Scrapbooking: Pocket Pages for the Win!

 
 
So a few weeks ago I got back into the massive scrapbooking "catch up" (is that even possible?) project I started last year. It had been so long that I didn't even know where I'd left off. Then it all came back to me. 

2003. That's a LONG time ago!

I scrapbooked a LOT back in those days, but apparently I skipped over events that seemed overwhelming or problematic for one reason or another. As it turned out, some years were mostly SKIPS without a lot actually scrapbooked! Moreover, it became really difficult to add pages to my post-bound albums so I just sort of gave up. Last year I switched them all to 3-ring binders, which makes it easy to go back and FINALLY finish. Binders are the best thing ever.

 As I've mentioned before, pocket pages and smaller size page sleeves have turned out to be my saving grace. They're much easier than making traditional 12x12 scrapbook pages for every event, and you can match the size of the pocket page to whatever needs to go in it.

For instance, I had saved Bailey's 6th grade schedule, and it fit perfectly inside a 5x7 sleeve. A few other school pictures are on the back side.

 

 In the box of 2003 photos, there were several photos that hadn't made it to the scrapbook the first time around. In this case, there was only one photo of this event (Bailey's first time BABYSITTING!) and back in those days, I didn't like doing single-photo pages so I guess I just skipped it. (WHY??) This picture and story fit perfectly in a small sleeve.

I also ran across several photos that I skipped for other reasons but now (with the passage of time...sigh...) I thought too adorable to leave out. These three "bus stop" pictures fit nicely in a 6x12 sleeve without much fuss.

 Back in my "early days" of scrapbooking, I also skipped over of my own events. I know that it's not good to leave yourself out of the scrapbooks, so as I've found pictures of myself or my activities, I've added them in. I have very few pictures of myself teaching classes, so I was actually kind of happy to add these convention photos to the album using a traditional page.

I'm also not a fan of holiday scrapbooking, so I had skipped over all of the holidays, too. (Are you sensing a theme here???) So this time around, I had no choice but to finish Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Pocket pages made it easy to add those events in between my traditional 12x12 pages.

In going through my 2003 stuff, I realized that I'd also skipped over events for which I had newspaper articles. I probably intended at the time to take them to Memory Bound to color copy but never got around to doing it so they went into the album AS IS. It was actually great to have those articles because they pretty much took care of the journaling for me.

I've slogged through multiple Christmas pages and can't wait to finish up the journaling so this album can be officially done.

After all...2004 awaits! :)

 ONWARD!