Pocket Scrapbooking

Do you get overwhelmed by the thought of scrapbooking? Do you see all those beautiful one page layouts and think ‘I don’t have time for that.’ Do you take so many photos and want most of them included in your albums? I can understand. Pocket pages can help.

By using pocket pages your album can come together quickly and simply! Pocket pages come in various layouts and once you find the ones right for you there is no limit to the mix and match possibilities. Photos, tickets, memorabilia, you name it. There is likely a pocket page or flip flap that will work and make your scrapbooks come together with ease.

When getting ready to create your pocket album there are some things to consider. Just like any art project or craft, in the end, please do what you love and if it doesn’t follow the norm so be it. It is your art and really, art has no rules.

When you have a pocket page you should keep a balance of photo and non photo elements. I generally wouldn’t suggest putting more than 50% of non-photos on one page. Sometimes I have only one pocket that has a non-photo for journaling. Other times I have had about half.

Some people say to stick to a color pallet. I say stick with colors and papers that will make your photos the star. Regardless if it fits for every page of the album or not. If I pick a pink and white color pallet then those camping pictures are going to look awfully out of place. So, stick to the color pallet per page, but not per album. The exception to that would be if you are creating an album that only has one event like a baby shower and all the photos will be of similar style, color, etc. Then sticking to a single color pallet for the whole album would make sense.

There are a lot of companies out there creating pocket cards these days. Close To My Heart has some called Picture My Life Cards. They are a mix of sayings, images, and journal cards for pocket scrapbookers. I find they are so easy! I don’t have to make my own journal cards or come up with my own sayings, etc. I can find a card that works and slide it right in. If you prefer to make your own cards things like scraps, stamps, stickers, anything you have handy can end up as a great pocket card. You can even use things like ticket stubs and other memorabilia. I have even seen some people make a shaker box out of them by filling them with sequins and sealing the top with a fuse tool.

You can add embellishments like stickers or stamps to the outside of the page protector. I can overlap them on the photos and I don’t have to worry about it damaging them. Flip-flaps are another great thing to add on the outside. It gives even more interaction to your pages and it is fun to see what’s hidden underneath. Not to mention it gives you yet another few photos on your layout. Adding numbers with stickers or stamps can be fun too. You can then add a numbered journal card to tell your story.

If you like your photos to have that mat look all you have to do is trim them down and mount them on paper then slide them in. It is also helpful if you are like me and take a lot of photos with your cell phone. Cell phones generally have a true size that is 4x5.25 when printed and if you don’t want the blank space to show above the edge of the opening in the pocket a mat is the solution. By trimming a little off the 4 inch side of your photo and mounting it to a 4x6 mat you can add washi tape or a small strip of paper that coordinates to add a little something to each photo. You can also use that spot to write the names of people in the picture or where the picture was taken. Possibilities are endless.

I will end with a tip for anyone who tends to scrapbook traditionally. You can add pocket pages to the end of your traditional albums. It can display all the photos you wanted to add but didn’t want to actually scrapbook. Below is an example of when I add pocket pages in the middle of my books too. Wherever I find that I have a bunch of photos that are all similar I will grab a pocket page fill it up and leave one opening to put a die cut, saying, or journaling. No adhesive, no trying to figure out how they will all fit or if I have space to crop them down. Pocket pages for the win!

If you have never tried pocket pages and would like help getting started please let me know!

Happy Crafting!