You see, for years (since probably a bit before high school) I've saved bits of each of the wrapping papers that are left after all the gifts are opened on Christmas morning. Not tons of it, but a piece big enough to preserve each of the patterns along with a few gift tags (because those snippets of people's handwriting are so cool to have).
For years, though, I've been trying to figure out a way to add these papers to my scrapbooks. When I first started saving wrapping papers (way back when), I cut out each pattern and pasted it to plain cardstock, then slipped each sheet into its own 8.5x11 page protector (the non-scrapping kind found at almost any office supply store) and stuck them in binders. That was long before I started to scrapbook in the "modern" sense of the word, though, and those kinds of pages don't really fit into my scrapbooks today (though I still have those older scrapbooks and simply love them).
So, those papers have been sitting for (literally) years in large plastic envelopes like the one pictured below, just kind of piled up on a shelf in my scrap room.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago when Becky Higgins released a new round of Project Life products including these Big Envelope Pages. These heavy-duty pockets are sized and hole-punched to fit a standard 12x12 scrapbook album, are expandable, and have an easy-to-open (and close) top. As soon as I saw them, I knew they'd be the perfect way to finally add all those wrapping paper scraps to my albums! And, at $9.99 for a pack of 5, they're in about the same price range as the plastic envelopes I'd been using to store the papers in previously (which are too large for a scrapbook album or I might have just punched them and added them in themselves).
Now I'm slowly going back through all of those saved packets of paper and adding them to the envelope pages. Each year gets its own envelope, and I'm using Thickers to add a snazzy year title to each envelope's label card. It's probably a bit redundant since each of my albums covers a year already, but I like the way it looks.
I also like that I can see papers through the front and back of each envelope!
So, am I crazy for saving bits of wrapping paper?
Even if you think I am, I won't be stopping any time soon. :) It's fun to be able to look back through all the patterns and remember the time that my sister in law, Beth, picked out the coolest glittered and flocked paper, or the massive roll of paper that my grandparents bought eons ago and used (and I think still use) to wrap everything, or the Care Bears and Hello Kitty papers that my family so thoughtfully uses to wrap my gifts sometimes. For me, those (and many more) wrapping papers are just another part of my Christmas memories.