What do you do with Memorabilia?

[UncleEricATL]

Hi everyone – I have a question for you all...

I was a traditional scrapbooker for almost 30 years before taking up digital scrapbooking about a decade ago. Of course, with traditional scrapbooking, your souvenirs and memorabilia – like programs, tickets, brochures and other event paraphernalia – get placed in the scrapbook to cherish forever. With digital scrapbooking, I scan or photograph them to include images of them on the layout.

Here's the question...After creating the layout, do you save the memorabilia or toss it? In some cases, I don't want to part with it, but technically it's preserved digitally - and, let's be honest, will I really have any additional use for it down the road.

Thoughts?

[Brendazzle]

I save some of it and tuck it into the back of the Shutterfly albums when I print them. But I don't keep everything. For example, every time we go to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, the rangers and volunteers draw on the map to show me that day's special sightings. I always scan those but don't need 5 copies of the same map with slightly different circles and arrows. But I have a box full of maps/wildlife guides from the various local preserves that I've saved.

I think if I printed everything page by page (or pocket by pocket) and put it in a binder-type ablum, I'd probably save more memorabilia.

[allyanne]

I have pack-rat tendencies, so I save it. I figure if I have the space and it's not stressing me out, it's ok to hang onto stuff like that. Just liking it and wanting to look at it again is a good enough reason for me.

[Robin Carlton]

I have a box of memorabilia that I tuck things into whenever I go places. City maps, tickets, boarding passes, brochures, matchsticks, weird stuff haha I love that stupid box of weird random travel things and don't know if I could part with it.

I LOVE Brenda's idea for keeping an envelope of pertinent memorabilia in the back of a shutterfly album once it's printed though. I think that's really fun to tie in the actual paper memorabilia with the scanned bits too.

[nesser1981]

I really just take photos of most things like this and then toss it. I feel like the older I get, the less I want to hang on to stuff.

[Cheryl Ashcraft]

Back in the day, K&Company made a smash book line of albums and products, and I started putting memorabilia into those albums. At some point, K&Company discontinued the line. You can still find the albums online, but they are overpriced in my opinion. I've found some 12x12 albums on Amazon, but I don't see them in stock anymore.

ANYWAY, my memorabilia will go into sleeves for the year, and then at some point I'll "smash" them into the albums. Sometimes I'll add extra photos that I've printed to go along with the memorabilia. If it's something bulky and not something I want to keep, it does get scanned and then the original discarded.

[jagruti patel]

I'm here for inspiration! I tend to make a quick smash book. I can't part with all the things!

[karlimarie]

I haven’t preserved as much digitally as I would like to, but I have come up with a solution that doesn’t keep it all jammed in a box that I’ll definitely forget exists.

I found these clear jars at Dollar Tree and I filled the middle with filler and on the outside I put all of the tickets and coins and wristbands and stamps, etc I have three or four of them now and they live on a shelf in my living room with my other travel tchotchkes. It’s nice because it doesn’t take up too much room, but it’s also a visual reminder of our adventures.

[3BluEyedBabi]

I save all the ticket stubs, maps, pressed pennies, postcards. Like Ally said, I'm kind of a pack rat, too! I did have them all in a small metal safe, but over the years, I kind of have them every where, LOL, desk drawers, shelves, etc. I really should try to put all of it in one place!

[jaye]

Originally Posted by 3BluEyedBabi

I save all the ticket stubs, maps, pressed pennies, postcards. Like Ally said, I'm kind of a pack rat, too! I did have them all in a small metal safe, but over the years, I kind of have them every where, LOL, desk drawers, shelves, etc. I really should try to put all of it in one place!

This.....so this

[tgmousechick]

I'm a saver/ packrat/ memorabilia hoarder, so I have stashes of goodies (maps, tickets, stickers, etc).

I'm very slowly evolving from paper scrapbooking (incorporating the physical bits or creating pocket pages) to printing digital/hybrid pages (some of the bits are hybridized in or pocket pages) to printed books.

I *just* finished my 2nd album from Shutterfly, and I added the memorabilia pocket to it- I'll see how many goodies fit without affecting the binding.

During my next tidying binge, I think I should pull together the physical bits and adapt the memory box/ karlimarie's jar concepts. These are great ideas!