Every Friday I’ll share one of my favorite ideas or products that helps me save time, plan ahead, or stay organized. It’s a way for me to take a moment to reflect on the little things that bring me joy.
I’m not sponsored by any of the companies I may feature here. I’m just sharing ideas or products that I love that I thought others would benefit from as well.
I’ve always wanted to make photo books for the kids, one for each year, that highlight 30-50 photos from throughout the year. My thought is that they’d be keepsakes for years to come. Well, I have a Mr. 6-year-old and Mr 4-year-old. They had zero annual photo books.
It was one of those ideas of something I’d get to eventually, but eventually never came.
So, when 2020 rolled around, I put the creation of photo books for the kids as one of my 2020 goals. I started looking around for options and stumbled upon Shutterfly’s Make My Book service!
I’ve known that Shutterfly would make photo books. I’ve even looked into photo books at Costco (my typical go-to for photo products). In the past, though, I’d always have to design the books myself, selecting page layouts, designs, and decorations for each page. I know for many that designing a photo book is the fun part, but I didn’t want to invest that much time into it.
I jumped at the chance to use Shutterfly’s Make My Book service. It was simple, and I was done in about three steps.
Step 1: Upload Photos
First, I uploaded however many pictures I wanted. I could link Shutterfly to social media accounts if I wanted to for easy access to images. Shutterfly noted that I didn’t even have to worry about uploading duplicates or fuzzy images. They would avoid duplicates and only use good quality photos.
Step 2: Answer Questions
I then had to answer a handful of questions about what size book I wanted, the scale of decorations they should include, the theme, and desired length.
Step 3: Give General Directions
Finally, I gave general directions about what I was looking for in a photo book. All I noted was the purpose of the book (to track a year in my kid’s life) and to try and put the photos in chronological order and grouped by theme (e.g., all Halloween pics together).
That was it! I submitted the job, then 2-3 days later I was given a proof to edit or approve, and then my photo books were made and shipped to me. It was great! And, bonus, one of my 2020 goals was accomplished.
Reflect. Plan. Live. 