Do you love taking photos of the sky, your outfits, animals, everything? If you do, I’m willing to bet you struggle with phone storage. I’ve been there. But there’s a way to clear your storage while adding a more personal touch to your favorite memories: Scrapbooking!
Keeping a monthly scrapbook has been one of my favorite parts of college. I keep a 6”x6” scrapbook that I separate by month. This makes it manageable to maintain my scrapbook as time goes on!
Here’s how I do it:
- collecting
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I collect scrap paper, stickers, receipts, business cards, newspaper pieces, or any other kind of physical media I am intrigued by throughout the month. Also known as ephemera, this keeps my scrapbook visually intriguing and personal.
- gathering
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At the end of each month, I go through my camera roll and pick out my favorite photos. Then, I order prints through an app called FreePrints, which lets you print photos for free—you only pay for shipping! If you prefer, most drugstores also offer affordable photo printing.
- craft supplies!
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Most craft supplies are optional, but I would recommend paint pens (such as Posca), a glue stick, double-sided tape squares, and a 6”x6” scrapbook binder and paper. This is the most pricey part of the process, but these materials last me multiple months of scrapbooking at a time. Craft stores constantly have sales, so you can also get on local craft stores’ email lists to optimize your project.
- getting started
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Once I’ve gathered all my scrap materials, it’s time to get started! I usually begin by choosing which pictures I want to cut (like a campus raccoon, for example) and which work best as a complete photo. Then, I tape them to the page (tape squares work best for photos) and glue on smaller memorabilia. Finally, I write a few captions on every page explaining the photo. This helps me remember what was going through my head at that specific time in my life.
- voila
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I slide my scrapbook pages into a binder and there I have it: a time capsule of my time in college. How special!
I get it, scrapbooking can sound like something your great aunt does to pass the time in retirement. It doesn’t exactly sound youthful. But! There’s something so special about printing only your favorite photos and collecting memorabilia of your experiences. It’s really mindful too. Plus, you get to have physical copies of your memories to keep for yourself, friends, and family, and show them how much fun you had while in college, and beyond!
Now that my memories have been put onto paper, it feels easier to delete them from my camera roll. Physical documentation is more personal anyway! Scrapbooking is a great creative outlet that I find very meditative. So, consider taking some time for yourself to reflect through scrapbooking!