My SMASH book got fat.  Yes, it would still close, but eventually, the cover would’ve warped.  So I…gasp…took off the O-wires and used some hinged, snap close rings.  Now I can add & remove pages.  I know…but I love it!  I even NAMED my book and created a cover!  Lookie:

One of the things I will use my journal for is for reference while scrapbooking.  I’m currently scanning my old negatives and making sure I have prints for all the negatives I have.  I am shredding the negatives after they have scanned successfully.  I am putting all the pictures in order best I can by Spring 19XX, Summer 19XX, Fall 19XX and Christmas 19XX.  Most, I can easily tell which is which.  But for some, time blends.  I ask, Did I do this in 1992 or 1993?  Was this before I did this?  Or after?   Hmmm…

And, if I don’t write it down, I gotta do all that thinking AGAIN! next time I find another picture I have a hard remembering WHEN.

Last year, I was decluttering my old calendars / date books.  I took a college ruled notebook and just wrote down the month name & year and jotted down any specific dates / information that was interesting / important.  And yep…shredded those after I got done.  I did run across a couple of date books that would almost be journals in themselves; those I did not shred, nor have I recapped (for the moment.)

I took these handwritten pages and put them in my SMASH book.  But first…gotta have some pretty paper to attach ’em to and don’t want to HIDE all that pretty designer paper I’ve already put in the book!