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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Are you thinking about making a photo book but haven’t made up your mind which company to use? The best quality photo book? The cheapest photo book? Looking for the best photo book maker?  Then you’ll be glad you took the time to read and watch (yes, there are videos as well) these photo book reviews.

If you like to do extensive research before you do business with a company online then you’re going to love the article published in 2010 and updated in April 2011 by Jason Dunn at Digital Home Thoughts before you make your first photo book. This epic review The Great Photo Book Round-Up Review: Who Makes the Best Photo Books compares online experience, print, covers, paper, overall quality and value of several top photo book publishers including Inkubook. Check it out!

Interested in more reviews? Check out The Gadgeteer or the December 2011 updated review from PhotoBookGirl.com.

Want to watch a review? Check out this one from TheMommyPR or this very recent written and video combo review from Confessions of a Scrapaholic.

After you read these reviews and decide Inkubook is the way to go, use our special review promo code BESTPHOTOBOOK2012 to get 30% off your order*.

*Maximum $100 discount, one use per member, expires 3/31/2012.

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The lights, the music, the holiday cheer and the big guy in the red suit – something about the Christmas season seems to bring out the child in all of us. And while you may not look as young as you feel, you can relive the days when you did with Inkubook vintage Christmas photo books.

This year, while you’re up in the attic getting down the decorations, look around for some boxes of old photos. You’re bound to find stacks of forgotten pictures that will rekindle the memories of Christmases and haircuts past. Once you’ve collected enough pictures, simply scan them to a computer and upload them directly into an Inkubook. Vintage Christmas photo books make great presents, especially for those in the difficult-to-buy-for category.

But photo books aren’t your only option. Instead of hassling with getting the entire family together for a picture, use one of the classics for this year’s holiday greeting card. It’s sure to be one of the most unique cards anyone receives, and it’s much less embarrassing than the matching holiday sweaters families usually wear in the pictures.

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More so than any other time of year, the holidays are about spending time with family. This is the season when everyone, whether immediate or distant relatives, clears their schedules and comes together in one place. But now, with Inkubook, you can keep the entire family in one place year-round with family tree photo books.

It seems that from Thanksgiving until New Year’s we are surrounded by family and loved ones. And in the midst of traditions, stories and family recipes, wouldn’t it be fun to take a look back to see just how you and your family came to be where you are today?

Hundreds of websites, such as Ancestry.com, exist to help you trace back your lineage. But exploring your family history can be as easy as gathering stories and pictures from other family members. Either way you will be creating a beautiful photo book that celebrates your history. And with Inkubook, shipping photo books within 7-10 business days of purchase, you could be ready to share your book by the end of the year.

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Some might say it’s still too early to think about holiday shopping (especially when jack-o’-lanterns are still glowing on front porches), but I’ve always found that the sooner I get started and finished, the more I can enjoy the season.

With that said, Inkubook gift cards make holiday shopping simple, and are a unique, fun and thoughtful gift for even the most hard-to-shop-for person on your list. Plus, it gives your recipient a chance to be creative and make something that can be appreciated long after the last of the leftover turkey is gone.

Since Inkubook has plenty of photo projects, they’ll have a variety of options to choose from:

• Create photo books in all shapes and sizes.
• Scan memorabilia to make a scrapbook.
• Make personalized photo calendars for the year that lies ahead.
• By giving a gift card early, it can be used to make seasonal photo greeting cards.

Whether you plan to shop early or are lucky enough to draw a distant cousin as your Secret Santa and have no clue what to get them, keep in mind that you’ve got a great gift up your sleeve with Inkubook gift cards.

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Getting married soon? Consider a wedding guest book with personality – your personality.

Real Simple, Martha Stewart and The Knot have a lot of great ideas from simple and fast to complex and time consuming for unique wedding guest books. Our suggestion is to get personal by building a wedding guestbook photo book.

Personalized Wedding Guest Book

Many betrothed couples had gorgeous engagement photos taken and those that didn’t likely have a vast collection of photos from your time as a couple.  A photo book guestbook is the perfect way to show those sharing your special day with you the great times you and your fiancée have shared.

For most weddings a 20-page book is sufficient for capturing the well wishes and signatures of your guests. Start by collecting 10-20 of your favorite photos. Decide what size book you want to make (we suggest 8.5×11 landscape or 8.5 square) and select a hardcover, so the book will lay open well while your attendees write. We suggest placing images on left facing pages (and the covers) and while you’re placing photos, add borders and captions if you like. Place the guestbook templates on the right facing pages. Our guest book templates are found by clicking on Backgrounds within the editor (be sure you have your book open to any page but the covers). In Show located on the upper left of your workspace, select Specialty – Romance – Wedding. Within the wedding section, you’ll find Classic Guest Book, Modern Guest Book, B&W Classic Guest, Modern Words of Wisdom and Black Guest Book.  Choose the one you like best and place on right facing pages. On your cover, we recommend a great picture of you as a couple as well as your names, wedding date and the words “Guestbook”. Be sure to proof your book and while it only takes 2-6 business days to print and then another 2-6 to deliver, you should place your order at least three weeks before your wedding (longer if you’re having a destination wedding) just to be safe and to lower your last minute stress.

Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials.

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We just revamped our Photo Projects Idea Photo Project Ideas page to be a gallery of samples of books real users have created. We like the look, but need more content. We’re looking for all kinds of books like – pet, holiday, travel, scrapbook, and business and portfolio books.  Do you have a beautiful, creative book you’d like to share with our users? If so, contact us at admin@inkubook.com with the email address you use when making your Inkubooks as well as the name of your book. We’ll contact you back with a release form and get your book on our site with the next site update.

Inkubook Gallery

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September 25 starts my 90-day holiday giving “crunch time” countdown allowing me time to make or purchase everyone on my list a thoughtful, creative gift. This year, I have extra incentive to get some of my photo-based gifts made first – I purchased a couple of Groupons and they expire at the end of the month. Even without the looming Groupon expiration, placing my more time-consuming gift making earlier in the crunch period lessens my stress over things like shipping and delivery.

This past summer was a 90-day whirlwind between travel, festivals, summer camp and days at the pool, we were busy and we were also shutter-happy (my iPhone makes it so easy to snap, snap, snap). As a result, I have about 400 photos from just Memorial Day to Labor Day!

I’ve decided to upload all of my photos to Inkubook using the Autofill feature and have Inkubook do the heavy lifting by building a chronological album for me.

Selecting Autofill

Since I had a lot of photos to upload – two books worth – I will have about a 20 minute wait while Inkubook builds for me. Twenty minutes is a lot shorter than what it would take if I were placing the photos myself. I will need to go in and rotate and adjust a few photos, but again, much less time than if I’d done it manually. Note: Before uploading photos to Inkubook, sort through and delete or withhold any you don’t want to have included, or in the case of the iPhone, hold back on the duplicates (low-res vs hi-res) to prevent from double image uploading.

Photo upload process

I’m keeping it simple using the portfolio option with white pages. The only addition I need to make to each page is add black photo corners, because I dig photo corners. I also figure this look is easy enough to replicate and will provide consistency volume after volume.

Adding Corners

From start to finish this book took me about two hours to build a 200 page book from pressing “I want photos placed for me” to pressing the Buy button where I ordered four copies, one for us and one for each set of grandparents. Three heartwarming, handmade (ok, Autofilled) gifts in two hours.

Now, on to making holiday cards…

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There’s nothing quite like the open road. A full tank of gas, windows down and a car full of friends… something about nice weather just gives you the urge to take a road trip. Making new memories with each mile marker, the old saying really is true: getting there is half the fun.

When you’re packing up the car to leave, make sure not to forget your camera and a journal. Document every moment, every cheesy road side attraction and every mom-and-pop diner. Then, when you’ve finally had your fill of life on the road, return home and put all of your adventures in an Inkubook road trip photo book. Record each new state and different town you pass through in a book that maps out your exact journey.

And one more thing before you leave: Be sure not to forget about us while you’re cruising down the highway. Let us know where you’re headed and where you’ve been on Facebook and by commenting on this blog. Think of it as a postcard from you to us, only you won’t need a stamp.

So what are you waiting for? Buckle up, hit the road and have the time of your life. Drive safe and tell us all about it when you get back.

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Each new decade of life takes on a special meaning and significance. Whether it’s the excitement of no longer being a teenager or the milestone of turning 40, every decade begins a new chapter of life and causes us to reminisce about decades past. Help your friends and family members relive all the good times and bad haircuts with decade birthday photo books.

Include all of the most memorable moments from their embarrassing baby pictures to the too-cool lean against their very first car, from college life to becoming a newlywed and starting a family. Celebrate a new phase of life by creating a book that commemorates the old.

Scan in old pictures you haven’t shared for years that will make them say, “Did I really wear that?” and “I can’t believe how young we look.” Also include stories and messages from family and friends to accompany the pictures, giving the book an even more personal feel.

Don’t have time to create the book before their birthday?

Take pictures at the celebration and collect comments from those in attendance to include in a book. Give them a present that will allow them to look back through decades of old and look forward to the beginning of the newest stage of their life.

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