With more time than ever on your hands at home, you might be looking to dig into a few DIY tasks that have been sitting on your to-do list for a while now. One of those is organising those thousands of photos and videos you have sitting on your phone of the kids! Here’s some tips to help you out.
Let’s face it, our kids are pretty darn cute – if we don’t say so ourselves. That’s why we so proudly snap away each and every day to get some great photo and video keepsakes to help us remember them in the moment. Oh, and to share across socials and with family, depending on your preferences!
But, what next?
What do you do with all those thousands of photos and videos that are building up each and every day. We have a few great ideas to help you out when it comes to organising those photos and videos. They may just inspire that next at-home activity for you to get stuck into.
1. Create a yearly movie
If I am being honest with you, I take so many videos of my kids that I think are adorable, but I rarely find the time to sit there and actually watch them back. So, instead, I started sorting through them at the end of each year, book marking my favourites, and uploading them into one movie.
It’s actually much easier than it sounds.
I use a program called Filmora, but there are so many incredible programs out there these days, it’s just about finding the best one for you. I don’t spend too much time on these videos, I simply crop the favourites together, and then add some music underneath.
The kids just adore it. Every time I finish one at the end of the year, they watch it over and over and over again. It’s the perfect reminder of all the fun we had together. They also always ask to watch old ones too. It’s so nice that the videos are being watched and enjoyed and not just sitting on my phone.
Don’t have time for a yearly movie? Who can blame you! Instead, do it every couple of years. It’s not something you want to stress over. Make it a little bit of you time to enjoy and reflect. You can also outsource the task to someone else.
2. Create some photo books
Print out some milestone photo books
Not the type of person to print out photobooks each and every year? It’s a lot of work sorting through all those photos!
Instead, just pick some of the milestone occasions. Did you throw an awesome birthday party for one of the kids? Create a mini photobook. It doesn’t have to be long…just a few of the best photos thrown into an album. Did you go on a family trip? Once again, create a mini photobook. It’s a great way of organising those photos and videos.
It’s nice to be able to go to the cupboard and grab out a book or two to reflect on some of those great family memories together.
There are so many different sites you can choose from. I have always used Snapfish, as they tend to have great sales throughout the year. Sometimes I create the book in my account, and wait until a sale comes along before purchasing.
3. Print out some for the kids (or you)
Print out a photo collage
Snapfish makes it really easy to put together collage prints. I find these just perfect for the kids! Cassie is five, and just adores photos. She adores being in them, she adores looking back on them, and she especially adores when her friends are in them.
I keep a special folder on my phone where I send any photos I take that I know Cass will love. Next time I get some printed, or create a photobook, I put together a collage for Cassie as well. It’s so easy to do, as all the photos are already saved in one spot on my phone. Just upload and print!
Cassie has a few of these around her room and is always looking at them. She points out friends, she asks when we can see people again, and it’s her connection to the world.
I have also printed out a collage for myself that sits in my home office. It’s not framed, it’s not fancy. It’s simply blu-tacked to the door, full of some great memories of the kids that keep me motivated each and every day.
4. Get some wall stickers made
Wall stickers
I’m not the type of person to print out photos and have them framed. That extra step involved of getting them framed and up on the wall is enough to turn me off it. The task ends up going on my to-do list and never getting ticked off.
That is, until I discovered wall stickers. They are the perfect idea for organising those photos and videos! You get your photos printed onto stickers, and stick them directly onto the wall. It’s that simple! I created a photo wall in our entry way that people are constantly commenting on when they come to visit.
The best part is, I add to it all the time. Our wall just expands when I have new photos to add, so it’s the perfect mix of old and new photos, jumbled up together into some fabulous memories.
Wondermade are a fabulous company I have used multiple times. We did try Snapfish, but the quality wasn’t nearly as good and the stickers peeled off over time.
Stickers not your thing? Have you heard of Mixtiles? Prepare to get hooked! You can turn your photos into mini tiles that can be stuck directly to your wall. No framing, no nails, just simple and easy. Peel and stick! Like the wall stickers, you can also add to your displays over time. You can can choose from different coloured frames, or no frame at all. Upload your photos and print straightaway. It’s that easy.
5. Use a digital photo frame
This has to be one of the easiest ways to enjoy your photos day after day with very little hassle. As technology improves, so do the options for displaying and sharing photos. These days, you can simply connect digital photo frames to your phone, so as soon as a photo is taken, it automatically gets added into the loop.
Word of warning here, I have heard stories of birth photos and other ‘private’ photos being displayed accidentally. Make sure you read up on all the different settings and exclude certain photos you’d prefer visitors didn’t see!
