CHRISTMAS IDEA #1: Stocking Stuffers
Our 5x7 sized books are the perfect stocking stuffers. The first idea for these small books is "Mom's Favorite Pictures". I did one of these small books for each of my children (for Valentine's Day actually). This is something that even older kids will love - my youngest at the time was almost 12 - oldest one was 18. (Actually my oldest was 20, and he was gone for two years, so I haven't done his yet).
First of all, you get to go through your pictures and pick out the ones that you love. This was the hardest part for me because I love taking pictures and I couldn't decide which pics were my favorite. But, once I got started, memories came flooding in and I knew which pics to pick! These books start with 24 pages, so if you do one picture per page - along with a little story, you'll need 24 pictures. I had a hard time keeping it to 24 - I think I ended up with around 36 for each book.
(*Remember that you can add pages to this book for 50 cents per page)
Next, if you're as old as me, you'll need to scan your pictures. Digital cameras weren't around when my kids were little. Remember to scan pictures no lower than 300 dpi. For those tiny pictures, do 600 dpi. And just a little reminder - wipe off your scanner every once in a while (I actually do this between scans), because the scanner will pick up even little dust particles (especially at 600 dpi) and they'll show up on your pictures as tiny white dots. Scanning really doesn't take that long. I scanned about 300 pictures a few days ago, and it only took me about 2 hours. I scanned several at a time, and then afterward, I cropped them apart in Photoshop.
After you've scanned the pictures, if they are the way you like them, you're ready to go. If you want to "fix" them, or turn them black and white, or whatever - do that in a program like photoshop. I save all of my pics to a folder on my desktop. Each book gets its own folder.
Now, as you are going through the pictures, make sure you jot down some stories about those pics. You know that saying... "A picture is worth a thousand words"? NOT TRUE. Really, in a 100 years, if there is not a name and a story to go with a picture, no one will care about them. You're photos will end up in a box, and then eventually thrown out. But, if someone can read about you - learn things from you, even when you are gone, that's priceless. SO, don't forget those stories. Kids are so cute and wonderful - there are bound to be some crazy, sweet stories about them that you can include in their books. You can either type the stories up in a word processing program and cut and paste into the books, or just type them straight into the books.
The next step, once you've gathered everything (I know this looks like alot of stuff, but really, the previous steps shouldn't take that long - maybe a day for each child), is to go into the Cherish Bound publishing online tool, and open a new project. Upload your pictures (easy to do quickly, because they have all been saved in one place - just pick all of your pics at once, and upload). It takes a little time for all of the pictures to upload, but you can start laying out your book during this time. I think these books automatically open with about 12 pages, so go ahead and add pages until you get to 24. The tool will let you know if you've reached the limit of free pages.
Go through and pick a template for each page. Then just start dragging and dropping pics onto pages. Add your text. After you are finished, make sure you read through everything and proof the book. Then, press the submit button. This whole process can be done easily in one day. It took me less than an hour to finish each book.
*Remember, these are just snapshots in time - you are not doing their entire childhood. Just a few of your favorite pics and stories. On my kids' books, I put a picture of them on the front, and then on the back, I put a pic of me with that child and a little "love" note. (You can add pics and words to the back cover of the small books, but not the large books.)
So, here are the books I made - I'll show you a few pages and the covers...
That book on the right probably needs an explanation. Those two pictures are a little different. In one, Alex is wearing a Batman cape and has his binky in his mouth. In the other, his binky is gone and he is grinning at the camera. Alex LOVED his binky - he went everywhere with it. I loved the idea of showing both pictures next to each other. It reminded me that I had to tell him to take his binky out of his mouth! What a cutie pie.
SAMPLE STORY... "This is one of my favorite pictures, Matthew. I found you one day, asleep on your favorite chair - your Blues Clues Thinking Chair! You and I watched Blues Clues every day. You loved that show. What a funny kid!"
On the back of each book were the words... To (kid's name) With Love, Mom
Cute, right? So, to recap... do a small 5x7 book for each child with your favorite pictures and stories. Shouldn't take more than 2 days for each one. You don't even have to leave the house. You'll receive your books in the mail about 3 weeks after you submit. Easy peasey!
Contact me to get a $29 publishing coupon. This will open up your customer account - which will stay open forever. And every penny of that $29 will go toward your first book. Cherish Bound is free to use - no software to purchase, or monthly fees. And, our hardbinding is guaranteed for LIFE!
Good luck and have fun with those memories.
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