One of the things I wanted to help people do with my new class is to be able to quickly go back and document other years of your digital life. I didn’t start doing Project Life properly until 2012, so with my system of getting organized, I decided to start making years starting in 2011 and going backwards. I love the idea of a shelf full of these books and so, that’s what I’m going to do. The only issue is having a good story recall for those past years. I am not going to sweat it, and just use the template option in the course for a shorter journal block. Want to see me feel old? Look at these pages from 2011.
Number of photos taken in January 2011: 136
Number of photos used: 23
Don’t even get me started on how little Cole was.
Aidan’s short hair and the fact that she was still in middle school. Be still my heart.
I had so few photos to choose from that I simply modified my template design. Modifying the templates is something I teach you do to in the class. Oh, but for the love of Harry Potter…
And that wraps up January 2011. It took me 45 minutes, including writing the journaling wherein I had to look at the photos and ask Aidan a few questions to properly recall stuff.
Moving right along to February.
Number of photos taken in February 2011: 186
Number of photos used: 26
That boy with the wig? He just turned 17.
Dan was notably absent from my photo library. I think I need to mention this to my therapist.
I remember being SO excited about that cookbook. And those banana muffins.
And there you have it. I used one of the class template options featuring the shorter journal block because let’s be real: I don’t remember everything that happened in 2011. But that’s really the point of this: it’s okay to not have it all.
I plan to continue working through 2011, order a book, and get it back and share the results. Stay tuned!
JOIN ME AND SAVE 10% THROUGH AUGUST 15th: Scrapbook Your Year is on sale for 10% off as an introductory price. Register today, save money and get started scrapbooking your year with me! We’ve got students already signed up and sharing in our class Facebook group. I’d love to have you in class!
CarlajinAR says
love this! I just enrolled in the class even though I am in the midst of studying for a major exam. I can’t wait to go back and do some catch up like this.
Cathy Zielske says
Hey Carla! Glad you were able to save the 10%! The course and Facebook group will be there when you are ready! Welcome!
MelissaL88 says
This was the tipping point for me 🙂 I really want to work on previous years and this is just the ticket! I signed up and can’t wait to start working on 2010 and earlier 🙂
Thanks Cathy!
Cathy Zielske says
Yes! I’m telling you… once you get into the groove of this approach, you can knock out pages!
Cricket says
I so plan on taking your lead and doing older years as well. I started in 2014 and kept up with each month (traditional style) and then when Todd passed the end of October I totally gave up! I’m really excited to actually go back and finally finish that album (although, I might start from the beginning and do it digi, lol…)!
Cathy Zielske says
So glad to hear, Cricket. Also hope you are doing well with everything. 🙂
Debbie Kim says
I am such a fan of your templates! Especially recently. I was able to do 2014 pretty fast using your blog posts as my own “pseudo” class but I think I will try this class to get through every other year I have languishing in my files. I do love that you are sharing how to go back and quickly get through them… someday, someday I will have a bookshelf full 🙂
Cathy Zielske says
Excellent! I really believe in this approach and am having a lot of fun with it myself!
Jennifer says
Question? So, you do this all in digital a pond then order a book with all your scrapbooking in it?
Cathy Zielske says
Jennifer, yes! This is the way I am doing the project. However, my organization (very basic) approach and doing 4 pages a month can also apply to traditional pocket pages! I provide a printable end of month journal card (and all of the filler cards) with the course materials.
Beth says
Another question 😉 What about those of us who might be a bit behind the times, and the majority of photos we have are boxes and boxes (and boxes) of prints? Does your class have a way to help me work through that particular challenge, or is this strictly digital? Thank you!
mary says
I’m SO wondering this as well. I’m ready to finally stop feeling overwhelmed by all the backlog and get going. Will be eager to hear your response to Beth above!
EBHawks says
Last year, my parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. We wanted to do some kind of slideshow thing, but most of their pics were prints. I found a GroupOn to scan them ($30 to scan 1,000 4×6 pictures): https://www.groupon.com/browse/hampton-roads?lat=36.8883&lng=-76.1447&postal_code=23455&address=23455&query=scan+photos&locale=en_US
It was such a smooth, effective process that I later organized all my own prints and sent them off to be scanned, too. It takes some organizing before you send, but if you’re here, you seem already prepared to do that 😉
Good luck!
Cathy Zielske says
That’s pretty cool! I’ve never heard of scanning services, but if they were able to date your files, you could import them into your library. As long as the metadata reflected when they were shot. Did they add that to your scans?
EBHawks says
They don’t include metadata, but you can (and I did) include index cards as dividers. Mine were broad (‘high school freshman year’), but you could include the month and year or whatever you want. The index cards are scanned as though they are a photo, so they are included in the photo count…
Cathy Zielske says
Beth, scanning is not part of this course, unfortunately! It is geared toward digital libraries. The monthly approach, however, could apply to any system if your photos were organized. But… it might not be the right class for you!
Juli P says
I saw your email in my box this morning…and it caught my eye. I am signing up when I get home (for some reason, your class website is blocked by my work firewall??)
But I think it is just what I need. I LOVE to do the fancy paper scrapbooking and will continue to do that, but I want something that I can do on my computer, at home, etc. I don’t have a scrap space in my teeny tiny St. Paul home.
So excited for this… now need to figure out the photo organization software.
and let’s be real, I need to talk my husband into getting me a Macbook!
Cathy Zielske says
Sounds good, Juli! 🙂
I, like you, don’t really have a scrap room in my St. Paul home! I have a dining room and it’s a mess! 🙂
Ingrid says
This class sounds great! Your pages are great, like always. And it was very interesting to see your numbers of photos taken and photos used. This is the hardest task for me, so I am aching for your advices and tips offered in your class about this topic. But, If I sign up, would it be possible to receive your templates in a indd file format? (Sorry for being difficult, but my brain wants most to do what it is already used to.) If, not that is of course totally ok too.
Cathy Zielske says
Hey Ingrid!
I’m sorry but I will not be offering the templates in InDesign. Believe me, if more people were using them, I would include those with my courses, but from surveys I have done and general industry experience, you and me are outliers. It is my go to program, but for digital scrapbooking, I had to learn how PS works so I could begin teaching classes! 🙂
Wish I had better news! Also, my tips are very basic, to be honest. It’s the message as a whole that is designed to help you connect to the idea of NOT saving it all. You will watch me build two months of pages and I talk through the choices I make, in the hopes of showing another way to be less emotional about making photo choices. 🙂
Deiga says
OK, you had me at ‘scrapbooking 2011.’ That’s where I need to pick up our story. And I am so anxious to see the process for reducing the pictures to include from more than 100 to fewer than 30! That makes this seem so doable. I’m still more of a traditional/hybrid type scrapbooker, so not sure about making a photo book – but this just may be the answer. As soon as I eat breakfast, I’m signing up!
Angel says
Love this! I’m trying to scrapbook previous years in a similar way. I find looking back on my Google calendar to see what we had going on also helps me. It doesn’t have everything, but I can see what extra activities we were doing and it helps fill in my journaling and trigger my memory along with the photos.