Collecting Memories

Scrapbooking isn't just for people with children. Think of one of your favorite pastimes or a great trip you recently took, and use that as a guide for starting a book of mementos.

A Pocket Full of Memories
Here's the perfect way to gather different types of keepsakes, such as children's art and photographs. Using several pieces of scrap fabric, we made three pockets to hold a variety of items. The main pocket is large enough for a standard photo album. It's crafted like a pillow, with one side left open so the book slides in easily.

The second pocket is sewn on top of the main one. It's the perfect size for children's holiday crafts or other artwork. The third pocket is just right for photographs. Bind the whole thing with ribbon tied in a bow, and you have everything organized in one place.

Keeping It Together 
Items such as menus, area maps, and ticket stubs are perfect ingredients for a trip scrapbook. Choose a good-looking album that has pages for photos and room to write labels for each picture. A three-ring binder with top-loading envelopes also works well.
 
 

Punch holes into envelopes so they fit in the binder, and label them with the places visited. Once photos and mementos are organized, place them in the envelopes until time comes to create a scrapbook.

Holiday Card Keepsake
I save my holiday cards year after year, cherishing those that include photographs of friends and family. This year I decided to create something for keeping them organized and intact.

The solution was an accordion-style binder crafted from heavy-duty art paper and cardboard. This handy creation works well because items can be attached to both sides, and the binder can be constructed to accommodate as many pictures as I like.

I made mine to suit the average holiday card, which is typically 5 x 7 inches. The pages, folded accordion style, are sandwiched between covers made from cardboard and construction paper. Keepsakes are attached with archival mounting tape and photo corners. Once full, the pages and covers are pressed together and held in place with a ribbon. A fabric pouch was made for storing the binder.

Photo Fun
Anyone who knows Southern Living Senior Homes Photographer Jean Allsopp knows she's nostalgic when it comes to photographs. Her collection of old family pictures is priceless, proving the value of sharing these keepsakes from generation to generation.

When working on this story with me, she was inspired to create a keepsake container, one that would aid in organizing photos while showcasing an artful collage of images at the same time. The result is a galvanized container découpaged with copies of some of Jean's favorite family photos and phrases. Now each time she has a roll of film developed, she places the images in glassine envelopes, which are then kept in the container until she puts them in a photo album. It's a keepsake and organizer all in one.