Great thread...A have a few thoughts and a little experience to share on the subject:
In year 2007, I did
a year in review book,
available in the store. Essentially, I did cohesive double page spreads for 2 weeks. The end result was fabulous but the process became very stale by May! Not only that but the cost to print 52 pages is NOT cheap!
Last year I allowed myself the freedom just to create random layouts again. The process was far more enjoyable though I didn't manage to cover the entire year. My point? There is a little give and take involved. You cannot have your cake and eat too. There is no right or wrong way to document your memories and just because you start in on direction doen't mean you can change halfway through. I like this no rules approach. I think if we spent less time thinking about it and more time doing it, we'd get the job done much faster with less drama.
This year I'm trying something new again...A double page for each month, based on
this template, with a few random "just because i want to" pages thrown into good measure. If I miss a few? That's OK. If I change my format? That's OK. If I decide to use different products? That's OK too.
When I look back to my older 2002 layouts. I hardly notice the artwork that was, at the time, so paramount in my pages. I see the photos and the enjoy the experience remembering the details I had forgotton in time passing. For sure the process, is important for me. It has to be enjoyable or why do it? But, I'm also allowing myself the creative freedom to scrap my pages however I like and that, my friends, feels really good.