Monday Memory Makers: Digital Photobooks

My Yearly Shutterfly Photobooks

I love taking pictures and have a very good method to organize and actually use my pictures. So many people take tons of digital photos and then never do anything with them. They just sit in huge files on their computers. I create yearly Shutterfly photobooks to remember our family memories. Even though I have a 2 month old and a 3 year old, I am totally caught up on my photobooks all the way through the end of 2010.

I list details on the title page and throughout the book.

Be sure to include details about people and places.

I create a Shutterfly.com photobook for our family every year recording what I want to remember. I start from January and go through the end of December. I always put a family photo on the front cover and on the title page, list the town(s) and state(s) we lived in that year. I include as many details as possible (names of friends, a few stories from my blog). It's amazing how easy it is to forget the names of people you used to hang out with 10 years down the road. I work on my photobooks in the evenings during down time or while watching movies with my husband. I can crank out a 90 page photobook in 1-2 weeks if needed. However, I try to continue to work on them throughout the year so I don't have to do so much at one time.

A stack of 8 books and it's only 4-5 inches tall

My 2010 book

Large and small photos

My photobooks are organized in a time-line. I start with my first folders in January and make either one page or a spread depending on the event. Occasionally, I’ll even use three or four pages if it’s a big event with lots of pictures. Most of my books end up being approximately 90 pages or so and use 300-500 pictures.
I love photobooks instead of scrapbooks because they take up so much less space and hold so many photos. I am also able to re-size and crop the pictures directly in the book without having to order/or print expensive re-sized photos or ordering photos that I don’t end up using. I can select the best pictures and try them out in many different layouts without it costing me anything until I finish the book. I can pull up my photobook online in a minute and work on it for ten minutes before dinner without making a mess. It’s all contained on the computer. When you finish a photobook, it can be ordered by yourself or other family members can order copies for themselves as well if you share it. Just imagine how great it would be to create a photobook for your grandparents 50^th wedding anniversary. Anyone who wanted a copy could order one or contribute to the book. I find that photobooks are very thrifty because they don’t require me to purchase lots of scrapbook paper and embellishments. For ME, they are so practical and easy. I like things simple looking and although I am sometimes limited in how much space I have to write on or on the limited layouts available, I’ll never return to scrapbooking because photobooks just make so much sense to me.

Be sure to record stories you want to remember.

I even wrote about redecorating my daughter's room.

You’ll find that photobooks also make great gifts for family members. You can make some little brag books for grandparents that don’t take much time and don’t cost a lot but will be treasured.
In order to get the best deal, I often will finish a book and wait until Shutterfly has good deals or free book offers. Using this method, I've purchased most of my books for about 60% off the full purchase price. You are able to stack deals at Shutterfly so you can use a coupon for 10% off, a free 20 page book, a 30% off sale and get free shipping. If you don't need the book right away, finish it and leave it in your account until you get a deal that works for you. Look at retailmenot.com to find deals that may not be listed on Shutterfly.
If you want to get the most out of your photos it can be very simple. Organize them, make photobooks and then be thrifty and wait for a good deal to come along before ordering them. Family and friends love looking through the books and you might inspire someone else to create their own books after they see how great your book looks!

Another story documented.

What do you do with your photos? Do you scrapbook or make digital photobooks? What do you like/dislike about the method you’ve chosen? If you use digital scrapbooking, what program or company do you use to create your books?

***Be sure to check back tomorrow to enter a great giveaway!***

This post was written on my own with no sponsorship from Shutterfly. I received nothing for writing about Shutterfly photobooks. They are just a product I think are really great and will help simplify your photos while allowing you to be thrifty at the same time.