Have you found some of your grandparents’ old albums and scrapbooks in the attic? Instead of packing it all away for another time, now is the perfect opportunity to turn family treasures into a modern photo book! At some point in the past, someone in your family took the time to lay out and preserve photos of special moments. Passing on stories and images from the past is an important step toward preserving and passing on your family history.
You can choose to re-create one singular album or event, or select photos from albums and loose photos to create a comprehensive family history collection. Here are a couple things to keep in mind as you work towards creating something that can be passed down through the generations.
Choose a goal
While you are sorting through your family albums and scrapbooks, don’t set aside any loose photos, recipes, letters, etc – you can use them! Begin sorting by events, people, or time periods. Choose a goal for the project and run with it.
We’ve worked on some amazing projects that started with a specific goal for the purpose of the book:
- A three volume collection of war letters between a husband and wife overseas
- A re-creation of a World War I scrapbook filled with documents and aerial photos
- A collection of recipes spanned across 80 years with hand-written recipe cards, photos, and textures.
- Organized and created 80th birthday tribute gift book compilation comprised of 170+ submissions from friends and family around the world
What to Save
Almost everything! From documents tucked behind photos, to hand written captions on the page, to stamps and fabric, we can use all of these elements to accent and create a unique look and feel to your photo book.
Scrapbooks that have been stored in garages or basements are more apt to have some degradation due to the dampness and unpredictability of the environment. Each day that passes, the risk to your albums increases. Getting started by scanning and backing up your scrapbooks or loose photos in a digital format is important. It’s the first step to take toward sharing your memories across generations.
How to Get Started
Start by scanning your pages, either as full pages or as individual images. This gives you the freedom to either make an nearly exact replica of the original, or take it in a whole new direction.
Work with our talented photo book designers to create a unique, modern book to represent your family memories in a new way. Modern upgrades such as lay-flat binding and leather covers can add a breath fresh air into your old scrapbook so you can share these important family memories with the next generation with ease. This way, everyone can have a copy!
Keep Size in Mind
We work with a variety of different printing vendors to create the perfect photo book for your project, so whatever you are envisioning, fear not– we can make it happen!
Choose from a variety of sizes, finishes, and textures to best showcase your new album with your family. Our most popular photo book size is a 10″ x 10″. This is a great size for flipping through and large enough to share with some family members. We have many different options available, from smaller coffee table books that friends and family can flip through to 12″ x 12″ family history juggernauts.
You Have Options!
So Many Options.
Select metallic, gilded edges to accent elegant old fashioned wedding albums. Pull colors and textures from old photos or materials to add a personal touch to your book. Have a sample of wallpaper from your grandparents’ house or a drawing your mom created when she was a child? This can be used as a background or element on special pages to pull in a personal touch. Even if you came across an old album from the past, we can add lace from your grandmother’s wedding dress to the background for all or part of the new book!
If you are thinking about getting started on this project, don’t hesitate to contact us. Our consultants will give you an overview of what is possible and can schedule a time for you to meet with one of our photo book designers. Everything is free until after you’ve met with a designer and committed to a project. We are passionate about creating photo books because we know how meaningful they can be do a family.
