Hey there, Catherine here. In this post I’m sharing four elements I include in my pocket page layouts in order to keep both the design and the process simple.

The layout I’m using documents a trip my Mom and I took to Sweden together.

We explored the lovely and quaint city of Gothenburg, eating yummy food and admiring the charming shops.

Then we hit the Volvo Delivery Centre to pick up my car, which was an experience definitely worth documenting.

I try to keep my layouts simple in both design and process, and over the years I’ve found that while some of my preferences change, the basic elements largely stay the same.

Here are four of the elements that tend to withstand the test of time in my layouts.

One | Stick with one set of templates or elements

While I love to mix and match design elements, when it comes to knocking out a layout, I try to stick to one set of templates or elements.

You can peruse Liz’s gorgeous shop, but pick one product to get started on your layout and try to use as much of that product as you can.

For this layout, I used the Winter Vibes photo templates – and I actually used them for the layout that follows this one.

I tried to use up each template, and because of how Liz designs her kits, everything coordinates so there’s white space built into the project and the fonts and elements work so well to give everything a really polished look.

For me, less is usually more, and keeping it simple means I’m more likely to actually complete my layouts in a reasonable amount of time.

Two | Include full bleed photos

What is “full bleed?” It’s when your photo reaches all the way to the edges of the frame.

In this case, I use templates to add frames, white spaces, captions, and fun design elements.

But I like the mix of templates with regular, ol’ full bleed photos.

I also like the look of a full 4×6 inch photo cut in half vertically (or some other way) so it straddles two pockets.

Three | Add white space with journaling

I’m a huge fan of injecting white space in a layout, and one of my go-to methods is to include plain white journaling cards with one or a few words printed on them.

They serve a narrative purpose by adding a tiny bit of text or a title and they serve a design purpose by creating space for the eye to rest in an otherwise bustling layout.

If every space is occupied by photos or pattern, I find my eyes just give a quick glance and move on to the next page.

But if there’s some white space, I find I’m more willing to linger. And when it comes to our memories, that’s my goal!

Four | Add a simple insert

For me, the reason I use pocket page albums for some of our memories is that I can include bits of memory that aren’t captured in a photo.

My go-to method of creating an insert is to use a basic 8.5 x 11 inch page protector (I buy them inexpensively on Amazon).

I add a piece of cardstock in either white, kraft, or (in this case) black.

Then I adhere the items I want to save.

In this insert I included a gorgeous brochure about “Fika” that we found in the coffee kitchen at Volvo. I adhered the cover only and left the brochure intact so you can still flip through it.

On the flip side, I inserted the sign our Volvo rep was holding at the airport.

We’ve never purchased a brand new car before and it was such a fun memory to share with my Mom, so I wanted to keep the sign they held when meeting us at the airport.

I just cut it down to size and taped it to the black card stock.

The insert couldn’t be simpler, but I like the look of the black card stock and now I don’t have to keep track of the brochure or sign elsewhere. They’re already plugged into the album amid our photos.

I’d love to hear your favorite elements for simple pocket page layouts!

We’ve recently moved back to the States from Europe, and I’ll be continuing to share our California adventures and my simple approach to memory-keeping over on my blog and on Instagram.

Please come say hello!

xo,

Catherine