House Cleaning!

How are you coming along with your project? Are you finding more misplaced prints? This almost can be like going back to school. You are starting fresh for a whole new school year - new subjects are being learned and added to the foundation of past learning. In the same light, you are bringing out the past in photos and exposing them to new formats. Turning the house upside down in search of missing snapshots can be an exhilarating experience to find lost ideas and thoughtful activities. We have found it such a joy to remember people and places that we had forgotten about - pictures really can "speak a volume of words". Keep at it - organizing your photos - it is well worth the adventure.

Next . . . 100

Theme Ideas

You may start seeing some pattern in the types and styles of photos that are giving some thematic ideas. Start writing the ideas down on paper. For example, there may be lots of snapshots of Cousin Joe or Aunt Susie - how about an album of various activities surrounding that individual? Maybe many photos tell a story about a vacation that could be included in a separate album. How about making a holiday scrapbook for various events around the year? Special occasions could be marked by a separate book such as graduations, weddings, the christening of a baby and so forth. Themes - are you getting the notion? Remember, continue to organize all of your photographs first in chronological order. That way, you will have gathered all of your pictures and not miss important ones when separating. I have found it best to scan the photos I wanted to put in my sample albums and leave them all in order. Sometimes, I have included the same pose for several different themes. Now, onto the next 100 . . .

Back to Organizing Your Photos

Hopefully you have sorted through 300 pictures by now - one group at a time. Most of the photos in a disarray fashion are in shoe boxes that may still be in the developing envelopes. You might be able to tell what years the snapshots were taken by the date you wrote on the outside of the envelopes. When you have sorted through those, you may look through the rest of the house for other places prints have been stored. My family's pictures were in every nook and cranny of the house: drawers, closets, inside books, wicker baskets, the sewing cabinet, under the bed. What do you expect when you live in a house for forty-seven years! Single photos do not take up much space so they ended up everywhere. Other places pictures could be hiding: Cedar Chests, trunks, plastic tubs, attics, cupboards, mixed in with bills, garage, workshop, piled high on desks and counters, old photo albums, framed photos, old suitcases, picture lockets, old cigarette cases, magnetic albums, abandoned travel bag, safety deposit boxes, old family Bibles. I'm sure there are places I haven't even thought of but you get the idea. Getting all pictures in order will make the project of placement go smoother. So the next step is tying up 'loose ends'. . .

Beautiful Flowers In Chehalis

Wedding Album

I went to a wedding June 1, 2008, in San Jose, CA. Assembling a 'wedding album' from the photos I took during the weekend became the gift for the newly married couple. Memorabilia collected from the weekend activities and photographs taken by others were included. A few of the album pages are listed on the photo stream. You might be interested to view some of the pages for ideas to use for your own project. Please keep in mind the photos of the album are only 'snapshots' and have not been professionally taken.