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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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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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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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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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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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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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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In the second half of 2011, Inkubook began to build its social media presence and focus on providing photo-related information to our members, followers and fans. If we found something cool about famous photographers, great photography tip and tricks, fun kid projects or interesting photo-oriented holiday crafts and ideas we wanted to share it with you. Below were our most popular blog posts and Twitter and Facebook links from the past year.

Top Read Blog Posts

Scavenger hunt & other Halloween photo ideas

http://inkubook.com/blog/?p=2621

Getting an early start on holiday gift making: calendars and cards

http://inkubook.com/blog/?p=2331

180-Day school year photo challenge

http://inkubook.com/blog/?p=2367

Have lots of photos of baby? Here are some fun baby photo book ideas

http://inkubook.com/blog/?p=2383

Big Interview? Make a portfolio photo book that does all the talking

http://inkubook.com/blog/?p=2204

Family History Book: trace back your genealogy

http://inkubook.com/blog/?p=2402

Kid Perspective: Give a kid a camera and see the world through their eyes

http://inkubook.com/blog/?p=2431

Top Facebook and Twitter Links

10 common mistakes in digital scrapbooking

http://scrapbookcampus.com/2011/11/10-common-mistakes-in-digital-scrapbooking/

10 more scrapbooking errors. Are you making them?

http://scrapbookcampus.com/2011/11/10-more-common-mistakes-in-digital-scrapbooking/

50 essential photography tips.

http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/cameras-and-camcorders/50-essential-photography-tips-50006080/

What does a $4.3 million dollar photo look like? See it here.

http://lazarusdodge.wordpress.com/2011/11/15/landscrapes/

House for sale? Just finish a remodel? 5 tips for taking better pictures of the inside of your home.

http://www.mcpactions.com/blog/2011/12/14/5-photography-tips-for-successful-interior-design-photos/

Taking pics of your newborn? Tips for parents.

http://waukee.patch.com/blog_posts/newborn-photography-tips-for-new-parents

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Many of us can’t even remember what we ate for breakfast this morning, let alone trying to remember one thing we did every day for a year. Between our demanding work schedules, spending time with friends and family and the other million things on our to-do lists, there is often little time to step back and appreciate the smaller moments in life.

We challenge you to take one picture every day for a year, starting today, then create a scrapbook that turns those monotonous moments into memories.

It can be something as simple as a meal or outfit you liked that day, or something more sentimental like recording your child’s first year. Not only will you be able to look back at any day and recall the people you were with, what you learned or something you did, but you will also improve your photography skills and creativity as you are faced with coming up with something new every day.

Dust off your old single-lens reflex or charge your digital battery and start taking pictures today!

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One of my family’s favorite traditions is going through photographs we have of Christmases past. In old photo albums, you can find a 5-year-old version of me, still in my pj’s, holding a Hungry Hungry Hippos game overhead in triumph; me and my three siblings, sporting an array of now laughable trends, lined up on the couch; my grandfather standing next to the outdated aluminum tree he insisted on displaying every year.

One thing’s for sure: I hardly remember the gifts I received on Christmas morn, but I know me and my family had good times. We’ve got the pictures to prove it.

So, when Christmas comes around this year, be sure to capture the look on the kids’ faces when they open up their gifts from “Santa.” Don’t miss Grandma making the rounds to pinch cheeks and administer hugs. And if Mother Nature cooperates, be ready to document the impromptu snowball fight in the front yard.

Whatever the day brings, those special moments won’t be forgotten.

Share Your Favorite Christmas Memories

Show us your holiday spirit by uploading a favorite holiday picture and a short description to Facebook, and then share it on Inkubook’s wall.

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