5 Scrapbooking Hacks to Make Memory-Keeping Doable

This post was updated 2022.

Whether you love or hate the thought of scrapbooking, this post is for you!  That's because you have pictures, and you have memories to go with them.  And they need a home--a place to LIVE.

Photos that sit on phones, computers, or in the cloud are not living up to their full potential, so to speak.  In fact, they aren't even photos yet--they're just files.  You might not even know what you have or where it is.  Unless you have some wicked {good photo organization} of those files, you might not even be able to find something you know you have.  

Knowing what you have and where it is and then giving those photos a tactile home, next to the written memories of them, has some powerful effects.  You can read about those effects {here}.  Our photos are much more powerful than we give them credit for.

And that's all well and good until you don't have a lot of time to spend scrapbooking--in which case, you need some time-saving scrapbooking hacks.

BUT FIRST:  THE "DOABLE" PART

The first thing to know is that "scrapbooking" doesn't have to be fancy and time-consuming.

Did you know that "scrapbooking" in the layered, embellished sense of the word goes back to about 1980, with heightened popularity in the 1990s?  Before that, though, people still put "scraps" or mementos in blank-page books with their photos!  

They did! (You can read a brief version of the interesting history of scrapbooking {here}--I learned a lot of cool stuff I didn't know before.)  The reason for this is to keep the photos protected.  They couldn't just leave them in a drawer or a stack on a shelf.  The photos needed a place to be kept so that they could be seen, and wise photograph owners would write next to the photo a description of who was in the photo and where it was taken.

Obviously, the paper-crafting modern version of "scrapbooking" is definitely not the only way to preserve photos and memories.  In fact, given the history of photography, it's a relatively recent invention and isn't used by the majority of photograph owners.  So just do whatever works for you.

Find something you love and get excited about using.  (I've got some suggestions for you, of course.)

You need your photos and memories!  They're good for the heart and soul.  In fact, they're {the secret ingredient to self-care and wellness}!

So let's make it a little easier to DO!  Here are 5 scrapbooking hacks that can help!

#1  MAKE THE TIME ON YOUR CALENDAR

If you struggle to find time, you'll probably have to make it.  There are a lot of really fantastic tips and suggestions for how to do that {here}-- from the concept of "time creation" to making memory-keeping a regular family tradition!  There are suggestions there for streamlining your responsibilities to give yourself more time as well as how to pare down your photos.  

Making time and actually blocking out on your calendar--like an appointment with yourself--is one of the biggest hacks that I use to help me actually stay caught up preserving my pictures!

#2  MAKE YOUR PHOTOS MANAGEABLE

If you are overwhelmed with the amount of photos you have, you definitely need to read {When Photo Overload Becomes Photo Overwhelm}.  

This is a very real thing these days, and a very real problem.  The tips there can help you get your photos into a manageable state so that you even WANT to scrapbook, let alone CAN.  The biggest tip is to not preserve every photo you take.  If you're overwhelmed with your photos, just choose your favorites to preserve in print.

If you need photo organizational help, check out my 3-part series (particularly the Part 2 video) there at that link.

just one of the things you'll learn in the 3-part video series

#3  GO DIGITAL

This has saved my bacon.  Digital scrapbooking is what's FULLY responsible for me staying caught up on my own memory-keeping. 

I was a paper scrapbooker for probably 10+ years, but for the last 10 I've been digital.  I love that I can just replicate the design of an entire page with a couple of clicks of the mouse instead of having to re-create it by hand.  I love that I can get multiple copies for multiple kids with zero extra work/time.  

Digital scrapbooking is an enormous time-saver!!

If you're new to digital memory-keeping, check out three different possibilities--from quick templates to fully-creative and flexible books and scrap pages--at this link.  I only recommend companies with heirloom-quality products and private photo storage, and you'll find both there. 

It has changed my life.  No kidding!  

#4 CREATE YEARBOOKS

Another amazingly helpful scrapbooking hack is Yearbooks.  I can't even tell you how much I love this idea!  

It's what I always recommend to people who are overwhelmed with their photos and really just don't know what to do with them.

I love it because you already know where every photo goes in the book.  Create a book for 2019.  (The video below is the easiest way I know of to do that while still getting a book that's the highest quality in the industry.  Win-win.)  Add 2 pre-designed pages for January.  Put photos from January on the pages.  Write your memories about the photos.  That's it!  

And it really is that simple, as you'll see in the video below.

You could also consider the Yearbook Method, which is putting pictures from one month on two pages.  This helps some people pare down their photos by just choosing their favorites, which makes their photos manageable again.  

Whether you use the pared-down Yearbook Method or you preserve the majority of the photos you take using more than 2 pages per month (like I do), the easiest way I have ever seen to make a yearbook is by Forever, and I show it to you right here:

If you prefer full creativity and flexibility, you can also make Yearbooks using Artisan digital scrapbooking software by Forever.  It's powerful software and you can do a lot with it!  That's what I use and I L-O-V-E it!!

Plus, with a Forever account you're getting heirloom-quality publishing and an option to purchase and OWN your own permanent photo storage (which just about nobody offers) without paying a monthly fee (or a "rental" fee, as I call it).  You can store videos there, too.  And it's super easy to share your photos and videos with anyone you choose!

#5 WORK WITH SOMEONE ELSE

I have a friend who gets together with her sister for lunch every Friday for 2 hours and they work on their photos.  Sometimes it's uploading them from their phones, sometimes it's putting them in digital pages, etc.  When I had little kids, I got together with a friend and we scrapbooked the entire day while our kids played together--and it was absolutely fantastic.

This hack to work with someone else is kind of like leveling up from the #1 idea up top.  One of the main benefits of working with others is that you have an accountability partner, of sorts. 

This is why I've been holding online events for quite a few years!  Click here to see "our community & events" and see what events are coming up next so you can come!  Most of them are free, and all of them are fabulous.  I recommend the Photo Rodeo for a general event where everyone just works on whatever they need to, from photo organization to digital scrapbooking.

BONUS:  ONE LAST SCRAPBOOKING HACK THAT CAN REALLY HELP!

I've been a digital scrapbooker for so long that I work pretty fast!  If you'd like to hire me to do the physical work of putting together your books or scrap pages, click the "contact me" tab at the upper left at the top of this blog.  Having a partner and a scrapbooker-for-hire is a pretty big, helpful scrapbooking hack! 

Choose one of these great methods, prioritize time on your calendar, and make your photos manageable... and you've just hacked scrapbooking!

#dontletyourbabiesgrowuptobejpegs

Pin to save and share!

Follow Photo & Story Treasures on social media here: