Have you ever looked through hundreds of photos from one special event, on your phone and thought:
How am I ever supposed to scrapbook all of these?
For this week’s Friday Freebie Sketch #25, I’m sharing the exact process I use when I feel overwhelmed by too many photos—and giving myself permission to stop trying to document every single one.
This layout began with 108+ engagement photos of my nieces and a decision:
I was going to focus on the memories that mattered most.
Because memory keeping isn’t about preserving every photo.
It’s about preserving the story.
My Process for Narrowing Down Photos
One of the biggest things slowing scrapbookers down is photo overwhelm. So before I even started this layout, I walked through my full photo selection process using my iPhone.
Here’s exactly what I did:
✨ Deleted blurry, duplicate, or accidental photos (yes… deleted 😅)
✨ Used the Apple iPhone ❤️ feature to mark favorite photos
✨ Narrowed 110+ photos down to my top favorites
✨ Focused on the images that told the story best
Because sometimes the hardest part of scrapbooking isn’t the layout…
It’s deciding what really matters.
This Week’s Layout Features:
✨ A 2-page 12″ x 12″ scrapbook layout
✨ Space for 20 photos
✨ 3×4 & 4×4 Flip Flaps for additional storytelling
✨ Interactive book ends
✨ A fun accordion fold feature
✨ A top-up flip element
✨ Hidden journaling for the stories behind the photos
This sketch is designed to help you include more photos without making your pages feel cluttered.
And honestly?
Sometimes scrapbookers don’t just need a sketch…
We need permission to let go of the pressure to scrapbook everything.
Supplies Used:
• Beautiful Ordinary Life Designer Series Paper
• Coordinating cardstock
• 3×4 & 4×4 Flip Flaps
• Embellishments & dots
• Adhesives and basic scrapbook tools
🎥 Watch the full tutorial here:
In this video I’ll walk you through:
✔ How I organize and narrow down photos on my iPhone
✔ My favorite Apple photo trick using the ❤️ icon
✔ How to create interactive scrapbook elements
✔ Ways to add more photos without overwhelming your layout
✔ Why hidden journaling matters in memory keeping
💌 Don’t Miss This Friday Freebie
Because I’m preparing for my second Stampin’ Up! Incentive Trip, I’m leaving this Friday Freebie available for TWO WEEKS for my email subscribers.
*Disclaimer: The claims published here are not representative of typical Stampin’ Up! demonstrators. The level of sales needed to achieve this result requires significant work and is accomplished by a substantially small percentage of Stampin’ Up! demonstrators.
👉 Join my email list BEFORE June 5th at 6:00 PM, EST to grab Sketch #25 FREE before it moves into the Friday Sketch Vault.
Miss it?
After the deadline, you’ll be able to find it in my:
✨ New to Scrapbooking? Start Here
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by photos, supplies, or simply knowing where to begin, I created a beginner-friendly page to help.
I walk through 6 simple steps to help you scrapbook with confidence—without feeling overwhelmed.
Sometimes the Story Matters More Than the Number of Photos
This week reminded me of something important:
You do not have to scrapbook every photo to honor the memory.
Choose the moments that make you feel something.
Tell the story that matters most.
And let go of the pressure to document everything.
Happy Crafting 💛
— Holly
CraftingwithHolly.com
I just wanted to tell you I appreciate your Friday Freebies, especially the recent one about “too many photos.” Couldn’t have come at a better time for me since I’ve been trying to purge things out of my phone photos and my printed photos as well as scrapbook supplies. It’s so overwhelming letting go of these things, but you said it best when you suggested to document “the memories that mattered most.” I inherited many, many photos of both of my parents extended family, people we never met and still don’t know who they are. The few I can figure out I saved, and the rest I let them go. What a relief! Still lots more to go through, but a good start.
Barbara, thank you so much for sharing this very valuable feedback. It makes me so happy that the videos and sketches I share are helping you with documenting the memories that matter most to you. I know if you continue focusing on these photos you will reduce photo “fatigue” and documenting these memories will bring you so much joy. Letting go is so freeing!