How to Scrapbook When You Just Don’t Have the Time
Scrapbooking can seem daunting when you’re on the outside looking in. There are materials to purchase, photos to take and print, and at some point you will need to sit down and devote serious time to the actual ‘scrapbooking’ part of it all. There are so many places to get lost in the process, but luckily there’s a relatively quick, easy, and cheap alternative to traditional scrapbooking. You don’t need to be a master crafter to create cherished family keepsakes; you just need to right tools and a little commitment!
Here’s what you’ll need: The Shutterfly mobile app, a camera on your phone, about $7.99 for shipping, and an hour or two a month
Users of the Shutterfly app can create one 20 page book a month. Take photos on your phone throughout the month, and set aside one or two hours once a month to assemble your scrapbook on your phone. This method of scrapbooking is great if you’re short on time and/or money. It’s cheaper than the cost of buying scrapbooking materials and printing photos, it has zero clean up, and it can be done on the go.
Personally, the part of this I find to be the most difficult is remembering to take photos. The entire process is otherwise very straightforward! If you don’t know where to start in choosing what photos to include in your photobook, consider starting with the ones you post on Facebook and Instagram. If you need some inspiration for page themes, I’ve included some of my favorites below!
Here are some ideas for page themes:
Family portraits: Watch how your family grows month after month
Children’s Artwork: My mother was determined to keep all of our artwork when my sister and I were growing up. By the time I reached middle school, the house was overrun. There were finger-paintings and hand turkeys everywhere. My mother ultimately gave up and purged most of our creations after taking some photos of them. Save yourself some labor and space in the long run and take photos as you go. As a bonus, you will know exactly how old your child was when they made each piece of artwork!
Children’s Pages: Take a picture of your child with some interview questions in the caption. Ex.- “I’m _ years and _ months old. I am _ feet and _ inches tall. My favorite color/stuffed animal/movie/etc. is ___ because ___.”
Vacation Pages: Choose photos of your family alongside photos of the scenery and your favorite meals and memories. You can include a list of songs from your trip’s playlist in the captions, or you can write about your favorite restaurants and activities.
Milestones and Events: Create pages for baby’s firsts, weddings, birthdays, first days of school, graduations, anniversaries, or any other milestones you don’t want to forget.
Holiday Pages: Choose photos from your favorite traditions, such as cooking, lighting candles, or decorating a tree. Include one of your favorite family recipes as a caption.
Before/After Home Improvement: Putting before and after photos of your renovations will let you look back and see how your home grew to fit the needs of your family as time goes on.
Favorite Foods/Drinks of the Month
What Shows You Watched/Music You Listened To/Books You Read
Anything Else Your Heart Desires
