Over the past few weeks, we’ve removed things from walls so they could be painted, and moved every last item from one room to another while floors were replaced.
It’s not the least bit fun, y’all.
But it’s revealing. Things that once seemed perfectly fine become unfine. I’ll take something out of a space because I have to. But if I don’t like it, I’m definitely not going to put it back in that space.
But what about photos?
Photos are . . . photos. A sentence containing the words “decluttering” and “photos” together is almost sure to produce Decluttering Paralysis in people like me.
As I emptied shelves and cleared surfaces and took framed photos off our walls, I realized many photographs didn’t necessarily need to be in frames.
The frames have gone out of style or there are newer photos I prefer to display. And they take up so MUCH SPACE that I need for other things.
So I did the same thing I did when I packed up my Mother-in-Law’s home last year. I bought a 12×12 post-bound album from the scrapbooking section at Hobby Lobby and filled it with the 8×10 and 5×7 and 11x14 (now 12) photos.
And now, those photos take up a small amount of space filled with happiness, instead of walls and surfaces (or storage boxes . . . ) filled with too much stuff.
So yay.
Yay for honoring our family photos instead of resenting them.
Here’s an affiliate link to a similar album on Amazon that (at the time I’m posting this) is cheaper than what I paid for mine.
I also made a video about this! Watch below or see it here.
Another family member scanned and made DVD disks of the items in our loved one’s photo album. The disk takes up very little space and can be accessed easily.
Yes, I was thinking the same thing— why not just scan them, Dana? Then I realized (because this is how I actually am): scanning turns it into a PROJECT, which means I avoid doing it. For whatever reason, scanning photos is a total pain, whereas taking photos out of frames I’m getting rid of, and slipping them into a little photo album seems quick and easy (as long as I have the photo album, of course!).
So my thought to myself was “duh, why didn’t I think of that!” I have been moving around boxes of framed pictures that I don’t hang up, because they are photos of family. Of course I can take them out and them in a binder, and get rid of some bulky frames I don’t like. That opens up a whole shelf in my basement storage area, and a few other places around the house too.
I enjoy your videos. And love this idea for photographs. Thanks!
I got a digital frame and scanned my photo albums. Now my pictures flash across the screen 24/7. I can stop it, fast forward or go backwards with the remote. My Mom who lives with me got a digital frame and did hers too!
I have a box full of framed photos sat in the bedroom which I put there while I decided what to do with them….I now know!! Thanks x
I have done something a little different for displaying current photos. I took a large ornate frame, removed the glass and inserted cork board instead. Now it hangs in the hallway, looking somewhat fancy, but holds a lot of small photos in sort of a collage. I use fancy push pins to hold the photos in place. I am not much for displaying photos, but my husband’s family likes it. So they are pleased to see the pics when they visit. This way, it is much easier to change out photos when we want to put up different ones too. Win-win!
Yes, pictures paralyze me every time! I even bought a binder to put old framed pictures in, but to be honest…I felt like I was betraying the people in the pics, especially the ones who are no longer with us. I know the truth: once I put it in that album, it will likely never go on the wall again, and I may look through that binder once every few years. I especially struggle with my kids’ newborn pics on the wall. I want to replace them with more recent pictures but can’t bring myself to do it. The struggle is real!
First of all, love, love love your videos. I know it takes time for you but helps us so much.We have to be soul sisters, I think the same way about tons of things. I struggle with photos and all the other small things I want to keep. Yes some are back up etc. However I really don’t look at them like that. I like the real deal, photos, and books vs data. Thanks for your videos, keep them up.
Dear Dana.
Greetings from Denmark.
I am new in here. I found you during the holidays and went through your “get started” site. Not done yet, though. I love your podcasts I’m currently hearing podcast number 074.
Approximately 3 months, have you been in my life and I believe it is safe to say, that you already changed it.
At the age of 38 I finally have my laundry under control. I fired my cleaning lady, (my mom), because I seriously don’t need her anymore.
My current routine is this:
Laundryday: Sunday – beginning on Saturday
Monday free- still
Tuesday: dusting day
Wednesday – bathroom cleaning day
Thursday: free – still
Friday: vacuuming and mobbing floors day
Every day- doing the dishes, a 5 minute pick plus making my bed makes a magical routine in this home. I.m trying to add a 15 minute garden routine also, though it doesn’t really want to stick with me.
Thank you for figuring it out – for me too.
Best Sabrina
Another idea: Have a shutterfly book made of them, then display it on one of those decorative frame holders…who knows what they are called… but my mom had one that had a ‘shelf’ for three frames. You could just place the photo books on those, so when people come over they can take it off the wall and look at it.
I’m in the middle of a ‘ten thousand photos’ project right now. If I survive it, perhaps I’ll write about how I handle all of them. lol
Boy, did this piece ring my bell. I cherish photos of family and events in my life, but have run out of places to display them in their frames. It almost feels like a betrayal to remove them from display, but … but… enough already. I realized a while ago I had to deal with all the pictures in frames, but it’s a task! So, I’ve procrastinated until now.
Last night we had a family night to look at videos and photos of a trip our daughter and her family took. They were all on her phone, which we viewed on the TV. No frames, no drawers of pictures, no storage [other than in “the cloud” and on a memory stick] required. True, the photos are not in frames on display in her home, but who really pays attention to pictures other than family and close friends? Some of the photos are worthy of printing out to be put in an album, one or two might be displayed in frames. This decision making editing is enough of a task that only the most important or interesting images are worth the trouble of printing out.
Clutter avoidance is as important as decluttering.
Thank you!! This can be something I can do this winter in the evening while watching tv. And then I can do it for my MIL!!
I started this project before covid and now need to complete it. I have 13 grandchildren so you can imagine the framed photos! They all came out of their frames-I thought a good garage sale item except no one wanted a single one! Now I have 4 photo albums, one for each family and that is where the photos will live once I get them put in their proper places!
While I used to love having framed photographs of family and friends all over the house…on the walls, sitting on end tables, bookshelves or any other flat surface…. I reached a point where I suddenly realized that I didn’t “see” them anymore. They had simply become background noise and something to be moved and then cleaned when I dusted. So. What to do? Much like you, I took then out of their frames and put them in a binder. I currently have four framed photos out and change them as the mood takes me. Much less visual clutter for my too easily overwhelmed brain!
Thanks so much for this idea. It was a lightbulb moment for me. I have bins of framed photos that I have taken off walls and shelves when I painted or decluttered. Do you have ideas for all those photo cards one gets at Christmas time? Should they go in the album or just recycle?
Love this idea!
I did this recently. My mom and my grandmother both passed. I inherited all kinds of framed pictures from both. Mostly of me and my son. I had no where to store all these frames and photos so I took out the photos and got rid of the frames. Much better
Hobby Lobby people, I am wading through thousands of photos. One project is to put some photos of my girls in a Hobby Lobby binder (album) and I purchased sleeves with multiple slots. The ones in the top row are not secure! If I pick up the album the wrong direction the top row of photos fall out! I even asked employees at the store for a solution, and no one seemed to know. Thanks!
Thanks, that’s a wonderful idea. We are tackling photos at my mom and dad’s place, after they passed away recently. My sister and I didn’t know what to do with the boxes and boxes of photo’s. This idea will be a life saver for us.
I am downsizing homes and started packing my pictures. I found so many framed photos that I removed from display as more current photos were put up. I didn’t know what to do with them all. Your article was my answer! Thanks so much.