The last few days, I've gotten caught up on a year's worth of photos! January seems to be a good time for me to get organized. But it would be smarter to glue pictures into the albums throughout the year instead of dealing with a couple hundred at once…
Since I had so many to arrange, I kept the pages very simple, quick and easy.
Printing a page of collaged photos saved a lot of time! So did using the black pages as a background, and not trying to cover them up completely. On this page, I doodled some flowers in Gelly Roll ink in the corner and slapped some glue on the picture and stuck it down.
For Sugarwing's Snow Princess picture, I used a two sided card stock to make a card. One photo went on the top, and then I trimmed it in some of my Great Aunt Caroline's old lace.
I glued the back of the card into the album, and added another photo to the inside. Next, I glued down an envelope that holds a copy of the story I wrote for her when we had our Snow Princess Tea Party.
The pastel Gelly Roll pens really worked well on the black paper, so I made use of them a lot.
I don't really consider myself a scrapbooker. But, I do have tons of books that I've made (mostly about Sugarwings, but there are some other pics in them too) so I guess I am.
My goal when assembling an album is to get a lot done, fast, simple, quick, and cute.
First step is to sort the pictures. I arrange them in piles according to event or person. I work my way through, one pile at a time, and have a stack of papers nearby to coordinate. Normally, I don't use stickers, but these were just so right for this picture of Sugarwings in her Snow White dress, that I couldn't resist sneaking them from her supply stash. Sometimes, I think that kid has more art supplies than I do.
Instead of glue sticks, I use a bottle of Incredibly Tacky, and run a bead of it along the edges of each bit of paper, then zig zag it around the middle before putting it into the book. It seems so much more durable to me than a glue stick.
Hobby Lobby has booklets of sparkle paper cut in just the perfect, time saving, size to add a photo to. I made use of about a whole book full of those.
Cutting people out of some of the photos adds some variety too. I don't cut too many out, though, because part of the fun of looking at an album 20 years later is seeing all the backgrounds, and remembering a chair, or table or wall color from years ago.
Textured papers add some interest too.
The best part of doing this was enjoying all of my favorite photos from the past year.
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You can probably tell that I don't spend a lot of time cutting or measuring…. I eyeball the paper and snip away, and just don't worry about it being perfect. Like I said, cute and quick. (this is more sparkly paper, in a larger size)
Notice the beautiful card? It was one of the 100 hand made cards sent in to my Great Aunt for her 100th birthday. When she passed away this summer, I got a few of the cards to take home and thought the album would be a good way to save them and remember the occasion. This one was done by Nancy. I glued it down, and then added two more pictures of Sugarwings and Pixie Pie to the inside of it.
Cards are a good way to fit more photos onto one page. For the Christmas pages, I saved holiday cards that we got in the mail and used those to hold pictures.
Not all of the pages got much attention. Some were pretty simple.
Others had more going on. There are 4 pages about the Fairy Berry Trail and I wrote a little story to go along with it. It might have looked better if I'd printed it out, or at least wrote more legibly, but like I said, there were hundreds of photos and I was going for quick and cute.
After making 4 photo albums in 3 days, I think I've had enough for a while. I have a feeling that I will not be keeping up throughout the year after all. I'm a bit burnt out. I'll probably have another big stack to deal with next January!
your grandaughter is gorgeous. what eyes she has. I need to make a memory book to. mishelle
Karla, that is just gorgeous!!!
That is so fabulous, Karla! What wonderful photo albums you have created!
What great photo albums you have created! I think I need to learn the your technique as I have too many photo waiting to be put into albums. Quick, easy and beautiful.
Can’t wait to see you tomorrow!
Oh I enjoyed your scrapbooking and I just love that it is so Karla and not somebody else’s lay out or ideas. I even think it is good that you use your own handwriting. In years to come it is good that that piece of you is saved too (I am a preserver pur sang). My mother threw away all cards and letters that my grandparents used to write, in the sixties, when they didn’t have a phone. Oh why didn’t she save just one?
Karla, these are beautiful!! I love how you did the pages and the jelly roll pens!! You are so clever! What beautiful pictures too. Sugarwings with the butterflies is so pretty! They all are! And your son is really cute too, tee hee!
Hugs,
Amy
I love your album full of special memories and photos! I have so many photos from so many years and they are laying in stacks. If good intentions counted….I would have it all done. I hope to some day. Thanks for inspiring me to get going!
Ohhhh, such beautiful memories you are creating for the family….They are beautiful,,,,
hugs
Brenda
So sweet and lovely, Karla. And, as a side note, I’ve meant to tell you, you look SO YOUNG with that dark hair!
Wow!…I’ll bet you’re burnt out! But the albums are just beautiful! And at least you’re done…for now :)…my albums are shamefully behind.
Your pages are beautiful…I’m always so amazed at your version of “slapping it together”! I love that you write, instead of print out, the captions–it so personal–and I love your doodles:)
Such a nice family, Karla. Your husband looks handsome and KIND…what a combo. You look lovely. Hippie son is cute as can be and Sugarwings, well what can I say, just about the cutest little girl I have ever seen.
I love how you scrapbook. Maybe I could even do it if it were quick and easy! I cannot get into these obsessive pages (not me).
Thanks for sharing the lovely fam!
Karla, it looks like you have made a lovely book to preserve some very special memories! It is great to see that you have journaled those pages, too, as I, even though I AM a HUGE scrapbooker, altogether too often forget that part!
wonderful article……I have ordered some wallpaper and am eagerly awaiting it’s arrival……:D your scrapbook is so beautiful…..gives me ideas……and I was pleasantly surprised that you refunded some of my postage…..you didn’t have to do THAT……….I’m also looking forward to reading “The Grumpy Fairy”……thanks…..deb 😀
That’s the thing with digital photos they are wonderful but I miss holding an actual picture.
Yours are sweet!
Diane
Hello Sweet Karla! What I admire is the way you get ON with things! Maybe having a studio where you can (probably) find things is part of it. Anyway, as always, everything’s lovely. And thank you again for helping with painting advice, you have a truly generous spirit. (If you want to know how to diagnose a UTI, email me anytime…that’s about all I have to offer :)…) Your friend, Bobbi
Your creativity and energy continue to amaze me – Wow!
Thank you for sharing your sweet pages and techniques. I like that you added your handwriting to so many pages rather than printed it out, it is more personal that way. Just lovely!
I need to do this, but keep putting it off. At one time I was really into scrapbooking, but then, as hobbies sometimes go, I tired of it. And now I have all these photos sitting around waiting to be placed somewhere. I’m assuming the young man is Sugarwing’s father. Looks just like him!
Brenda
Beautiful, Karla! I’ve got 20+ years of photos to put in photo albums…overwhelming to say the least. Now with the sweet granddaughter here, I’m apt to keep up~at least the current pictures! Love your album..thanks for sharing your ideas!
Blessing!
Myrna
Hi Karla
What a wonderful couple you and your hubby make. I like your way of doing the albums compared to the Creative Moments type album. They are too too something – I can’t think of a good word.
What fun she will have 20 years or so from now looking back at the wonderful books her Grandma made.
Hugs
FredaB
Oh such a special book. One day Sugar Wings will be thrilled to hold it in her hands and remember all the special times you created for her.
Beautiful memories now beautifully preserved! You are so inspirational!
Oh Karla, what precious memories you are making for SugarWings!! I got an idea, hows about we all send you our piles and piles of pics and you make us all a book or 12?!?! LOL You have such a gift of making everything you do seem so simple, yet so beautiful! I just love your creativity!
Big TX Hugs,
Stephanie
Angelic Accents
I am totally NOT into scrap booking. The details would drive me crazy and I would spend my time analyzing each page.
I love the simplicity of what you’ve done. I’ll soon be retiring and I have thousands of pictures to go through. I’ll be happy to get them in albums and dated.
~elaine~
beautiful! love that black background so classy.
You did a wonderful job with your scrap book. And your subject, Miss Sugar Wings, is absolutely beautiful. Love your ideas, like her reaching up and the lace butterflies she just let go. Beautiful!!!
Ginger
For a “slap and dash” scrap book, this is amazing! I just love the black!! All the old photo albums used to be on black, I really like that look. With your bits of artwork added, well, you got yourself something wonderful! This is lovely, just lovely, Karla.
Stay warm,
Kathy
Lovely Karla! I have tons of photos waiting… but at leat they’re printed and ready to go (once I get my room unpacked).
I agree: Doing things a little at a time is always easier, just like moving one pebble at a time seems more possible than trying to tackle a mountain in one go. Maybe that’s why feels like it has so many more huge ordeals than it needs, because tasks keep piling up?
It is always so fun to see the creative way you do photo albums. Each one is a custom-made adventure.
This is amazing! You take such beautiful photographs and I just love your scrapbooking style!
wonderful pages!!! sneak over…i’m doing the owoh giveaway for some custom pages! hugz and love