I hadn’t realized that I was scrapbooking in grade school already. In my mind, I started scrapbooking in 2006 digitally, then also added in paper scrapbooking in 2011. But turns out I was scrapbooking way back in 1983. Here’s proof.
What you see here are original newspaper clippings of some of my favorite movies from 1983. Return of the Jedi and War Games. This should proof my Star Wars street cred with them young kids who are seeing this movie now on DVD. I saw it when it came out in the theater and cut out newspaper clippings!
So how come I just found this? This past weekend I started what I foresee as a months-long project of organizing old photos and getting them scanned. I spent hours on Sat and Sun doing this. Painstakingly removing photos from old non-archival sticky albums and sorting them by year…
In the process I found this treasure of me and my mom on my 1st birthday.
My photo organization, scanning, and putting them into new albums will probably be a series of blog posts as I make progress. Envisioning the end result is what will keep me going, I think.
Speaking of scrapbooking… I was looking at my layout album last week and was amazed that I’ve created 26 paper layouts this year so far. I already love looking at these and they’re not even old layouts yet. Such a great hobby we have.
I found something cool that I thought I would share. I discovered some great stamps by Studio L2e. I’m not affiliated in any way, but I love them so I thought I would share. Many of her stamp sets are perfect for Project Life! And what’s more, many of her stamp sets match existing punches.
So for instance, some of the designs in her Labels & Tabs stamp set match the We R Memory Keepers Tab Punches. So you can stamp the label shapes, stamp the sentiments that fit into the shapes with her Labels & Tabs: Sentiments stamp set, then use the Tab Punches to punch them out for layouts or Project Life! The Tab Punches have a window on the bottom so you can see exactly where you are punch the paper. It works so well together! Three other designs in the Labels & Tabs stamp set also match the EK Success Photo Label Punch, which is doubly cool!
Unfortunately, I have to share something else by We R Memory Keepers that I don’t really like. I bought the WRMK 3x4 Punch with a 40% off coupon, because I thought it would be cool to use it to punch out 3x4 photos or journal cards for Project Life easily. I wanted to use it to punch out 3x4 cards from those popular 12x12 cut-apart papers with 3x4 journal cards on them. I also wanted it to punch out 3x4 photos from when I print multiple 3x4 photos on the same 4x6 or larger photo paper. Guess what? You absolutely can’t use the punch that way.
Why? Because the punch makes 4 holes surrounding the paper. The holes are there to stabilize the paper for punching, since the area to be punched is so big. As you can see, it put 2 holes into the other slightly smaller than 3x4 photo on my 4x6 that I printed out. It also ruined the two surrounding journal cards on my 12x12 sheet. :-(
I put this photo up on Instagram and tagged WRMK.
Their comment was “sorry you aren't happy with the punch. The reason those four holes are there, is because it holds whatever is being punched in place as it punches up, otherwise it causes it to slip without the four holes holding it in place”. Again, I understand the reason they are there. I just can’t use this punch for all the reasons that I wanted it for. Oh well.
I have a modification to how I store patterned papers in my craft studio. I purchased some Display Dynamics clear trays that fit perfectly into my IKEA Expedit. And 12x12 papers fit perfectly in them!
For now, my trays are organized by both colors and usage. For the colors I have pink, red, orange/yellow, green/teal, blue, neutrals (white, black, brown, gray, tan), woodgrain, and multi-color. For usage purposes I have cut-apart 12x12 papers (mainly for Project Life) and also seasonal papers (mainly Halloween & Christmas). For now I’m still keeping my cardstock in frosted paper holders that I got from Oriental Trading.
This isn’t strictly scrapbooking-related, but I use a Staples ARC discbound notebook as my planner + notebook. The reason it is so cool is because the discs allow you to easily remove and insert any pages you want. I have the disc punch, so I can also just add any other pieces of paper easily into my notebook. I love it because now I have my planner AND my notebook in one, instead of carrying around a planner + a separate notebook. I have 5 tabs/sections in my planner/notebook: calendar (monthly + week on 2-pager), blog ideas, personal (to-do lists, goals, etc.), creative (to keep track of creative team assignments and any creative ideas I get), and lastly reference. Reference is where I write down known stuff, like measurements of my shelves for when I want to buy something and want to make sure it fits. I realize that I can do all these things on my iPhone, but I like writing with pens, so I don’t want to not use them. :D And having happy stickers in the back of my planner makes me happy.
I have some of those old sticky albums too with random cut outs + such I collected as a kid. I also had 3-ring binders which I had made into "scrapbooks" in highschool, though with no scrapbooking supplies...so basically photos + doodles + decorative printer paper + stickers + magazine cut outs. When I finally discovered the scrapbooking industry I though, ah ha! this is what I've been looking for even though I didn't know it!!
ReplyDeleteThe 3x4 punch making those holes is a little ridiculous, what else will people use it for? I already thought the product was a little unnecessary because I can do the same thing with my paper cutter + corner rounder in only like double the time and I'm on a budget, so I'm big on not buying products that don't actually add anything to what I'm already doing. But with those holes, any utility in precision/time saving that device had is gone!
I've been using the arc system for my weekly planner for school work + other responsibilities, but use a regular notebook for scrapbook planning. The arc system is amazing, but I'm left handed so the huge rings make it a little difficult for me to write in the book without taking the pages out first!! I still love that it's let me entirely customize my planner [I made all of my pages in photoshop + printed them out, and made monthly dividers w/ my silhouette].
I bought the 3x4 punch too, thought it would make my life easier as I print a bunch of pictures in one go for my project life, and I had the same reaction you did, I did not expect those 4 holes. I returned it to Hobby Lobby the next day. Instead I bought the PL corner rounder at Michaels with a coupon and I will just cut the 3x4. Much faster!
ReplyDeleteYou had me at the sweet baby photo! Can you get any cuter? or happier?
ReplyDeleteAfter I get my high schooler's transcript organized, my plan is to empty this rather large bin full of my life before digital cameras. It will be a task, but full of fun, sweet baby pictures!
Love the post. :)
Thanks for your review of WRMK's 3x4 punch. It was on my wish list. Great concept but poor design?
ReplyDeleteSeven years ago when my mother moved in with my sister I did the same thing you are doing with your old pictures. Unfortunately, many pictures were ruined. They turned a orange/red color and I couldn't tell who was in the picture. My mother never noticed because she never looked at old albums. I was able salvage many of them and scrap them. I finished last year. Phew!
ReplyDeleteSweet pic of you and your mom. I can definitely relate to all your clippings -- some of my favs back in the day, too. It's so time consuming taking the stuff out of old albums. I have to about kick myself to get it done!
ReplyDeleteThat is so neat that you're going through your old photo albums and reorganizing your photos and memoribilia. I started a project like that with my baby photos (a few of my mom's sticky/"magnetic" albums were falling apart), and I am so happy to have them sorted and scanned. It took a while, and there are still albums to work through, but it's off to a good start. (and starting is half the battle, right?)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your review of the Studio L2e labels and tabs stamp set. I already have the EK success stamp and I am considering purchasing the WRMK file tab punch. This set is a great set to have to add journaling to your PL, mini albums or layouts. TFS!
ReplyDelete