Sunday, December 13, 2009

The 7MSN Ranch, coffee-table version

Sometime in the last few years, online photo labs started to offer photo books - the kind where you upload your images and text into a template, push a button, and a book pops out of your mailbox a week or so later. What will they think of next, I thought.

As I scratched my head for the 50-somethingth year wondering what to give my parents for Christmas, I thought they might enjoy receiving a photo book of The 7MSN. So I spent many a night in November sifting through all of the photographs I've taken in the past year, selecting some of my favorites, and compiling them into my first book.

They received it Friday, and it was a hit. Of course I had to order one for myself, too.


I'm so used to looking at my pictures on a monitor that I forgot how much fun it is to actually hold one in my hands. I'll take prints over pixels any day.


All the animals are featured among the 80 pages, though George and Alan get a little more than their fair share. It was great fun to select the photos, arrange the order, and design the book to make one great big story out of many smaller ones.


There is a caption here and there, but I've tried to let the pictures speak for themselves.


Smooch is quite impressed with herself now that she's published.



Here's a link to the whole book, if you'd like to take a peek. Once you get there, it might take a minute or so to load. Click on the "full screen" mode, then click on each page to turn to the next one. If you can't be here to see the animals in person, it's the next best thing.

32 comments:

  1. Ooooh my goodness, that is just the neatest thing! You know they're going to love it for a long, long time. You just come up with the best ideas!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Now that is the best Christmas gift ever. I know that your parents will love it.
    Who knew the computer would allow such creativity. Great work, Carson.
    Best always, Sandra

    ReplyDelete
  3. What beautiful images to wake up to on this chilly and rainy day in Virginia!

    I check your blog every morning since finding you via Pioneer Woman.

    My two black kitties and I are big fans of Deets. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Carlyce J. Skjervem12/13/09, 6:10 AM

    Fantastic job! I love, love, love your book! Any chance you'll have some for sale?

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a great idea for a gift. It came out so professional and I'm sure it could be on the N.Y. Times best seller list one day.It's no wonder your Mom and Dad loved this wonderfully thoughtful keepsake. You're a good daughter.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow. I know they will love it. :-)

    I haven't tried my hand at one of these books.......... You have given me some ideas. Too late for this Christmas, but.......

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh My, Linda--You should sell those!!

    Beautiful, beautiful work!

    ReplyDelete
  8. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks, everyone, for your compliments on the book.

    Carlyce and CeeCee, technically the book is for sale, at the same site where you can preview it. But it's expensive, seeing as how only one gets printed at a time, so I can't imagine anyone other than myself wanting to buy one.

    ReplyDelete
  10. 7MSN Ranch,
    I have my Google Reader recommended sources to thank for bringing me to your blog. I've been following it for about 6 weeks now and it is one of my favorites. Your photography is beautiful and I love the photo-blogging style.

    I can't think of a better item to add to my Christmas wishlist this year than this beautiful book.

    Thank you and Happy Holidays!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I love your blog! I look forward to reading about you and your furry family each day. Have a great Sunday!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Great idea. My mother is afraid of computers, so the only way she would ever see my blog would be if I printed it out into a book.

    ReplyDelete
  13. That is one heck of a fantastic gift! Very personal. So much commercialization these days. Thanks for sharing. Hmmmm, now you have given me ideas!

    ReplyDelete
  14. That book is stunning. I could look at the same photo every day and it's always fresh because your guys have so much personality.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Simply wonderful. Priceless memories for you and your family. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  16. The book is stunning! What a creative and thoughtful gift. I love your critters.

    Nancy in Iowa

    ReplyDelete
  17. Absolutely perfect. This is an amazing gift idea! You have outdone yourself.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Oh my gawd! That's awesome! My mouth is hanging open in a most unattractive way.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Fantastic idea, Linda! Love so much your book. You did a good job!

    I also see the whole book on the link. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Such wonderful photography. What a great present.

    ReplyDelete
  21. You've outdone yourself with this one, babe! OMG! Can I, real quickly, move into your family and submit my Christmas list?

    Gorgeous, gorgeous....I know I am making two house payments for the little horse farm here in Washington and the retirement ranch in NM....but, GULP....where did you find the service to print your book?

    I consider this YOUR present to all of US!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Absolutely beautiful book, took forever and a day to load but worth the wait. That is a marvelous gift for your parents. I hope they enjoy looking at it and showing it off!!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Sandy, I used blurb.com to make the book - I think because my favorite dog photographer, Eriv Vey, mentioned she used it to make books for her clients. Anyway, their page layouts and just about everything else with their book templates is customizable. But I've heard good things about shutterfly.com and snapfish.com, and I see where Walgreens even offers photo books.

    Really, folks, these are easy to make. Try it!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Interesting concept; I'll wait a few days to view the book when I'm not too busy. You should link to Sunday Stills Challenge with this post; it's a perfect one for the Technology challenge we had for today!

    ReplyDelete
  25. This is neat, Linda. Thanks for sharing. Your book is beautiful. Your parents will surely treasure it.
    I may have to try this for my family. I've been figuring out a way to somehow take the best of my own blog and save it for my children and grandchildren one day for when I'm no longer around. I used to scrapbook, but all that cutting, pasting and photo developing gets tiresome and time consuming.

    Sometimes I wonder what will happen to blogging and even blogspot in the future, and if all our blogs will just disappear one day....all our photos and words, just lost.
    A book would be a great way to save these memories.

    Thanks again.

    ~Lisa

    ReplyDelete
  26. Your book is beautiful and I'm sure your parents will think it is, too, Linda. I come here every day to see what you and your animals are doing. I love your blog!

    Marge

    ReplyDelete
  27. Oh.my.GOODNESS!! That's incredibly beautiful, Linda. What an awesome idea and an incredible gift. I love it.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Ohhhh, I have been dreaming of this day! I love love LOVE the photo book. Question: where can we get one?! Glad the folks liked it, but how could they not?

    ReplyDelete
  29. Michelle, you can order one of the books from the same link - I think you go to the "about book" tab. But they're wicked expensive because they get printed one at a time.

    ReplyDelete
  30. I have held off commenting because I wanted to see if anyone else wanted a copy............I want one!!! Please?

    ReplyDelete
  31. That is such a great idea!

    ReplyDelete
  32. A great website (yes, yours and Blurp). I have often thought to put my photos and poetry into a hard-cover book--this is super!

    ReplyDelete