PHOTO BOOK OF MY EUROPEAN VACATION

It took me over a year to complete this photo book. I used to purchase albums, paper, stickers, and all of the other paraphernalia that goes along with scrapbooking but the cost had become overwhelming. I decided to do digital scrapbooking and started researching publishing companies. Mixbook had the best reviews and what I thought was the most professional looking finished product.

That was several books ago and I just got in my newest book in the mail yesterday. I am beyond thrilled.

I have one wedding book and the others are travel books. These books make the perfect gift and I’m currently working on a wedding album for my nephew and niece.

The books will hold up to 300 pages. My Europe book has 261 pages so that gives you an idea of how thick a book they can create. Most of my books are only be around 50 pages.

If you print your photos for scrapbooking, you know how expensive it can be. My local Walmart charges $2.84 for an 8×10 so multiply that by 261. With sales tax, the cost would be $811.66. I can have a professional looking, hardback, bound book for a fraction of that so it is such a cost-effective way to go.

If you would like to see my personal albums, you can check out my Europe album HERE. You can also check out my Jamaica album HERE.

CAPTURING THAT SPEICAL MOMENT BY THE CHRISTMAS TREE

My mother plugged in the lights on her Christmas tree so my grandson could see it. He walked over to it and reached up to grab a light and I managed to get this one shot before eveyone yelled at him not to touch the tree. Since I didn't have the flash on, I had to adjust the photo enough to get some light on the back of his jacket and head.


The color was this perfect golden hue so I just went to Picasa and adjusted my lighting settings to get the look I wanted. I then used HDR-ish setting at about 30% and Orton-ish at about 15%. It was shot with a Canon 60D, f/3.5, ISO2500, 1/30sec.

MY VISIT TO VALLETTA, MALTA

I knew very little about Matla before my visit there.  My daughter and I along with a couple of friends found a great deal on flights to Europe.  You can read about how to find cheap deals HERE.  We flew into Barcelona, then to Rome, then to Malta.  

Malta has an such a rich history incliuding having structures that predate stonehinge!  Not only is it a inexpensive place to visit, it's also beautiful and everyone speaks English.  It's clean, easy to get around, and we found most people to be super friendly.

You can read about my visit to Valletta, Malta at my travel blog Southern Blue Travler.  

Palermo to Cefalu ~ Sicily, Italy

Our cruise ship docked in the port of Palermo. We were met by our guide at the port and drove along the coast for an hour to the fishing village of Cefalu. Out of the many places we traveled, I would have to say that this was one of my favorites. Not only was the guide entertaining and knowledgeable, but the scenery was beautiful.

CAGLIARI, SARDINIA ~ ITALY

In case you don't know where Sardinia is (I didn't before I went to Europe), it's off the coast of Italy. Sardinia is Italy's second largest island and the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. It's also a geographical and political region of Italy.