Photo Book Inspiration: Easter

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Jessica

Every family has its own special way of celebrating Easter. Getting up early to attend sunrise service together is the most important event of the day for some people. For others, grandmother’s famous ham with a side of candied yam casserole is the highlight. And some competitive types might wait all year to have the opportunity to tackle siblings and cousins in the annual down-and-dirty Easter egg hunt.

This year, get out the camera and take a basket’s worth of pictures and then make an Inkubook that’s as unique as your family’s traditions.

Build an album of Easters throughout the years.
Collect favorite Easter recipes in a cookbook.
Make a step-by-step manual about egg coloring.
Compile a portfolio of your children’s Easter-themed doodles and drawings.
Create a “Where’s the Bunny” picture book for your toddler.

Whatever the inspiration for your book, Inkubook can help you get it done.

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A Fairy Tale Book: Starring Your Kids

Posted on February 26, 2012 by Caitlin

For National Tell a Fairy Tale Day, we’re asking our members to post a fairy tale on our Facebook page.

To break away from the usual Cinderella and Snow White adaptations, I wrote my own narration of a lesser-known fairy tale: Mother Holle (pronounced “holl-ee”) by the Brothers Grimm. I hope it inspires you to find and post a fairy tale that is new to you. Or even write your own fairy tale.

I’ve taken my version of Mother Holle a step further by having had my friend’s kids act out the story so we could make a children’s book with the photos instead of illustrations.

What will you do with your story?

Family Fairy Tale

Mother Holle (holl-ee):

Once upon a time, a kind serving girl lived on her father’s farm with her stepmother, the Widow and Stepsister. The Widow spoiled her daughter making her very selfish, lazy, and unkind; and it left the Serving Girl to do all the chores.

One day when the Serving Girl was spinning on the spinning wheel she pricked her finger and got blood on the thread. Worried about how angry the Widow would be, she rushed to the well to wash it off.

However, the Serving Girl dropped the spindle into the well and when she went to reach for it, she fell in! She went tumbling down and when she finally reached the bottom, she found herself in a new magical land.

Searching for the spindle, the Serving Girl came across an apple tree. “Shake me! Shake Me!” said the tree. “We apples are ripe.” said the apples, “If we don’t fall soon we’ll rot!” And so the Serving Girl shook the tree so that the apples would fall.

The Serving Girl then came across an oven with bread. “Help us, Help us!” yelled the bread. “If we don’t come out soon we’ll bur!” and so the Serving Girl took the bread out of the oven.

At last the Serving Girl came across a cottage where a good witch lived. “Hello” the Serving Girl said. “Can you help me? I’ve lost my spindle.” “I can help you find your spindle, but you must also help me” said the good witch. “You must help me clean and cook, and you must shake my pillows until the feathers fly.”

“Why must the feathers fly from your pillows?” the Serving Girl asked. The good witch replied, “Because my dear, I am Mother Holle, and when my pillows shake until feathers fly, it snows on Earth.”

And so the Serving Girl helped Mother Holle with the cooking and cleaning, and shaking the pillows until the feathers fly. “Good news!” exclaimed Mother Holle one day. “I found your spindle! Now you can go home!” “But I don’t know how.” The girl replied. “I can take you there, and to thank you for all our help, I will send you with a reward.” said Mother Holle. And with the wave of her wand, Mother Holle sent the Serving Girl home.

When the Serving Girl arrived home, she was covered in gold and jewels. She told her family about the magical land, and the good witch who lived there. The Widow was so angry that her stepdaughter had this newfound wealth, when her own daughter had nothing.

So, she told the Stepsister “Go to this magical land, and find Mother Holle. Then you will have gold and jewels too.” And with that, the Widow threw the spindle down the well, and kicked the Stepdaughter in after it.

In the magical land, the Stepsister came across the apple tree. “Shake me! Shake me!” the tree said. “Turn us loose! We apples are ripe!” added the apples. “No!” exclaimed the Stepsister “I don’t want to scratch myself on the branches.” And so, the apples rotted.

The Stepsister then passed by the oven. “Let us out!” cried the bread. “Or we will burn!” “No. I don’t want to get dirty.” said the Stepsister. And then the bread burned.

When the Stepsister arrived at Mother Holle’s house, she banged on the door loudly. “I’m looking for my spindle.” She stated. “I have not seen your spindle.” Mother Holle replied. “But I will help you find it if you help me with my chores.” “Fine.” the Stepsister wined. “And don’t forget to shake the pillows until feathers fly, so that it snows on Earth.” Added Mother Holle.

The Stepsister did very little to help Mother Holle. She ignored her chores and was very rude. When Mother Holle returned the spindle to her, she demanded her reward. “Don’t worry you’ll get what you deserve” replied Mother Holle.

And when she returned home, the Stepsister was covered in ashes which could not be removed for the rest of her life.

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

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Caitlin

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

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Caitlin

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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Celebrate and Snap a Pic Each Day in February

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Jessica

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:

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

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Jessica

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

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Jessica

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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365-Day Photo Challenge

Posted on January 2, 2012 by JasonP

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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It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Posted on December 23, 2011 by AndreaA

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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Look-alike Inkubooks

Posted on December 16, 2011 by Jessica

Kids are always in a hurry to grow up so fast. Few things are cooler when you are young than getting to do grownup things. From helping dad fix the car, to wearing mom’s makeup and high heels, children often aspire to be just like their parents.

Sons’ and daughter’s admiration for their parents is the inspiration behind look-alike Inkubooks. Next time you and your future slugger are throwing the ball in the backyard, get some pictures of the two of you both wearing your gloves and baseball hats. Or this year, when you and your little chef make holiday cookies, snap a photo of the two of you with the inevitable flour on your faces.

Look-alike Inkubooks don’t have to be limited to recent pictures though. Scan in old yearbook photos of yourself, and compare them to pictures of your kids today to give a past-meets-present feel to the book. The similarities might be more surprising than you think.