This week marks the beginning of summer vacation for my two daughters. It also marks the beginning of a precious two month period that I get to spend with them, basking in the warm Alabama weather, making the most of this time when they are still young. I have found that the pictures that I take throughout this time, are ones that keep me going during the dreary winter months. I take so many photos because of being able to spend all day with my children and by the end of the summer I usually have 100s of pictures for my memory albums.

Having never been much of a “theme” scrapper, however, I don’t always want to scrap all these photos in a generic summer way. Here are a few of the ways that I keep the summer photos fresh in my scrapbooks, while including my girls in the process!

1. Have your children write down what feelings they feel when they look at the developed picture, or how they felt during that picture. This can be your journaling for that page.

2. Have your children take some of the photos, so that you get a view from their perspective! (I buy a pack of disposable cameras from a party store at the beginning of the summer… these are theirs to use.)

3. Print duplicates of your pictures, and when you sit down to make a layout, have them make one alongside you – for their own miniature scrapbook of the summer. (This is great for children who are asked to share about their summer during their first week of the next school year!)

4. During summer travels, pick up souvenirs (ie, napkins, luggage tags, sand) for your creations. These free little pieces of ephemera are a great way to jazz up your layouts. (I love to mod podge them in a collage on the front of mini albums I create about these travels.)

5. Have your children take pictures of YOU doing things with them. It is so easy to stay behind the camera, but in years to come – those kids are going to want to remember you being there (and not just behind the lens) also. This is a great way to later create a BOM as well, making sure that you have some recent photos of yourself! (During the school year in my house, pictures don’t get taken as often with the kids being gone all day, so it is really difficult to remember to get a picture of either myself or my husband.)

6. Last but not least, take pictures of the little things. The lemonade glass sitting on the lemonade stand, the chalk drawings in the driveway, the barefeet dipping in the pool. These small details make the big picture even more beautiful. I am working on a project right now, in which I took many different close-ups of  “the big picture” I was seeing in front of me, and then I took one big shot. This is turning into an amazing memory, a mini album that I will share with you in a couple of weeks after completing it.

Nothing says summer like palettes  full of blue skies and waters, sunshine and warmth, and the greens of outdoor bliss. My favorite Couture Cardstock color collections, for showcasing the brilliant hues in summertime photos, are Rainy Day Monochromatic, Silk Road Monochromatic, and Spring Valley Monochromatic. For the layout below, I also used Alabaster Columns for the background.

I hope that you are able to use some of these tips, I know that they aren’t new, but it is always good to get a reminder! Enjoy the summer, and don’t forget to bring your camera. Everywhere! You! Go! (lol, no pressure though.)

xx Heidi