{practically scrapping}: Project Life, Scrapbooking, and Photo organizing

Hello there!

Well, as promised, I have been working on this post about how I organize my scrapbooking, photos and project life. I have a 12x12 album for each year and mix it up with the pages inside. I use project life, 8.5"x11" and 12x12 pages.

1.) When I download photos to my computer, I use Picasa for organizing and doing a quick edit (lighten, crop…) My photos are organized in Pictures, then the folder inside will be named the date first and then by description (like the place Yellowstone, San Diego, etc.) So, it will be “2015-02-14 Valentines day”. Usually, I can’t wait to see what the photos look like, so I download pics the day after I take them or in the evening while we’re watching tv. I also periodically (about once a month) plug my phone into my computer and put the photos I took with my phone in the appropriate dated folders too.

2.) Next, every few months, I upload and order my prints from Snapfish. I usually wait until I have a coupon from them. I only order the good photos and pick and choose what I want printed out. I only get 4x6, matte finish photos. I print special sizes (panoramas taken with our smartphones or smaller pictures) at home. I don’t do much of this since ink is expensive.

3.) Then, once I get my photos in the mail, I put them in the sheet protectors in my album. Typically, I purchase a variety pack of the project life pages. I very seldom print photos for the little slots (2x3) on the project life pages. I just choose ones that I can crop down and save the extra slots for journaling. I'm pretty quick at getting them in the album when I do this. I don't overthink it too much. I know I can change it a little here or there when I get ready to scrap any particular layout. I also use post-its and write the dates of an event and stick it to the sheet protectors. I can make extra notes on these too, while it’s still fresh in my mind.

4.) If I know I have a particular paper, project life card, or embellishment to use with a layout or photo, I also put that in the album with the photo. Even if I have to use a 12x12 sheet protector just to hold those things where they belong. This helps a lot and I can skip around. As I think of supplies I have or come across something I know I want to use on a layout, I can add it as I think of it. This saves a ton of time when it comes time to scrapbook. Also, when I get new supplies, I flip through my album and see what will work well where.

Completed page:

5.) I have my project life cards sorted by color. Since I scrapbook and am inspired by color, this works best for me. My patterned paper and embellishments are also organized by color. I do have a couple of baskets with "themed" items such as travel and Christmas, but that's about it. I just think project life layouts look more cohesive when they have the same couple of colors.