What can I do with old graduation photos?

Sue
by Sue
We have both of our daughters graduation photos hanging on our living room wall. They graduated in the 90's. I don't mind taking them down, but not sure what to do with them - neither daughter want them for their house. They were professional framed.
  14 answers
  • Sherry Sherry on Jan 09, 2017

    I had the same issue. My frames are huge, like 24 by 34 or something ridiculous. I actually wrapped them, frames, glass, portraits and all in the brown paper that comes in the Amazon boxes and put them in a rolling tote and slid them under the bed in the guest room. Since there was room leftover in the tote I pulled out all the 8x10s and 5x7s of my kids growing up and I got preserving paper and boxes from the Container Store and now they are in the box as well. I always feel a little bad about putting their photos away like that but they wouldn't be happy either if I kept them up for everyone to see!

  • Kathy Porterfield Kathy Porterfield on Jan 09, 2017

    I like that idea. If they are too big to put in a photo album.

    • Sue Sue on Jan 09, 2017

      I do like that idea, they are too big for an album, and they both keep asking me to take them done, but do not want them in their home.

  • Linda Abate Linda Abate on Jan 09, 2017

    Make a collage out of them. One for each child and when they leave home, give them to each one for their new homes.

    • See 1 previous
    • Joanie Joanie on Jan 28, 2017

      Kathy: Good thought.......I am a sentimentalist. I have 2 d.i.laws. One is very sentimental. She has everything that I have given her that was my sons. She has displayed everything, reused it or given it to her kids. Some things she has packed away for their futures. She is a peach of a person!!;))

  • Jcraw Jcraw on Jan 16, 2017

    Last year my husband bought some quality albums and then spent a week -or three-going through all the old family photos. Copied when necessary.

    For Christmas our kids got photo albums of themselves from birth to college graduation. The books include photos of grammar school friends climbing cannons, scenes from summer parties, eras of the house decorated for Christmas, friends and family come and gone, and big and little vacations. Pictures of their grandparents house, first cars, the tree they planted when they were little, and generally anything that will bring a smile, or tear, when they are older. The children aren't in all the photos, but their lives are.

    • Joanie Joanie on Jan 28, 2017

      Jcraw: SOME day they will look at these and be SO glad you have them. I like your way of thinking and saying: The children aren't in all the photos, BUT THEIR LIVES ARE......How true!!

  • Marilyn Marilyn on Jan 20, 2017

    Since you kids don't want them or want to see them in your home take them down and remove from frames and roll them and store in large tubes.Give each kid their "tube" and let them keep them .Use the frames for yourself for either art or craft projects.No sense in keeping something no one wants.


  • Sue Sue on Jan 20, 2017

    Very good suggestion. Thank you

  • Lindcurt Lindcurt on Jan 21, 2017

    Crop the pictures down to a size that fits into a regular photo album. There is usually a lot of background on a picture that large. All you really care about is the lovely faces. Keep that in your photo album and toss the rest.

  • Sue Sue on Jan 21, 2017

    Thank you

  • Karen Reilly Karen Reilly on Feb 01, 2017

    See if you can get them scanned and then put them on a flash drive most kids travel light and the idea of having lots of stuff is not for them this way the photos are still kept just in a smaller package.

  • Elena Elena on Feb 01, 2017

    Karen Reilly--Great idea! It's true that kids today aren't "into" photo albums or scrapbooks so much, as it's more "stuff" to cart around through their lives. A Flash drive--OR burning them to a CD-ROM--is a great idea. They can pop either into their computer whenever they're feeling nostalgic, but don't have to keep the photos on display.

  • Carol Carol on Feb 01, 2017

    My mom had to move from her house into a small 1 bedroom apartment. She has many, many framed photos. She didn't have room for all of them in the apartment. I got her a large scrapbook with the page protecters. They will hold 11x14 and 10 x 13 prints. She still has her pictures where she can look at them with out them all being on display.

    Carol Tennessee


  • Tetiana  Shpek Tetiana Shpek on Apr 10, 2023

    Organize them well and enjoy

  • Alice Norton Alice Norton on Apr 11, 2023

    I absolutely agree. There is no need to throw old photos away. I personally like looking through the old pics now and then. So many good memories...

    Speaking about organizing, I bought a wooden photo album https://skinwoodstore.com/collections/photo-album/products/copy-of-personalized-photo-album-with-leather-cover-and-peonies-flowers-engraving?variant=40950081749131 It looks great and it is supposed to last long due to the material it is made of. Maybe one day my grandchildren (or even great-grandchildren) will like to find out more about my younger life.

  • Mogie Mogie on Apr 13, 2023

    They are pictues of your kids who are grown now. Take the pictures out of the frames and give them to your kids. What they do with them isn't your problem it is their decision to make.