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Get those pictures off the screen and into a photo book – for all to enjoy!  Here are 10 creative photo book ideas to get you started.

*This post is sponsored by Blurb and includes my referral links.  All opinions, images and ideas are my own.  Big thanks goes to Blurb for providing a TIDBITS reader special discount for you all!  Details to follow.  Thank you!

10 Creative photo book ideas.

Let’s see here . . . It is almost half way through the year . . . which means, logically, I should be almost half way through my New Years goal of getting our family pictures printed and into books for my kids to enjoy.

Except . . . I’m not.

As in . . . not even close to being half way done.

As in . . . I just got started.

10 Creative photo book ideas.

But I will not despair!  I may be 5 years behind, but progress has been made, all thanks to the help of Blurb.com.  They made creating these photo books so incredibly easy and fun, and I think I’m hooked!

10 Creative photo book ideas.

When Blurb challenged me to create a photo book to capture and preserve memories, I knew instantly which moments I wanted printed and bound in a book.

10 Creative photo book ideas.

When my kids turn 8, I sew them a custom made white dress for their baptism, and take them out on their own little photo shoot.  It is a very special milestone for our faith, and I want them to remember and treasure those moments forever.  We are all thrilled to finally have these images in a book for everyone to look at!

10 Creative photo book ideas.

But while I was creating these books for my 2 daughters, my mind went crazy thinking of all the fun possibilities for photo books.  While I share glimpses of the books I created, I’d like to also share 10 creative photo book ideas with you, and I hope you come away with a new perspective on how photo books can be designed and used.

10 Creative photo book ideas.

It’s my personal belief that no screen will ever replace the enjoyment that comes from flipping through the pages of a book.

Especially when that book is filled with your loved ones and treasured moments, and made by you.

Before I dive into some ideas, I want to show you the variety of ways you can make a photo book on Blurb.  You can make it as quick and as easy as you want it, or as customized and creative as you want it.

For these particular books you see in my images, I used Blurbs free tool called, Bookify.  It’s basically a drag and drop approach, as you can see below.

10 Creative photo book ideas.

All you do is upload your images, choose a pre-designed layout for how many images you want on each page, and drag your pictures into position.  There are basic tools for adding text with the ability to zoom in or out on your images.  This method was perfect for my project, and took at most 1 hour from start to finish for both books.  (Cue the horrid thoughts of old school scrapbooking, cost of supplies, and never getting my cuts straight or even knowing what to do for each page).

Another tool on Blurb, which I’m anxious to try, is a free software you can download called “Bookwright”.  It has the same drag and drop concept, but you have a lot more creative control for how you want text and images moved around.  There are fantastic layout options and templates to choose from.

10 Creative photo book ideas.

Other possibilities for creating on Blurb are to create your own custom layouts on photoshop, Word, or even Canva, save as PDFs, and drop them into the pages.  If you know your way around Adobe InDesign, Blurb has an integration with that program to easily create a book with InDesign.

Another great tool is the Blurb mobile app, which gives you the convenience of creating a book right from your phone or other devices.

10 Creative photo book ideas.

As far as the types of books, I’ll let you explore that more HERE – but the possibilities seem endless!  I choose an image wrapped hard cover for these keepsakes, and even with the standard paper option, I couldn’t be more happy with the quality.  I’ve yet to experience this kind of print quality with any other photo book provider.  The colors are spot on for what I see on my monitor, which was such a relief for this photography snob.

10 Creative photo book ideas.

So let’s start brainstorming together!  I’ve got 10 ideas for photo books for you, and I’d love to hear if you have any to add!

Idea #1:  Yearly Family Albums

Sum up your year in images, by printing the monthly highlights.

10 Creative photo book ideas.

Idea #2:  Special Occasions

Think of special occasions that would be lovely to document cohesively in a book, such as (but not limited to):

  • Weddings
  • Vacations
  • Birthdays
  • Awards
  • Sports Events
  • Traditional, ethnical or religious celebrations

10 Creative photo book ideas.

Idea #3:  Tried and True Cookbook

Yes, you can create your own cookbook with Blurb!  They even have templates for this exact purpose.  Gather family favorites or recipes you’ve curated yourself, snap a picture or two next time you make it, and compile the recipes in a book.  What a wonderful gift this would be for family and friends!  I wish my mom and grandma would do this for me 😉

10 Creative photo book ideas.

Idea #4:  Work Portfolio

Do you make and sell product?  Are you a photographer?  Wedding planner?  Florist?  Author?  Chef?  Real Estate Agent?  Basket weaver?  Baby whisperer?

Compile your work in a lovely book to show prospective customers, and they will never forget you!

10 Creative photo book ideas.

Idea #5:  Milestones

Just as I’ve done here with my daughters books, document special milestones for yourself or your children.  The first year of your babies life, a child getting their drivers license, prom, preschool years, elementary school photos, leaving for collage, anniversaries, family photo sessions, friends photo sessions . . . all those wonderful moments captured forever!

10 Creative photo book ideas.

Idea #6:  Travel Books

If you are an explore-the-world type of person, I not only envy you, but I think you have magical coffee table books in the making.  How wonderful would it be to print all your adventures and fill bookshelves with your creations.

10 Creative photo book ideas.

Idea #7:  Be your own Author!

Did you know you can self publish and make money with Blurb?  This is probably a whole other topic for another day, but if you’ve ever dreamed up a children’s book, a novel, a comic book or a magazine  – if even just for yourself or your family, Blurb has all the tools you need to create that book and see it in print.  Or help your kids create their own books!  They will be as proud as can be!

I’ve lost a lot of sleep over the possibilities of this idea.
10 Creative photo book ideas.

Idea #8:  Blog to Book

If you are a blogger, imagine turning your pages and pages of posts into pages and pages of paper.  It kills me to think how cool it would be to create project themed books, printed and ready to share.  Imagine seasonal crafts, favorite recipes, best of the best, DIY’s, inspirational look books . . . oh the possibilities!!

10 Creative photo book ideas.

Idea #9:  Coffee Table Books

This idea merits a little more exploration.  Wouldn’t it be fun to have your house guests sit down on your sofa, and begin flipping through the pages of your book??  And when they ask where you found this lovely little quote book, or talk about the incredible curation of images, you can say . . . “oh yes.  I made that.”  If you enjoy photography, bring your images to life with some inspirational quotes next to them.

If you are not into photography, explore stock photo options – or it just so happens, I have a photo collection that would be perfect for your coffee table.

flower power collection

Use my images to create little mini books with your favorite quotes or scripture, and print for your loved ones.  Click here for my photography shop and flower collection.

Your welcome 😉
10 Creative photo book ideas.

Idea #10:  Chat Books

Technically not chatbooks, because Instagram has claim on that name – but if you love the concept of printing your phone photos in cute inexpensive little books, right on your phone, Blurb has that option as well.  Except I can guarantee the quality of your book and prints will surpass your chat book expectations.
10 Creative photo book ideas.

Oops, I have one more idea for you, which makes this 11 Creative ideas for photo books!

Idea #11:  Memorials, Biographies, Life/Family History

My first experience with Blurb was years ago when my brother and sister-in-law put together a memorial book full of written memories and pictures of my deceased Father.  I turn to that book often to remember my dad and to share with my children about their Grandfather they never got to meet.  That book is a true treasure and was an unforgettable gift.  What a wonderful idea to put together a life history of yourself or your ancestry for your family.

Or think outside of the box for parts of your family life that you want to remember, such as documenting each home you’ve lived in, cars you’ve owned, collections you’ve had, art your children have made, yearly family reunions, family vacations, etc.

I could probably go on, my friends, but I think I’ve lost enough sleep so far 😉 . It’s your turn.

Please share any other ideas you have with me, or perhaps you’ve already made photo books that you treasure – I would absolutely love to hear!

And whenever you are ready to explore all your options, please CLICK HERE and visit Blurb.com.

Now I am excited to be able to share a special coupon code for you, that will save you 25% off photo books from Blurb until May 15th!

Please feel free to use the code “TIDBITS” to apply your discount.

Terms & conditions: *Offer valid through May 15, 2017(11:59 p.m. local time). Valid only for photo books uploaded to and purchased through your own account. A 25% discount is applied toward your product total with no minimum or maximum order amount. This offer is good for five uses, and cannot be used for digital purchases or combined with volume discounts, custom orders, other promotional codes, gift cards, or used for adjustments on previous orders.

10 Creative photo book ideas.

Thanks for reading and being with me today!

cami

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5 Comments

  1. Such great ideas! I just wanted to let you know that we’re barely through the first quarter of the year, so there’s much more time left than you think!

  2. Such great ideas! I just wanted to let you know that we’re barely through the first quarter of the year, so there’s much more time left than you think!

    Happy bookmaking!