I always suffer from a large dose of nostalgia around New Year’s. Can you relate? This year on New Year’s Eve, I grabbed my scrapbooks, settled beneath the Christmas tree, and started flipping through them.
After I looked through my 2015 cruise scrapbook and then my 2017 Branson scrapbook, I realized that it would have been so cool if I had taken a big vacation in 2019 and scrapbooked about that- just to keep the pattern of going on a vacation every two years.
Oh, wells. At least I was able to reflect on my past vacations via my scrapbooks.
And that’s what I wanted to tell you about today: How I preserve the memories of my vacations using Shutterfly.
Better yet- I’m going to tell you how you can create a Shutterfly vacation album FOR FREE! :)
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I like making scrapbooks after vacations for a few reasons:
- So I can remember the memories I made on the vacation.
- Because I will want to look back on this later and remember the trip clearly.
- So I can save my pictures from the vacation in one location.
But here’s the key- Scrapbooking vacations MUST be simple and easy.
I don’t know about you, but I tend to be MORE tired after vacations. Thus, my vacation scrapbooking process must be able to be done on auto-pilot.
How to Create a Shutterfly Vacation Album
Here’s my secret technique to creating beautiful vacation scrapbooks: Use Shutterfly.
I’m going to walk you through the process of using Shutterfly in case you are unfamiliar with them.
Step 1: Log into Shutterfly
If you don’t already have a Shutterfly account, you can use this link to get a free 8×8 Shutterfly album! (That’s my favorite size for vacation books.)
Step 2: Click on “Photo Books” on the top left-hand corner.
Step 3: Choose either an album occasion or choose your size.
I always just pick 8×8 and then customize it later. But they do have a travel option you could choose from the get-go and pick your size later.
If you go with the travel occasion, the size is automatically 8×11. You can change the sizing if you want after you pick a theme. (Reminder- you can get a free 8×8 album with this link.)
You can also choose if you want the book to be hardcover or softcover. (I always go with hard.)
When you’re ready to create your book, click on the orange “Personalize” button.
Step 4: Add Photos
You should now see a screen similar to this. Click on “Add Photos.”
Then choose how you want to upload photos. You can add photos straight from your computer or phone, or from a social media site such as Facebook or Instagram.
Remember how I said I need my vacation scrapbooking process to be quick and easy?
This is why I love Shutterfly. The ability to import pictures from my vacation Facebook album is priceless. I also love that they have a Google Photos import option for the trips I haven’t shared on social media.
Step 5: Drag and drop your pictures into the Shutterfly Album
Once you upload pictures, they will appear at the bottom of your screen.
Choose a layout for your page and then drag photos to it. You can see the layout options on the left of your screen.
For this album, I had my first page be a text-only page so I could record the itinerary of the trip. It also serves as a table of contents for my book.
Continue adding photos to your layouts. Don’t forget to add text so you can remember what you were doing in the photos!
If you would like to rearrange your page order at any time, you can go to the “arrange” tab at the top of your screen.
You also have the option of previewing your book. (See the blue “Preview” button by the “Add to Cart” button on the top right of the screen.
Step 6: Buy your album
The last thing you’ll need to do is click “Add to Cart” and check out. If you used my link you should get your 8×8 book for free.
If you chose a different size or already had a Shutterfly account- Look for a coupon or wait for a sale.
Shutterfly has 50% off photo books ALL THE TIME. By just waiting a little bit before buying your book, you can save some money!
As I write this post, Shutterfly is having a 50% off hard-cover photo book sale. But even if you’re reading this post long after that sale has ended, just keep checking back every so often for the next one. Or, you could download the Shutterfly app and turn on notifications. Then the app will notify you about their sales.
That’s how I create my Shutterfly vacation albums!
It usually takes me just around an hour to create a Shutterfly vacation album. Typically I’ll work on one while watching a movie :)
But with just an hour of my time, I can preserve my vacation memories in a physical photo book to look back on for years to come.
Don’t let your vacation end when you get home- use Shutterfly to capture the memories so you can relive it again and again.
Let me know if you have any questions and I’ll do my best to answer.
Blessings,
Kara
