I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH PHOTOS! Now what?

I recently wrote about what to do if you have too many photos for a given week. This post is about the opposite- what to do if you don't have *enough* photos.

If you already have a flexible system to allow you to fill up your album with whatever you have on hand, you may still come across a week where you simply don't have enough pictures to make a whole interesting spread. In my opinion, this is an easier problem to deal with than having too many photos, as there are so many options for filling the pockets! Here are a few of them:

Blown up photos

An easy way to fill up some extra pockets is to blow up a photo from the week/month/event you are documenting and use it to fill up several pockets. In this case, you need to be mindful of the photo quality, as blowing up a photo could make it grainy. I use an iPhone 5S from almost all of my photos and this is not usually a problem for me. As a bonus, this is a super trendy and cool-looking way to document photos. This usually works best for photos without people's faces in them because you could end up cropping it in a way that cuts someone's face in half and that could make it look weird!

Add ephemera and memorabilia

Lottery ticket in a pocket

Coffee sleeve and a business card from a coffee shop

Another way to fill up space and document your memories is to include ephemera and memorabilia from your activities. I have gotten in the habit of grabbing a business card from restaurants or stores I go to, and if I need to use it, I have it. Business cards are often professionally designed, so they usually look pretty cool. You can also add napkins, receipts, menus, or coasters from bars, restaurants, and shops like I did a lot in this layout. I also put my lottery ticket from earlier this year when PowerBall was hot and, even though I didn't win, it was a fun memory!

Filler cards

There are so many options for filler cards these days, from kit clubs to cards that coordinate with designer collections. These cards are a great option to fill up pockets after you've added your photos and journaling and still need to fill up some space. A little trick I've learned is to not be too literal when choosing cards for my projects, especially if they have a phrase on them. In the photo above, I used the "You Are Here" filler card from the Seafoam Core Kit. The page wasn't about being in any particular place, but the color of the card and circle shape matched what I was working on, so I added it. And it kind of makes sense in a figurative way, like "you are here in my life." Bottom line on these cards is that they're designed by professionals to be pretty so you almost can't go wrong adding one! 

You can also cut up a 6x6 or 12x12 paper pad into a 3x4 or 4x6 size to slip into a pocket. This adds a little bit of interest and also gives the eye a rest in between photos and journaling. In the photo above, I didn't have many photos of the week, so I made a point to try to use up some 6x6 sheets and I love how it turned out!

You can also make your own filler cards from supplies you have on hand and want to use up. This is a great way to get creative! Even though I do Project Life, sometimes I like to play with paper, more like you would do for traditional scrapping. Making your own filler cards from scraps of paper and whatever embellishments you have on hand is so fun!

Shaker pockets

Shaker pockets even make Beyonce cooler!

Shaker pockets are just plain fun! If you have a fuse tool or a sewing machine, you can add glitter (or sequins or just about anything small) to a pocket and it gives a cool see-through effect. Keep in mind when doing this that whatever you do on the front of your page will be what's on the back of your page, too. Plan accordingly!

Pop culture

Google images brought me this image from a movie I liked

Everyone has some experience with pop culture or current events. There are a couple of ways you can incorporate these into your layouts to fill up space and also document the things people don't always think of, like what you're reading or watching or what's going on in the news. You can take images off of Google Images, like I did for the The Martian photo or screenshot instagram posts from your favorite celebrities. This might even be fun for an insert about "Currently," like "currently reading, currently watching, current playlist, current events" etc. If your kids flip through these books years down the line, they might be interested in your obsession with Adele!

Personalization

Screenshot of a text message

A really big trend right now is documenting your life with digital elements that are personalized to you. For example, taking a screenshot of a text message with a friend where s/he says something really funny and you want to remember it. Or screenshotting your weather app if the weather is doing something really weird or it's really nice out. These sorts of details give a good context to your life (a lot like the pop culture suggestion) above. Plus, these details make your album your own!

In the end, this is your album and your life. If you don't have a ton of pictures for a particular week, it's okay to blow up the one photo you have, or use a screenshot of a text message, or combine two weeks into one layout! You're the boss!

Thanks for reading and I hope this helps!