image from BigPictureScrapbooking.com used with permission
When I first started digital scrapbooking, I started scrapping the photos I wanted to when I felt inspired to scrap them. This was very freeing for me in many ways. I still, for the most part scrap this way, six years later. I will do some special albums in chronological order, but for the most part, just try to tell the stories I want to when I want to.
However, for a long time, I had a problem and that problem prevented me from printing layouts for quite a while. I didn’t know how to organize those layouts once they were printed. I knew it would drive me crazy to put the layouts in albums chronologically and then have to reorganize them later when I printed a layout that needed to go in-between two others.
Two years ago I signed up for Stacy Julian’s Library of Memories class, mainly because I wanted to figure out how to organize my albums, un-chronologically speaking, but also because I was intrigued by her system. I have to say that the one thing I have come to depend on getting from Big Picture Scrapbooking classes is a paradigm shift! I always leave looking at things with a brand new perspective and that happened in many ways during Library of Memories! I was thrilled to learn about Stacy’s method for organizing albums, which she gave me permission to share with you today.
True to Stacy Julian fashion, this system is SIMPLE and, when implemented, will help you see your scrapbooking from a different perspective than you ever have before. I have adapted it only slightly for my own needs. Stacy divides her layouts into these categories which go into albums by the same title:
- People We Love
- Places We Go
- Things We Do
- All About Us
I divide my layouts into these categories:
- People We Love
- Places We Go
- Things We Do
- All About Us
- All About ___________ (name of each member of our family)
I added the ‘All About Steph’ (or any other member of our family) for example, so pages that were just about that person could go in there. My kids love to look at their very own albums. The ‘All About Us’ is about us as a family and our relationships with each other (since I love to scrap moments, this is a common theme). The other albums I try to focus on the WE, for example, a layout about us playing Rock Band would go in the ‘Things WE Do’, but a layout about the play my son was in would go into his “All About” album, because it is something HE did not WE.
Stacy only teaches her Library of Memories class once a year. Once you take the class, you can re-take it up to two times during the consecutive years following your initial class, for free as an alumni. Stacy told me that she has made a lot of changes to her class for digital scrapbookers this year as well. I will be sitting in on the class as an alumni this year and am really excited to see these changes! Registration for this class ends on January 25th (or when the class fills up, whichever happens first). Here is how Stacy describes her class:
I used to ask the question: are you caught up? I don’t believe that is the most important concern anymore. More important than your productivity is your passion. Yes, Library of Memories is about organizing printed pictures and digital images. Yes, Library of Memories is about letting go of unrealistic expectations and unnecessary rules. Yes, Library of Memories teaches a wonderfully satisfying approach to meaningful pages and projects. Best of all, Library of Memories teaches you how to connect to your past and value your present—it is about you finding and sustaining your personal inspiration in what is the coolest hobby on the planet.
If you think you might have too many self-imposed rules around scrapbooking, I encourage you to take this class! (after all, it was these self-imposed rules that led to me STOP taking photos for almost the first year of my sons life because I knew I would have to scrapbook them and I couldn’t handle that pressure If there were no photos, I wasn’t behind!…..biggest regret!) The most important thing to do in scrapbooking is to get those memories down before we forget…no matter how…or in what order we do it!
P.S. Today’s GIFTaway winner is Kendall who said: “I LOOOOVE all Traci’s stuff! She is seriously amazingly talented. Out of all her kits (that I don’t already own! lol), I’d have to say my favorite is “10 Things.” I just love the color pallete and the thought behind the kit. It makes me so happy!”
Congratulations Kendall, you won a $10 GC to Traci’s Store! THANKS so much to everyone for taking time to comment, we all appreciate it! 
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I like this idea. I’ve been taking photos for 40-plus years, but just recently (2 or 3 years ago) started scrapbooking. Chronological would just get to be too onerous, with so many years and photos to consider. I’d rather dive in and scrap what inspires me at the time. Good stuff! TFS.
Steph,
Thanks again for the wonderful review of Library of Memories. I really appreciate your enthusiasm and everything that you are doing to instruct and inspire! I would LOVE to see members of your community join in!
This is food for thought. I haven’t been scrapbooking for very long and so far most of my layouts can fit in a chronological album. But I’m also thinking of doing al All About Me album, and that one would be seperate.
Thanks so much for this tip! I will have to check out Stacy’s class. Thanks again!
Well, that site is now my in my favorites… It looks like a lot of fun classes. That class in particular may have to wait, seeing as we are going to be moving to South Asia and I need to get so many other life things done… Maybe I can squeeze in a quick class to get the feel from it. I see that she has a FREE class to try that is called “mini memories.” AND it is self paced, i like the sound of that! Thanks, Steph!
I have been eyeing Stacy’s class this year because I’m seriously behind in scrapping – I’m only up to the 3rd month of my 7 y/o daughter’s life. No one else has been scrapped at all (save my son’s birth album…which is apparently going to grow up to be pixels as it’s not printed yet). I have GOT to get stuff in albums. Now. Before it’s too late. And I think something to kick me out of my “but I have to go back to April 2003!!!” rut is just what I would need!!
Great info – looks like a very beneficial class! Thanks for the suggestion!!!
Oh goodness I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to take this class but $95 is surely not in my budjet!! I just wish I had some money to put into this. Thank you for the information that you gave about how you do this it gives me a little insight since I struggle with this also!!
I took this class last year and I will sign up again.
This class sounds amazing; seems to address some of the concerns I am facing. I usually put my digi-pages into a Shutterfly book, so if the page doesn’t fit a pre-designated theme, then I’m not sure what to do with it. I do have a system, but I think it could use improvement!
Wow – I am very inspired. As I have only started to scrap a few years ago. My kids (1 at home for a little long and one out) are older. I have alot of history to scrap so chronologically is out for me. This would be a great way to organize what I have scrapped and not printed. Thank You so much for the information.
I’ve never had a problem with this & was surprised others did until I finally figured out that the problem was the binders people use. It’s a disaster trying to rearrange post bound albums, but I’ve always used a 3 ring binder & so I’ve never had the problem. I took Stacey’s class & while it was helpful I think most people have a handle on how they do it, just change the binder of use. I use the Leather American Crafts binder & just use a coupon from Archivers when I need them.
LOVE Stacy Julian. She is so inspiring. I love scapping out of order. Thanks for the reminder.
I love this idea! I’m really considering this system but it’s too bad I won’t be able to take the class this time around. I am like you and others here commenting where I am not a chronological scrapper. Can you recommend an album that would work with this system? 3 ring?
I am all over the place! Started chronologically but then tried to do some subject related albums (soccer, baseball – everything in those was chronological still). Then I have a few separate vacation albums. This may be worth looking into.
Thanks!!!
What a super way to do things… I’ll have to think about the categories and this…maybe that’s the way for 2010… it certainly would be easier than me stacking my prints waiting for me to get done a ‘certain date’!
I loved the article even though I presently scrap chronologically. This may now change as I go forward.
Thanks for the article. Makes me feel better that I totally scrapbook out of order. In the very beginning order was important, now it’s how I feel about certain stories and photos that drives what I scrapbook. I strongly believe there are no scrapbook police!
I so love this idea and would love to take the class, but it just isn’t in the budget right now! Thanks so much for these simple ideas to get me started! This I can do!
I too took this class for the first time in 2008. I tried again last year but don’t think I opened more than the first email or two!
This year, I’m jumping in again with both feet! Can’t wait to register on the 26th!
Great article. I’m completely a digi scrapper and definitely keep my books in chronolgical order – although I definitely don’t scrap them in that order. I just rearrange at the end of the year.
Great concepts though. I’m going to have to mull them over a bit.
Also … I think I must have seen their website at some point b/c I completely label my books EXACTLy the way you show … with the binder clip, ribbon and circle thingy. It works awesome! No more question about which SB I’m grabbing.
TFS!
What a freeing process!
I have printed like 8 layouts out of hundreds because of the chronological issue!
I think my kids would like to see them…no matter how they are organized!
This is such a great idea. I’m going to use this!
Stacy’s book Photo Freedom… Free’d me. I use this system (modified for our family) and love it!
I too have had a hard time with all of this. I got my first digital camera about seven years ago and it never occured to me how I should have started priting them right away. I saved them to the pc and to cds and the same for my digital layouts. Now years later I feel overwhelmed. I dont have the monety to get them all printed at once. It would cost thousands of dollars. I also feel like I dont know were to start because I have only scrapbooked my favorites when I felt inspired to. I really dont have even one compete book to show even though I have loved scrapbooking and photographs for many years. I am going to try to just let go and start priting a little a week or as finances premit even if it takes me seven more years to do it. I also need to just start scrapping and not worry about how every thing is so out of order. I am sure it will all come together over time. At this rate, I will never have a completed book!
I’ve been digi scrapping for about a year now and haven’t printed any layouts out for the same reasons as you. Even if I don’t go this route hopefully this will inspire me to figure out a system that works for me so I get some of these memories printed out and off the computer. Thanks for the post!
I love stay julian’s simple yet genius theory on memory keeping. good stuff
Thanks for this great post, you have inspired me to at least sort the layouts stored on my computer into these categories! Now just to get home to be able to do it. I also popped on over the BigPictureScrapbooking.com and found a perfect course for me – I am now signed up to get off of manual on my camera! Thanks so much, I would never probably have found this site and course without you! Finally I get my Xmas present from 2008 (an online camera course!) I’m so excited
Keep up the great work, I love my daily visits
Hugs
Kerri
Very interesting article. Thanks for sharing. I enjoy hearing ways to organize and to expand our ways of documenting our memories.
I will check this out. I haven’t really made any rules other than to get it done and with digital, I don’t worry about chronological or his or her albums because I know I can rearrange and print however I want them in the future. But, it would be nice to get some ideas and reasoning for different systems. Thanks for the post. Great food for thought.
Thanks for this post, that class sounds very interesting! I agree that we have to let go of some of our self imposed rules of being caught up and having everything scrapped perfectly in order. Like you said the most important thing is getting the memories down!
I really enjoyed Stacy Julian’s books on The Big Picture. I was in one of her classes and showed her my album on the Library of Memories. I made cover pages and condensed to one album to show her.
I love the idea of it but I can think of a LOT of other ways I’d rather spend a hundred dollars!
I have handled digital scrapping much the same way you have. I like that I can pull out old pictures and scrap them on a whim. I scrap both ways and am very chronological with my paper scrapping so I like that digi is more free
) It doesn’t bother me to put them in albums out of order.
Wow this is right up my alley. I have stacks of pages that are not in albums because I have to wait until the whole year is done so I can put them in order! Crazy! People don’t get to see the pages for 2-3 years before everything is done. I’ll have to check out this class!
Makes perfect sense to me! I have loads of albums on the go, one for me, one for my son and another one for his school memories, a general all about life album, one for my husband’s Royal Navy career, plus the P365 album for 2009, and 2010, and a Journal Your Christmas album. Oh and there’s a family heritage album too! I scrapbook layouts as and when I’m inspired, so yesterday I did my son’s birthday which was 3 weeks ago, but this week I’m starting on his baby photos. As long as they get done eventually, that’s all that matters!
Interesting article … don’t think I could bring myself to do it other than chronologically though. It’s really not in my nature! I’m working on an album per year (for the family) and I’m planning on finishing up and printing the January pages for a few years worth soon. It might even happen!