Organized Chaos
Camera phones have made it too easy to snap thousands of photos and many parents can't help but capture every moment with their kids. Can you blame them?––They're adorable. If you're guilty of maxing out the storage on your smartphone, you may want some ideas on how to organize and display your photos. From photo books to digital frames, here are 20 creative ways to preserve your family memories.
1. Gallery Wall
A gallery wall is an artistic way to display many family photos at once without looking cluttered. Choose an accent wall to showcase your photos above a couch or dining table or in a hallway. Spruce up your home like an art gallery by displaying frames with different colors and sizes.
Kristyna Squared.one on Unsplash
2. Collage
A large framed collage turns your collection of photos into a beautiful piece of art. A collage is a great way to display your favorite photos from multiple years. If you’re working with hundreds of photos, make three collages that you can display side by side or place individually in separate rooms.
Kristyna Squared.one on Unsplash
3. Annual Family Album
An annual photo album is something you and your family can look forward to every year. At the start or end of each year, select your favorite photos to put in an album. You’re not only preserving memories but you’re organizing them in a tidy, visually pleasing timeline as well.
4. Album Per Kid
If you have several children you may want to consider multiple albums to prevent you from overwhelm by photos. By creating an individual album for each kid, you can keep their photos evenly numbered and organized. It also gives them a special keepsake they can look at as they grow up and you can keep adding to it as you take more pictures.
5. Scrapbook
A good old-fashioned scrapbook is a fun activity and a beautiful way to showcase your family photos. Make it a family event and get everyone involved in crafting their own scrapbook or one to share. With a scrapbook, you can organize your photos into categorized pages by occasions like vacations and milestones.
Kristyna Squared.one on Unsplash
6. Sort & Store Chronologically
If you’re dealing with hundreds of printed photographs may we advise a sorting and storing solution? Start by sorting your photos in chronological order and toss any duplicates and fuzzy shots. You can then store them in labeled boxes or drawers and separate each space with labeled dividers.
7. Make A Video
A video is a creative way to store your backlog of phone photos. You can transfer all your favorites into a movie-making app and easily create a video of your photographs. A video can be shared widely with others and it’s a great way to look back at your photos in one place. Add music that reminds you of your family and gives you all the nostalgic feelings.
8. Digitize Your Old Photos
If you’re buried under a heap of old photographs you may want to consider digitizing them. With your own scanner or a photo service center, you can scan all your prints into a computer. Once they’re digitized you can sort and display them as you wish, clearing up physical storage space and preserving memories in a safe virtual place.
9. Photo Books
Turn your endless collection of family snaps into a professional-grade photo book. A book is a stunning way to preserve memories and makes wonderful gifts for family members as well. You can easily create photo books online and add text to any of the pages.
Kristyna Squared.one on Unsplash
10. Collage Tabletop
If you love the family photo collage idea why not get even more creative with it? Transform a tabletop into sentimental art by creating a collage and securing it with a glass top. You can enjoy a trip down memory lane every time you sit down for dinner or sip your morning coffee at the table.
Fiona Murray-deGraaff on Unsplash
11. Digital Galleries
Organize your photographic chaos with categorized online galleries. Sort your photos by years or events and upload them to digital galleries. Titled online galleries are quick to find and easy to share with your friends and family without sending them thousands of extra pictures.
Guilherme Vasconcelos on Unsplash
12. Digital Photo Frame
A digital frame is an ideal way to display numerous photos in one spot. With a digital photo frame, you can create a slideshow of as many photos as you desire and display the frame wherever you please. Frames come in many sizes and can be placed on a wall, shelf, or table to suit any space.
Taken with Canon IXY 10S (Digital IXUS 210) on Wikimedia
13. Floating Shelves
Add a little flair to your interior design with floating shelves to display your printed photos. Like a gallery wall, floating shelves look best with a mix-and-match approach, stacking shelves at different heights and using various frames to showcase your photos.
14. Photo Gifts
If you don’t want to keep all those adorable photos of your kids all to yourself, photo gifts are a great way to show them off. Make photo mugs, drink coasters, graphic t-shirts, or anything you think the lucky recipient will love. Photo gifts are a unique way to use and preserve your photographs.
Danila Instalook.ru on Unsplash
15. Fridge Magnets
Instead of using magnets to display your photographs why not turn your pictures into magnets? Photo fridge magnets give you creative freedom to display your photos on the fridge. You can get a taste of memories every time you open the fridge for a snack.
Kristyna Squared.one on Unsplash
16. Family Website
Another way to organize and show off your backlog of family photos is to create a website. You don’t have to be a professional photographer to reap the benefits of a polished website, you can create one to share with the whole family. With a website, you can keep adding new photos to categorized pages and it’s easy to access them with the URL.
17. Storage Display Boxes
If you want to hold onto your precious printed memories, decorative storage boxes are a brilliant idea. Sort your photos into labeled boxes or baskets that make them easy to access and look fabulous on your shelves.
18. Transform Your Hallway
Transform your empty hallway into a sentimental art gallery. Make use of the limited space by displaying framed photographs on the walls. Like a gallery wall, you can have fun with frame designs and various sizes.
19. Organized Phone Albums
If you live on your phone then you might just want a simple solution to organize your photos on it. There are plenty of storage apps and clouds you can download to store all your mobile photos. Once you sort through them, you’ll have a virtual space that you can easily navigate.
20. Photo Quilt
A photo quilt is a combination of old-fashioned charm and modern technology. Nowadays, there are companies that can transfer your favorite photographs onto fabric and create a beautiful blanket with them. What’s more adorable than a family snuggling under a quilt of their memories?
