1-2-3 Scrapbooking - Not Quite

Hi, everyone, Charlotte C here with some info on a few challenges I faced when trying to do my latest scrapbook album quickly.  Thank you, Sheila, for allowing me to be with you again.  And I’m thrilled that you’re feeling better and back to sharing your talents with us. 

I am not a true scrap booker – just happy to get photos in an album, a few embellishments, some die cuts – done.  I’ve noticed the trend of using pocket page protectors you can just slip pictures, notes, cards, etc., into (larger versions of Project Life) and I thought, hey, that will be quick and easy. So I’m walking through Target one day and, lo and behold, We R Memory Keepers has a ton of what they call Albums Made Easy items:  Pads of preprinted cards for journaling or matting or whatever you wanted to use them for,  in two sizes, 4 x 6 and 3 x 4, and 12 x 12 page protectors divided in a variety of styles with six to eight slots for pictures on a page.  All of the pages are meant to go into a 3-ring binder (yay) and not the post binders.  I came home loaded down with my goodies.  I already had all my photos printed and ready to go.   

Once I started trying to put pictures in the album in month order I found I needed to consider what was going to be on the back of the page I was working on – the photos all had to be oriented the same way.  That didn’t always work out though.  As a matter of fact, it hardly ever worked out.  So much for quick here.  I used the preprinted cards, stamping and die cuts to fill in where I couldn’t put the proper picture.  Here's an example of one of my pages.

I also had Studio J two-page layouts that I had bought from Close To My Heart and couldn’t cut those up.  It wound up I had to do a regular scrapbook page layout before and after the Studio J’s.  I have two-page layouts now that consist of a pocket page on the left and a non-pocket page on the right, or vice versa.  
Using Studio J pages, regular scrapbook pages and these divided pages, my album has many faces.  Lol.  Our Disney trip with our daughter needed 3 divided pages (I have a hard time limiting which pictures to scrap).  I had to do a regular scrapbook page for what I was scrapping before that trip so I could use the back of that page to create a journaling page of our trip using my Cricut and Gypsy.

I welded Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Pluto to a square mat and cut it in black.  

 

I then cut the layers for the characters and applied them.  I cut a little bow tie for Mickey and some sort of pink dress for Minnie so they didn’t look like just floating heads.  I sized the white Mickey silhouette head to fit using my Gypsy, cut it, then brought it to my printer to add text using a Disney-type font.

My plan now is to continue the journaling before adhering it permanently to the black mat.

This is how the finished page will look facing the pocket page of 6 horizontals.  

Was this easier, quicker?  Well, it sure did keep me on my toes.  How is it possible to have vertical and horizontal pictures properly oriented back to back in these slots?  It isn’t.   The divided pages can give you more photos on a page, but some 4 x 6 photos can’t be cut down to 3 x 4’s without losing someone’s head.  You’d have to resize them smaller (shrink) before printing either at home or wherever you can print smaller photos.  I’ve just heard that Target prints four different wallet size images on a single sheet.  I’ll have to check that out.

Totally easier, for me anyhow, was using Microsoft Publisher and doing a digital layout. Here’s a layout I created using that program so I didn’t lose any of the characters’ heads while trying to get as many of the pictures on the page. (Again, I admit, I can’t seem to restrain myself when choosing photos – especially of my children and grandchildren). 

 I’d love to hear your thoughts on scrapbooking with pocket pages, and if anyone uses these divided pocket pages, I’m open to your input, suggestions – anything that might keep me going to continue the album in this manner.  I apologize that this is so wordy.  Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you’re enjoying your summer.