Picture IT: Shutterfly Photo Book Review & Giveaway

I’ve become a bit lazy when it comes to printing my digital photographs. Who knows how many image files are stored on my hard drive and external drive! Photo books are a fantastic way to document groups of images especially if you have a theme. My daughter recently had a photo shoot and I decided to create a Shutterfly book to showcase these brand new, beautiful images of her. Shutterfly let us create a 8×8 hard covered book to review.

Creating a photo book is super easy. You can choose a Simple Path or a Custom Path for laying out your book. Deciding on what images, layouts and backgrounds can be time consuming so I decided on Simple Path. Simple Path chooses pictures for you and lays them out on the pages. Can’t finish the project? Just save it and come back to it later. I used Shutterfy’s Sugar and Spice style for the design and layout. I was very pleased with the pastel colors and layouts. However, you do have the freedom to change the layout of the pages that are assembled for you. Just drag and drop images from the photo bar below your pages. So don’t assume that the Simple Path option isn’t customizable. The upload time can be lengthy if you have a large volume of pictures or large image sizes. You also have the option of adding text to your pages.

Make sure you give yourself enough time if you’re ordering the photo books as a gift or need it for a special occasion. We used standard shipping, which meant the book took about two weeks to arrive. But there are other shipping options if you need a quick turnaround time.

By the way, the Teagan photo book is angelic! The hard cover is glossy and the colors are vibrant. The paper stock is professional and I am extremely happy with the out come of the book. A photo book like this would make a fantastic gift for the grandparents or as a coffee table book. The quality is superb! Want to order more copies?  All your projects are saved if you need to order another copy in the future. Photo books start at $12.99 and you can add up to 400 pictures!

Not only does Shutterfly offer photo books. Shutterfly.com has a nice selection of cards & stationary, calendars, prints and share sites. Shutterfly’s share sites are a wonderful way to stay connected without having to worry about emailing individual people. We live 3,000 miles away from most family and friends and share sites are how we keep loved ones up to date on Teagan’s adventures and milestones. It’s quick, simple plus share sites are free!

Are you on Facebook? You can create books from the images on your Facebook account. I think that will be my next project. Shutterfly offers so many great deals and check out their community blog Picture More for tips and ideas.

Shutterfly.com offers easy navigation, pretty styles and great prices!

GIVEAWAY: Shutterfly is offering one (1) That’s it Mommy their own 8×8 photo book to create (20 pages)!

REQUIRED MAIN ENTRY –  Visit Shutterfly.com and tell us what about another product they offer. Come back here and leave a comment in the reply box below this post.

(Remember if this MAIN ENTRY is not followed then no other entries will count)

Optional Bonus Entries – Leave each extra entry in a separate comment.

• Like Shutterfly on facebook (2 extra-leave 2 separate comments, #1, #2)
• Follow Shutterfly on Twitter (2 extra-leave 2 separate comments,#1,#2)
• Subscribe to our RSS Feed or email (or tell us that you already do) (1 extra)
• Like us on Facebook (let us know who you are) (leave 3 separate comments, #1, #2, #3)
• Follow us on Twitter (leave us your twitter ID) (leave 3 separate comments, #1, #2, #3)
• Blog about this giveaway (leave the link) (2 extra – 2 comments #1, #2)
• Follow us on Networked Blogs (1 extra)
• Enter another one of our current giveaways. (3 extra – 3 separate comments #1, #2, #3)
• Comment on one of our non-giveaway posts. (3 extra – 3 separate comments #1, #2, #3)
• Tweet about this giveaway (Copy –  I entered to win an 8×8 Shutterfly photo book via @thatsitmommy and @shutterfly. http://thatsitmommy.com/?p=7316 #photography #giveaway) – come back daily and leave us the link to the tweet (1 extra)

This giveaway will run through midnight on November 8, 2010 (PST). Winner will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries and notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to contact us before another winner is chosen. Giveaway is open to Continental U.S. (18+) residents only.

* We did not receive monetary compensation for this review. That’s IT Mommy created an 8×8 photo book to facilitate this review.
 This will in no way sway our opinion of the product or service.
 The review is in our own words and is our opinion. Your results and opinions may differ.