by Karen Jones
My note (from Dragonhome) - you can sort your photos as in the following idea, then use Karen's suggestions for a "complete" photo organizational project. That is what I have been doing and it works out great for me!
I have been working on de-cluttering and organizing my home and scrapbook area. Although not complete yet, I am making progress.
While reading an organization book, it suggested making a Project List for repeating tasks that could be broken down into step by step. I did this with my Scrapbooking. I listed all the steps I do after I pick up my pictures until I get them in an album. My list is as follows:
Project Scrapbooking
For each set of photos
1. Crop photos
2. Write names and dates on back of photos (photo pen or pencil -- have several available as this is my block)
3. Put groups of photos into page protectors
4. Make page kits
5. Pick background paper
6. Choose embellishments
7. Put into page protector with photos
8. Add a sticky note to outside with ideas if needed
9. Take out page kit and put page together
Adhesives
Pens
Other
Journaling
Initial and sign along edge of page
Put page into appropriate album
Then I made a sheet for each step and made that a part of my To Do activities for the day. My goal is to complete one set of photos a week. I am amazed at how much I have gotten done so far using this system. You would have to customize it for the way you work, but give it a try.
Organizing your Photos
I adapted this idea from varies emails off of scrapbook email lists.
Supplies Needed:
Plain White Index Cards (preferably acid-free) - or cut acid free cardstock into 3 x 5 inch pieces.
An acid free photo storage box
Pen or pencil
You photos
Steps:
Start sorting your photos into piles onto your table, by subject, event or person.
When you get 2 or 3 in a pile, take an index card (held vertically) and write the subject/event/person on it (for instance, 04-03 Easter Egg Hunt)
Then put the index card and the photos into the photo storage box. When you find more photos for that subject/event/person, just file them behind the index card.
When you get ready to scrap that event, pull out all the photos and go thru them, pulling out the ones you want to scrap. For those that you decide not to scrap, take the index card, turn it the same direction as the photos, and store it into another photo box.
If you scrap all the photos, just put a line thru the title on the index card and re-use it.
