"Scrapbook Shortcut"

The June issue of Parents had a brilliant reader tip for non-scrapbookers who want a little bit more than an album filled with only pictures, or for those who simply don't have time to scrapbook:

I write down little things I want to remember on index cards that I decorate with stickers. Then, I put all my photos in inexpensive slide-in photo albums. I include a card every few pages as a way of telling the story behind the photos.

You can make your notes fancier by printing them out in different fonts on the computer and using simple scrapbooking techniques by framing the notes, cutting out little shapes in the notes, etc. I also think this would be a fabulous gift for grandparents and great-grandparents - in fact, I think that's what ours will be getting for the holidays this year!