When I completed the first year (and only so far) of One Tale a Day, I made us a large 12×12 book with Blurb. And I shrunk it down to a small (5×5 I think?) size for my parents. While we were living there, James loved looking through the book of pictures even though he wasn’t in any of them. So when I got an email from Blurb asking me to try out their new designer template to create a 7×7 book, I thought it would be a great way to make both of the kids a book full of pictures from their lives.
I couldn’t believe how simple it was to create the book. I just went to the designer template page, logged in with my free account that I already had, and clicked ‘Get Started’. The books use a Blurb product called ‘Bookify’ so you don’t even have to download any software on your computer. The Bookify software immediately comes up in your browser and you can start making your book.
First, you’re going to choose a design. I chose a basic one since I wasn’t going to use any words and it was for the kids.
Then, you can choose to import pictures from lots of different places. I imported from Instagram and it couldn’t have been easier!
I then spent some time arranging my pictures in an order that I liked. And changing any formats on pages that I wanted. I was able to not use any of the text boxes since I didn’t want text and it didn’t change anything in the book.
I found that it was often easier to rearrange pictures on the multi-page view since I could drag and drop.
Once I was satisfied, I previewed the book through the Bookify software and then proceeded to order them!
Literally 10 days after I placed my order, my books arrived on my doorstep. They come shrink wrapped and the kids were so excited to get their hands on their “surprises” that all I could manage was a quick picture on the island before they were taken out of my hands!
Charlotte spent a good part of that afternoon “reading” her book and they both pull them out of the bookshelf often to flip through them. They love seeing the pictures of them and their family and I love the small size and the quality of the book since I know that they can’t really harm them. I’m comfortable letting them play with them as their books!
I love Blurb and have used them for many years, but I was very impressed with the new designer collection. The formats allow for less customization than a full scale Blurb book does in Booksmart, but that means you can create a great looking book QUICKLY! As a bonus, Blurb is offering readers 20% off of a Designer Book Template with the code ‘DESIGNMYBOOK’. But hurry, this offer is only good through the 31st of March!
Disclaimer: I was given credit to purchase both of these books for free from Blurb and I am a part of their affiliate program. All opinions and reviews are my own. For more information, please check out my link/disclosure page.
Maureen
March 29, 2013 at 12:35 amI had no clue I could do something fun and creative like this for my kids. Those picture books are sure to be treasured by your kids for a long time to come. I am going to try to make one for my kids. What a great idea!