Pocket Protectors {an easy way to save epherma}

Scrapbooking began with an idea to preserve memories.  Newspaper clippings and ephemera were part of the roots of this art form.  I started scrapbooking in the modern form a bit after my eldest daughter was born, but I guess you could really say I’ve been doing it for most of my life.  I utilized that rubber cement like nobody’s business in my youth, saving movie stubs and pictures of my friends.

As we moved to modern times, we became concerned with products being acid free, and we lost a bit of that nostalgia in saving special things and using them on our projects.  However, a growing trend is to bring that idea back.  Vintage items and ephemera are starting to make a bigger impact on our layouts again.

Because my girls are small, I love to make sure to take the time to record their little hands and their first bits of handwriting whenever I can.  In fact, that’s been something I’ve been trying to do more since my Grandfather first started to show signs of Alzheimers.  He had the best handwriting and whenever he sent a Christmas card or a little note, I made sure to save it, because it’s such a personal thing and once they are gone, they are gone.  I’m so glad I have a signature from him, here and there.  The same goes for my girls.  Soon enough the way they write will change, and I don’t want to forget how innocent it once looked.

It’s the Christmas season, and our mailbox has been deluged with catalog after catalog of Christmas ideas.  Before recycling them, however, I’ve encouraged my girls to go through and pick out what things they like for their Chrsitmas lists.  At first they were cutting pictures out, but then Morgan decided she wanted to write hers out, so she would bring me a catalog and ask where the information was on the toy she liked.  She’s 5 and just learning to read.

What cracked me up when I first saw her list was things like “assembly required” and other bits of information in the description that she kept writing.  I don’t know what the toy is, but it looks like I might need to get my screwdriver handy.  ha!

Because these Christmas lists are just so darn cute, I wanted to make sure I save them, so I created a simple layout with a great big pocket to put them all inside.

I used Mistletoe & Co. and some of the new Cupid line for this layout.  I think they work well together for a sweet Christmas project.

I started with Naughty or Nice and created a pocket with Cupid’s Bow and Arrow and a touch of Bullseye at the top.  I layered a Cupid Borderline sticker at the top of my pocket, and then stitched around the red perimeter of my layout, leaving the top of my pocket open.  To finish it off I added a couple of Cupid Bella brads, some cording, and a snowflake to dress it up.

I then used blue ink to stamp a couple of trees from the MIstletoe & Co. Impressions stamp set , trimmed them out, and added them to the top of my layout, above the pocket.

I used some green Colorbox ink to change the color of my Expressions Whimsies alphas, and added them to the top.  I have to say, these alphas are some of my favorites to use in scrapbooking.  They are the perfect size, a great font, and you can easily change their color to match your scrapbook projects.  I wish I had more!

Finally, I added the word “wishes” with berry blue Expressions Glitter alphas and my project was finished.

Before I go I wanted to share one last little piece of ephemera that will go inside this pocket to join the rest of the wish lists:

One of the catalogs that Morgan went through for her wish list was an Oriental Trading catalog.  Once she was finished and came to share her ideas with me, I noticed these tree earrings.  I asked her if she wanted to get her ears pierced for Christmas.  She told me that she didn’t want the earrings for herself.  She said she was going to tell Santa that she wanted those earrings for Christmas, and after she got them, she was going to give them to me.

How sweet is that?!  A little devious, tricking the man from the North Pole, but sweet that she was thinking of me.  I’m not sure if she had a change of heart, and that’s why I found this little scrap detached from her list, but it’s something I’m going to keep for sure.  I’m going to mount it to cardstock, write down the story behind it, and tuck it away.  It might not look like much now, but it’s a piece of ephemera that tells a story and will be fun to look back on, years down the road.

Don’t be afraid to save your ephemera for your projects.  You have a life story to tell.

Davinie