I recently had a friend confide in me that of all the things she owned, the ones that really mattered were her travel and family vacation photographs because they served as visual markers of her life. Yet, despite taking thousands of photographs, she hadn't actually printed very many of them.
I realized that a lot of us – including me – fall into that same club. As I travel across the world documenting and sharing my experiences digitally through photographs, they quickly end up being organized onto hard drives – never to be seen again. Even more are saved to my phone, small snapshots of our everyday life. As a matter of fact, I must have taken 100,000 photos the first year of my son's life and still, seven years later, no more than a handful have ever been printed.
In an effort to change this trend, I created this DIY Memory Box craft project. It's such an easy way to show off your treasured travel and family photos. The best part is that it can be done in about 30 minutes and expanded on later, as you add to your travels. Not only is it perfect for sorting and displaying your travel memories, it's also great for holding other small trinkets you collect on your travels like shells, coins, bracelets and other mementos. By picking up small boxes at each of your vacation destinations, you can create a collection of truly one of a kind memory boxes that will keep those photos from simply gathering cyberdust.
Check out the video below for step-by-step instructions.