What happens when I don't scrapbook …
all the pictures I stored away in my storage binders. What then?

Unless you possess magical powers that allow you to perceive exactly how each photo you take and store away will ultimately be used, then you are (like me) going to end up with "leftovers," or what I often refer to as duplicates.

Case in point: Taft's 2nd birthday party

I slipped these pictures into my Spring 2003 storage binder. They were taken at Taft's 2nd birthday party. I created a birthday layout several years ago, so the photos left in my Spring 2003 binder were "left over" or duplicate photos. When I emptied my Spring 2003 storage binder. The 8 photos on the left got tossed. The 3 photos on the right were filed into my category drawers (more info on category drawers in coming lessons.)

Note: I keep my storage binders for about five years before rotating them completely. They generally get emptied little by little, over time. I pull pictures for a scrapbook pages and projects and often condense the contents of a storage binder by removing empty pages to use again in the future. What was once the Spring 2003 binder was refilled with fresher photos from 2008!

The Take Away: Don't freak out when I say I "tossed" some pictures. I couldn't have done this several years ago. I would have instead placed them in "cold storage." Remember that the longer you use this system of organization, the more comfortable and confident you will feel. Be patient with yourself and trust me on the basics of how photos flow from storage to use or non-use. I am now very confident finding and using pictures from the past and present and I worry a whole lot less than I used to about "letting go" (nice word for tossing.) You'll get there too!