christmas now and then
Some of you may know my friend Stacy Julian. We go way way back (friends through the scrapbooking industry) and for real, Stacy is simply amazing and I have a whole lot of respect for her. She is such a phenomenal memory keeper and today she is sharing a fun scrapbook idea using Project Life® and photos from the past and present. I'll let her take it from here!
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Ok guys. Easy project time! Ready?
Now that most of my children are grown and have left my nest, I’ve become more of a project scrapbooker than anything else. I love projects with a beginning and an end. I want to get in easy and get out quick —it’s all about FINISHING— and in this case, in time for Christmas! My big kids will all be home this year and this project will help me take advantage of us being together and help us all relive and relish photos and memories from the past.
I don't necessarily do a Christmas album or project every year, but I love that I have a handful that I can pull out and display as part of my decorating, and I'll add this one to my collection. At first I was going to call this my Christmas Do-Over album, but I've settled on Now and Then instead. I'm essentially taking photos this year (now) that are re-dos of photos from past years (then) and placing them side by side. I adore this kind of pairing in an album because it visually documents traditions, rituals, and relationships that stand the test of time!
What You Need:
A Project Life Mini Album
A Mini Kit of cards (I used Merry & Bright)
A handful of past Christmas pictures that you LOVE
A permanent black journaling pen
Some leftover letter stickers
(optional) a 1/2” circle punch
(optional) a sewing machine
What You Do:
Gather favorite digital images in a folder so you can get back to them easily. Obviously you’ll want to look for photos that will be easy to retake. I’ve chosen at least one individual photo for each member of my family and then I’ve selected 3 other types of photos:
Photos that depict symbols of this season that I especially love.
Photos that show relationships between siblings and family members.
Photos that capture holiday gifts, rituals, and traditions that we often repeat.
Once you’ve gathered these digital images together, print them and slip them into your album to prep it ahead of time for your photo-taking. I chose to print my past or then photos as black and white, so that visually we’re still focused on the present moments.
To help me remember all the moments I want to re-take, I created a visual checklist for my kitchen cupboard. I don’t want to forget to re-stage these photos while my family is together. My kids know about my project, so they will remind me too!
I’ve already had the opportunity to take some NOW photos and I am loving not only the album as it fills up, but also the opportunity this process affords me to talk about the value of these past moments and the people, places, and things that we love at this time of year.
I hope as your holiday unfolds that you’ll pause to remember and relish and relive happy memories with family and friends.
