DIY Family Photo Books

We all have a lot of photos of our favourite memories stored somewhere or other, whether that be on our phones, cameras, laptops or social media albums. Although we all hold these photos dear to us being records of some of our best memories and times we spend together with our friends and families, more often than not these photos are left in random places, unorganised and forgotten about. However, with us all having a lot more time on our hands at the moment than usual, what better way to spend it than to tackle some of the projects you've been putting off for a while? Having a go at making your very own DIY photo book is an amazingly fun activity for you and your kids to enjoy so you can all remember the good times. There are many different ways to can make a family photo book and is something sure to get all the family excited and involved as a great lockdown pass time.

Sometimes doing things simply is the best and most effective way to make something look cared for and authentic. Trying a traditional method of making a family photo book by selecting your favourite photos, sending them off to be developed and sticking them in a photo album is a lovely way to create a really special photo book. Adding captions below the photos of a description of what is happening in the image or your favourite memory about the day is a great way to make the album feel even more personalised. Websites like Snapfish offer a photo printing service which allows you to upload your photos from your laptop and social media accounts, and they post the results to your door, making it a highly convenient way to create a record of your memories with a professional finish.

If you're looking for an easier and more efficient way of making a photo book, why not have a go at creating it online? Websites like Photobox offer fantastic services where you can bring your photos to life by just uploading them, and making your very own personalised photo book. It's a great way to get the kids involved too, selecting which photos they want to include and choosing from a range of exciting designs available. With loads of opportunities to get creative with messages, fonts and colours it's a perfect way to make something really special that you'll most certainly treasure forever.

To give your photo book an amazingly authentic vintage aesthetic, why not have a go at adding instant polaroid pictures for a really beautiful effect. Cameras like the Fujifilm Instax are fairly inexpensive and give a brilliantly retro feel to your photos and memories to make your captured moments even more special and wholesome. Your kids will have a great time snapping and seeing their photo creations instantly develop before their eyes and will have so much fun cutting and sticking their photos in the order they want to make the book look even more beautiful. Instant polaroids also make fantastic unique gifts which any family member would love to receive, especially during these current times where it is more important than ever to cherish the connections we have with our loved ones.

The more creative ones among us may want to have a go at making a collage with the photos they've selected to include in the photo book. You and your kids can most certainly get your creativity flowing by cutting out parts of each photograph and arranging them on the page in a way that highlights the special nature of each individual memory. It's a great way to get the family together and involved in an activity that they will all enjoy to really make the most of the time we have in lockdown. Have fun at creating your own stand out designs, pairing pictures, colours and different memories together to tell a story on the page.

For something really personalised, a photo scrapbook is a great way to highlight each memory with even more detail and description, and there are so many unique designs to be made. These are so easy to make, and can be created very simply in any spare notebook you have around the house. Or if this isn't readily available to you, you can have a go at making your own with paper and creating the pages by punching holes and tying them together. Go back through old photos and decide on an order you want to display your snaps to tell the story you want to tell. Add descriptions on each page, and collate together anything you may have kept from the event you're writing about such as outing pamphlets, stamps and postcards from some of your favourite holidays. Your scrapbook doesn't have to be limited to old memories and stories either. Why not take new photos and record some of the amazing memories you and your family are making during lockdown? Don't miss out on recording some of the fun moments you're sharing at the moment, and you could even have a go at writing diary entries for each of these under your pictures. Add colours, decorations and drawings to make your scrapbooks exciting and stand out. You and your kids will have brilliant fun creating your individual designs. For more scrapbook ideas take a read here.

Why not make your photo books themed? A travel book is a great idea to really cherish your most exciting family memories. If you've been hiking up mountains, walking through forests or just relaxing on a beautiful beach, compiling all these amazing moments in one place will ensure you won't forget the experiences and emotions felt from the places you've visited. Adding collected souvenirs to the book too is a lovely way to make the pages feel incredibly individual and personal.