Transformation Tuesday #47: Memorabilia + Pictures

About two years ago, when I had the ultimate summer of funemployment, I decided to finally organize all my boxes of pictures.

First off, why do we shove pictures into weird, old boxes that collect dust? And pictures get all bent up? Why do we keep so many bad pictures (blurry, unflattering, etc)? I'm asking because I had still kept all of these myself!

During this round of organizing, I picked up two photo albums from the local craft store and got to work. I pared down maybe 30% of my photos and sorted them by "childhood" (through high school) and then "after" (college and beyond). After checking this off the list and texting my family some hilarious pictures from our childhood, I promptly packed up the books and put them in a corner of my closet. 

Fast forward to a month ago when a new client reached out, wanting assistance in finalizing her picture and memorabilia items. She had already done a fantastic job paring down several bankers boxes worth of stuff to about four boxes. We spent ten hours over a few days sorting through pictures, her editing out what she didn't want, then organizing them into handy photo containers. This made it easy for her to grab pictures from a particular trip or time in her life (childhood, high school, college, weddings, etc). 

This project inspired me to go back through my box - namely, the two bulky albums and pare them down to photo containers.

The two albums in the box and the one sitting next to it were all consolidated to three 5x7 photo containers! I tossed a few photos along the way - mostly duplicates. I came across a few things that I had forgotten about that I'm keeping at the top of the container so I can see it immediately and smile - my Cabbage Patch adoption papers of Harriet Delilah (I didn't even remember that this was the doll's name) and a beautiful card from a family friend from when I was born. This friend gave these beautiful tiny cards that are colorful, with this gorgeous laser-cutting detail. I still have one from my first communion as well that she gave me because I love looking at them.

What has helped you in the organizing process when it comes to photos and childhood items? Anyone tackled yearbooks yet?