(This is my photo for today’s Picture the Holidays, prompt Small Things)
I take a ton of pictures. I mean a TON of pictures. If you’ll remember back to a few months ago, I lost all of my pictures from 2011 in an unfortunate iPhone / iPhoto update fiasco. I was devastated because I take a ton of pictures, but have failed over the years to actually print my pictures off. They have been neatly stored on my computer hard drive, basically waiting for the unthinkable to happen…and the unthinkable DID happen.
I was thrilled when my friends at Snapfish contacted me about the opportunity to create a Snapfish Photo Book! I’ve always had the best intentions when it came to printing off photos.. and even have had goals of turning my pictures into beautiful books our family could enjoy. Intentions are one thing… actually doing it is another. I assumed I didn’t have the talent, time or budget to create a gorgeous photo book. I found out very quickly after looking through what Snapfish offers that I was wrong. Snapfish makes creating photo books simple and affordable!
Here’s where I need your help!
I’ve been chosen to participate in a contest with 9 other very talented bloggers. The blogger who Snapfish believes has the most creative photo book will win a $100 gift card credit to Snafish. The best part? If my book is chosen as the most creative, the first 100 people who comment on this post with suggestions for what my photo book should be will also win a $100 Snapfish gift card!! You win, I win… we all win!
So, now… let’s chat. What are your ideas for my photo book? Should it be a collection of my favorite recipes and photos? Should it be about some of our favorite trips? How about an ABC book of things that make me happy (which goes along nicely with my 2011 focus on happiness!) Maybe just a photo of random yet favorite photos I’ve taken through the years? Please leave a comment on this post letting me know your ideas for my very first Snapfish Photo Book!
I’ll use your ideas to create my book and hopefully, in the end, we’ll all be winners! Oh – remember to leave a valid email address with your comment. That’s how Snapfish will dole out the 100 winning gift cards if we win! Thanks so much for your help.
This is a sponsored post as part of the Snapfish “Your Creative Lens on Life” campaign. I am receiving compensation for my time and Snapfish is providing me with a photo book. All opinions expressed are my own.
K-
I LOVE your photography! You could have photos of the phone book and it would still be a beauty! I say a collection of food mixed in with some of your family moments and how they are related. Tell the story of what your passions are! 🙂 Good luck! 🙂
~Candy
I love the idea of your focus on happiness! Good luck sweet friend!! You are amazing and deserve it!! xoxo from Conroe, Texas
I love the happiness theme. You can add your food, but then you take great pics of everything so it leaves room for random abstract shots, family shots, etc…
My vote is Happiness!
I’ve been wanting to do a little book of instagram photos. Does Snapfish make square books? That would be cool. 🙂
I make a photobook of my son’s art work for the year. It’s great to look back at each year without having to STORE all that paper! We love them!
Kristin, your blog and pictures are awesome! I so enjoy everything you post. Keep it up…and good luck! 🙂
you go girl! i love your site, food and photography!!!
I would make a book of recipes that you would want your daughter to have one day. The ones that you hold near and dear to your heart.
I would love to see a collection of your fav recipes!! yummyy!
Good Luck!!
Vianney
I vote for the happiness book because then you can combine your family with all your food photos. You can do it, you do great work!
I think a beautiful recipe book illustrated with your gorgeous food photography would be lovely. I’d buy it 🙂
I love love love the idea of making a book of things that make you happy! I imagine it includes your family and favorite recipes and such. Where could you go wrong if you put all the happiness and joy in your life in one place?!
I think you should do a book on your food and special moments. You have awesome pics of food shots. Good luck. I am sure it will be awesome!
Your photography rocks, but I particularly admire your family photos–you always manage to capture some sweet, irreplaceable moments. I think combining your family shots with your happiness goals for 2011 would make a nice book, sort of a 2011 happiness recap with the emphasis on family & home. Your work is perfect for reminding everyone, especially your children as they age, that happiness & love begin at home!
The ABC’s of Happiness is a wonderful idea.
I like the idea of food and family and how they intertwine with each other.
Definitely about the things that make you happy! That way, you can touch on a little of everything. Love your photos and your food!
ABC’s of Happiness would allow you to incorporate your family, food and recipes all in one album! Good Luck!!
I love the idea of favorite recipes and photos and maybe the photo can also be of a place that you have been too that inspire or makes you think of that recipe.. Good Luck – all you do is AWESOME!!
I love the idea of the ABC’s of happy things! Your pics are always awesome, good luck!
h.salone@yahoo.com
I like the ABC concept, how about a different letter of the alphabet for each photo? So it could be anything. Let’s say that picture of the asparagus photo for A and maybe the sunset photo for S ….
I think you should make a book that combine pictures of all things happiness…weather it be a recipe, an event, a place you love, a person, anything like that. I did a 30 day photo challenge in November where I took a picture a day of something I was grateful and I loved doing it and writing a caption for each picture. I think it would be a great memento to have it in a book!
I love the happiness idea. If you think about all the photos you would hate to lose, that would probably be a great place to start. Also, try telling a story with the photos about where your happiness came from and what it is now.
im on board with the happiness theme. food, family and fun
Hi, I would do the ABC book. But instead of taking “apple for letter A”, I would try to find letters in everyday objects. For example, a T shaped cloud or a H in a fence or a F in a cracked sidewalk. It make it even more fun, I would have my son in the background of the picture (or somewhere in the picture) holding up the letter card with the corresponding letter! Do this for all the letters!
I would love to see photos of your 365 Photo A Day bound up or the ABC idea of things that make you happy! And really, like was said above, you could photograph the cement sidewalk and still take it the most amazingly beautiful shot that I would frame for my wall!
CoreyAnn
coreyann@adventurebee.net
Your photos are always beautiful! I love the happiness idea too. Use all the pictures of things you love. Good luck!
So fun! I think your ideas are all great, but perhaps something really unique would be to capture a certain expression on the faces of your family over the years. So if you chose “joy” then you could pick out all of the photos in which you captured joy over the years. Or you could do “surprise” “love” etc. I feel like this would be so unique and such a good way to remember such wonderful moment!
Good luck!
I say do the happiness one! That’s an awesome idea! Good luck 🙂
I’ve created photo books before (though not with snapfish), all about various trips I’ve gone on. They are wonderful keepsakes and make great gifts for your traveling companions.
As for what your book should be, why *not* a cookbook of your favorite recipes with a theme (desserts? drinks?).
I’ve just started trying to print out my photos. Bit by bit, the ones I adore. Then, I’ve been using them as bookmarks (and a different photo for each book I read), so that I use them and see them and cherish them. For your book, I’d say to make one of photos that strike a chord. Photos that make your heart sing, and that you never want to lose.
Maybe a book of places and things you tried/tasted/made in those places? A travelling cookbook of sorts!
How fun, Kristen! I really like the happiness idea – with lots of pics of the happy smiles of your family along with things that make your family smile. GOOD LUCK!
Awesome shot – cant wait to c your book!
Okay:
Love the idea of a book of things that make you happy. A book of YOU … your heart and your soul through your camera… maybe not all of the shots make you happy…but they are YOU.
OR
A collection of recipes. Not the fancy amazing ones you create and blog … the tried and true family favs: old family ones handed down…new family ones you’ve come upon; your kids’ favorites…. then make copies for each of them and hand them down one day…. you can do photos of prep…the final outcome… include candid pictures of family dinners. Let the kids each pick at least one recipe?
Good luck!! You are an amazing photographer and I can’t wait to see what you come up with!!
I LOVE photo books. I make them all the time when they are running a special and are cheap. Just got the one where you buy 1 get 2 free! Fabulous. My favorite books have been the kids first birthday parties. I add in the family celebrations and anything that ties to their first birthday in one book. My kids LOVE looking through their books. My other favorite things are vacation books. This helps me get the book finished since it’s a short time frame of pictures and I don’t have to look through tons of pictures trying to find the ones I need. I love the recipe idea, though it would take a lot of time and work typing it all up and organizing it.
I love photo books, what a fun project! Your ideas are great and whatever you decide will be fabulous. I was thinking about a book of “SEASONS”. Find your favorite photos and share favorite moments through the “seasons” of life. Along with those photos, you’ll have to add your fabulous food shots & recipes that spice up these moments. Don’t forget to add photos of your favorite people that help you live a “well-seasoned” life, because a life w/o friends is like cooking without seasonings(blah)! Good luck!!
Kristen, your pics are an inspiration & it shows your smile through them. I love the happiness idea cuz that would show off that beautiful smile you have! I’m always partial to kid photos, such joy & insightful they can be. Enjoy & blessings on your photo journey book! 😉 remember SMILE!
I agree with all the food and family comments! I would love a book full of pictures with the best memories and recipes I have experienced.
How exciting. Yeah, it’ll be wonderful to have picture printed out than only stored in the hard drive. So sorry to hear what happened to your photos. I wish you best of luck in this contest! 🙂
Sorry, forgot my suggestion in the last comment. I love your “ABC book of things that make me happy” idea. It’ll be neat and unique. 🙂
Go for the ABC book!! Everyone needs a little more happiness.
Kristen, that is very exciting. I think you should do an ABC photo book. I haven’t seen one of thoes. You could be the first. I hope you win!
Robin
I’m going with the happiness theme! you can showcase family and recipes that way………everything you love! I love your photography Kristen, your book would be gorgeous!
I have several book ideas on my list as well. My children are grown and finished with school, so I thought it would be great to do a book covering their entire school experience for each one. I have done one in rememberance of my dad and one in honor of my mom – done with all vintage photos from their lives – turned out so cool.
I love the idea of the ABC book of happiness to reinforce your word of the year. but all of your ideas are great. Trust me…once you do one and get it back you will be addicted and will want to do more.
I love the ABC’s of happiness idea! What a great idea for a photobook. I’d love to make one like that.
The idea of making a recipe book to pass on to your daughters is great! I have 3 daughters and would love to pass on love in that way. Good Luck!
I love the happiness theme. I take a lot of pictures too and I always seem to go back to the same pictures that bring back the best memories of good times. I need to do a picture book of my “happiness” photos.
I think it should be all of your recipes!!! Those are great memories to have!!
I think it is a beautiful idea to have it be a book of the simple things in life that without fail make you happy. Whether it be your kids, your favorite food, the sunset, even a clean kitchen. It would be wonderful to look through whenever you are feeling down just to remember how blessed you truly are, and it would also make a great coffee table book to open up conversation and show your personality. Good luck!!
Happiness but tie it with thankfulness. This would include all of your blessings-your kids, your husband, your extended family, neighbors, community, church, your job, your blog, etc.
I would love to become a member
food – yes, that would be good – beautiful, but yet simple pictures of what we eat everyday, that would be a happy book, it covers everything: happiness, family, traditions, color, eating, nature – what doesn’t food cover? Good Luck!
I like the idea of a photo book of some of your favorite trips. I love vacation pictures!
What about a photobook of the pictures that didn’t quite turn out like you’d hoped? where one kid is pinching another, where someone’s eyes are closed, where you’d forgotten to pick up something in the background… All those moments that make for REAL life – and that our parents and grandparents would have displayed and cherished as much as the perfect picture, that probably would have created a lot more moments for telling a story about “yeah – your uncle Mike was always trying to get into pictures at the last minute”
I really like the idea of an ABC book! A creative way to catalog all your happiest memories…and it’ll be fun to think of ways to make them match up with all of the letters. 🙂
Love the ABC idea, or many do a monthly/seasonal book focusing on the produce seasons and making it a cookbook for the seasons of 2012? Favorite recipes? Good luck! I know you’ll make an awesome book!
I just recently made a photo book with a collection of pictures from the first 3-4 years my husband and I were together. We have been married just over 4 years and have a ton of pictures. I plan on doing some from our bigger vacations and our wedding. I’m also going to do one with favorite family recipes (one for my side and one for my husbands side). There are so many ideas…this is where intending to do this and doing it becomes a problem. 🙂 Good luck with yours!
A book of the ABC’s of your recipes!!!
I’m doing an ABC photobook for my son right now. Educational, and full of the people and things he loves. My sister has also written children’s books starring her children and had them printed.
I like the idea of keeping the photos to just one year per book. The ABC photobook is a great idea!
I love to see the pictures of your food items. Your photography always makes the food appear like a delicacy from a fancy restaurant. At least that is the opinion from our “fast food” or pizza place group at his end. Those photos are truly artwork. With that said though I think you should choose “Family” as your plan because you picture stories truly reflect a Mother’s Love of her children as well as others impacted by viewing your photos. Good Luck to all and Love to you and your family. Ginger and Mike
I love the idea of the things that make you happy! 🙂
Has anyone suggested a Family AND Recipe book? One side of the page is a photo of a family member and the other side is either their favorite food, a recipe that they gave you, or a funny family story related to them and food?
It’s a little more personal than just recipes.
lots of great ideas already listed! I love the recipe book idea. a few of your family favorites along with pictures of the family cooking/eating them. Great book to pass down to the kids!
I love the abc’s of happiness idea!
Go back and remember what your blog means. It is dine and dish and apparently struck a chord with a lot of people. It is food and family. I like the idea of an ABC format, and I agree with Mike that your food photos are art. You are creative and talented. What do you think the format should be?
I think a book of some of your favorite pics would be great. I love photos. I am always taking pictures at different angles and such. I’m sure some of your great pics include food 🙂 so putting in some recipes could be a bonus to the reader.
I also like the ABC format idea. Good luck!!!
I love the idea of food and family – a recipe book that ties into family photos. Two of the things that you love are cooking and your family. Creating a book that ties both of those together would be great. And, it would be something that would be so spectacular to hand down to your children, their children, etc.
Oh my goodness! I LOVE SnapFish!! We made a gorgeous photo calendar on snapfish last year!
My design idea is to create a ____’s Life Photo Book. Each page would be a year in that person’s life. It can include pictures and stories from things that happened that year. It would be a scrapbook from someone’s whole life! I would love to make one of these for my children!!
My email is carhub@gmail.com
My photobook design idea is to create a photobook for each year. We don’t have photo albums like we used to, I have all these digital photos that just sit on my laptop and no one ever sees them. I want to start compiling all the pictures I take every year to make a photobook highlighting that year. My email is boxcarpunk@hotmail.com
Food & Family…..what could be better 🙂
I love the ABC book!
khelseyrjackson@gmail.com
I’d go for the photos that bring back a special memory. Not so much the foodie shots, but the tender moments with your family. In the end, that’s what’s important.
If it’s your first, it should be family!!! Nothing in life is more important and I’m sure they would have made it to one that had all of your favorite things! Pick out the best, cutest, funniest ones for the year 2011. Your kids will fight over it years from now.
I would suggest memorable moments or milestones in your children’s lives. Those seem to be the ones that we remember, and it would be nice to have a collection of them in one book. This could also be a great holiday gift for relatives.
What about a calendar with a kid or family picture with story by month?
I think you should definitely do recipes. Food makes such beautiful photos. And you can tie it in to your happiness theme!
I love your food photography, so I think a cookbook of sorts would be just beautiful. But I do love the ABC idea as well!!
I think you should do an ABC book liked you mentioned and include some recipes and some family! nlevdan3 at yahoo dot com
I think a photo book by the month would be fun. You could pick your favorite food or event or trip or funny story about your family or not so funny story about your family catch it in photos and bring it to light- and then break it down into a month by month calendar book. if you put the calendar in it and a place for personal notes to be written it is something you could use as a gift for your family as well. Highlight “becky’s birthday in march her stuffing a cupcake in her mouth, the fabulous meal you cooked for her birthday weekend and then spring break at disney and start the Chapter with a fun calendar” Just at thought.
Great ideas! Food IS family at our house! It is also a huge part of our celebrations. What dishes do you make for special occasions?
my sister did one that I love–and I recommend the theme to anyone. Family recipes, with pics of the family–go back a generation or two–extend it to cousins, whatever. Something that will be fun to pass down to future generations, to see what we loved to eat as well as a little bit of who we were.
I love the idea of an ABC book of things that make you happy, with your 2011 focus on happiness goal on the front page. Each picture should evoke a happy memory
Kristen, you know I think all of your photography is great, so it is hard to choose. But I think a month by month of memorable moments from you children’s lives would be awesome. You take beautiful pictures of you kids and you’ll enjoy the book for a lifetime.
Oh happiness is the best and you can capture it with photos. Love this.
I love photo books! I love the idea of creating a book of family recipes paired with memories and gifting it to my family members. Perfect [personalized] gift 🙂
I have always liked doing photo books for the kids of a particular event from their point of view. So when we took our epic vacation two summers ago, I made a book for Maggie that focused on the vacation from her point of view. She loves it and reads it all the time! So maybe a book about 2011 from Leah’s POV? That would be funny…
I think this is great. In my opinion whenever you create has to have a story behind it. Be it recipes with photos and family or whatever you decide to choose, it must tell your story. From reading the other comments I see there’s a lot of great ideas here. Maybe you can talk a little from each and create your story. Wishing you the best…. 😉
If you do pictures of food and/or cooking, you definitely need to include pictures of kids cooking. 🙂
I love the idea of a book about things that make you happy. This could be for the year or up till now in your life. The possibilities are endless. Do you remember when the newspapers used to put in the little sayings “Happiness is..”? I think this would be a great title and just go with it from there!
A photo book with fun family and friends pictures, with a theme along the lines of “happiness is…..” would be neat. like pics at the pool with the words “happiness is….staying cool at the pool.” or pics at the park with “happiness is swinging so high you can touch the sky.” But I didn’t mean that you have to rhyme or anything, it’s just accidental that my sample lines came out that way! LOL! 😀 creedamy [at] yahoo[dot] com
I think a photo that focuses on the foods that each holiday represents would be great.
Family+Food
I think a book of your favorites food photos and recipes would be great. I’m constantly looking up the same recipes over and over on my own blog to be sure I have the timing right, or that the oven is at the right temp. and it would be great to have all the recipes I make most often in one place.
Can’t wait to see what you come up with.
I think you should do a book of photos that make you happy. This way it will probably include some of your food photos as well as family, friends and the small things we take for granted but yet are so beautiful all around us. Good luck!!
I don’t think you can ever go wrong with a book of fun memories. We are doing a “cooking with Nana” theme for Christmas this year. Kids, family, Nana cooking, eating, along with her fave recipes photoshopped into old timey photos. Good luck!
Family heirloom recipes with photos for a keepsake.
I’m really focused on gratitude lately, and trying to accept and be thankful for wherever I’m at, whatever I’m doing. I love the idea of a happiness/gratitude book.
I saw a cute idea on Family Fun about making an ‘Encyclopedia of Cousins.’ Each cousin has their own page with a pic and information. It’s great for families who are spread all over the globe (like mine). You could do something similar for a teacher gift, even scanning in pics each kid has drawn. What a great keepsake!
I love themes and I think your photos are unique and stunning. I vote for you and a food or travel theme. Family photos are sentimental and they have a place but they are not that exciting or rare. I would love to see you do a really cool compilation of food photos I think. Good luck.
Inkscrblr@rogers.com