Do you feel guilt when you think about all the pictures you have sitting on your phone that haven’t seen the light of day? Through the years, you’ve captured so many memories, but the memories are hard to share if they aren’t printed out for all to see.
My phone is filled to the max with pictures. Over time, I have spent a lot of money on professional photo’s that are now sitting in a box in the basement. When my boys were babies, I had professional pictures taken every three months leading up to their first year, and then every year until they entered school. It made me sad that I wasn’t showing those pictures off.
I was interested in finding a way to display all the pictures, but I didn’t want take up wall space. Plus, I can never get the picture frames to stay just right when I make a wall collage of pictures.
I ended up coming up with a system for displaying our favorite pictures and family memories without taking up too much space. I’m sharing with you my system for using all my favorite pictures and how you can use this system for yourself.
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Create a Seasonal Picture Display
While reading Gretchen Rubin’s book, Better Than Before*, I learned about her use of a seasonal display of pictures. I loved this idea, specifically because I have professional Christmas pictures from years past that I wanted to showcase.
I knew I wanted to start creating a seasonal display of my own, but I wasn’t sure where to display it. Then I came across Lambert’s Lately Post about a DIY Farmhouse Console Table. I had been looking for a sofa table for the living room, and my husband was looking for a project so this DIY table was a good fit for both of us.
Once the table was complete, I knew I wanted to use it to display pictures. More specifically, I wanted to make the table a place where we could highlight pictures that went along with the season and holidays. And this is how my seasonal picture display was born.
What You Need for Picture Display
Choose an Area for Your Picture Display
If you don’t want to go as far as to make yourself a whole new table, there are a few other options to use for display of your pictures:
- Find some space on a table you already own
- Find some wall space and do a picture collage
- Buy a floating shelf like this one
Decide On What You Will Use to Display Your Pictures
If you will be using picture frames, do you have enough around the house? Or do you need to purchase some more. I decided that I wanted all white frames so I bought ones like these*.
You’ll also want to decide on what size pictures you will use. I used varying sizes of pictures to give the display more depth.
Choose Pictures to Include in Your Display
This is the fun part. You get to go through all your pictures and figure out what to use for your seasonal display.
You can use the display to highlight someones birthday for the month. Or you can showcase all those professional photo’s you paid for but don’t use. Most of the pictures I use, I find on my phone from years past.
Here is a month-by-month breakdown of how I showcase our family photos:
January – Pictures in the snow, family pictures of our annual January get together with other family members
February – Valentines Day pictures, pictures related to love, pictures from vacations taken in February
March – St. Patrick’s Day pictures, pictures if you
April – My son’s birthday so I display pictures of him from birth until now
May – Mother’s Day, pictures of all the moms in your life, pictures of you with your kids
June – My husband’s birthday so I display pictures of him throughout his life and pictures of all the fathers in our life for Father’s Day
July – My birthday so I display pictures of myself through the years, as well as some pictures from vacations we have taken in July, or summer pictures
August – Beach and summer pictures
September – Back-to-School pictures from previous years, football related pictures, fall pictures
October – Halloween pictures from years past, our anniversary so I display our wedding photo, and any fall type photos
November – My son’s birthday so I display pictures of him from birth until now, more fall pictures, Thanksgiving pictures from past years
December – Christmas pictures from past years
I’m sure by now you get the idea. This is how I use my seasonal display, but you can showcase your pictures in any way that makes you happy.
How to Organize All the Pictures for the Picture Display
Once you decide on the pictures to use for the display, you will want a system or routine for organizing the pictures. The easier you make it on yourself to access the pictures, the more likely you will be to change the pictures out monthly.
I recommend using a file box*. You can also use a hanging folder* with file folders* in a filing cabinet*.
Use twelve filing folders and label them with each month. Place the picture in the month you would like to display it.
Chances are, you don’t have a lot of pictures printed out. Take a few minutes and go through your phone and select all the pictures you want to use. Send them out to be printed. I like to use WalMart for printing because I can pick the pictures up while I’m grocery shopping.
Then as time goes on, when you take a picture that you want displayed in your seasonal picture display, have it printed out.
I try to do this ahead of time so I always have a lot of selection to choose from for each month.
When switching out my pictures, it’s so easy to go into the files and grab what I need. Around the beginning of each month, I grab my file box and select the pictures I want to use from that month’s folder. I take out the current pictures and file them away. Then I update the frames with the new pictures.
Show Off Your Picture Display
The picture display is not only a great way to use all the pictures in your phone, it also represents the importance of family and making memories.
Once your display is complete, you’ll be surprised with how much joy it brings you. Plus, your kids will enjoy seeing pictures of themselves as babies, or pictures of you when you were young.
How do you display all your family memories? Do you like the idea of a seasonal display? Let me know in the comments below.
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One more thing, though unrelated…I have this mom hacks sheet that might actually help you stay sane on those crazy, overwhelming, nothing goes right, kinda days. Click here to grab it. It will be super helpful.
Love this idea of a seasonal display! Can’t wait to try it. 🙂
Thank you! I hope you have fun with it!