If you have children, then you’re sure to have photos— probably spilling out of drawers or tucked away in boxes in the closet. Precious memories not being remembered, relived or even enjoyed. But there’s something you can do! It’s called scrapbooking and it has a whole new look.

Why scrapbooks?
Scrapbooking is fun, rewarding— and as easy as you want it to be. We all want to remember the special times we share with those that matter most to us. But the days pass so quickly and many obligations crowd our schedules. So, how do we express to a child, a partner, a friend or a parent, how important these memories are in our lives?
I’m not saying to sort through all of your photos. That would take days! Leave most of your photos in the boxes and drawers and work with just your favorite photos to create smaller, easy-to-assemble scrapbook albums based on a theme. Women are busy. The thought of organizing photos alone is overwhelming— let alone doing something creative with them. A simple theme scrapbook will liberate you and allow you to compile information that may very well be more meaningful than a detailed, highly embellished chronology. Here are two simple scrapbooking solutions:

Create Quick and Easy Pages in Four Steps
1. First, decide what your page will be about. Are you capturing your son’s 5th birthday party, celebrating the family’s summer vacation or preserving a special day shared with a friend?
2. Select only the best photos from your roll of film and arrange them on individual sheets of acid-free paper.
3. Add handwritten photo-captions or computer-generated journaling to tell the story behind the photo and finally, a few decorative accents such as stickers.
4. Slip each page into an archivally-safe sheet protector in a binder or album.

A vast array of pre-made, timesaving products are available online or at your local scrapbook store. They include archivally-safe cardstocks, printed pattern papers, stickers, pre-cut frames, accents and much, much more! Some of the most popular online sites are www.scrapbooks.com, www.makingmemories.com and http://store.scrapbook.com.

“Pictures I Love” Album
If you’re looking to “get your feet wet” with scrapbooking, the “Pictures I Love” album is a great project for a few reasons: 1) you don’t have to organize any photos to get started, 2) it’s a finite project, and 3) it will put you in touch with the true significance of journaling and preserving memories faster than any project I know. This in turn will energize your creative spirit and build your confidence to move on and experiment with other projects.
Here are five simple steps for creating your own “Pictures I Love” album:
1. Select five to ten of your most favorite photos. They can be from any time or place, but they should make you go “Ahhhh.”
2. Purchase a small photo album.
3. Create a title page for your album stating your name, the date you are beginning it and a quote or a brief introduction about you.
4. On the first full page of your album, mount your first favorite photo on the left along with a title or decorative accent. Use the right page to write the memory or story associated with the photo. Keep in mind that what you write doesn’t have to be about this specific photo. A “favorite” photo is often just a spring-board for feelings and memories from another time. The important thing is to communicate why you chose this photo as a favorite. What does it say about you? Move beyond the basic who, what, where facts and use it to reveal something deeper.
5. On the last page, mount a photo of yourself and add a short bio, quote or just a thought as a conclusion.

The scrapbook industry introduces new, exciting products and page accents every day. With $1.4 billion in annual sales in 2001, and a multitude of specialty stores and online sites to support the movement, the scrapbook industry has revolutionized the way we preserve our memories!

Stacy Julian is the editor-in-chief of and visionary behind Simple Scrapbooks. She allows readers to select their favorite photos and create smaller, simpler scrapbook albums based on a theme. She is also an inspiring speaker, trainer and author of three books, including Simple Scrapbooks: 25 Fun & Meaningful Memory Books (Creating Keepsakes Books).