It has been over a week since my last entry and I apologize for that! I'm not exactly sure why I haven't written but I think it could have something to do with the Christmas Markets, snowy day naps, and a short run with a cold.
Jingle Mingle Market
Husband and I are both extremely anxious to get back home to our families for Christmas. This week is a big one with the anticipated birth of our first niece. Last night Husband and I bought her a Christmas gift, the first one from us, and let me just say this could be trouble. Husband already said a little speech about how "we need to be careful" and "we shouldn't spoil her too much"...blah blah blah...yeah...uh..huh..."Sure honey." Sorry older folks on my list, I love you all, but it is just so much more fun shopping for a little one. Everything is so cute, petite, and those ruffle butt outfits are too adorable for their own good.
In other news, today I spent several hours finishing up our August vacation photo album. A couple of years ago I started documenting our travels using the digital photo albums available on snapfish.com. After every trip, I create an album with the photos we took.
An Earlier Version in 2011- A Simple Photo Album
Not only do I create albums for our travels but also every year I compile our Christmas pictures into a book. Each Christmas I pull the photo albums off the shelf and display them on our coffee table. I have only done this for the past two Christmas' but already it has been fun to look back and remember the memories.
2011 Christmas Album
Now of course I have an organizational system for these albums. (a tad OCD sometimes...) Every travel album I create with a brown cover, white lettering, with a title of the place and year. On the shelf all of the albums are together and sorted by year. The Christmas albums I always bind in a green fabric cover. Then our engagement, wedding shower, ceremony, and reception albums are all covered in the same white lace fabric.
Wedding Shower Page- Not too much "flair"
This past year Snapfish has become more user friendly. It used to be very controlled with restricted photo placements, only a few font options, and hardly any cutesy flair at all. Now I am able to re-size and crop my photos any which way, they are movable depending on where I want them, and there are more updated font options. My favorite part (and most time consuming) is that Snapfish recently launched "Embellishments". Embellishments are tags, photo borders, letters, and clip art pictures you can drop into your pages.
The Latest Album with the "Embellishments"
These new features make the photo albums more personable and I love that I can use my own creativity. It does take more time using the Embellishments but the books are something Husband and I will look at for years to come.
The Newest Spread
Typically the books run about $25 a piece but I always wait for the coupons. The books I have finished sit in my "Project" folder on the Snapfish website until I am ready to order. Every few months (or sometimes more often) Snapfish will email a Buy 1 Get 2 Free coupon. When this coupon hits my Inbox, I go back into my Snapfish account and make my purchase.
Are you making life beautiful with memories? How do you preserve your family moments?
Making Memories,
