It's been awhile. Chasing a toddler around, battling sicknesses every other week, studying for my final Anesthesiology boards exam (I'm almost done with residency!) , and preparing for a big move have kept me busy. I have had a few things I've written about and diy'd for the home but not posted yet, so more to come on that. If you've been here for a while, you know as well as I do that this blog is more like a project creativity diary for me than it is for public enjoyment.
I recently finished Lily's baby book and this prompted me to shoot some photos to show a better look at Artifact Uprising's baby book. Originally we ordered this baby book, and it was beyond easy to make, it just didn't have enough details that captured everything I wanted to save and so I ordered and completed two baby books for her.
This baby book project was not easy, it took hours and hours of planning what I would write and where each photo would go. Now that the work is done and it's complete, it is absolutely beyond beautiful, and is one of my most prized possessions.
First off, the simple, yet elegant, fabric cover is inviting and feels luxurious. We ordered the lavender cover. The book comes with very thick pages and a three ring binder that you can rearrange depending on your desires. I went through all of my photos and chose which photos I liked the most and then tried to match some with the writing prompts. As our first year with Lily went by I did take time each month to write down memories and milestones in notes, and I used this to fill out the book each month.
After I chose the photos and grouped them into folders on my computer I went through and looked at Artifact Uprising's photo editing tips for printing on their paper (increasing brightness, decreasing highlights, etc) and edited everything to print well. I also spent hours deciding how to lay out the photos and what sizes I would need for each one and then had to group them on my computer that way too. I used post-its and numbered each photo to do this planning, it was a long process. Next, I had to get each photo size category to total what Artifact Uprising offers in prints (10, 15, 25, etc) because they only allow you to order prints in bundles. Then I waited for a sale, placed my order and finally was able to assemble the book, which was definitely the most fun part of the entire process. It's hard to tell from these photos (photos of photos) but the prints did print in a really nice quality, not grainy, and they look amazing.
This book is beautiful, but definitely not for someone who doesn't take true joy in planning out and designing a book by hand. It is a ton of work. The pages are thick, there's no bleeding. The book has envelopes to store special memories or additional photos as well. One problem I ran into is that I ordered so many photos (and they print on thick paper) that my binder rings are absolutely full. The pages still turn, but it's definitely giving me flashbacks to med school and my stuffed full three ring binder days.
Would I do this again? Yes. Would I do it for another child if we were to have one? I'm not sure haha! It really was a lot of work. I suppose we will cross that bridge if it comes.
If you do order from Artifact Uprising make sure you order during a time that books are 20-25% off! They do a weekly cycle of something different on sale each week, it's worth the wait.
Check out our family photo albums from Artifact Uprising here.
Comments