Organizing and Scrapbooking Family Portraits

Some serious mess, right? At first glance, sure, but this is actually organization in work. I have a scrapbook in which I keep 8x10s of all the family's portraits.

Well, that's the idea, anyway. It hadn't been updated since 2006. For the last 5 years, I had kept the portraits for our 4 children in one box. 

But it is quite a bit to sort through when looking to put them in chronological order. How could I even have left them in a mess like this???

I started by opening the box and taking everything out.  Since it also held all the extra copies and went back 21 years to 1990, and since many of the sets were in non-photo-safe envelopes, I started  by emptying the envelopes and laying out matching photos in piles.

Piles and more piles.

Everywhere Piles.

Then I began sorting by year and returning the portraits to the box.  In this particular situation, I am using a Creative Memories Power Layout Box.  It is 12x12 and can hold large items safely for long terms.  Nope, not what it was made to do, but I never really used it for what it was meant, so this is a good use otherwise.

I took the opportunity to label it.  You know me, everything needs a label.

The sections inside are made so that things cant shuffle from one section to another, perfect for keeping the pictures separated.  I labeled each section with date, name and age and put the most recent on top.  With everything sorted, it was quite easy to complete the scrapbook pages with the remaining portraits. 

Finally finished, at least until next fall...