How I Store And Organize Family Photos and Sentimental Documents
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There are two types of people in this world… the ones with a giant box full of old family photos and memorabilia… and the ones who will one day inherit that giant box! All jokes aside though, I have been meaning to sort through my own big box of photos for some time now. And this weekend I purchased a couple items that got me especially motivated and excited to begin! So today on the blog, I thought I’d share how I plan to store and organize family photos and sentimental documents here at the farmhouse.
Of course, some of our photos are in frames and on display throughout our home. And it’s on my to do list to frame more of these, but that’s a post for another day! Today is all about storing and organizing!!
We had so many loose photos in this storage bin until now! When I wrote the last two posts in the “Old House Love Letters” series, I had to dig through it to find exactly what I was looking for. It took me so much longer because nothing was organized. So when I saw these albums at Michael’s recently, I knew now was the time to begin this project!
I bought two types of albums and I’ll share my reasoning here! I have lots of photos, many 4×6 size or smaller. And this album with the word “Memories” on the cover fits 4×6 photos in individual protective sleeves. But my smaller photos will fit just fine in there as well! I linked the exact one I purchased, but there are so many color choices and styles available! I plan to put the photos in as close to chronological order as possible. And I’m so glad these will be safely organized and easily accessible!
This second album with the words “Everyday Moments” on the cover is actually a scrapbook. I liked that it coordinated well with the photo album in the same color! It has large pages with black backgrounds and with protective sleeves. In addition to the photos, I have lots of old documents and sentimental papers in the box to organize and store. Things like old deeds to the land and the farmhouse from a few generations back. And my grandmother’s birth certificate and prom program! My granny tucked away these little bits of history into boxes and leather file sorters. It is simply amazing to me the things she saved! I’m both excited and relieved to have these compiled in one place!
The best thing about both these albums is that they are expandable! You can add extra pages to the book as you fill it up, rather than having to buy quite as many albums. To shop the items I purchased for this project, simply scroll through the photos below and click on the item(s) of your choice!
The hardest part of this project was just sorting through the photos and trying to put them in order. But I couldn’t be happier with the progress I’ve made on these photo albums. The fact that both of these books are expandable and I can add pages to them is an amazing feature! And I know these were the perfect solution for our family photos and documents!! I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s post. And I hope it inspires you to come up with a plan to store and organize your family photos and sentimental documents! Sure they’re fine in the box, but it makes all the difference when you can view them in an album and easily flip through the pages instead of fumbling through a pile!! Thanks for stopping by the blog today, and as always, thanks so much for following along…
Love, Brittany
Such a wonderful blog. I am in the process of doing this. We have been going through my grandparents pictures (my Dad’s side) and there are quite a lot. I have them sort of organized in boxes by family. I originally had planned to do a scrapbook for my Dad’s side of the family because my mom’s mom had made one for her, but I then realized that I not only had my grandparents photos, but my great grandparents photos and even some of my 2nd great grandparents photos. The photos range from 1800’s to about 2016. I am thinking of doing several albums, one on my grandfather’s side, one on my grandmother’s side and one on my grandparents meeting, getting married, my grandpa’s navy time during WW2, and coming home to raise a family. I would appreciate any tips or suggestions that you can give me. I don’t mind having albums, I just don’t want to have a whole bunch of them. Thank you for any help.
That is amazing that you have all of those photos! What a treasure! The albums I shared in this post are actually extendable. You can purchase more pages, and you can also purchase extenders that will physically widen the binding of the scrapbook itself. This is really nice because you can make the books as big as you need, which means fewer books will be needed to hold all your photos.
Scrapbook Extenders: https://rstyle.me/+2A_xqXqKlXxEWFAfFSL9Wg
Additionally, they sell multiple types of pages. They of course sell your typical photo album pages with pockets for 4×6 images. But they also have scrapbook pages, where you can attach multiple photos or even include bigger documents or large portraits. I found that this added flexibility is really nice, particularly when you have old family photos in varying sizes! Sometimes the 4×6 pockets just aren’t big enough, and sometimes they’re way too big!
Page refill options: https://rstyle.me/+1Yx3qBW3Pb6zfDfftM3BLg
Ok, last thing! These photo corners are a great way to attach old photos to the scrapbook pages. The clear photo corners attach to the actual page, and they hold the photo in place without having to tape or glue your photos down. That way your photos are still easy to remove if you ever need or want to take a photo out of the book in the future.
Photo corners: https://rstyle.me/+ySP8VqT_Mob6SR6wUcJccg
Good luck organizing all your family photos!
This is such a great idea! I have so many random photos in desperate need of some organizing! I have several albums already but they are all mismatched. I like the idea of having a matching pair of photo albums to make everything look united. Thanks for the inspiration!
Thanks Katie! I need to keep working through my photo boxes. I got started and then life happened but I love being able to flip through the pages I have done so far. It’s so much easier than sorting through a pile in a box!!