It’s been a busy couple of months around here at Lily & Val! We’ve had two amazing workshops, released a new spring collection, and we’re getting ready for the National Stationery Show! With so much going on, it’s important to stop and keep track of the little moments so you don’t forget what makes life fun. That’s why I wanted to share with you this minimal memory keeper DIY – it’s a fuss-free scrapbook so you can keep track of the daily things you might otherwise let pass.
Minimal Memory Keeper Supplies
You don’t need much to make this project! Just the following:
- 3-ring binder of your chosen size (Mine is 9×11 and from Target)
- Page protectors that fit your binder – pick protectors with varying designs
- Photos
- Scissors
A few optional decorative supplies I used include:
- Decorative paper
- Single hole punch
- Washi tape
- Chalk Lettering Tool Kit
Step One – Print Your Photos
This sounds so archaic nowadays, but yes – actually print out your photos! I sent about 30 photos I took on my iPhone or from blog posts about our recent happenings to Target’s photo center and they were ready two hours later.
Don’t worry about looking for your best photos – just print out simple moments that actually capture what your week or month was like. It’s low-pressure!
Step Two – Plan a Theme
A “theme” doesn’t have to mean what it means in traditional scrapbooking. It just helps you organize your photos! For example, I wanted to showcase in this first spread a couple of things: National Letter Writing Month (which is a big deal around here), our April wallpaper download, and little snapshots of the mess we make in the office.
Speaking of office, I also wanted to showcase a new print we sampled and will potentially be offering soon in the shop – the Office Sweet Office design! This opening spread is like the minimal memory keeper version of our “Pretty Ordinary” blog series.
I didn’t want to make each page one event – I wanted the spreads to capture an idea. Your spreads could be as simple as you like – try doing one spread per week, filling up a small binder of the month! (You don’t have to actually fill it out each week, though. I did mine all at once.)
The spreads I decided on for this project were the “Pretty Ordinary” around the office, spring collection inspiration and our first chalk lettering workshop.
Step Three – Fill and Embellish
Now for the fun part – choose your page protector layouts (I bought different ones via JoAnn Fabrics and A Beautiful Mess) and fill them with photos!
I like to include cards, handwriting, ticket stubs – really anything that can fit in a page protector – to add life to my binder. It’s not about looking perfect or having everything go together. It’s about getting memories off your phone and putting them somewhere where you and others can really enjoy them.
You can find kits to help you embellish at craft stores, but to keep this as simple as possible just use whatever you have lying around! Cut up magazines with pretty backgrounds or use your subway card from that trip to New York – seriously, anything you have works.
What do you think about our spreads? I wanted to show the ordinary and the important together. I think taking the pressure to be perfect out of scrapbooking allows us to show life with way more accuracy.
If you want a way to remember the little moments without a huge commitment, I highly recommend a minimal memory keeper! Becky Higgins from Project Life has a great system, as do the ladies at A Beautiful Mess. But you can go as simple and DIY as you like! This project is so easy to personalize.
If you liked this post, feel free to pin the image above! And tag us in any photos of your projects on Instagram with #lilyandvalliving! We can’t wait to see your memory keepers!
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