Remember the days before everything went digital when people used photographic film cameras that required developing? Some people would spend hours scrapbooking the many photos they developed, but more would sit in boxes collecting dust. Now is a great time to do something about it.
Your photos and videos are filled with timeless memories that you can’t recreate. If something happened to your boxes of old photos—like a fire, water damage, or other loss, those memories would be gone forever.
Take advantage of the digital age to keep these photos handy. Get a high-quality scanner and digitize your photos so you can save them forever. Use this opportunity to organize them by people and dates for future reference. If you’re not up to the challenge, there are services you can hire to have this done.
Utilize the cloud, too. Photos and videos take up a lot of space on your hard drive and adding that many media files can slow your computer significantly. Putting them on the cloud keeps them off your computer’s limited-space hard drive. It also means you can access them no matter what device you’re using. It’s convenient and it protects them in the event your computer crashes.
Once your photos have gone digital, create printable scrapbooks so that you can easily share those memories with family or guests. There are a couple of ways to do this.
A simple and affordable solution is to create digital collages that print onto 8.5”x11” sheets of paper that you’ll put into a simple spiralbound scrapbook. This is best if you have a high volume of photos that you want to keep into one book, and it’s easy to pass around to family members when it’s done.
If you haven’t digitized your photos yet, you could line up several photos on a piece of printer paper, scanning them into your computer, and then copying the same page to put in a spiralbound book.
You could also use a digital scrapbook service that lets you use drag and drop scrapbooking templates to create photo books, but these are expensive, and your options are limited. You won’t be able to get many photos into one book.
When your memories have been digitized, don’t throw the original photos away. Turn them into a beautiful piece of art! Create a collage of photos on a giant framed cork board to be displayed somewhere in your home.
There are other great ways to make artsy collages around your home as well. Pinterest has hundreds of ideas that could turn your dusty photos into a gorgeous display of your favorites.
Printing services allow you to print digitized photos onto almost anything, including a quilt. This is a fun way to personalize a blanket to be given as a gift. It’s loaded with memories that the recipient will love, and it’s practical.
If a quilt isn’t what you want, there are many other options for printing photos onto keepsakes. There are mugs, t-shirts, jackets, mousepads, cards, framed collages, water bottles, phone cases, canvases, tabletops, and so much more.
Maybe digitizing your photos isn’t for you. Or maybe you’ve already digitized your photos and you’re looking for a better way to store the originals. The best and simplest method is to use photo boxes with organizational tabs to make your photos easily accessible and keep them in great condition.
Purchase photo boxes that are perfectly sized for your photos. You might need a variety of sizes to accommodate the various sizes of photos you own, although you can probably store your 3×5 photos in a 4×6-sized box without a problem. These boxes can be purchased online or in organizational stores like The Container Store.
There are several ways to organize your photos, the most common being by date. However, you might want to create boxes for family members, so you might organize them by date and the person to whom you’re giving the box.
No matter how you organize, you won’t regret using this opportunity to get a better handle on your large stacks of photos. It will give you peace of mind that your photos are well-cared for and easily accessible in the future.