Okay, so, I've started the process of creating my first little photobook. I say little in a quite literal sense, because I've chosen to get a 5×7 softcover book. I did this for many reasons–one of them being price–but mostly because during our first year o' marriage we didn't have a digital camera, so our photos are scans of prints…which don't lend themselves to beautiful and big prints.
I am, like Ashley Ann, using My Publisher to create my book. Although, in my professional past life I created these albums from scratch with my own custom layouts…I just don't have the energy to do it when I'm not looking at a large check at the end. Hey, I can be honest on my own blog, right?! The layouts are premade (I am using the "photos only" templates) and all you have to do is drag and drop your images into the layout. Easy as pie.
So far, I've documented our wedding, honeymoon, and first house. I have quite a bit to go, but I'm trying to keep the book rather short and edited…because Lord knows I don't need EVERY arms-out-myspace-type-self-portrait we took in our first year (it's hard to get pictures of the two of you…when its ONLY the two of you!).
I'll use bigger books once I get into the kid years (which is what…3 months after our first anniversary?!). One reason is that they are cute, cute, smushy cheeks cute. And, the other reason is that I got leaps and bounds better at photography (and with that acquired a swanky giant megapixel camera!). Anyway, the progress I've made so far in the book is exciting…but I'll have a late night ahead of me tonight to get this challenge done by tomorrow. Definitely know, though, this is MUCH less work than I originally thought. Especially when I let go of the idea of perfection–which is the enemy of actually accomplishing anything. So, let go of you pie-in-the-sky plans of your perfect album and JUST GET GOING. Put something down in hard-copy, written form, whatever…just get it off your darn computer. Ask my mother-in-law…her hard drive fried and she lost about 3 years worth of precious memories because she hadn't thought to back-up. She's a scrapbooker, too…but when she made the switch to digital scrapbooking, she would design the pages and then "wait" to get them printed. I've been "waiting" to print my images for a loooooooooong time…and if I'm honest with myself, it may have never happened.
And, if you are interested in using My Publisher, there are some great coupons on Retail Me Not. In fact, I never by ANYTHING online without checking Retail Me Not out first…yesterday it saved me $10 on a pair of hot little platform sandals for the springtime (if it ever decides to arrive…).