I’ve always loved taking pictures, but now that we have two little ones my shutter is in overdrive. I’m doing my best documenting their milestones, but that leaves me with A TON of photos. So what to do with all of them? Scrapbooking is fun and creative, but it’s hard to find the time now. The other problem is they are bulky and take up quite a bit of space on the bookshelf. My solution is photo books.
Seven years ago I started using MyPublisher to create a photo book for each year. It’s simple to use, fits hundreds of photos, and is very space-efficient! I like the uniformity, as well. (There are many photo book publishers out there. You download their free software, build your album, upload to their site, and get it in the mail.)
This is all the space seven years of photos takes up on my shelf! I chose the linen covers and use a different color for each year, keeping with my green and orange scheme. And if we go on a special vacation, I like to do a separate album in the same color.
I put the year on the cover.
On the first page inside I like to put events and trends of the year. It’s just a fun way to put the year in perspective in 15 years when you’re strolling down memory lane. On the following page, I use the whole space for text, summarizing the year, highs and low.
Then comes putting in photos! The hardest part is editing down all those precious, once in a life-time photos. I love all of them!
A few tips
- Be a ruthless editor. If several photos look similar, only choose one.
- Use one-photo pages throughout the book. They are dynamic and help break up the sea of photos.
- Use captions. Tell that funny story about why everyone is laughing or that cute thing your toddler used to say. You probably won’t remember in 20 years!
- Make your book as soon as possible after the year is over. That way you won’t forget all the little stories and won’t be overwhelmed when that next year rolls around already!
To organize my digital files, I put the DVDs in adhesive plastic sleeves and attach them to the back cover. I’m crazy about printable DVDs that look so much cooler than permanent maker! (Most new printers have a DVD/CD tray that allow you to do this.)
Get a discount
- You can register on MyPublisher for big discount emails. I love the free extra pages (up to 100) coupon for the biggest savings on a single book. They only have it a few times a year, so keep your eye out.
- Or if your ready to do it now, go here for discount.
Download year images for your album
Happy album making!
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I have been doing this since the year my first child was born and love it! My son also loves getting them down and going through them with me. Wonderful way of looking back at the whole year.
It is! It’s just as much fun, if not more fun, for the kids as it is for the parents.
Though they are lovely, I’m worried about photo books. It seems a child can ruin a page by touching it (leaving fingerprints that won’t show up till later, ruining the picture). Or a child may accidentally rip a relatively thin page when he insists on holding the book.
I guess printing off pages and putting them in page protectors aren’t as pretty, but they are less vulnerable to damage.
What size books do you make? How many pages do you end up using in a book? I love this idea! Do you have a 2010 printable? I’d like to start with the year we got married :)
Allyssa, I didn’t think I had the 2010 file anymore, but did a search and found it in a random folder! Must be for you. I’ll add it to the images above. I do the 11.25″ X 8.75″ size and use about 100 pages (the max). If you do that many pages though, the trick then is to wait for the extra pages free sale they have a few times a year.
Hi fantastic blog! Does running a blog similar to this
take a massive amount work? I have virtually no understanding of
coding however I had been hoping to start my own blog soon. Anyways,
should you have any recommendations or tips for new blog owners please share.
I understand this is off subject but I just wanted to ask.
Cheers!
Well, I’m sort of winging it, so I’m not sure I’m the person to be giving out advice! I’d say, think about what you will focus on, what the name should be, and who will read your blog. Then you can start a free site on Word Press. From there post, post, post. Write your best stuff even if no one is reading. Take great photos in natural light. Pin it on Pinterest. Post it on Facebook. If you write great stuff, people will come. I generated nearly all of my readers from Pinterest. Does that help? I wish you the best of success!