A Quick and Fun Giveaway

Nov 19th, 2009 by Kristin

OK, I lied. While I’m on a bit of a hiatus for my own peace of mind—and the fact that I’ve been traveling for three weeks straight from the Middle East to Asia and everywhere in between, and quite frankly am burnt out on all things writing-related, not to mention finding it hard to secure a fast, working Internet connection—I nearly forgot that I have a really cool giveaway on tap that needs to be posted, like, yesterday. A few months ago, the lovely people at Shutterfly, having seen the abundance of photos I post on this space, contacted me and asked if I’d like to create my own photobooks using their handy-dandy tools. Um, DUH. As if that’s even a question! And so I did.

It probably comes as no big surprise that the theme I chose for my first photobook—Camels & Chocolate: The Print Edition!—is an amalgamation of some of my favorite travel shots taken over the years, starting while I lived in Scotland in 2003 and ending with my trip to Switzerland last month, using a range of cameras from crappy little point-and-shoots to fancy Canon DSLRs. I think my first book came out rather nice, whaddya say?

The process was pretty easy and foolproof: First, if you’re not a Shutterfly member (as I’m not), you can upload all your photos into an album on the site. Though, I highly recommend editing all the pictures you definitely want to use and organizing them in one high-res folder on your desktop and uploading that single folder, only. Trust me on this; I uploaded like 500 travel shots, and figured I’d pick and choose once they were on the site, but this only complicated matters and I could never seem to find the ones I wanted, as they didn’t always upload in chronological order. Also, while Shutterfly will alert you—with a glaring exclamation point—if something isn’t a good enough resolution to print, you can’t actually see how this will turn out on the screen, as it looks all fine and dandy and not pixelated, until it turns up on your doorstep, and you’re all “gosh darnit! why didn’t I listen to that pesky exclamation point in the first place?!” So, in essence, try to keep all pictures 500KB or more, particularly if they’re going to be a half-page spread or bigger.

Then, you just drag and drop on the page, and can choose the number of photos you want per spread, from one to five, and tack on your color scheme and overall theme. Though I’ll admit, there were so many different fonts and patterns and colors and layouts, that I almost got overwhelmed by the number of options. So around page 15, I had to throw my perfectionist caution to the wind and just mix and match, and as soon as something looked good on the page, consider it done and stop dwelling over it and testing out every feasible combination. (Not good for peace of mind, let me tell you.)

All in all, I had a blast with this process, and have decided to create another Shutterfly photobook of pictures of Scott and me with a lot of white space around the edges for our wedding guests to sign as an alternative to a conventional guestbook. (They also make great holiday gifts if you’ve been toiling over a creative present for your dear mother.)

But enough about me; do you want to win the chance to do the same? Well, simply leave a comment below about anything—what kind of book you’d make, what you’re asking Santa for Christmas, how Sarah Palin could dare deny ON OPRAH having ever mentioned seeing Russia from Alaska—and I’ll randomly pick a winner to create his or her own album. The catch: The coupon expires on Nov. 30, so you’ll have to get snappin’ (though, unless you’re Type AAA, like me, you can knock one of these bad boys out in a matter or hours).

Now, carry on. I’m back to my hiatus of watching the Grand Prix and flirting with Wentworth Miller in Macau, but will notify the winner on Monday.

Posted in Giveaways

66 Responses to “A Quick and Fun Giveaway”

on 19 Nov 2009 at 8:57 am1Megan

Would love the opportunity to make one of these books – perfect as the holiday gift for all of those “I have NO IDEA what to get you”-types on my list, including: my boyfriend (with whom I just went to Europe, hence immediate book!), my dad, my brother… do you see a male trend here?
on 19 Nov 2009 at 9:01 am2Brooklyn

Yay! I’ve totally been thinking about doing one of these anyways so getting one fo’ free would be awesome. I’m graduating college this year so a photobook to depict the four(+) years I spent here would be just the ticket for me!
on 19 Nov 2009 at 9:10 am3Jessica

I would love to make a wedding guestbook! What an amazing idea (can I “borrow” it?). I’m getting married in May and it would be fantastic to have something a little different than the traditional book or giant picture board.
on 19 Nov 2009 at 9:13 am4Patty

These books are awesome – and I love your wedding guest book idea!!!!! I would love to get one and give it to my SIL for Christmas!!
on 19 Nov 2009 at 9:20 am5Caitlin

I have SO many photos (most from Semester at Sea, actually!) that literally only exist in my external hard drive. It would be great to create a physical book for them.
on 19 Nov 2009 at 9:24 am6Caroline

Pick me!
on 19 Nov 2009 at 9:24 am7Angella

Matthew and I give Shutterfly books to the grandparents every Christmas with photos of the kids from the year.

For MYSELF? I’d make one of our upcoming trip to Mexico. I have the one I made from two years ago and it makes me happy.
on 19 Nov 2009 at 9:27 am8Katie

Hi Kristin! I love your book! I have so many vacation photos from a bachelorette weekend in Vegas last spring that I’ve done nothing with, so this would be a great chance to win Happy Hiatus!
on 19 Nov 2009 at 9:29 am9Rhi

Um, best guestbook idea EVER. I may steal that from you.
on 19 Nov 2009 at 9:29 am10Brooke

Oh yes! I’d use my book to make wedding album! I just got my photos back and did not order one from my photographer and now I’m dying to make one!
on 19 Nov 2009 at 9:31 am11Betsy

I’m getting married in 5 weeks so I could really use this!
on 19 Nov 2009 at 9:32 am12Aprille - The Muddled

I have seen these and wanted to make one so bad! I would love to make one of my favorite photos through the years, kids, places, random objects etc. Fun giveaway! I am praying for some peace for ya girl. Take your break! We don’t want a stressed bride.
on 19 Nov 2009 at 9:33 am13Home Sweet Sarah

OMG, I did that exact thing for my wedding guestbook and I loved it!
The only thing I regret was that I left a few whole blank pages dispursed throughout, with the idea that people would sign on those pages, but they didn’t. Anyway, there’s my two cents for the day! Happy travels!
on 19 Nov 2009 at 9:40 am14Jess in Boston

Hi! I have been procrastinating about making a photo book for my parents, gram, and in-laws of wedding pics, but this giveaway is totally the nudge I need. And your book looks great! Enjoy your hiatus!
on 19 Nov 2009 at 9:43 am15Jen

I went to Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru for 4.5 weeks a couple of months ago and was overwhelmed with the amount of photos that came out of that trip (between myself and my two other travel companions). But this seems like a great way to get those pictures organized and printed.
on 19 Nov 2009 at 9:47 am16Lana

I’d love to make a book as I’ve just come back from a trip to Botswana and South Africa. My husband and I got some beautiful photos and it seems like it would be a great way to remember the trip.
on 19 Nov 2009 at 9:49 am17Audrey

We use Shutterfly to create calendars as Christmas gifts, but a photo book would be a great way to thank a few of the people we’ve met on our journey. I’d love to have a book full of photos of kids from around the world showing how the similarities between us exceed the differences when you get down to it.
on 19 Nov 2009 at 10:03 am18Angie

Was glad to see you pop up in my Google reader after that cryptic message. Try to get some rest, wouldya?
on 19 Nov 2009 at 10:09 am19Erin

Well just like you I am making a photobook for my wedding guest book. I keep telling my self to start making one but I havent gotten around to it. This would be the perfect oppertunity
on 19 Nov 2009 at 10:11 am20SoniaBonia

This is really random but since you brought it up, Sarah Palin is actually 2 miles from my house at a book signing. People actually lined up to meet her at midnight last night. People are crazy!
on 19 Nov 2009 at 10:25 am21Sensibly sassy

I would loooove to make one of these, heck I would like to make ten! I think if I won I would probably make one of Frank haha!
on 19 Nov 2009 at 10:26 am22Karla Akins

Oh, pick me! Pick me! I have so many motorcycle trip photos I’d love to make into a book and surprise my husband with! We love riding our bikes together to out-of-the-way places. My favorite trip was the one we took to Mackinac Island. Pick me, please!
on 19 Nov 2009 at 10:35 am23jen

I’ve been meaning to make one of these books for over 2 years…winning a free one would finally give me the reason to stop procrastinating! I’d make a book about our fabulous trip to Europe. Other issue? Choosing which pictures out of the 900+ I took to publish.
on 19 Nov 2009 at 10:35 am24Michelle

I love shutterfly and their albums! I would love to make an album with all my recent travels and fun family events.

Thank you!
on 19 Nov 2009 at 10:48 am25Noelley

I’ve been meaning to make a book with pictures of my daughter for my grandmothers. They never get to see any since I post everything online and they don’t have computers.
on 19 Nov 2009 at 10:49 am26Kerri Anne

I’ve honestly been thinking about making one of these for my mom as a Christmas gift for the last couple of years. Fun!
on 19 Nov 2009 at 10:55 am27ellbee

I’d love to be able to say that I’d make a book full of fun/exciting/awe inspiring photos from my latest trip to [wherever] but that’d be a lie. What I’d really like to do is finally (finally!) create a wedding album. We’ve got all the proofs in nice albums, but I’d love to be a little more creative. I was almost disappointed that my thought echoed so many other commenters and then I thought, you know? I want to comemmorate my love. And that’s not trivial at all.
on 19 Nov 2009 at 11:03 am28Christin

I’d love to make a book of our baby’s first Christmas:) Thanks for the chance!!
christinbanda at yahoo dot com
on 19 Nov 2009 at 11:15 am29Lori Barbely

I like cheese. How’s that for a comment? I’d do a book from my Thailand trip.
on 19 Nov 2009 at 11:20 am30Rebecca

Oooh, I would love one of these! I got married in June and chose not to go with the photographer making one of these, because I knew I could do it. This would make it much easier!
on 19 Nov 2009 at 11:25 am31Marissa Miller

What a great item! I’ve so enjoyed following you and your adventures!

I recently got back from an amazing 2 weeks in Croatia with my mom, and this would be a perfect Christmas gift. Sign me up!

Thanks! Enjoy your time off!
on 19 Nov 2009 at 11:31 am32Tommy Warren

I’ve created these types of books with peekaboo, blurb and apple. Haven’t tried shutterfly before. Apple was excellent quality, but their book making software is very limited. Blurb was also excellent, and their software allows you to customize almost everything, any way that you would want. Peekaboo was decent quality, and their customer service was fantastic. But I found blurb and apple to be better. Wouldn’t mind trying a fourth service to see how it would compare!
on 19 Nov 2009 at 11:41 am33Rachel

I have created a photobook for a different contest before, and on a different site. Anyway so I’d love to recreate and print that one, which is a book of shots from my semester in New Zealand.
on 19 Nov 2009 at 12:09 pm34Andi

How on earth you could possibly think about this while in the midst of such a grand trip is beyond me, but as always you cease to impress the heck out of me! Your book looks absolutely gorgeous–a true treasure.
on 19 Nov 2009 at 1:59 pm35Katie

This was just the idea I had for my sister’s Christmas present! I have twin nieces, and a ton of pictures that need to get off my computer and into a book! Crossing my fingers!
on 19 Nov 2009 at 2:48 pm36Geogypsy

I love it! Have been thinking about putting something like this together for my parents for a while. Then I ponder all the time and ink that would take. Blogger offers a similar service with a limitation to how many photos or pages, I forget which.
I really like the idea of your wedding book. How about watermark the photos.
on 19 Nov 2009 at 3:18 pm37Andi

Wentworth Miller – DO tell! I would love a copy of YOUR book, don’t need my own!
on 19 Nov 2009 at 3:44 pm38Laura

I would make a photo book of my kids’ pictures for the grandparents. I do calendars every year too.
on 19 Nov 2009 at 3:51 pm39She Likes Purple

I just made two Shutterfly albums, ha!, but I’d love to make another (lots of grandparents!).

I’m asking for a lot for Christmas. I’m very greedy this year, oddly enough, but what I’ll actually get is a very short list.
on 19 Nov 2009 at 6:06 pm40Bridgette

I would make a book of the 942 photos I took on my recent holiday to Oman, London and Ireland. I have been struggling with what to do with them – 942 is a few many to put on the wall!
on 19 Nov 2009 at 7:49 pm41Deanna Runyon

I would love to do a book for my kids with our Disney World pictures from this summer. I’ve been working on a scrap book, but it is going very slow! lol!
on 19 Nov 2009 at 8:06 pm42Deanna

I would love to do a picture book for my boys from our Disney World vacation this summer. It was their first big trip. I’ve been trying to do a scrapbook, but it’s slow going! Ha!
on 20 Nov 2009 at 1:50 am43Dana

this looks like something right up my alley. An avid photo nut too,I’ve been thinking of trying one of these photo books but was kinda scared it was too much work.As long as your photos are ‘fairly’ organized, it actually looks pretty easy. The toughest part would be choosing the photos, as I take way too many on my trips. Maybe it will help me organize my photos though!
btw, discovered your blog recently…lots of fun and your pics are just awesome!
Happy Hiatus!!!
on 20 Nov 2009 at 4:56 am44Amanda

I’ve been teaching English in Madrid for the last year and a half. This summer, rather than returning home, I decided to take the opportunity to travel. Some of the highlights of the trip included: hitch-hiking down the coast of Croatia, working in a hostel in Albania and hiking the West Highland Way in Scotland. It was such an amazing experience and having an actual book would make it so much easier to show my friends and family the photos … especially the technophobes like my grandparents who hate gathering around the computer for any reason.
Hope the hiatus is relaxing and refreshing. I can’t wait to read your posts about Israel!
on 20 Nov 2009 at 9:06 am45ana

I went to Spain last year and liked it so much I would love to make a book about my trip. Not just the beautiful places tourists visit but all the other spaces that locals use or visit on a daly basis. Have lots of photos
on 20 Nov 2009 at 11:18 am46Abi

Would love to create a book like this for my sister’s wedding – combining photos from friends and family of bride and groom from childhood to the present day.

Also, before we even get near Sarah Palin and the “seeing Russia” fiasco, the passport debacle and the fake Sarkozy extravaganza, how about how she named her children? Shudder all round

Enjoy your travels
on 20 Nov 2009 at 11:33 am47Heather

Love the photo books! You have some gorgeous photos to fill them with. I’m planning on giving some photo books this year as Christmas gifts–there have been a lot of weddings and birthday parties this year!

Also, FWIW, this is what Sarah Palin said:
GIBSON: What insight into Russian actions, particularly in the last couple of weeks, does the proximity of the state give you?
PALIN: They’re our next door neighbors and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/story?id=5782924&page=2

There is an island in the Bering Strait called Little Diomede that you can, in fact, see Russian territory from.
http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2008/09/30/you-can-see-russia-from-here/

The “I can see Russia from my backyard” quote was from Tina Fey on SNL.

Just sayin’.
on 20 Nov 2009 at 1:33 pm48Mary H.

The wedding guestbook sounds fantastic ! Now I just need to get engaged…
on 20 Nov 2009 at 3:09 pm49Raina

I would make a VERY long overdue….as in four years overdue wedding album for my hubby and I.
on 20 Nov 2009 at 3:39 pm50Sarah Jackson

Oh, I know which book I’d create! I would grab my magical camera upload enchanted pictures of our fabulous night in NYC or San Fran together. This has not yet occurred, but remember…magic.

-Sarah Kelley
on 20 Nov 2009 at 4:46 pm51judi

hi kristin!
this would come in very handy as a happy 60th bday present to my dad!! and/or a “welcome to the wofsy famiily” pre-baby photo book for the soon-to-be-arriving new member of our clan.
anyway, your book looks great. love your advice, keep up the good work?
on 20 Nov 2009 at 5:25 pm52Mark H

This will make a fine present for a close friend who I’ve travelled with who sadly has not much longer to live. Maybe a book of favourite photos will help inspire great memories of travel and what a wonderful world we live in full of magical locations and hidden destinations.
on 20 Nov 2009 at 7:19 pm53lh

I’d love to make a photo book of our Disney trip this summer.
on 21 Nov 2009 at 6:37 am54Amy Louise

Those books are amazing! I’d love to make one with my favourite photos from when I was in Borneo this summer! (Hell, I’m tempted to make one even if I don’t win!)
on 21 Nov 2009 at 8:43 am55Kelly of MD

I would love to make a photo book for my Dad’s 60th birthday party.
on 21 Nov 2009 at 8:36 pm56Christy

I’d love to make a book of my trip to Eastern Europe this summer. Thanks!
on 21 Nov 2009 at 10:09 pm57jen laceda

I’d love to make a book of our family travels and travel blog photos, since I am a wanna-be writer / photographer. This picture book will be the closest I’ll ever be to being published
on 21 Nov 2009 at 10:53 pm58Amy @ The Q Family

Love Shutterfly!!! Their photo book is amazing! I would love to make a photo book for our family travel for this year.
on 22 Nov 2009 at 12:03 pm59Breanne McClintock

I would love, love, love, love to make one of these books for my trip to Disney world
on 22 Nov 2009 at 1:57 pm60Nicole

Pick me, pick me! I have many photos from my travels. They might not be as pretty as yours, but it would be nice to have them all in one spot.
on 22 Nov 2009 at 6:49 pm61jilian

Maybe it’s too late to win…. but I’d finally create a book about our Thailand trip that was oh 7 months ago!
on 22 Nov 2009 at 6:55 pm62Keith G.

Posting for contest entry.
on 23 Nov 2009 at 12:45 am63Bridgette

Wow – I just had a play on the Shutterfly website, and it is amazing!! I would love to be able to send the whole family a book of our recent family holiday photos.
on 23 Nov 2009 at 3:42 am64Julia

Well, this would be perfect for me…as I just returned from 4.5 months in South Africa studying abroad and now I need to do something with all 6500+ photos that I took!
on 23 Nov 2009 at 6:50 am65Elise

Would make a great holiday gift!
on 23 Nov 2009 at 1:25 pm66Heather on her travels

Like the idea of that for a big trip – maybe not a long weekend but a trip like my three week trip down the Amazon that you really want to have something handy to show your friend when they come to dinner, without getting out the laptop.

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66 Responses to “A Quick and Fun Giveaway”

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