Note: if you are my parents or my in-laws….do NOT read this post 😉
I FINALLY finished it: Sienna’s book that we make every year for ourselves and her grandparents. This year I was waiting on the photos from my sister’s wedding so I just gave my parents and in-laws an IOU at Christmas….and then time got away from me…..but it is finished, bound and off to the printer. I added a few ideas from the 2008 book so I love this one even more than the last two…..here are some excerpted pages below. Maybe it will give spark some ideas (and I’m always welcoming new ideas for next year’s book!)
Note: All I used was the Mac iPhoto program. For example, each copy of the 65 page book ran me about $70 each. The quality is AMAZING and looks like an expensive coffee table book with the nice dust cover.
The cover: I love how vibrant and professional the Mac books turn out.
Little snippets of milestones: Many pages of these throughout….just thoughts I jotted down throughout the year that I wanted to remember.
A birthday photo: Some photos just deserve an entire page to themself.
Since I am a painter I just can’t get enough of photos of Boo painting…..
…..obviously.
More milestones:
Photo compilation: Sometimes a group of photos says much more than words.
I submitted Sienna’s artwork last year to What my Kid’s Art Says and used the hilarious reviews on the opposite pages of her scanned artwork.
The review:
The artwork:
The review:
The artwork:
Stories to accompany pages of photos:
Learning to swim:
Teaching to swim:
A summer activity:
Again, sometimes the photos say everything….she is my mini-me:
Just some cute athletic photos:
Scanned artwork:
Some firsts:
A favorite photo:
A classic shot of Diesel:
The November wedding:
I let Sienna have the camera one day and this was the result. Very artistic!
Christmas photos:
More scanned artwork:
New Year’s Eve!
Some excerpts from my last post about the Mac books:
If you don’t have a Mac you can download software products such as My Publisher or Kodak Gallery to make a similar photo book. There are so many different things you can do with these programs. Here are just a few ideas….please share more if you have them!
Child’s Art Portfolio: Scan all your children’s drawings and artwork. Add titles, dates and descriptions.
Family Recipe Book: Take pictures of all your favorite dishes and include the recipes.
Story Book: Let your child draw the pictures and dictate the story to you.
WHat a cool book. I wish I had a mac.
i just got a mac and this is super exciting… haven't learned about making a book on it yet. how much does it cost in comparison to doing it through a photo shop?
This book was about 65 pages and it ran me about $70 a copy. It is the best quality I've seen though. Looks like a coffee table book with the dust cover and everything!
How beautiful! You had me laughing and thinking how awesome this book is going to be.
I'm a new Mac user – what program did you use? iPhoto?
Yep….just iphoto.
I'm a huge fan of these books too. I really think you get the book for less than the cost of printing all those photos. Nice work- it will be a treasured gift! I'm in the process of scanning old vintage photos and plan to make albums for the rest of the family so that way we all will have our own copy to look at.
Wow Ashley that`s great! When Sienna grows up it`s going to be priceless!
I especially love the Little snippets of milestones you have included throughout the book!
It is so easy to forget all those precious little moments of time that we want to always remember and to miss their exquisite beauty in the mundane.
Wow, I love this idea! Hope you dont mind me stealing your idea for when I have kids! Not to mention, Boo is a great artist!
I love this, It is brilliant! Aw she is such a cutie! and so talented with her photography and artwork!! Those reviews are a crack up 😀
I think I'm going to try out this site for turning my son's blog into a book.
This is so cool!!! I love it!!! Such a sweet way to keep track of the memories with your little girl!!! ♥
i make those books too for family every year and now i have a macbook – so excited to make the next one on my mac!
You can also make photo books on snapfish.com…. I made one of my daughters book and it was about 25.00…it also comes with a dust cover and is bound…they give you all sorts of ideas and templetes for the pages…they are AWESOME!!!! Check it out…www.snapfish.com photobooks!
I had to comment, this is priceless Ashley. Whether she is your clone or not, you definitely have a little girlfriend for life 😉 I don't have a Mac so I appreciate you sharing the other software products I could use. It would be hard to make this book any better.
I'm sorry, but I am still in shock that you have only been bloggin for a year. You are a rock star. And this book is so rad. I have to get my stuff together and get one made before the kids get any older!! Thanks for all your ideas Ashley!!
🙂
Ashley, I started reading your blog about 5 months ago.. and I absolutely love it! I think you have so many great ideas, and you are so talented. When I saw your recent anniversary post… I was absolutley floored that you have created such successful blog in one year! It gives me hope that I can possibly do the same…..one day. I love the book of your baby girl. She is so bright and cheery! (I espically love the pictures of your yorkie)… I too have a yorkie, and I feel that only yorkie owners understand their attitude. He looks like he is very patient what Sienna, which is way better than my pup.
Thanks again for the great blog.. you have inspired me creatively in so many ways. Keep up the great work!!
I love it! Especially the pictures of her painting and her paintings! I used to scrapbook, but I hated all of the bits of paper and the mess it created, plus I really like the clean, professional look of the photo books!
These are so much fun…i make one for my mother every year for mothers day and she loves it! I include all of my sisters and their kids so its sort of like a grandmothers brag book! I loved some of your ideas though, and may have to steal them 🙂
what a wonderful gift for the family…im sure they will treasure it always!
What a wonderful book and gift for the grandparents. I love your blog. I visit just about everyday. It's so uplifting and fun. And Boo is beautiful!
Wow Ashley, what a beautiful job you did on this book, thank you for sharing! I am not a scrap booker…. a book like this would be just right for me.
haha! Love the picture of your grumpy puppy! This is such a fantastic idea that will certainly be a treasure for your family!
P.S. Be sure to enter my first GIVEAWAY! 🙂
Awesome! Where do you find the time?!?!? What an awesome gift for later in life!
Love the book!!! I have been in the process of making books for my daughter just never been satisfied enough to call them complete & send it to printer. The one thing I wanted to include in each of my books is a year end summary of current events & lists of things that were popular. Things like top song of 2010, top movie, current events like Haiti earthquake, winter olympics in Canada, fashion trends of 2010, hot products such as IPhone, etc. etc., etc.
I thought it would be fun to look back years from now & and see in pictures of what we did that same year or how old she was when… I have been unable to come up w/a good source that does all the work for me. I can only find bits & pieces of different list. Maybe you would have better luck.
Such sweet moments tucked away in a special book.
My sister made a wedding book for one of her friends using pictures she'd taken along with those from the official photographer. She originally used the Macbook software, but wasn't at all happy with the results (and they ended up printing it several times for her). Her plan next time is to try Blurb, which is great for non-Mac people.