If you're new to our blog, and would like to start from the moment I learned I was having triplets, click HERE :)
Posts about Colton's Cleft Lip and Palate surgeries as well as the Triplets' Cranial Bands are along the sidebar.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

My Blog Book, Volume 1

If you know me, you know I'm not a scrapbooker. (Though I'm trying, right Renae?) I just have never gotten into it, NOT because I don't enjoy it, but because I try to be too fancy and one page ends up taking me 2 hours. So...I've sort of let that hobby pass me by. Now, I will say that when I got pregnant I was SO FRICKIN excited that I actually started a scrapbook to document the journey! I completed 9 fancy pages!! (With pop dots, and eyelets and stickers and tear paper, etc.) And just when I had completed those pages I learned that I had had a miscarriage.. And just like that, my desire to scrapbok was once again, gone.

So you can imagine that when I learned I was pregnant again (with triplets, no less) I was not about to jump into something that takes so much time and energy and money at the risk of losing one or all of the babies and being left devastated once again. I just couldn't do it. What I can do, and what I enjoy doing is writing.

Conveniently, right about the time I learned I was pregnant with triplets, my friend Nicole had started blogging and I was intrigued! Now this was something I could get into. So...I started a blog of my own. And I just wrote about doctor's appointments and ultrasounds and things I thought maybe my out of town relatives might be interested to know about...and before I knew it, more and more people started reading it. And then those people told other people and suddenly our journey became your journey and writing about our adventures became that much more exciting.

Blogging is like writing a diary-for the public. :) Well, all along the way, people have said, "You need to print this out so you'll have it forever and your kids will know what you went through to get them." So, as a wonderfully unexpected gift, my scrappy scrapbookin' sister, mom and aunt started printing my blog page by page, and made me a beautiful keepsake "blog book" for my baby shower. But it took time. More than they probably told me.

Well, I had come across a program that you download onto your computer which then allows you to upload your posts and pictures one at at time creating a beautiful, hardbound blog book. Sounded pretty awesome to me! Except the part where I would have to select posts individually, and choose pictures to drag in, etc. Frankly, I just didn't have the time to do that.

But I kept blogging away until one day I saw a quick blurb about "blog 2 print"...so I googled it and came across the website Sharedbook.com. THIS WAS THE ANSWER TO MY BLOGGING PRAYERS!

I'll keep this short and sweet. If you want to print your blog into a hardbound, yearbook quality book, go to this website, choose which blog platform you use (blogspot, typepad or wordpress) and then type in the name of your blog. It searches the internet for your blog. When it finds it, you select the date range you want to include in your book, you choose whether to include comments people have written or not, you choose the cover design you like best, you choose photos for the front, back and dedication page, you write a dedication and then you select "Preview your book."

It will actually show you sort of in PDF manner, each page of your book. You can click page by page through the entire book if you so choose. Then you select Print if you're happy. If not, you go back and make changes.

The whole process could take you probably 20 minutes. (Mine took a little longer because apparently there is a limit of about 1800 photos per book, and I had a few more than was allowed...so I had to break my blog up into so far 3 separate books...)

But I ordered the first book to see if I liked it enough to order the next ones, and it arrived 3 weeks later! The first book is about 170 pages and it cost me $65.00. The next volume is twice as thick and thus twice as much. But here's the thing. Now having seen the book in person, and having it as a keepsake forever, I can tell you it is worth every penny. And, you can send others the link to your book and if they like they can purchase a PDF copy for like $7.95 or they can have their own hardbound book printed and mailed to them!

So here it is...my blog book, volume 1!

Just givin' you an idea how thick it is. (It could be more or less depending on what you choose to print.)

You write the dedication if you want (and can also include a picture)
It begins with a nice table of contents...mine is spread out on three pages.

And here is a sample of some pages and how it looks printed.



Closer look at an entry. If you blog using color text, it will not print the text in color, however it does leave bolded text bolded, which is kind of nice.
Then you choose a picture for the back cover!
And that my friends, is a blog book!

20 comments:

The Alexanders said...

AWESOME!!! Thanks for sharing how you did this. I have also looked around at some differet programs but have not found one that works how I want it to yet! This one looks like a winner :)

Sarah said...

can't wait to see it! i'm glad you figured this out so now i can do one for my pregnancy :)

Michelle said...

After seeing your book, I'm totally wishing I'd started a blog earlier.

Booklinks said...

What a beautiful book!I jus found your blog!And I love your story.I am a Mum to triplets too,1 boy and 2 girls.They have in May their sixteenth birthday.

Celine said...

Aw...........there so cute even Dakota! E-mail me @: celine8400@live.com

Thank u,
Celine E.

Our Homeschool Fun said...

Thanks so much for sharing this! I am going to get started on my Volume One today! I tried Blurb, but as you said the "drag and drop, copy/paste" is just too much.

I have one question--how big is your finished book--8 1/2x11, for example? And, about what size are the pics on each page?

Your book looks beautiful. I can't wait to have mine:-).

My email is ourjourneytoforever@gmail.com

Red Geranium Cottage said...

I am looking into getting my blog put into a book. So you think this company did a good job?? I have done over 600 post and I'd love to get it all in a book. Do they do all your photos? Thanks for any info you can give me.
sharon
starsandscraps@gmail.com

Lars said...

Hey Red Geranium Cottage - check also http://www.bookfabrik.com - they did a very good job in my case. Print proof is for free.
Regards
Lars

Rinie Peace said...

Wow!! I am blown away! This is so amazing! I am an author, "Up and Rising"... and my eyes bucked wide open at the advertisement I saw on blog2print, and I am really just blown away! ... I stumbled up on your blog, and I love It!... your book, and everything! I don't know much about computers and blogging, but I would love to put my recordings and music on my blog and spruce it up, (yours is amazing!)I just got started with this blog thing. But I am glad that I found yours, it is so beautiful! Your baby's are beautiful! And I'm loving the title of your book! May God Bless!! I'm moved by your blog! (all smiles) hiscontagiousjoy.blogspot.com Rinie Peace

Anonymous said...

I love the look of your blog book :D and your blog too. God bless you and your family ^_^

Anonymous said...

You did a good job on this book thingy. I like the subject of your blog too with the three little ones.

Gaurav Akrani said...

Wow! Thats a good print quality and looks like a professional book. Your book came out and now I will try to get my book print.

SH -ic said...

tks for posting and best wishes in you mum job..andrea

Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy said...

Cool ... I saw your blog on the Blog to Book site ... thanks for explaining how it works and showing us all the photos. Congrats on your sweet babies!

Kathy M.

Annette said...

Saw your link on the blog 2 print place and congrats with the precious babies, the will grow up so fast. Enjoy then and just expect a little wirlwind in life. xoxo

I have a blog but on art and stuff, fun to see yours

Anne Garry said...

congratulations and thanks for posting this.I cant wait to print mine. I will use the site too.

bohol said...

Finally, I found a way to publish books based on my blogs. Thanks for sharing.

Tyler, Kate, & Luke said...

Hi! Thanks for posting this...I have been looking for a long time and the problem I am having is that most of these sites don't let you alter the size of your pictures. My blog is mostly pictures and therefore I want them to be a good size (even if it means my book is twice as long)! ;) Would you say your pictures are a good size? Are you able to edit those sizes any?

Unknown said...

Oh such lovely pictures! Truly inspiring to write something about how you love being a parent.
In need of medisoft software now?
Check this site because it might help you out.
Medisoft software

steve said...



Thank you for this wonderful and amazing post. Every word of this book was so true.

Related Posts with Thumbnails