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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Share Your Story with other Inkubookers.

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Caitlin

We are interested in hearing from you about the amazing books you’ve made for yourself or as gifts as we want to share great ideas with all current and potential Inkubookers. We want to hear:

How you found Inkubook.
About the occasion, holiday, or other creative reason you made a photobook.
About your creative process (How did you go about making your book?).
If your gift brought tears or fits of laughter.
If you’ve used your book for business purposes.

If you’re interested in sharing your story, we’d love to interview you and publish your story on our blog. Please send us a direct message on Twitter and we’ll follow up with you.

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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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Inspiration: Candy Hearts Brag Book

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Jessica

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

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Jessica

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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Forever Capture Holiday Traditions in a Photo Book

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Jessica

Every family has its special holiday traditions from when they put up the Christmas tree to where they put the Minorah. Traditions are part of what make the holidays special and memorable.

Cookies & Trees

Since they first had teeth, my daughters each get a 99 cent Advent calendar with the waxy chocolate on the evening of November 30^th. They enjoy the daily candy and I enjoy it helps countdown the days until Christmas instead of being asked each day. Come to think of it, my mom did the same for me and my sister. And, while we generally skip seeing Santa at the mall, we do have breakfast with him every year. Another tradition is my father reading ‘Twas the Night before Christmas by Clement C. Moore on Christmas Eve to all of the grandkids complete with voices and sound effects. Partnered with that, is the “you get to open one gift on Christmas Eve and it’s going to be holiday pajamas” tradition. A good friend of mine has his children decorate the tree without adult interference and they spend a Saturday in the kitchen making all sorts of good treats to give to the church, neighbors and family. What special holiday traditions does your family have?

Santa Visit

From the first snow, St. Nicholas Day, breakfast with Santa, and the first night of Hanukah to the First day of winter, The Twelve Days of Christmas, and exterior illumination, December is full of photo ops. Capture your special traditions in a Holiday Traditions photo book and smile the whole year through.

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Bring Christmas Past Into The Present

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Riley M.

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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The Unofficial Wedding Photo Book

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Riley M.

Your wedding day is one of the happiest days of your life. All of your friends, family and loved ones are gathered to celebrate your transition into the next phase of life. After months and months of countless hours of planning, the day itself will go by faster than you can say, “I do.”

And with all the activity and excitement it can be easy to miss out on special little moments. So, to capture everyone and every event from your reception create an unofficial wedding photo book with Inkubook.

All you need to do is place a disposable camera on each table and let your guests be the photographers. Afterwards, collect the cameras or invite others to upload their own pictures with Inkubook’s photo sharing feature. You could also include cards on the table to allow friends and family to write well wishes to the newlyweds to include in your book. While the majority of the pictures probably won’t make the cut for your official album, together they can create a fun flipbook to help you relive the more casual side of your special day.

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Give Thanks

Posted on November 21, 2011 by Riley M.

Thanksgiving is the perfect holiday to kick off the season. It is the calm before the shopping storm that allows us to drop everything we are doing for one day to relax with family and enjoy a feast of homemade food. If your family is anything like mine you know the yearly schedule all too well; eat, watch football, eat, nap and then eat some more.

This year, sometime between seconds and thirds, or at halftime of the football game, add a new tradition into the routine. Have everyone write down what they are thankful for and begin compiling a Thanksgiving Inkubook. Include pictures from Thanksgiving dinner or find pictures of what each person is thankful for. Your book will become a cornucopia of thanks and help give some perspective heading into the craziness of the holidays.

Once you have your pictures and “thankful” pages uploaded, simply pick the dimensions of your book and the number of pages and, if you get started soon enough, come Christmas everyone will be thanking you for putting together such a creative and thoughtful photo book.

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Write History: Family Tree Inkubooks

Posted on November 18, 2011 by Riley M.

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.