So many pictures...

My box of photos from Shutterfly FINALLY arrived yesterday. You know you've ordered a LOT of photos when they're shipped in a heavy cardboard box rather than a flimsy mailing envelope.

My memories are apparently not in my head but are, in fact, inside this box!

That explains a lot!

Now my memories are in a pile on the floor!

Yep, you got 'em all! says Tinsel.

Although it may not look like it, there are nearly 500 photos in these piles. (Can you tell I have fallen behind in my photo printing?) To be fair, this stack of photos includes a trip to Florida. But there are also lots and lots of photos from IU football games. And you won't believe this, but there are NO cat photos in this order. Not a single one!

I ordered a a few enlargements of favorite photos. As I'm editing photos prior to uploading them, I try to think about how many I'll need for a particular event in order to tell the story. If one or two photos stand out, I'll print them as 5x7 or larger to use as focal point photos on layouts.

A couple of years ago, I started keeping track of the photos I've printed and want to scrapbook on a little chart. (This comes as no surprise to those of you who know me!) It's nothing elaborate but it helps me stay on track -- and it was especially useful when I was working on layouts for our daughter's graduation.

When facing a big pile of new photos (or even a box of old photos), it is easy to get overwhelmed, but I've found that having a "process" makes things go pretty smoothly. Here's what I do:

1. Throughout a given month, I edit and sort my photos in Picasa. Each set of photos goes into a labeled folder on my computer.
2. At the end of the month, I make a list (on my little chart) of the events/topics which occurred during the month which I want to include in the scrapbooks.
3. I upload each folder of photos using the interface between Picasa and Shutterfly. (Picasa has interfaces with 15+ developers; Shutterfly is the one I'm using at the moment.) I note on my chart which photos have been uploaded.
4. When the photos arrive, I check them off on the chart.
   
5. I organize my photos by date into black photo boxes. I'm using these boxes because they match the color scheme of my scrapbooking area.
6. As soon as I've organized my photos, I pull out batches of photos and put them -- along with matching cardstock, paper, and memorabilia -- into page planning sleeves. This makes it easy to grab one and start working on a layout whenever time permits. When I'm facing a big stack of photos, I tend to start by scrapbooking the "smaller" events (one or two-page layouts) and then work my way up to the larger (multiple-page events) so that I can feel more productive. (Yep, it's a psychological thing!)
7. As soon as I've completed a layout, I check it off my list. That's always a good feeling!

With this set of photos, I'll be starting on a Florida vacation album. I'm going to try a color-themed and semi-repetitive design approach for that album, so watch for posts about that process in the coming weeks.