hollywood housewife

turn your blog into a book

Recently a friend asked me if I knew of any resources for printing your blog into a book, and I remembered that I have been meaning to post about this for ages. I DO have a few resources, but I've only tried one.

About a year ago, I dug all around the internet looking for this very thing. It is surprising to me that with the immense popularity of blogs that someone hasn't developed an easy and pretty way to turn them into hardcover hold-in-your-hands books. So many people use blogging as a way to capture family and life stories, it seems like making them permanent would be the next step. Alas, this isn't exactly so.

Blurb will slurp your blog's content into a book, but it's not without tremendous effort and re-formatting that you can make it look decent. (I sort of find this to be true about Blurb's photo books in general. They are BEAUTIFUL when finished, and customizable in a hundred ways, but their interface is not that intuitive. I wrote a little bit about Blurb's photo books here.)

My friend Lora Lynn suggested Blog2Print, and since that process looked as easy as humanly possible for the task of taking years of blog posts and making them bookshelf worthy, I went with that.

Blog2Print was really easy to use and had most of the things that mattered to me: I could delete a whole category of posts (I didn't include giveaways, for example), the formatting wasn't THAT bad. It wasn't perfect, and it was very, shall we say, automated (meaning the flow was only about space, if the title of a post was on one page and the content didn't start until the next page, well that was too bad). But, it was done and it was easy.

I didn't like that the photos weren't as large on the page as they were in the post (see what this concealer post looked like on the web), but again, it wasn't something I'm going to make a huge fuss over.

*edited to add: I just noticed on the Blog2Print website that you are now able to change the size of your photos AND that you can insert page breaks so that a new post starts on a new page. As I make my next book, I'll report back on if that makes a big difference in the overall look.

I really liked that it was set up to pull posts from my specific platform (I use typepad), and I think that made the difference in the wonky formatting of Blurb versus Blog2Print. Blog2Print also supports blogger, wordpress, and tumblr.

When the Blog2Print book arrived, it reminded me a little bit of a yearbook. And I guess in some ways it is. I was able to print just the year I wanted (choosing by dates), and plan to do every year catching up. It's not the prettiest, but it's done.

And that's what matters.

printing photos on metal

I've been meaning to do a wall collage at the lake for the dozens of photos we have of people skiing/tubing/surfing behind the boat. I half-heartedly stared a few years ago by printing a couple on canvas, but never finished the task. Last year, after I captured a particularly epic photo of my brother and nephew, I tried printing on metal through mpix.

I LOVED the way it turned out. It's a sleek-er, less-casual alternative to printing on canvas, and the price was comparable. It's more modern looking, and shinier. Plus, like canvas, you don't have to worry about framing it or hanging it. It comes with all the hardware you need on the back, and they're meant to be frameless.

turn your instagrams into chatbooks

I've been making photo books. It makes me feel productive. When I discovered chatbooks, I felt like Queen of the family documentary world. It's SO EASY and SO CHEAP.

This is not a sponsored post. I swear. I just can't believe that a project that has been on my list forever (making photo books of all my Instagrams), took a couple of hours and a few bucks and now is done. And each time I fill up a new book's worth of current Instagrams, a new book will automatically come in the mail. Talk about filling a niche in the market!

Here's how it works:

Chatbooks is an app for your phone. Download the app, then sign up for an account. Link it to your Instagram and suddenly ALL your Instagrams appear, in 60-page photo books. If you're like me, that means there will be a LOT of books.

Name your series whatever you want. I think the default was "Laura's Instagrams" or something, but I changed it to The Best Camera Is The One You Have With You, because that's how I feel about phone photography.

You can choose between a few settings, such as whether or not you want to include the captions in your book. I debated about this, since some of the captions really "made" the photo, but ultimately decided it was cleaner just to do the photos.

Then you can go in and delete photos you don't want in the book, and change the covers. You should scroll back and start with book 1, because the books automatically fill to 60 pages, so as you delete photos and make changes, it shifts all the order throughout all the books. So if you start with book 1, you won't have any confusion later. (I know this seems self-evident, but I didn't totally understand how it was working at first and tried to make changes to the latest book instead of the earliest before I realized what the automatic filler was doing. Also, you definitely don't have to order all your Instagrams from all time, so if you're uninterested in starting from scratch, this advice doesn't apply to you. Start wherever you want.)

It's so simple and intuitive to delete, rearrange, and change the covers. I had 22 volumes, so it took me a few hours, but I sat and did it while watching tv and it flew by. You double check that everything looks, how you want, then order. The books are SIX DOLLARS EACH. $6. Each. I'm not even sure how that works, but I couldn't order fast enough. My entire order for all the Instagrams of my life was roughly $122 and they came in under a week. This is a pretty staggering deal.

The best part is that they'll keep coming as you fill up the books. I haven't reached capacity for my next book, but they say they'll email or alert me three days before it ships in case I want to go in and make changes. (And I most assuredly will, the covers are important to me.)

At the price, I was worried that the quality would be bad, but they're not! They're very similar to what I've gotten from all the other photo book places I've tried, a matte finish cover and nice weight to the pages.

Try it out, then come back and thank me later.

rita ortloff art

Technically, I've known Rita Ortloff for a really long time. I grew up with her husband in our super small Oklahoma town where our parents are very good friends. But I didn't really meet and get to know Rita much until our paths crossed through blogging. And then we just hit it off like gangbusters. She is delightful!

I followed her blog Motherhood Is My Cardio as she wrote so many funny family stories. I read with interest when they decided to take a non-traditional education method with their kids. And then out of the clear blue sky, this woman who had never so much as mentioned a paintbrush online was an overnight artist sensation. I saw some of her stuff on Instagram and I clicked "order" right away. Soon she had an Etsy shop. She had pieces in a gallery show in like two months. It was amazing! 

I've asked her to share a little bit about her sudden artistic trajectory. I think the whole thing is really interesting and that we should all sit up and take note that "dabbling" in something or having a fun little hobby can take you down avenues you never even knew existed. Not that it should all end in a side business - creativity for creativity's sake is the sometimes the most fulfilling of all - but that it's never too late to discover something new about yourself. And to share it.

Hollywood Housewife: Have you always been an artist, or did this come out of nowhere?

Oh it came completely out of nowhere.  Like, imagine someone tripping and falling over some paints and an easel.  It was *that* kind of out-of-nowhere.  If not for Instagram and a supremely random set of events, I would still be the regular old middle-aged suburban housewife I was a year ago! 

HH: Were you working as this all unfolded?

I was! I had a Real Job PLUS my kids (ages 10 and 6) go to a special kind of school where they’re educated two days per week in a traditional environment and then schooled at home the other days.  So I worked from home part time (Marketing Manager for a local company), and I homeschool my kiddos part time.  I had so much free time for painting! (Not.) (Am crazy.)

HH: How did you make your first sale and then how did you gain traction?

Oh Laura, I made my first sale completely by accident.  I decided to paint something for my oldest friend on the occasion of her 40^th birthday.  I wanted her to have Something Meaningful.  Bear in mind, I’d never painting anything. Ever.  I bought a 5-pack of cheap canvases and some craft paint and went to town.  My first try resulted in what can only be described as An Abomination.  But my second attempt was a little better so I posted it on Instagram. 

And here’s where it got weird: people went crazy over it.  Within minutes a friend asked if I’d do one for her.  Only she wanted it to be (literally) five times bigger.  She said “I’ll pay”, and I (in what was clearly a moment of insanity) said “Sure!”.  Then a friend asked if I’d do several pieces for an in-home party she was hosting.  And I agreed again! Because apparently I was keen on pretending to be an artist for a day! That show was on December 1^st, 2013 and I sold almost everything.  By the 26^th of December I’d opened my own etsy shop.  And now, 120ish paintings later, I’m still busy! And still wondering how in the world this all happened.

HH: What does your family think of this?

My kids are nonplussed.  They assume all moms paint things in their spare time.  My husband, on the other hand, is adorably supportive.  I often joke that he shows more people photos of my paintings than photos of our children.  He bought me my first easel and has no trouble calling me an artist.  I still struggle with feeling like a fraud.

HH: When in your day do you paint? At this point are you doing it during business hours or is it something you do at night after everyone’s in bed?

I have no schedule at all.  I find that I get inspired and paint several over the course of just a day or two (during which time the dishes pile up and the laundry goes undone), then I may take a few days off because I’m just not “feeling it” (whatever *it* is). So far my job and the kids haven’t suffered, but boy oh boy is the housework piling up.  I keep telling myself that no one ever wishes they’d folded more clothes while on their deathbed.

Isn't that inspiring?! I have absolutely no skills in the paint department, but I love so many other creative endeavors that I never do because I convince myself it's a waste of time or that I won't be good at it or that I might look foolish. Rita has made me rethink all that.

Because she's amazing, Rita is offering 25% off any completed original painting through 12/19/14 with the coupon code HOLLYWOOD25. Check out the Rita Ortloff Etsy shop to browse!*

*coupon code not valid on prints or custom commissions.

artifact uprising photo books

This post wasn't sponsored or perked in any way, I paid for my Artifact Uprising photo book in full. Just sharing something cool.

While I've been pretty loyal to Blurb and iPhoto books in the past, I recently tried a new company called Artifact Uprising. I have been following Artifact Uprising on Instagram for awhile, and love the minimal style. When I wanted to make a book of my Instagram photos from our press trip to Europe last year, I thought this would be a good place to start.

turn magazine clippings into your personal look book

I originally published this in February 2010, but it's something I've been doing for years.

I am addicted to magazines.  But they have a tendency to take over my life.  They collect all over the house until I'm pulling out tabloids from 2005 with Britney Breakdown cover stories. 

Quite a few years ago I figured out a system to periodically rid myself of magazine clutter, while also keeping my favorite pictures and little snippets of articles. 

digital photo organization

After I wrote about my insane nesting spree last month, several readers requested that I give a more detailed account of how I organize and store my digital photos.  While I don't consider myself an expert in this arena, I am pretty anal about it and over the years have devised a system that works for me. 

WEEKLY

Since I take hundreds and hundreds of pictures each month (of my babies, and for this blog, or because I'm bored and holding an iPhone), if I didn't stay sort of on top of it I would be drowning in digital images. For that reason, I upload photos from both cameras and my phone at least once a week, but usually more than that. 

They upload directly into my iPhoto library, where I immediately sort them and do a quick run through deleting the blurry/bad/duplicate shots.  My sorting process is a mix of actual events (Halloween, Birthday Party, Hawaii trip) and time (Pigtail at 15 months, Lake in July '11).  Sort them in a way that you can find something when you need to, but don't over sort.  "Hawaii Vacay, Day 4" will just clutter your photo library and isn't necessary.

Immediately going through and deleting the obvious bad shots will also keep you from feeling overwhelmed.  I also take a few minutes to fix red eyes and whatnot, but I don't do any serious editing.  I'm not ruthless with my delete button, but I don't ponder over each shot, either.  Go with your gut and when in doubt, keep it. 

The uploading and sorting process may seem overwhelming if you're starting from scratch or way behind, but once you make it a habit, it's very quick.  I spend no more than a half hour (and sometimes much less) each time.  If you don't take as many pictures as I do, I would just try and do it after every picture-worthy event so you don't get too far behind.

MONTHLY

At least once a month I back up my photos to a hard drive and print out hard copies.  I back up photos three different ways.  This sounds a little obsessive, but of all things I don't want to lose these memories. 

First I manually drag and drop to an external hard drive.  Since my photos are already sorted in my photo library, this takes just minutes.  On my hard drive I already have general folders where most fit, but if I need to create a special folder, I do.  Try not to get bogged down in the organizational tree, what matters is that you're backing them up and that they're listed in a way that makes sense to you.  My hard drive back up folders are more general than my computer's photo library folders.  I use "Family 2010" and "Good Times 2010," etc.  I've found that when I'm looking back for something, I'll generally remember the year but don't need to know if it was Spring or Winter or whatever. 

I also back up my entire computer using Carbonite.  I highly recommend online backup.  Carbonite is $50/year and it backs up your computer online constantly.  I like this backup-in-the-sky idea because physical hard drives fail or would be lost in a robbery or fire, but online backups would not.  Years ago, my husband lost his external hard drives in an office theft, so we're especially sensitive to this.

Lastly, I print all my photos and store them in photo boxes.  I print my photos on matte paper with a thin white border (see where and how I print my photos here) and store them in black  Milano boxes from The Container Store.  (Strangely, after years of using them it appears that The Container Store is no longer carrying the Milano series and possibly that they're no longer making them.  Bummer.)

My categories within the photo boxes are also pretty general.  "Summer 2010," etc.  I don't go through these actual photos much, they're mainly a third way to ensure I have them should the internet ever fail us and in case I need something right away.  When I print pictures, I get duplicates of the best ones for the grandparents.  This satisfies everyone and are fun to send periodically throughout the year.

YEARLY

I used to make photo books more than once a year, but I happen to be behind on this step since my daughter was born (go figure!).  I compare the different photo books sites I've used here, but I'll be honest that as I'm catching up on them right now, iPhoto is just the easiest and most user friendly for me.  If you're not using iPhoto, there are tons of other options for user-friendly photo book making.

Whether you're the kind of person who just makes one large photo book documenting the year, or the type of person who makes a photo book for every individual event, they're such a good way to display your memories.  And since they're relatively inexpensive, they're also a fantastic and personal gift.  After our girls weekend at the lake last year, I made a small, soft cover photo book for all the attendees.  It took me less than two hours to put it together, and they loved it.  Now everyone has a little keepsake. 

In short my digital photo organization tips can be summed up like this:

1. Upload frequently

2. Sort Immediately

3. Backup Often

4. Print In Batches

5. Display

I feel like I get the most out of my pictures this way.  And again, once you start doing it, it's very quick.  If you did all the steps every time, it would be less than an hour a week.  Similar to any other regular cleaning or organizational task, but in a way more important.  Much more satisfying than, say, vacuuming. 

If you've got questions or your own tips, share them in the comments!

snapfish versus shutterfly versus mpix versus costco

I've been meaning to do this experiment forever, since I couldn't help but feel that my default picture printing at Costco was the less-than-desirable route for memory keeping.  Then last week so many of you responded to the photo organization element to my frantic nesting. 

In the next couple of weeks I'll lay out exactly how I manage the hundreds of pictures I take each month, but first I wanted to figure out the best way to print said photos.  Since storing them on your computer is nice, but holding them in your hand is better.

Here was what was important to me:

-Price

-Ease of website (uploading, ordering)

-White border option

-Matte/Lustre finish (as opposed to a glossy finish)

-Auto Correct option on or off

EXPERIMENT: I chose 8 photos that had been taken in the last year.  I chose pictures taken with different cameras, three of them from non-amateurs so that I couldn't blame myself for any strange color or focus issues.  I ordered the same 8 prints from these places on a Friday night, and selected the cheapest option for shipping.  Here's how it stacked up:

I was really impressed with the speed and ease of Snapfish.  I had a coupon, so I uploaded a huge chunk of pictures as a separate order from the experiment order.  We're talking 200 prints and they went up quickly and easily.

Autocorrect: Yes it let me turn it off

White thin border: Yes

Matte: Yes

Arrived: Wednesday

Cost: $.09 each, my total with 3-5 business day shipping was $1.48

Shutterfly was equally easy and quick to upload.

Autocorrect: No,  or I couldn't find it if it was an option.

White thin border: No

Matte: Yes

Arrived: Wednesday

Random pro: Gave me 30 minutes after I ordered to cancel

Cost: $.15 each, but it automatically applied a first time user credit.  Total with 3-7 business day shipping was $1.79

The uploading process at Costco photo seemed archaic in comparison to Snapfish and Shutterfly.  Once navigated, they loaded as quickly (under 2 minutes) but it was definitely not as smooth or intuitive.

Autocorrect: Yes

White Thin Border: Yes

Matte: Yes

Arrived: I picked them up at the location just a few minutes from my house.  So it was immediate (well, within the hour).

Cost: $.13 each, but without shipping charges.  My total was $1.10

MPix was definitely the most professional site I tried, recommended to me on twitter by several photographers I trust, including Miz Booshay. 

Not quite as user-friendly as Snapfish and Shutterfly, but easier than Costco.  At least it was after the upload plugin failed three times. 

Autocorrect: Yes

White thin border: Yes

Matte: Yes

Arrived: Friday (a full week after ordering)

Random pro: Gave me 30 minutes to cancel after ordering

Cost: A whopping $.73 each ($.44 of which was the lustre coating)

Shipping ranged from $3 for 1st Class USPS to Next Business Day for $10.75 (reasonable).  I chose the cheapest (and clearly slowest), so my total was $8.84.

And now for the proof of quality:

Right away, Shutterfly was out for two big reasons: no white border option and the colors looked significantly different than from the other places.  You can see it best in the black and white, where it has a yellow tinge that borders on light sepia. 

So that left the other three.  I could see (but just barely) that the colors from the Mpix prints were the most accurate. 

After weighing all the pros and cons, I had a clear winner for my everyday printing:

It was the cheapest, hit all my major points, and I liked the web interface the best.  It also offers frequent coupons (the one I took advantage of at the same time was 200 prints for $2!)  This outcome really surprised me.

For something immediate, Costco stood up just fine, so it will remain a decent option for me.

For large prints, gifts, or things deemed precious, I was glad to discover Mpix.  But for daily prints, the price difference is just too much to be ignored. 

Consider me a newly converted Snapfish customer!

blurb books vs. iphoto books

There are several quality photo book sites, but my two favorites are blurb and iPhoto.  There are pros and cons to each, but I really like the results as a way to document.

lake decor

We've closed up the lake house for the winter, but before we left I snapped a few of my favorite things that we've used to make the place lake-y. 

When we were decorating the place, The Gorilla and I mainly wanted it to be comfortable and functional.  But I couldn't resist theme-ing it up.  Since our lake house is somewhat of a family compound - Cousin Mike and his wife Casey bought the house next door - both houses are pretty cohesive in their style. 

A few ways we've made it personal:

 

Cousin Casey made this.  She's practically Martha Stewart.  They use it to hang wet towels or life jackets and frankly I'm jealous of it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is truly a home away from home.  I miss it during the winter, but you can bet I'm scouring the end of summer sales and clearance bins for all things woodsy.