Not long after my Christmas Recipe Book was featured on the Shutterfly Photo Book Gallery I received an email from a lovely lady in New Jersey.
She wrote that her 84-year-old mother-in-law had several favorite recipes which she wanted to incorporate into an photo book along with the history of those recipes.
But she didn’t want to type the recipes out. Part of the charm for her was that they retained their authenticity in the original handwriting. She asked for advice on how she could go about creating a hardcover photo book that her mother-in-law could give as gifts to her children and grandchildren as a lifelong keepsake.
(Image by SaraKaderly)
So I recommended that she scan the recipes and upload them as photos that she could pop into a photo book using Shutterfly premade templates. The recipe could be the largest photo on the page so it’s easily legible, with the history written beside it as the journaling. The opposite page could contain photos of family members with their beloved grandmother.
On the other hand, if you have the time and are feeling adventurous, you could try using digital templates (created with design software) like the ones that come with the Sugar And Spice kit and templates available at ScrapperGuide.com. It’s almost as easy as dragging a photo onto a premade Shutterfly layout.
If you’re not familiar with how to use png templates, you’ll be glad to know that we provide free video tutorials when you purchase a png template set in our store. If you decide to give it a try, you might also enjoy these free videos on our website about how to upload and create a digital scrapbook photo album at Shutterfly.
Using premade templates will open a whole new world of photo book possibilities to you!
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April 15th, 2010 at 7:32 pm
LOVE THIS BOOK AND YOUR ARTICLE IS JUST PERFECT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND ALL THE BEAUTIFUL CREATIONS. I HAVE ENJOYED THE RECIPE BOOK I DID NOT TOO LONG AGO! FROM MY MOTHER’S HANDS.
http://community.shutterfly.com/gallery/post/start.sfly?postId=/gallery/1/post/GMGDFgyZtGLFg5bipUA2vg
April 16th, 2010 at 3:07 pm
I really like the idea of a recipe book. I wish I had more of my family’s recipes on little sheets of paper cuz I love the idea of scanning those in! The authentic handwriting is just too cool!
April 27th, 2010 at 10:51 am
These books are always incredible to view in Shutterfly’s Gallery. I am so impressed by the work it takes to gather all of a family’s favorite recipes and put them together in a book. This really combines all the senses to make one incredible keepsake. From seeing the pages and recipes to remembering the sounds and smells of that food being eating at many joyous family occasions, these are top-notch books.
April 29th, 2010 at 9:38 pm
I would love to do one of these for my mother-in-law. Love your ideas! Your article is perfect!
April 30th, 2010 at 6:57 am
This is great and has really given me the inspiration/idea to create a recipe book myself. See, each year my step mother and I put on a Christmas Cookie Exchange and each person bring a recipe card with their cookie. Last year we discussed putting together a book of all the cookies that have been made so far. I think this year we just might put just take the plunge and create the recipe book. Thanks for the ideas
May 1st, 2010 at 5:48 pm
I am a huge fan of the recipe books. I have been wanting to do one of my mom’s/grandma’s recipes and even some of my dad’s. They always say that their recipes aren’t nothing fancy. They are what we grew up with so I think it would be a great idea and I love the idea of scanning in handwritten recipes.
I may have to persuade my family that this IS a good idea!
Thanks for sharing and for inspiring.
October 1st, 2010 at 10:23 am
This is neat. You should see the amazing things you can do with your scanned recipes at http://www.bethstorybooks.com. There is a recipe book that is wire bound or you could put it in a hard cover bound book. My dad is in the process of making some as speak.
December 2nd, 2010 at 12:48 pm
After thinking about how these books look so great and hold a bit of family tradition and history, I made my own “recipe” book. My husband is such a great cook he never measures anything! Thanksgiving we did a very traditional dinner with the kids so they could help out. I took pictures of the ingredients, prep and final dish as we all work together in the kitchen. It came out cute… very casual recipe book of Thanksgiving dishes….
http://blog.shutterfly.com/3165/create-a-book-featuring-favorite-family-recipes/
December 2nd, 2010 at 12:48 pm
ooopsss.. Here is the right link to the book
http://community.shutterfly.com/gallery/post/start.sfly?postId=/gallery/1/post/GMGDBg4atXLlqzYAsJMTaA