Just two hole punches...

Who doesn't love looking through old scrapbooks? Especially the ones that are fantastically decorated! As entertaining as it might be, the time it takes to put one of those together is exhausting. I remember my mom spending hours putting together my sisters baby book, all the stickers, papers, quotes... It takes a surprisingly large amount to tastefully fill a 12 X 12 scrapbook page. Thus, I opt for the quick and crafty route that saves loads of time yet still has that home made look to it. The thing I love about it is that the page is already filled! It's just up to you to make it as detailed as you want it. No obligation to fill the rest of a page! Hallelujah! Also, most of the decoration is recycled or things that I already had, so the cost is very low.

Here is a sneak peak into the book I just finished up for 2011.

I like to include things that I collect all year round. Here are our ski passes from our trip this December. Behind it you can see my parents Christmas card. 

other parts just have bits of paper.

some just have a plain photo

and others are more detailed.

It's so easy to put together, just two hole punches and bingo! Most of the memorabilia items I collected during the year do the job of giving it the scrapbook feel, so really just the hole punching and collecting is most of the work. I added some doodling, painting and color here and there and spent the largest chunk of decorating on the cover and back pages.

This method is great fun and I actually look forward to putting together this next year. With a traditional scrapbook the task seems daunting, this one is far less intimidating.. at least for me :)

(psst... the beginning of the year is a great time to start collecting! I just put the random things in a ziploc bag and put it together when I'm feeling inspired!)