Family Photos that Last a Lifetime
—“A picture is worth a thousand words” —–“A picture is a poem without words” (Horace)—–“Photograph: A picture painted by the sun without instruction in art” (Ambrose Pierce)—–“There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs” (Ansel Adams)—
“If pictures are worth a thousand words, than photo books are worth a million”
-Ashkon Banihashemi
I love pictures. I love how they can grasp memories and take you back to that place every time you look at the photographs. One of my favorite crafts used to be scrapbooking- creating pages and books to relive certain events or times of my life and to have for a lifetime to look back on and remember such pivotal years of my life! However, scrapbooking can be VERY expensive and VERY time consuming- especially when you are a perfectionist 🙂 So, now I have found a solution to both of these potential issues, that also allows me to preserve my memories! PHOTO BOOKS are not only fun to create, but they also are a great way to maintain my photos in a way that is up-to-date with our age of technology! And, for any of you that scrapbook know that much of the cost comes down to the stamps, stickers and other fun accessories to make your scrapbook unique and complete. Well, now websites have added so many expressive backgrounds and embellishments that you can still put your distinct touch onto your book!
Shutterfly has become my favorite website to create on! Not only do they have many options for sizes, themes, and more but they also have constant discounts for all different projects, including photo books! Previously, I would make photo books for specific occasions and gifts.
The Soccer Book I made for Ashkon when he finished his final season at APU
In the last year, I have been very busy with all different types of projects. I made our Wedding Photo Book after receiving all of our photos, which then led to making about 8 more with our pictures for other family members.
Just recently, I have been blessed with the opportunity to help my very busy sisters, who are both moms, to begin photo books for their kids for each year. This has been so fun because I get to see the pictures of them growing up even though I am currently so far away!
Then, my mom had a great idea to make my older sisters, Jessica and Rachel, photo books from their wedding. Although they have both been married for quite a while now, photo books were not popular when they got married. Even though they were a couple years late, they loved the surprise of getting their wedding photos made into books for their anniversaries this year.
My most current project is our first “Yearbook”. I am starting the tradition of making a photo book for each year starting from our first month of marriage and ending with our anniversary celebration! I can’t wait to be able to have these photo books to look back on and reminisce all the great memories we will share in the next 100 years 🙂
If you love this idea, but feel intimidated, just find a site that you are comfortable with and try it! There are great tutorials on each site and many sites are also giving the option of basically making it for you! You choose the pictures and they will put it together for you! Not as much fun in my opinion 🙂 but if that is the only way you can get your books made with your busy schedule and/or taking care of your kids, try it and see how you like it! OR, find someone like me who loves to make photo books, and see if they would like to help you out or make the book for you!
If Shutterfly is not your favorite site to use, try Snapfish, Costco, or even iPhoto! Or, do some research online to see what fits you best! You will not regret the time that you put in to making these books!
How do you preserve your family photo memories?
