Family Reunion Layout

We recently went to my Mom's family reunion, and I'm delighted to scrapbook these pictures and tell a few stories already!

I knew I wanted to use The Good Life collection (paired with my Autumn Blessings stamp set), and I picked Pattern 17 from Make It From Your Heart, Vol. 6.  Because I had so many photos, I used the free Live Collage app to add two photos to one 4x6 template so that they would print 3"x4" each.

I kept the left page fairly simple because of all of the details on the right page.  I used two 3"x4" photo flaps to add more photos and journaling about who everyone is in the pictures.

The flip flaps are not adhered yet, but when they are, the white strip will be gone.  (The white strip protects the adhesive until you're reading to stick them in place.  I stick my flip flaps on the outside of the page protector.)  I decided to add a "hidden" journaling tag to identify more of the relationships between the people pictured that pulls up from behind the top right photo of my mom with her two sisters.

Here's what the tag looks like (with the journaling blurred because TMI).  Notice the long strip across the bottom to prevent the tag from being pulled out of the layout.  Since it's so close to the top of the page protector,  I didn't cut a slit in the actual page protector to access this tag.

Thanks for letting me share this layout with you!  Be sure to journal, journal, journal, even if it's privately added to the back of your layout of hidden with an interactive element.  Future generations will thank you!  Since I am the creator of all of our layouts, I journal from my point of view.  (Now that my daughters are older, when I make layouts for their albums, I have them journal to tell their story.  I will include some of my own thoughts at times.)

Finally, don't be afraid of your "messy" handwriting or getting everything perfect!  Your family will treasure your handwritten notes more than anything typed.  (When I have a really long story to tell, then I usually type it up instead of handwriting it.)  Give it a try!