Scrapbook Year in Review by Sandi Keene

It was a very interesting year. We saw so much happen – gas prices skyrocket and then plummet, the economy weakened, a historic election, our personal budgets were redefined nearly every month.  It was anything but boring.

Everyone has their own set of memories of 2008 – the highs, the lows, the events and the everyday – all important in what makes a year worth documenting.

This project is a favorite of mine.  I like taking a good look at what I did and accomplished over the past year as it helps me see what direction I want to take for 2009.  A summary of the moments that were important to me is a treasure.

This is when my blog comes in very handy. Whatever you use for your journaling, diary, gratitude journal or your scrapbooks will help you remember the moments that you want to include.

You will need a list of 20 things from the past year.  I made a little chart on a piece of paper with the event, what picture I would use and a 2-3 word journaling phrase.  I decided to go digital on this one. I put a copy of each picture in a folder on my desktop.  I then cropped each picture to 2 1/8″ x 2 1/8″ (2.125″ x 2.125″) and then placed two different photos on a 4 x 6 file.

I also added my journaling digitally.  You could do this just as easily with a small strip of paper adhered to your photo. I sent mine out for printing – one hour printing is such a treat!  This would also be a great way to use up those leftover photos from throughout the year and skip the printing out step.

Then it is just a matter of cutting them out and placing them on the grid.  I chose Toffee Mosaic Moments™ Grid Paper for a neutral Kraft paper like background.  I created a title by starting with a 2008 Year Cornerstone™. Then I added a Year in Review (measured in love) title strip created in Photoshop and matted on black cardstock to coordinate with the design of the cornerstone.

I added two black 1″ x 1″ squares to finish off the space.

Adhere photos to the grid. I kept my photos in chronological order using the chart I created.

When finished, I decided I wanted a black mat for the project so I trimmed 1/8″ off each side of the 12 x12 grid paper and then adhered the project to black cardstock. Just the right touch for me.

Now to decide – does it go in an album or into a frame for display?

Happy New Year!! Let’s make 2009 a creative year!

Sandi Keene