Beyond Paws and Bones: Making Use of Other Backgrounds for a Pet Photo Book

While creating a photo book of my Corgi, Pepper, in honor of “Love Your Pet Day,” I started to overdo it with the paws and bones background. To give my photo book a variety of backgrounds, I had to think outside the box.

Puppy Love

In terms of inspiration, it helps that “Love Your Pet Day” comes shortly after Valentine’s Day.  I used some of the hearts backgrounds when showing pictures of my family giving Pepper hugs and kisses.

Dog Days of Summer

I also branched out by using backgrounds that match with what Pepper is doing in each photo. For the pictures of her hanging out by a lake—and swimming in one– for instance, I went with one of the Summer backgrounds Inkubook offers.

Pet Photo Books

And, let’s not forget that for most of us, our dog or cat is our baby. So, there is always the option of using some of the Baby backgrounds in your photo book.

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Researching a President for Presidents’ Day

President James Madison

Presidents’ Day is observed the third Monday of February. For me, it’s more than a day off, it’s a chance to learn more about my ancestry.

You see, I have a lot of knowledge on the fifth Vice President of the United States: Elbridge Gerry—as I am one of his descendants. I and the rest of my family however, know very little about the president under which he served.

Part of why we know so little about the president VP Gerry served, is we can’t remember which president it was. You’d think it would be easy to match VP to President. Gerry was the fifth Vice President but served under the fourth President. Furthermore, the fourth and fifth presidents are similarly named “James Madison” and “James Monroe”. So to make Presidents’ Day more than just another day off, I  sat down and read about James Madison. At the very least, I’ll know my family history, and maybe I’ll be the person my family turns to when they want to learn more about our heritage.

Through my research, which you can read below, I decided I would combine this information and photos into a photo book to have on hand for any family questions that may arise.

 James Madison

Before being elected into office, James Madison served in the Continental Congress and the Virginia Assembly. He contributed to the earliest drafting of both the United States Constitution and the Virginian Constitution. He later took great part in the Constitution’s major ratification and helped frame the Bill of Rights.

Madison served as Thomas Jefferson’s Secretary of State and thus had the responsibility of negotiating with France and Spain the purchase of the land west of the Mississippi River, which became known as the Louisiana Purchase.

Madison was elected President in 1808. In his first year, the U.S. had prohibited trade between Britain and France, due to the two countries’ conflicts with one another. However by May of 1810 Congress authorized trade with both countries as long as they respected the U.S.’s wishes to remain neutral.

This did not go well. Napoleon only pretended to agree and British ships stopped American trading ships and seized American seamen. Later, Britain was blamed for causing resistance from the American Indians in regards to settlements in the western region.

The United States declared war on Britain June 18, 1812.

Madison commanded American troops on the field—the only president to do so while in office.

While he was away, the British burned the White House and the rest of the nation’s capitol. They then attempted (and failed) to launch a naval assault on Fort McHenry in Baltimore. The battle was the inspiration for Francis Scott Key’s poem, The Star Spangled Banner, which of course, would become the National Anthem.

The War of 1812 ended on December 24, 1814 when both sides agreed on terms of peace.  It is said that the war set where the United States stood as a nation in relationship to the rest of the world.

In April 1812—just before the start of the 1812 election, Madison’s Vice President George Clinton, died. After an intense period of “election-eering” by potential VP candidates, Madison announced Elbridge Gerry as his running mate for his re-election campaign.

Vice President Elbridge Gerry

When Madison’s second term ended in 1817, he and his wife, Dolley Madison, retired to the family estate: Montpelier, in Virginia. He stayed active in politics, finding the American Colonization Society, which was dedicated to freeing slaves and transporting them to Africa’s west coast; He served on the board of visitors at the University of Virginia. In 1829 Madison came out of retirement to attend the Virginia Constitutional Convention.

Madison died at the age of 85 in 1836.

The signers of the Constitution. Gerry and Madison are depicted 3rd & 4th to the left of Washington.

Sources:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/jamesmadison

http://montpelier.org/explore/james_madison/

http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/generic/VP_George_Clinton.htm

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Sick days can be a gift.

My kids gave me a gift this weekend, though at first, I didn’t see it as a gift. Why? Because they gave me something that was given to them, the flu.

When illness hit Saturday morning my first thoughts were “but I have things to do today and a big pile of laundry.” By Saturday evening, firmly planted on the sofa with my laptop providing much needed heat, I realized the gift I was given – time. Time to organize my photos and upload them to Inkubook to make my Fall-Winter 2011 photo book. On Sunday, day two of the gift, I was able to tweak photos, play with backgrounds and add in comments. As soon as I’m clear-headed (which I hope will be today), I’ll give it a final review, then order. I wonder who I can pass my gift on to (I mean the photo book, of course)?

“Time does not change us. It just unfolds us.” Max Frisch

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Celebrate and Snap a Pic Each Day in February

February may be the shortest month of the year, but it’s long on holidays. Whether it’s a common celebration or a bizarre observance, there are plenty of reasons to take some pictures this month and enough occasions to fill a photo book.

You know there’s Valentine’s Day and President’s Day and you likely remember Groundhog’s Day and Mardi Gras, but did you know February also holds these observances:

American Heart Month

Library Lovers Month

Black History Month

Hot Breakfast Month

Relationship Wellness Month

Ice Cream for Breakfast Day

World Nutella Day

Read in the Bathtub Day

and Tooth Fairy Day?

I can think of a photo or two to take for each of the above and this is only a fraction of the observances. What will you celebrate and snap a pic of this month?

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Keeping up with the challenge?

It’s been one month. Have you been able to take one picture per day?

I’m doing pretty well. I’ve taken 143 pictures over the past month. While many of my photos are from the same event like Disney On Ice or the drum circle birthday party my 2-year-old attended, there is also at least one photo per day that capture the little things in life from my first time making white chicken chili to my college acceptance packet (once wasn’t enough for me) to taking a picture of an amazing light fixture I saw in a restaurant I just have to get for my house.

As the month has gone on, I’ve started thinking of the daily photos as the squares that make up a quilt. These photos are like the squares of a quilt that tells a story or the cherished memories made into quilts from old dresses, bedding and the fuzz from cherished stuffed animals. By the end of the year, my photos will tell my story and I’m excited to see the story unfold for my family.

What story will your photos tell about you?

KEEP UP ON THE CHALLENGE!!!

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New Valentine’s background – Send a sweet card to those you love.

Photo + Card + Candy = A sweet greeting they won’t forget.

Candy Hearts Photocard

Find this new background by creating a new project and choosing the Holiday theme, and then select Valentine’s Day. Choose a layout. Insert a picture and type a message. Review, order and send a smile.

But hurry, time is running out to get them by Valentine’s.

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Give the keepsakes of your love this Valentine’s

Whether you’re in high school, engaged or have been married 25 years, you likely have a box (or two) of love notes, movie stubs, pressed flowers, photo booth photos, greeting cards, pictures of you together at parties or on vacation and other keepsakes. Consider taking those sweet nothings that your SO may not even know you’ve kept, scan them and make a photo book of all of the small things that have added up to big, lasting love.

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Inspiration: Candy Hearts Brag Book

Want to show the one you love how loved they are this Valentine’s? Want to do it in a personalized, creative and unique way that’s sweeter and longer lasting than a box of chocolates? Here’s the recipe to make one thoughtful Candy Hearts Brag Book.

Ingredients:

• Scissors
• Construction paper
• Marker
• Camera (or phone)
• Teaspoon of creativity
• Teaspoon of sweetness
• Dash of sauciness [optional]

Assembly:

Take 14 pieces of construction paper and fold them in half. Cut hearts from each piece. Then write sayings like “Be Mine”, “I<3 You”, “U R Cute” as well as some of your own [sweet if for your child, saucy if for your SO]. Once your hearts are ready, take pictures or have someone take pictures of you holding each heart. Upload them and create a book. Add more sweet nothings by adding text boxes. And since the minimum Inkubook page count is 20, you could make a few more hearts and take a few more pictures.

Candy Hearts Photobook

Give a sweet gift that’ll last way longer than a chocolate filled heart.

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SWAK! Send Valentine’s Photo Cards to Your Loved Ones

If you’re like me, your children have more than two sets of grandparents, possibly some great-grandparents and many of them don’t live close by. Since my family is rather extended and far away, and I have a great need to keep in touch especially in the dreary winter months, I send photo card Valentines. I can’t think of a grandparent that wouldn’t melt over a SWAK card from one of their little love bugs.

The two examples in this post are cards I created for this coming Valentine’s Day. Creating great cards is easy. Throughout the year, as I take photos, I tag the ones I think would be great for certain usages or occasions. Then when the time comes, the photo selection process is much faster. Once I have my photos uploaded, I start playing with backgrounds, layouts, fonts and sayings. The hard part is deciding which to buy, as I’m only picking one.

Valentine Photo Card 1

Inkubook offers several Valentine’s backgrounds, solid colors – red, pink and white, as well as full-bleed photo options for those with digital scrapbooking and Photoshop skills.

Valentine Photo Card 2

Our 4×8 flat cards come packaged by the dozen and are priced at $15.48 a set, plus shipping. We always have a promo running (check Facebook and Twitter), so you’ll likely get your cards for less just by entering a promo code at checkout. They print in 2-6 business days and ship in about the same or less. To get your cards by Valentine’s, be sure to check out our shipping schedule.

Brighten their trip to the mailbox and their day by reminding them they are loved this Valentine’s Day. XOXO.

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Interview with Abbey Wilson – Inkubook User, Fiancée and Photo Enthusiast

We recently interviewed Inkubook member Abbey Wilson to find out about how she learned of Inkubook, why she likes us and she is incorporating photos, photo memories and photobooks into her upcoming wedding.

Engagement Photobook - Show off those gorgeous pictures

Inkubook – Tell us how you learned about Inkubook.
Abbey – I discovered Inkubook via the promotional Groupon deal this summer. I was not previously familiar with the company or the products, but frequently use Groupons to “test” new companies and businesses, so I thought this was worth the shot. I was also impressed with the simplicity of the website interface design when I checked out the site.

What made you come back after your first photo book order?
For “testing out” Inkubook, I hit the jackpot. I ordered 2 Classic Landscape books and they were printed beautifully. Not a single misprint or margin out of line – no pictures cut off and the colors I’d chosen printed exactly as shown on the website. I also worked with Inkubook Support to have their standard logo removed from the back cover, and the associate I worked with was kind and prompt in responding – 2 essential customer service qualities!

Was using Inkubook the first time you made a photo book?
I’d never made a “virtual” photo book until my experience with Inkubook, and I barely scrapbooked as a kid. I typically print pictures and slide them into blank albums, but Inkubook has changed my mind about how I want to display, share and keep my photographs.

Why do you like making photo books?
I like clean, simple designs and organized displays, and Inkubook photo books are perfect for this. I also like the simplicity of Inkubook’s “drag and drop” design, and the upload time for images is very fast.

Tell us about some of the books you’ve made?
The book I’m currently working on will be my wedding guest book. It highlights some of our favorite pictures from the time we started dating to our engagement, including our engagement pictures. I’ve designed it with small captions near each picture to tell our guests where each was taken, and left plenty of space on most pages for guests to choose a picture that they were present for or reminds them of us and sign their well wishes near it. The book is a nice touch to our wedding which is entirely personalized and unique to the look of most modern weddings.

Wedding Photo GuestBook

Did you use any tools outside of Inkubook in the creation process?
No, I just uploaded my own pictures directly to Inkubook and designed from the site.

We understand you’ll be getting married in May 2012, do you have any ideas in mind for using photo books and cards as part of your wedding planning and gifts?
As I mentioned, I’m creating our wedding guest book via Inkubook. I plan for this to be a beautiful display of pictures as well as our guests’ thoughts and comments we have for a very long time. I like the idea of customized thank you stationary, which we’ll also design for our wedding. Life’s too short to be boring – customization and beautiful design are essential, especially when planning a wedding! Inkubook gives you the potential to be anything but cookie cutter.

Congratulations to you and your fiancée on your upcoming wedding. Thanks for using Inkubook – we can’t wait to see your wedding album.

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