I decided to get rid of more stuff by going through old scrapbooks and toss anything that doesn't still have meaning.
Scrapbooking is fun and it can be nice going down memory lane. However, keeping everything just takes up more room. I use regular three-ring binders for some of my scrapbooks. It can be easier and faster then the larger scrapbooks. Instead of tossing the tickets or photos or whatever inside the plastic sleeve, remember to use acid free glue, tape, or photo corners to arrange on a piece of regular paper. Write on the back of the item and on the page what each document/photo is. Otherwise, you will forget why the item is important or what it is. You can keep some items just not every ticket for anything you've ever done.
For example, I graduated from high school 12 years ago. I was on the dance team and before most performances, someone would post an encouraging sign on my locker door. While that was sweet, I did not need to keep all of them. So, I recycled them.
My scrapbooks contained ticket stubs from almost every movie or sporting event I attended. I decided I did not need the movie tickets, especially since I didn't remember going to that particular movie and who I went with. I kept some of the sporting event tickets. I live in Seattle and while growing up, going to a Mariners game at the Kingdome was exciting. For those who follow professional baseball know that the Kingdome no longer exists. I kept them, along with the tickets for the new field, Safeco. I recycled the rest.
Next, toss any pages that are not acid-free. The ones that the plastic cover pulls away from the actual page are not acid free and damage the backside of the item. Who cares about the backside? Well, if you decide to move the item to a different page, the backside sticks and you could rip the entire document/photo while trying to remove it from the page. Eventually, they will damage the front side as well. Trade them in for acid-free plastic sleeves
I saved a lot of room! For high school I had 2 binders that I consolidated into 1. For college, I had 3 that I consolidated into 1. I think I will donate my empty scrapbooks. Or, keep them for organizing more items that are important (not every item) as I go through more mementos.
Have fun going down memory lane!
Jen
