Are you a stacker? In other words, do you let your layouts pile up before you get them into your albums? Many scrapbookers do this because they want to keep their layouts in order, without having to disassemble a scrapbook album each time they complete a layout. Often this is just an easier way to keep layouts in order during final assembly, rather than having to separate pages in the album to make your layouts fit.
Keeping layouts in order is especially a problem for those that use 3-ring binders, and post bound albums, because layouts are usually completed outside of the album, and then need to be placed inside. Often some shuffling of layouts within page protectors is necessary to get everything in order.
Those that use scrap hinge albums do not always have the same problem, because they are almost required to go in order since you scrapbook directly on the pages inside the album. Many scrapbookers have found a way around this by creating the pages on cardstock or patterned paper and then adhering the page inside the scrap hinge album. So the problem exists for both.
When you have multiple layouts (or like me – close to one hundred or more sitting awaiting a new home), you are faced with the challenge of storing them until you are ready to put them away.
Many scrapbookers choose to keep the layouts out of page protectors until they finally slide them into an album, however I disagree with that. Protecting them from the beginning is extremely important in ensuring their longevity.
So what do you do when you have loads of layouts waiting to go in your albums?
You figure out the storage method that works for you. Here are a few ideas.
Pizza Boxes
Probably the most preferred method by the polled scrapbookers I asked. This is a great way to store completed 12×12 layouts because of the large size of the box. You can separate them by theme, album type or year inside the boxes and label them for ease of location later. It makes storing them easy since pizza boxes stack, and then when you do find the perfect album to put them inside, you are all ready with a categorized pizza box.
Watch for part two of this article posting tomorrow morning in the scrapbook blog for more terrific ideas for organizing!
For more terrific organizing ideas, check out the scrapbooking blog.