Seriously, I've been threatening to do this since last Christmas.
But had I done anything about it?
Nope.
Why not?
Too overwhelming a prospect for me. In my first year of blogging, my photos were scattered on 3 or 4 different computers.
So John encouraged me to just start with my most recent year. Year 2009. This seemed a little more do-able.
Last night I had blurb automatically slurp up my blog from 2009. And you know what?
It wasn't all that painful.
Really.
I only got around to configuring the first couple of posts, so I could be changing my tune once I get further along.
And, I am not trying to do anything fancy, mindyoume. I don't care if it looks a bit institutional. I just want my blog in books for our family to enjoy over the years.
Here is a screen shot of the program Book Smart that you will use. This particular post just had one photo, which made it easy.
The little yellow triangles are there to tell you which photos need higher resolution. The more photos you cram on a page, the smaller the photo, and the less resolution is required. I did not have a higher resolution photo for my ultrasound...and guess what? I don't care! I will replace the ones I can and not worry about the rest!
My next post had quite a few photos, and here is another way to layout the photos and text.
They have about 70 different layouts to choose for your photos and text on the page.
And once I get going, I will probably change the background color and make it look better. Or maybe not. Who knows. I just started.
It's kind of fun...like doing a puzzle...trying to get your photos and text to fit together.
I wish they had a way of automatically embedding the photos into your text exactly like they are seen in the actual blog, but they don't do it that way. That's ok.
So, if you were planning on doing this someday, I just wanted to encourage you along. It's not as horrible as you might think. You may even have a little bit of fun. The program Book Smart is very user-friendly. So go ahead. Give it a try!
How nice. I would love to do this one day because there are so many memories on my blog. I'm glad it worked out for you and wasn't too scary.
ReplyDeleteYou've totally encouraged me to give it a try!
ReplyDeleteI've been working on mine in Blurb for quite some time...it's so time consuming but I know it will be priceless. There is another program I've seen that drops them all in the way they were posted... you just don't have as many design choices... http://blog2print.sharedbook.com/blogworld/printmyblog/cutestblog/index.html
ReplyDeleteAll I know is that blogging and slurping is my kind of scrapbooking! You won't find me cutting up little tiny pieces of paper to make a scrapbook....
Thanks for posting this! I've been meaning to check into it, but the idea of another big, looming project kept me from doing it. I know ALL my pictures are a WAY low resolution because I have to minimize them in order for my stupid security settings to load them. I guess it's about preserving the memory, not having a photography quality book. I'll have to check out that other link your friend shared. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you're doing this for your boys to read later. They need to see how much you love and appreciate each of them with their unique personalities and how much you love being their mother. This book is sure to become a family treasure!
ReplyDeleteMy husband makes Blurb books for the grandparents for the holidays. He puts together pictures of our girls over the year with little notes about their milestones and such. They always turn out great.
ReplyDeleteiv been wanting to scense Lorits husband gave her one. Im the same as you, its hectic! But I still think Im going to give it a try some day!
ReplyDeleteYou can edit the layouts in Blurb to look however you want. Once you are on a page click the edit layout tab on the top. You can insert or remove picture boxes and text boxes. Your page can look however you want and it's easy.
ReplyDeleteOohhh this is REALLY neat! Thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteI used Blurb to make Swee'Pea his one year scrapbook and LOVED it. I tried to slurp my old blog though, and it was maxed out at 450 pages. YIKES! I need to go in and do some serious editing. ;). You know, or just ignore it until I'm old and gray and have time. ;). I'm working on a family album now! Can't wait to see your finished product!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the encouragment - I've been meaning to do this forever!!!
ReplyDeletefirst of all let me tell you that reading the word "slurp" in my mind over and over in this post has made me HUNGRY. Like, I'm pretty sure I'll need some soup now.
ReplyDeleteI've seen some other bloggers talk about doing this and I think it sounds so cool!
Will you share with us how it turns out? I'll be so curious to see! :D
This is so cool! I'd love to do that someday myself. I think you'll be super happy to have a book made and keep it for years to come! The kids will love looking back and reading what you wrote about them. :)
ReplyDeletethis idea is genius! It is so fun to have a tangible book to look through with all your memories. Nothing quite like snuggling up on the couch with a good book to look through :)
ReplyDeletethanks anon! your tip was a total life-saver!
ReplyDelete