Photo Catalog

So, I’m a bit of a picture nut.

I’m always printing pictures out and updating the pictures in our frames and on our bulletin boards. I just love having wonderful memories with family and friends all around our home. It makes me realize what a happy and full life we are blessed to have.

But, even though I’m a “picture nut” I’m not exactly the best at keeping all of my pics organized and in chronological order.

Here’s the system I’ve been using for quite some time.  Whenever I print out pictures, I just put them in the photo box that sits on our bookshelf.

Sure, it’s a cute little box.

Photo Box

But the scary part happens when you open it up.

See…I told you it was scary.

I’m constantly taking all of the photos out, and I dig and dig looking for a specific picture. It’s a mess.

So when I saw this card catalog at my favorite antique mall, I knew it would be a great solution to my picture problem.

Plus with a $10 price tag…who could pass this bad boy up? (Yes, that is my coffee on top. Is there any other way to shop?!)

Once I got it home, I cleaned it up with hot water mixed with some vinegar. I wiped it down, inside and out, to get rid of all of those years of neglect #holyspiderwebs

There were also some pieces of tape on the exterior, so I used some Goo Gone to get them off.

After it was all dry, it was time to get organizing.

I hit up OfficeMax and got some labels and plastic 4×6 tabs.

The tabs had letters on them, but I just flipped them over and used the backside.

I then dumped all our pics on the table. #holycow

I then made some paper scraps to decide on my groupings. Childhood pictures, High School, College, etc.
Now, I don’t want to give away all of my secrets…but I’m gonna tell you something.
Whenever we have a guest come for the weekend, I like to make sure that I have at least a couple pictures of them up in our place. I just think it makes that person feel more comfortable and I like to think it makes them feel good too. So, I’ll sometimes swap out a few pictures in our frames to accommodate our guests. (Sorry future guests…you now know my secret! Don’t feel sad next time you come over!)
Anyways, I made a few groupings of photos for our family and friends. I chose the best pictures of everyone and they’re now all grouped by name.
It definitely took me a lot less time than expected to get everything in order.
It makes me feel pretty cool (like I’m a librarian or something!) whenever I flip through the different sections.
I put awkwardly shaped photos in the back behind the 4×6 pictures.
There is still TONS of room left for pictures. The entire right drawer is empty.
The photo catalog’s final resting place (for now) is in the guest room by the desk.
I’m pretty much in love with it. It’s cute, functional, and makes me feel so darn organized. #triplethreat
Photo Catalog Organizing Pictures
Casey