- For sometime I felt ok knowing I had all my photos safe and secure, backed up, and archived, etc, etc. But each time I would go in to the DEPTHS of my archives to retrieve a photo for some project, I found it more and more depressing. I would find myself browsing all the photos and usually had forgotten about most of them, almost as if they were in solitary confinement. So a few of the process I’ve put in place have really helped this, especially the Yearly Books because they include pretty much every favorite photo of the girls from the year in some form or fashion.
- Shawn Wenrich Says:
October 3rd, 2008 at 12:12 pm eI also have guilt issues with my scrapbooking. Like you I am a perfectionist and can spend weeks on a project. The idea of annual photo books really appeals to me. Would you mind sharing the web link with me, I’d really like to get a closer look at how you set up and designed the pages. This really might work for me, thanks so much for sharing.
- The way these books work to create with Photoworks, you can pick the number of photos per page and then also the template for photo arrangement after that. It’s very easy to to operate and manipulate. I don’t have experience with other manufacturer’s photo books, but I’m sure they work a similar way.
- Ann Says:
October 3rd, 2008 at 6:39 pm eDanelle - I absolutely LOVE this idea of doing one book per year per child. Could you please email me your link so I could view more? Also, what size book do you get? And what are the books “Notes From Mom”? Are those like handwritten journals for each child? You have great ideas!!
Ann -
In setting up a system, I wanted consistancy. So for my Yearly Books, I use the Medium size book which is roughly 8 1/2 x 11 landscape. I started with it mainly because I liked the option for customizing the covers with photos. The size has worked well for the girls to hold in their lap and read, compared to a larger 12 inch size. I like smaller books that feel good in your lap as long as you can get everything inside you need. This size has worked well for this concept.
I have used some of the other sizes for other projects. I’m working right now on doing each family trip in the smaller paperback sizes that are about 7×7. Photoworks recently added that size and that’s one of the new things I’ve added to my list of ongoing projects. When they introduced that size and style of book, it didn’t take me long to be inspired for another series of books I wanted to create. We like to remember each separate trip and this way we have a book of the same size and format for each one. I still scrapbook our travel photos in other projects too, but this way I don’t have the full trip in a book as a part of our family library and can scrapbook at my usual rate, which is “not” that fast and I can enjoy being creative with those memories in the projects I chose to create at any pace.
I want to mention that when I decided to start these “family trips” book series I applied the same philsophy. I started current and I’m working backward as I can. No guilt about what I haven’t done, just steadily working towards staying current from this point forward while I’m working backward.
- Shaquanna Says:
October 4th, 2008 at 3:48 pm eHi Danelle,
Thank you so much for sharing your photo books/process. I cannot wait to learn more about the ONE cd and more about your memory keeping process. Would you mind sharing your journals? Also, would you send me an email to see more of your photo books? Thank you again!
- Kris Says:
October 7th, 2008 at 12:48 am eI saw this idea when you presented at Scrap Etc event in Nashville and lovedit. I have
made a few of their books as a gifts for people. This December I am going to make my \
year in review books for our family.Please continue to post and show us more of your books and ideas–would love to see
a close up of some of your journaling.Thanks
KrisHi Kris,
Were you able to see the journaling in my link to the books? I actually vary the journaling a lot I think based on how I’m feeling at the time, but really these books for me in layout are about the photos. I generally chose more layouts to include more photos, which means they leave less room for text boxes. The one thing that I try to do if the layout I chose allows for journaling is to tell any quick details that might be important years down the road that no one will know.
We are starting to go back to the books and add in notes in handwriting, especially now that the girls are older. I have ideas for them adding notes from their perspective once we get the book, but so far we haven’t done that.
In one of the girls books this year, I was working late at night trying to make a deadline before midnight so I could use a coupon code of 25% off and rushing of course to wrap up the book. I don’t know if I missed seeing the text box of if it wasn’t there, but I noticed the next day after ordering. My first reaction was to call myself a few choice words for missing that detail, but I decided it’s just as easy and as good to write in what notes are important about the page and move on. I have found typos and places that are not 100% perfect, which is just another minor detail I have learned to let go. I’ve never been a perfectionist when it comes to copy, and never will be! I save my perfectionistic qualities for other areas that probably need mellowing yet.
In making these books, I keep adjusting my standards a bit for what is important, which I think is ok and reflects my perspective in life. Journaling is one of those things I find evolving and adapting. For me it’s hard to do the layout and the journaling simultaneously because of the way my brain works. I recognize that and so i work with what works well for me. One thing that’s important is to recognize what works for you and how you process. If something isn’t easy for you and you’re struggling, there’s likely a message there for you. I listen to how I feeling a lot and if it’s not easy or enjoyable, I change the process until it is. Makes everything much more fun and successful that way.
So I do all the layout and then go back and add journaling. It’s very sort and brief. But for me, I’m totally ok with that. I have other projects where the journaling is the focus, rather than the photos. I also don’t put captions with photos, which is an option for the book. I found that it slows me down and just decided to forego including them. I do try to label each month throughout the book. I will see if I can find an example for you to share.
- Ann (again!) Says:
October 7th, 2008 at 1:27 am eHi Danelle - I am new to your blog and am loving the ideas.
Would you mind sharing how you get the “vintage” look in the family photo on your blog?
I have been looking at one action online, but you have to have Photoshop CS for it to work and I do not have it.
I was hoping you had another method. Thanks again for sharing so much good stuff!
- Debi Says:
October 7th, 2008 at 5:56 am eLove, love, LOVE this idea!!! I made a photo book on my son’s wedding day and LOVE it, and have been planning on doing an end of the year book with digi LO’s as a Christmas gift for them this year. Problem is, if it’s a Christmas gift, that means Christmas won’t be in the book. Love your idea of having them printed after the New Year. LOVE the look of the covers!!! I now have 2 grandaughters that I’m trying to keep up with, and I think that this is the answer. SOOOO glad you shared this with us! Now… Could you please send me the link to your books so I can take a peek? Thanks so much!
- Heather Crawford Says:
October 8th, 2008 at 3:16 am eOh my goodness. love this idea..I too keep looking at these books online and thinking “maybe”..I too stuggle with too many pictures and difficulty narrowing them down..and guilt for not keeping up…intrigued by this idea! Would love the link to your albums to see how you’ve laid them out…thanks so much for typing all this up to share! I’m emailing the link to this post to all of my non scrapbooking friends who are missing out..maybe this will appeal to them! :)Thanks!
- laura vegas Says:
October 8th, 2008 at 4:43 am elove hearing about your process … and can’t wait to hear more! i made my first digital book last year. i’m a daycare provider in my home … and have tons of photos for all my kids i watch. so i made a book that sums up the entire year of photos … with each child having their own section. LOVED the idea … and have made 2 other years since. that way i can still scrap the photos of them i want … but know that i have all these pics in a book on my shelf too.i’m still trying to figure out a system for my family photos though. lol! sad that i did the daycare kids first … and not my own girls. lol!
Laura, I think you know just what to do for your own girls now. Sounds like you’re system for daycare is working great. You know, as a former teacher, sometimes we do so much for our work because we care so deeply and don’t as easily think of family in the same way as naturally. You figured this out at a perfect time to have make an impact by adding something similar for your girls and family process.
- JoAnn Motta Says:
October 8th, 2008 at 5:32 am eAbout how many pages are each of your books and around how much are they costing you? I did this for 2006 through Kodak (for the whole family) but it was quite pricey, and also a large sized book. I am loving the smaller size, and the making them child-specific, but I am wondering if it’s really just the same price in the end to make the one “family yearbook” as I had done. I am uploading some photos right now to photoworks to try out their prints and compare them with Kodak (whom I have been using for years, and have TONS backed up on). That cd feature just about trumps every service I have ever seen anywhere though, so I may have to convert!
- Amy Jo Says:
October 10th, 2008 at 2:38 pm eHi Danelle,
These are wonderful. I have started many times but always deleted because I can’t figure out how to get so many pics on one page like you do. I noticed you have the same order on the pages that have so many on one page. Did you set that up in photoshop then copy it as one picture? or am I missing something on the website to drag and paste? Thanks a lot.
- Debbie Says:
October 13th, 2008 at 2:08 pm eHi Danelle,
Thanks for sharing!! We just had a family reunion/vacation, I’ve been stressing on how I was going to be able to do scrapbooks for everyone in time for Christmas. The photobooks will make it so much easier. What size do you order? Also I noticed in your picture the book Notes from Mom - please share more on that, if you don’t mind. Thanks again! Deb
tara pollard pakosta 
Susan 
Eleonor F. 
Jodie Reimink 
Mandy B 
Jessica
pictures from when we were growing up. They are in the mail now and I can’t wait to get their reaction.
Can you share the link to your photo books? And, do you print the photos regular or just have them in
the books?
Thanks!
-Sharla
Let me know Sharla if you didn’t get the link to the books. I do still print photos. I’m never caught up, but I do print from Photoworks. I buy 1000 prepaid prints, for 9 cents and then use them throughout the year as I’m printing. I like knowing my price was low so I can feel more justified in printing without sorting through all my photos for the BEST ONES. I tend to print full folders of photos at a time and then give any repeats to family and the girls. They especially love getting them. Here is a link to the pre-paid photo prices. I also print quite a few photos myself at home. I have an older Epson 1280 and also my FAVORITE PictureMate Flash, as I’m needing them for projects such as my Family Photo Journal, will post more about that ongoing project in another post.
What I found was that I used to mostly only print photos of the projects I was working on and so once again, I was only getting prints of whatever project happened to land on my desk. The realization of that began to bother me more and more and eat away at my conscience. So little by little getting a process started to alleviate that problem has helped me. I knew that style of printing just what I needed for projects works for me, and my style of creativity.
I still like to have my photos printed, so I do both. I print large amounts of photos and store them in black 3 ring binders in photo sleeves, something I started when Delaney was born 9 years ago. Although I can’t say I have the last 9 years done. I am not caught up on this and probably will never be. I have learned to be ok with that because of the reality of how many photos I take. But the girls and I enjoy putting them in the sleeves together. It’s something we can do on Sundays or if we are watching something on tv together. We spread things out on the floor and sort and enjoy remembering.
One other thing that has helped me in all of this is to remember this concept. Start today and let go of what isn’t done. I used to live in the baggage of what wasn’t done, which kept me from making today anything different. So now I try to remember that in all the projects and processes I’m starting even if I get behind. It’s easy to beat yourself up about missing a month, or 2 or even more and then you completely lose ground and stop because of the guilt. I’ve been there and then it always paralyzes me from moving forward. Now when I get behind, I try to evaluate the reason and see if there’s anything that I can learn from what the road block was. Maybe there’s something of value in there and if not, I just start today again. Then it’s easier to go backward while I’m moving forward. What I find is that if I don’t beat myself up over being behind and just start today again, I am usually eager to go backward and even catch up.
Figuring out WHAT I WANT in the end and then SIMPLYFYING by finding a process has helped me get there. Then I started small with just one step realizing that I couldn’t shoot the moon and succeed. AND I can tell you that I’m loving it and so so happy with the results, for the first time in my life. I have never felt so inspired and liberated.
One person who helped motivate me to see with new eyes and inspire me to create what it is my heart wants to remember, rather than create for the act of creativity is this girl. Just sit and read for a bit and if you don’t find yourself inspired as a woman and mother, then run to the doctor’s office FAST!!!
October 2nd, 2008 at 2:40 pm eDanelle — I LOVE these books and would love to see more pages. Would you mind emailing me your link? I also really like the white background/ plain black text — it really keeps the photos the focus. Thanks for sharing your great idea!
Becky
When creating the books you can choose the background style of your book and I try to usually stick with the same format for consistancy in my Yearly Books. For some of the other books I do (Family Trips and special projects) I sometimes change to other formats and other backgrounds.
October 2nd, 2008 at 4:30 pm eYou are such a wonderful person for posting this!!! I am a big photo person also and I am always the one at all the family functions that is behind the camera and also gets the call when someone needs a picture of someone. I haven’t completed one of the online books but I have been looking at them. I love to scrapbook and have TONS of supplies but I get the feeling of being overwhelmed at just trying to get things completed. (I definately have way too much stuff sitting here right now) I am very organized when it comes to my photos and I do have backups just in case but they are all sitting on computers, backup drives or disks. I want to give this a try and since I have my pictures already organized by date, I think it will be very easy to go back and do some of the prior years. I would love to see your photo books and would love to see your answer to the prior question and also how do you print the pictures you want to scrapbook. Thanks!
I can relate to being overwhelmed. But I will tell you just a little bit of change can carry you a long way, such as a project like these books that incorporates so many photos. Sometimes I think the overwhelmed feeling SEEMS so big, but it’s much easier to overcome than you think, a little bit of change or control goes a LONG way. I was suprised by this. Sometimes to obstacles seem so big that they require so much to correct. But with just a little bit of change you can start feeling quite inspired and liberated, I promise. At least for me, it was much faster and easier than I ever expected. It’s like a snowball rolling downhill also. The more you get going, the more you want to do. For me the more processes I figure out, the more I want to add and ideas I have.