My eldest daughter is now in Kindergarten and the preschool days are behind her. Sniff, sniff. 

I kept every scribble, every restaurant coloring place mat, every Froot Loop necklace in a box.  A BIG box. I love her art!  I celebrate her art!

Someday I’ll have to give that giant box to her, plus another 10, full of elementary school art. And then there is the awkward junior high art… and those boxes will most likely sit in her garage until she has to tearfully throw them all away because she’s moving to an apartment in New York.  SO sad. 

But wait!  Back up! 

What if I photograph all of the contents of the boxes and start a series of books for her!  That way, all her art will be well documented and kept nice and tidy on her coffee table!  AWESOME!  I’m brilliant!!

Here it is! 

“The Preschool Years” Art by Cassidy, Volume I

Hints for a successful book:

Take overhead pictures during the day, outside in the shade or in a well lit area of your home.  Natural light is best.  Just put them on the ground or floor, and stand above.  Make sure your own shadow is out of the way. Using your favorite photo application, crop and enhance the photos.  I also lightened several of them.  If you don’t have an application that does this, many online companies do.  Snapfish, Shutterfly, Apple… You choose. 

I used Snapfish and made a 12×12 book about 150 pages.  Yes, it’s nice and thick.  And no, I didn’t pay full price.  I got everything uploaded and then waited for a 50% off deal. 

Many online photo companies run promotional deals all of the time.  You’ve pretty much got until your child goes off to college, gets married, or joins the circus until you hand the books over, so I suggest you wait for a deal. 

Uploading advice:  Upload high resolution photos.  You’ll be much happier.  At least 2000 Kg.  Worth the afternoon it takes. 

Don’t be afraid to use the “autofill” button on the layout.  I did this, and then just went through and tweaked the art I wanted to showcase.  If you use Snapfish, try their “Freestyler” option.  it allows you to change the position and size of any photo or text.

Now, you can thank me for clearing your clutter.  Happy bookmaking!!!