Photo albums are lovely, but sometimes there’s more to a story than a simple photo. What about the recipe written in your grandma’s beautiful handwriting? What about the funny incident that happened right after you took that perfect photograph? What about your grandchildren’s silly drawings? A memory book allows you to capture far more of a story. With a little help from your family, you can create a treasured keepsake to pass down from generation to generation. Scroll down to learn how to create a memory book for your family.
How to Create a Memory Book for Your Family
Decide what form it will take.
Although memory books vary wildly, they’re generally considered to be enhanced photo albums. Sometimes they take the form of scrapbooks (with physical items like photographs, drawings, ticket stubs, and papers attached to the pages in some way), but they could also include non-photograph items in another form (typed stories, scanned drawings and mementos, etc.). To get started, decide what format your memory book will take. Then, you can purchase tangible tools (if you’re going the scrapbook route) or explore digital tools, such as Blurb, Mixbook, or Shutterfly.
Reach out to gather memories.
What would you like to include in your memory book? Photographs are a given, but don’t be afraid to think outside the box. For example, you might include items like the following:
- Postcards
- Letters
- Christmas and birthday cards
- Newspaper clippings
- Ticket stubs
- Transportation tickets
- Foreign currency
- Dried flowers
Since you’re creating a family memory book, don’t forget to invite your family to take part. Make a few calls or send a mass text/email asking your family members if they would like to contribute something to the book. You might also consider interviewing your family members.
Organize the layout.
How will you organize all the memories you wish to include? Chronological order often makes sense, but consider other methods as well. For example, you could organize based on events. One section could feature all your Christmas cards, another section could be devoted to your travels, and so on. Or you could organize based on people, honoring each family member with their own spread.
Create your book.
Now comes the hard part – but also the fun part! Using the memories you’ve gathered and the layouts you’ve planned, start putting your book together. Depending on your preferences, you might do this with scissors and glue or a laptop and mouse. Carefully craft your memory book – ideally with some help from your family.
When the book is finished, be sure to share it with your family. If it’s a single scrapbook, consider bringing it to your next family get-together so you can pass it around and reminisce together. If you created your memory book on a website, be sure to print more than one copy so that you can give the extras away as gifts.
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Now that you know how to create a memory book for your family, what are you waiting for? Not only are memory books an invaluable way to gather and preserve memories, but also they make great gifts and can even bring people together.
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