This is the time of year that people love to make photo gifts. Even if you don’t get one done for a gift, it is fun to make an annual yearbook with all the fun memories of the year that has just ended.  No matter what reason you create the book, wouldn’t it be great if you could get it professionally printed on high quality paper. Now, I am not talking about just any photo book, but the Madison Photo Book from Picaboo. This book is just a step above the rest.

Here are a few details about the Madison Photo Book:

The Madison is a truly special book for capturing precious memories. Heavyweight, archival quality lay-flat pages are ideal for highlighting panoramic shots, and the paper’s pearl finish sheen coating adds a luminous glow to your photos. The elegant custom cover features a photo of your choice under a protective laminate, and a full-grain glove leather wrap around the spine and back cover is available in five colors: black, brown, coffee, red and pink. The book’s dimensions are 8.5×11”. It comes with 20 pages, but can include a maximum of 90.

Isn’t that a great looking book? One lucky reader will win this 20 page book – which is a $99.99 value I might add! What I want you to do is post a comment on this post about why you should win this book. Make sure you include your email address so I can contact the winner.  The contest will run until December 11 -  so you only have a few days to leave your comment!

If you don’t win the book, you can still get great deals from Picaboo. They are a great place to get your holiday cards and gift books printed. In fact, you can save 30% on any Classic photo book or Calendar order until December 30th. Use code HOLIDAY30.

Great deal right?

So leave your comment and get your photos ready to put into this fabulous book! Just a note, the winner will be sent a coupon for the book. This coupon is good for one 20 page Madison photo book in any style. It does not cover additional pages over 20 or applicable shipping costs. The coupon will expire on 1/31/11.

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I have a friend who is really on top of picture taking and scrapbooking. Every year she takes pictures of family parties, events and general everyday living then she puts it all together in a book at the end of the year. Okay, so this just sounds like the scrapbooking we all do right? Well, she takes it a step further and makes it more like family history keeping! She creates a spiral bound, 8.5 x 11 book for every member of her family. In this book there are several pages for each family member and their pursuits throughout the year. She also includes family vacations, get togethers and just fun stuff. I have to tell you that this friend is the party queen and she hosts fabulous event parties for Easter, Mother’s Day, etc. She includes the invitations and pictures of these events. Is there any better way to remember the year and create a wonderful history for posterity at the same time?

Here are some tips to create your own yearbook. First of all – take lots of pictures! You can’t have a quality yearbook unless you have great photos to put in it. Don’t just take pictures of the stuff you think is important. Take pictures of everyday events – Mom cooking dinner, Dad mowing the lawn, the family playing the Wii. It is the everyday events that make memories and these things will endear you to your future posterity. Think about it, isn’t it the stories of everyday life that you enjoy most about your ancestors? Make sure you take notes and record the who, what, why, where, etc. No one likes to look though a scrapbook and play guess who!

Next, to avoid an overwhelming task at the end of the year scrap the pages throughout the year. If you stay on top of it, you will remember the details of the events and you will have less stress at the end of the year. You will just need to print, bind and wrap! A ready made gift that you have created with love all year long.

When printing your book you can rely on professional printers to create a beautifully bound book. Or you can print it yourself using a high quality printer (I like HP Photosmart printers, but everyone has their favorites!). Make sure you use good quality paper like the Epson Double Sided Photo Paper. This paper is high quality, shows the colors brilliantly, and since it is matte you won’t have a glare.

NOTE – Anything you print with an inkjet printer is not waterproof so if it gets wet you will get smears. To prevent this, put your pages in sheet protectors or treat it with Preserve-It Digital Photo & Paper Protectant. This is a spray that will create a water and fade proof barrier on your inkjet printed photos. Just to test, I printed scrapbook page on the Epson paper and then sprayed them with Preserve-It. I then ran the page under a faucet and it didn’t run or smear. Of course you would never put a photo under running water, but I was a skeptic so I had to test it!

Start now to create a wonderful keepsake for your family and friends. Not only will you be giving them a wonderful gift of memories, you will be creating an invaluable history of your family.

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Time for another FREEBIE! Click here to find it.

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This is a little quick page freebie I offered on my other blog a while back. So if you already grabbed it from there, sorry.  But for all you new followers – enjoy this Trick or Treat QP!

Enjoy your Halloween photos!

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Click here to find a great freebie!

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