two tiny souvenirs from our Japan trip became a creative travel activity, and eventually a custom children's storybook made in Chatbooks.

Madeline Jacobs 3/3/26 Madeline Jacobs 3/3/26

The 4 Photo Book Services I've Used for 15 Years (And When to Use Each)

Here's what I've learned from 15 years and 50+ photo books about which platforms are actually worth your time and money.