Image credit: SimpleStories.typepad.com

It’s a new year and you’ve survived the 3,700 holiday events of the last few months with the pictures to prove it. So what do you do with all of those photos? Some of you will save them to the computer and that’s the last anyone will see of them. A few of you might share a few choice photos on Facebook or even create a photo book online.

If you’re like me, you’ll print them out and go elbow deep in acid-free paper, brads, and buttons to create a scrapbook. It’s an opportunity for me to share and tell the story behind photos of my friends and family, and a way to let my creative juices flow.

Most of the time I scrapbook along with my friends (it’s called a crop) so it’s also a chance for me to catch up with friends and see what kind of mini works of art they’re creating (Case in point: my friend Blupixy) .

Although I’ve been scrapbooking for close to 15 years – and have the piles of supplies in my basement to prove it – I’m always on the look out for faster and easier ways to capture those photos and memories. Scrapbooking takes time and we all know there is never enough time!

One of the best products I’ve seen for quick and easy scrapbooking is the Simple Stories line from Memory Works. If you’ve never scrapbooked before, or are a little overwhelmed when you see the rows and rows of products at the store, this is a great place to start! (For those of you who are already avid scrappers, these books are a great way to quickly capture that 200th trip to the zoo or park. ) Start with a binder (~$20-40) and photo sleeves (~$5-6 for 10) from We R Memory Keepers, and one of the many themed kits from Simple Stories (I recommend Life Documented or Year.o.graphy to start – ~$21) and you’re ready to go.  It’s literally as simple as cutting out the elements from the kit (they’re squares and rectangles) and sliding them and your pictures into the photo sleeves. Seriously. That’s it! You could have an entire scrapbook ready to share with your friends and family in no time at all.

You can add more elements by using the included stickers to title or embellish your page. Or you can fill in the included journaling cards and detail the photos’ events for future generations. If you’re feeling especially adventurous, some of the kits include undivided 12×12 (or 8.5 x11) page sleeves for you to create a full scrapbook page. You can be as fancy or as simple as you want or can be in the time you have.

Don’t let those photos collect cyberdust in the back of your hard drive this year. Quickly and easily create something you can be proud to show your friends and family this year and for years to come.