Scrapbooking Catch-Up Project

I'll be honest...I lost more than a little scrapbooking steam over the past few weeks. I was an emotional mess during Tinsel's illness and decline, so I didn't feel much like scrapbooking. Any spare moment I had was spent with Tinsel on my lap, as I didn't want to miss a single minute with her. I'm so glad I had those special moments for us to be together.

Now I'm trying to get back on track with my big scrapbooking "catch up" project. When I last reported on this project, I was knee-deep in 2002 photos, having worked my way through the spring months. Well, after a few more work sessions, I'm happy to report that....

2002 scrapbooking is DONE! And I am super-excited that I managed to fit the year into just two albums, which seemed unlikely at first.

I started this project with a lot of traditional pages already done but with many events still not scrapbooked. Those photos were in the box you see above. After I removed the duplicate photos, the task seemed a little less daunting, but there were still many photos left.

I relied mostly on pocket pages to finish up these events. I could have spent a lot of time on these pages, but my goal was just to get them done quickly. I just filled the pockets with the photos, quickly typed up the journaling, and tucked it into an empty pocket. DONE!

 

 

For some events, I was able to use smaller pocket pages, like this one which is 8.5x11. This size worked great for many subjects.

On this page, I adhered the journaling and arrow to the outside of the pocket, just for something different. This album won't get a lot of handling, so I'm not too concerned about those pieces falling off!

I didn't have a lot of room for embellishments as most of my pockets were filled with photos, but occasionally I was able to add some doodads from my stash. As I went along, I also added memorabilia I've saved over the years, such as this chart Bailey made quantifying her Trick or Treat candy! I still think she created it to document how much candy she started with, in case her father or I got into it! :)

 

 I made good use of 6x12 page projectors for subjects with fewer photos.

 

 I made a few traditional pages for 2002, reserving them for only the most significant events.

I always have a ton of state fair photos, so I made one traditional page with my favorites, then used pocket pages for the rest.

I love the 9-square 12x12 pages, but they don't always work for my photos. They're perfect if you start with square photos (such as from the 1970s) or have photos you can trim down without losing too much context. 

Fortunately I was able to use a lot of 9-square pages in these two albums. This format is the best way to include a lot of prints in an album! 

 

The 3-ring binders make it really easy include pages in multiple sizes. This 6x12 page, sandwiched in between two differently-configured pocket pages, includes the judges' comments Bailey received for the baked goods she entered into competition, one of her entry tags, and small newspaper clipping.

 

 I'm very excited to have finished now two full years of scrapbooking since I started this project just a few months ago! I've found that the more I finish, the more motivated I am to continue. So I'll soon be on to 2003, a year with a nearly-full box of photos needing attention. But unlike in the past, I'm not one bit scared of that box!

If you're doing some serious catch-up, I highly recommend 3-ring binders and pocket pages. I've come to believe that if not for these products, I would never have been able to finish these albums! 

Happy scrapbooking!

jp