So, I have these three rubbermaid containers underneath my bed. This is where I have kept our picture books, and loose pictures, since we moved in some odd years ago.
They have been handy enough, considering they are now dusty from all the lack of use they have gotten. I actually felt sad that they were hidden away under my bed, but they were in no condition to come out either.
About a week or two ago, maybe longer, a friend on facebook shared this amazing system of scrap-booking which is simple and easy. It's called Project Life. I was actually introduced to the system a long time ago, but this is the first time I have taken notice of it. At first I thought I would go through ALL my old books and redo them. And then dear Captain looked at me like I was crazy and reminded me that we had some books already done which didn't need to be redone. After all, I was looking at a little over 20 years worth of pictures if I don't include the ones from our childhoods which we have with us. That's just one of those boxes up there.
So, I took some time to look through what I had, was grateful for flickr giving away the pro account for three months so I could download some pictures which only exist there now, and straightened up what I had. Now my boxes look similar to this.
The first on the right is Captain and my childhood stuff which migrated with us. The middle box is wedding albums, a few loose pictures which are still loose, and some items like baby books. The left box now contains the updated picture books, but I learned something I had not quite realized. I have nothing in those books past 2009ish. I know!!
It seems my computer is holding all pictures from 2010 on hostage on a few cd's and hard drives. But see, now I can use the Life Project system with THESE pictures... once I get them printed out.
Of course, all of this takes money, and so I'm trying to budget so Captain doesn't look at me crazy again. I figure, once I finish the Truth Wraps for the blog I can use the money which normally goes to yarn to printing and purchasing. It's a small budget, but I think it will work, and my plan is to get up to date with my picture books by the end of the year. Maybe I should say September since that's when I need to start on next year's Truth Wraps and Christmas gifts.
Anyway, back to my original question: where do you keep your picture books? Do you have them out where they can be looked through and laughed at, or do you hide them away under your bed for only the dust bunnies to peruse? I think I'm going to empty out that left box and clear out a shelf, and put them where we can get to them. And that can be done whenever my to do list can fit it in!
i used to keep our pictures in photo albums, but with space around this house at a premium, i had to come up with a better system.
ReplyDeletea few years ago, i bought some pretty and sturdy shoe type boxes from marshalls, and/or michaels. i categorized all the photos and placed them in the boxes as one would an index file system. the first picture of each category has a post it note attached that's slightly raised with the name of said category.
having them this organized has really come in handy over the years, particularly when i've needed to find a certain picture for myself, or when someone else has requested certain picture. it also makes the most efficient use of available space. : )
Ah that is excellent! I had two stacks of pictures I was trying to put in age order and it nearly drove me crazy doing it! Love your idea. :)
Deleteyou brought up something I really need to do - get all my photo albums organized etc.
ReplyDeleteI'm a new follower from the A-Z challenge.
Thanks for stopping by!! I think this is often something that gets out of control before we know it. :)
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