My first family yearbook was for the year 2016. Bruce and I were married for 4 years at that point but we didn’t have any kiddos in our lives yet. I always thought I would wait until kids to start putting photo books together, but something inspired me to make a yearbook when 2016 turned into 2017. So many trips, weekends, parties, friend adventures, and family holidays happen in a year. I easily filled the book with memories from our past year and I still look back on it fondly. It quickly became one of my favorite traditions to do when the new year rolls around and it is by far one of my favorite keepsakes!
My Process
There are many places to make photobooks and many ways to go about it, but I wanted to share with you my process! I hope it encourages you and inspires you to make a yearbook for your family this year. (Yes, even weird 2021!) Sometimes, it isn’t until you look back that you see all the changes and memories made!
Like I said, there are many places to make photobooks. I use Mixbook for our yearbooks. I like to be consistent with the size and style since I put them all together to display them. Mixbook makes it easy for me to copy the style and layout.
My books are organized by month and include no text besides the month names. I like a really clean and simple layout and eliminating the need to narrate helps the process go quicker. A picture is worth 1000 words anyway, so I focus more on showing the memories!
I like to go month by month because it makes sure to get in all the growth and details. Some months are packed with vacation pictures. Others feature pool dates and backyard hangs or forts in the living room on a snow day! Sometimes, I think we fight the urge to only share the vacations and holidays, but there is so much life that happens in the in-between that is worth remembering! It is the everyday that makes our lives!
Up to 99 Pages
I made my first book in 2016 and every year since, I copy the old one (you can do that in Mixbook), rename it, and save it again without pictures so I can put in the new year. I do change the layouts a bit to add more pages or take away pages from certain months, but I stick with the month layouts by only adding a new picture to represent the new year. Keep in mind that if you want to do a lay flat style like I do, the max number of pages you can have is 99. That feels like a lot, but it can go fast! I like to add a lot of pages that do 9 or 12 photos because it lets me fit more in!
You can save your progress at any point with Mixbook, so I work on it in chunks. Going month by month through my photos on the computer. Once I finish with the year, I let it sit in my account until a sale comes up! Photobooks can be a pricey investment (especially when you do lay flat style with 99 pages!!) So, I let my photo book sit in my cart until a sale comes up. Mixbook is often doing sales and I like to wait for one that is at least 45% off if not 55%! I’m in no rush to order it and my budget likes the discount!
Keep It Uniform
And because I am asked about it a lot, here are the details for ordering the same style that I do: Square Photo Book “10 × 10” Matte Hardcover Premium Matte Lay Flat. If you are at all interested in using the exact same layout that I use, I can add you as a contributor and essentially get you the same layout on your account. Send me an email at [email protected] and I will send you the details for how to do that! Please make the title “Mixbook Layout” or something similar so I know what you are talking about! HAHA! And if you want to check out more about my yearbooks and other photo projects, click here to go to my personal blog!
If you have been waiting to make a yearbook, maybe this year is the year! I’ll tell you a family yearbook is 1000% more fun to look back on than a school yearbook. All the memories are yours and each page is filled with the ones you love and the memories you made!
