It’s springtime.  It’s time for cleaning and organizing.  What begins as a chore ends in a cathartic – some could even say a religious experience.  All those newly polished and shining surfaces reflecting the glory of a good scrub.

The dust bunny warren under the bed has been cleared away and once again you have been confronted with shoe boxes and cracking albums of photos.  Remember those?!  Memories don’t belong under the bed collecting dust.

Do you have travel pics languishing on your PC?  Do your family and friends need to huddle around the monitor to see your latest adventure?

Whether your photographs are old school or digital, Here is a solution for both.  Turn them into a coffee table book.  It’s as easy as that.  And there is a twofold solution to this.  Scanning old photographs will help preserve them, by making them readily shareable.

There are several sites for making your books – snapfish, shutterfly, blurb.  My preference is for blurb.com.  I’ve downloaded their easy to use program and have created 11 books thus far.

Assortment of books that can be produced online

If you can click and drag.  You can make a book.  Now they’ve just added proline features like textured end papers and linen wrap binding for a clean, modern professional look.  Within moments, you can become your own publishing magnate.

They make bookmaking fun.  Unfamiliar with formatting a book?  Use one of their templates.  They have formats for just about any situation:  wedding, portfolio, yearbook even cookbooks.  Their pricing is the best I’ve seen.  An 8” x 10” 80 page book runs around $35.00.  But frankly, who can put a price on memories!

Helpful Hint This is a great way to put jetlag to creative use.  When could be better than 3:30am to sort your thoughts and travel pictures while you are wide awake and they are still fresh in your mind.

I have found if I do this immediately upon my return I am rewarded with not only a vibrant recap of my recent holiday, but also a big glossy photo book of memories.

As my jet lag fades my travel memoir arrives.  It’s destination – the coffee table.

Travel memories that speak volumes

If you need help creating your book, let me know.  I can show you the pointers to get you on your way.  Or if you are pressed for time, I can put it together for you.  Either way, your memories will be as near as your fingertips.