By SANDI GENOVESE, Scripps Howard News Service

There's no denying that hearts and valentines go hand in hand.

Why not put those hands to good use and handcraft a heart-y greeting for your valentine this year? You can buy flowers or chocolates, sure, but nothing has the impact of something made by your own two hands.

January is the beginning of a new year and, for women expecting a baby in 2012, the year will be life changing.

It's important to document all the milestones in our lives, but there is probably none as significant as the birth of a baby, so why not commemorate this special event with a scrapbook?

So you bought a hybrid car, you recycle your trash and you bring your own bags to the market. You're all about eco-friendly choices.

For the holidays, why not go green (and red) with your Christmas cards?

It's easy to create a card that does double duty as a tree ornament and becomes part of yearly holiday decor rather than landing in the trash at the end of December.

If you like to eat, you probably like Thanksgiving. Although Pilgrims and Indians are integral to this celebration, really this holiday is so closely associated with turkey and dressing that it becomes difficult to focus on anything else (it's probably all that tryptophan).

Coming in a close second, behind the food, is football -- not the kind you play, but the games you watch on TV.

Is there anything more reminiscent of October than pumpkin-picking? As much as kids love Halloween costumes and trick-or-treat candy, there is something wonderfully gross about gutting and carving a pumpkin, freshly picked from the field.

Have a birthday coming up? Grab your camera.

Going on vacation? Don't forget to pack the camera.

Of course, I make scrapbooks to document these and other special occasions. However, I think it's just as important to memorialize your family's everyday activities.

The end of August signals the beginning of a new school year. Backpacks and notebooks replace beach towels, flip-flops and sunscreen, and memories of lazy days at the beach begin to fade. Highlight some of your favorite summer memories in a photo lamp.

With kids out of school for the summer, they are likely to be the subjects in many of our summer photos. It got me wondering about tips for taking better shots of children, so I spoke with two photographers who shared their secrets for taking good, child-friendly photos:

Go wild this summer with mini-scrapbooks that feature photos of everything from planned vacations to casual family get-togethers. The long days of summer are packed with photo-worthy events that are likely to result in lots of pictures that need a place to live in order to be enjoyed.

Do you know anyone who doesn't have a camera? Everyone I know takes photos at big events like graduation, at yearly celebrations like Father's Day and during everyday activities like soccer matches and dance class.