Family Photos-What To Do With Them

If you're like me, you love to have great photos all around you. Especially when the subjects are members of my family, I'm all about seeing them on display every day. So, I have photos in my kitchen, family room, living room, dining room, home office, day-job office. They're everywhere.

With a growing family, five kids, four kids-in-law, 11 grand-kids, 2 great-grands with a third on the way...and siblings, nieces, nephews... well, you get the picture.

And then we have events! Everyone loves to give us a copy of their "Kodak moments". Graduations (preschool through master's degrees), weddings and newborn babes. And I love it all! But, how do I organize them so that I can still use the tops of my tables? I'm a woman in search of an answer!

Wedding albums and baby albums are such a popular item. They are a fundamental part of the milestones of our lives.

Though today's families have less time to browse through an album, it remains important for us to have one book for our weddings and at least one per baby, as each little one is born into the world.

Even significant anniversaries -- the 25th, 50th and so on--truly deserve their own picture book chronicling the special occasion.

Photo albums come in various shapes, sizes and styles. Covers can vary from simple, to cute, to elegant! Some have a sticky surface on each page to which you apply the photo. A clear plastic sheet then covers the page for protection.

Others have individual plastic sleeves to slip the photo into. I love this style. You can just flip through the pictures to your heart's delight though the actual album is compact in size, for the number of pictures it contains.

Electronic picture frames are a great solution to time and space. Their clear, crisp digital images are deep and rich in color. It becomes more than a picture frame. It's a part of the decor and a constant reminder of precious loved ones and fond memories.

Upload your favorite pictures from any location, online . You don't have to be anywhere near the photo frame to do it. Add more pictures whenever you wish. Switch some out for variety. The best part is that you only need one frame to contain hundreds of pictures, eliminating picture frame clutter.

There are some very attractive photo frames designed to help those with an abundance of pictures to enjoy. These frames can be hung on a wall or exhibited on a table, mantel or desk.

Ikea offers a very unique multiple-photo system that looks something like a clothesline! Photos hang at various lengths off of a rod. Creative challenge: make one yourself! See what you can come up with.

Using your refrigerator as a bulletin board? Stop using scotch tape and purchase some magnetic picture frames, instead. They come in various sizes, protect your photos from harm and can easily be re-arranged as new ones arrive.

Yes, you now can create your own photo albums in cyber-space.

Build them, share them, print them if you'd like. Make family calendars using family photos, too. Shutterfly is a very popular photo album site, as is Snapfish and Kodak Gallery.

Sinea Pies is a freelance writer for a popular parenting magazine and professional blogger who writes about organizing, time management, parent/family, cooking, school, faith and dogs on her website Ducks 'n a Row. You are invited to leave a comment or subscribe to her HubPages RSS feed for regular updates. Click for more:Sinea's profile.