December 07, 2012 Filed in:
iPhoto | Print ServicesWooahh! What is this? What are those nice looking Apple-branded boxes?
![iPhoto2012_0040](iphoto2012_0040-2.jpg)
What ever could they be?
![2012_iPPS_cards_0004](2012_ipps_cards_0004.jpg)
The little box contains some really nice 4” x 6” holiday cards with my boys on them that I made with iPhoto.
![2012_iPPS_cards_0005](2012_ipps_cards_0005.jpg)
They came out really nice. I did some photo editing to the original. I dropped the saturation down a bit and added some noise. Everyone seems to be all about the “vintage look” these days.
![2012_iPPS_cards_0007](2012_ipps_cards_0007.jpg)
It’s a 2-sided card. The greeting is on the back. I like the 2-sided cards because they’re just the right size to stick in one of those magnetic frames for the fridge and they don’t flap open like a regular greeting card. You can stick them there and leave them on all year long That, and they’re half the price at 99 cents.
I make a calendar for my Mom, my Wife, and her best friend every year. They love them. They come in a very nice Apple-branded folder. They make for great storage when you want to put the calendar away for the year.
![2012printservices_calFolder](2012printservices_calfolder.jpg)
We put them back in the folders the following year and file them away with the photo albums.
![2012printservices_cal3](2012printservices_cal3.jpg)
You can go nuts with the customization. I like to mix it up. Anything from 2 on a page, to 3 on a page, to 4 on a page. Every 3 months or so I like to throw in a full page group shot. I always use pictures for the month being displayed. So you know exactly what the kids looked like a year ago. You can even drop images into the backgrounds for specific days. It’s great for birthdays.
![2012printservices_cal4](2012printservices_cal4.jpg)
They’re very well done. At $20 a pop, they make awesome one-of-a-kind Christmas presents. You can’t beat them.
I also made a hard-covered photo book. I make one every year for my wife.
![iPhoto2012_0041](iphoto2012_0041.jpg)
![iPhoto2012_0042](iphoto2012_0042.jpg)
![iPhoto2012_0043](iphoto2012_0043.jpg)
I started making books of our boys in 2007, a few years after the twins were born. I skipped 2004-2006, so I’ve been trying to play catch-up ever since. The one I made for this year is for 2005. I think for her birthday next year, I’ll give her one for 2004 and 2012, then I’ll be all caught up.
I like to give them to her for Christmas, but by doing so, they end up without any Christmas pictures in them. I think from now on I’ll give them to her the following year for her birthday. That way the book will be all-inclusive for the year.
At least for Christmas, she’ll still get a calendar.