publishing

There are a lot of photography website that let you create photo books.  But if I want to create a book, why would I do it through a photography website?  Doesn't it make more sense to make a book through a book publisher's website? I've made a few books with blurb.com and I really like how they've turned out. 

I like blurb because they have an application that you can download which allows you a good amount of options to personalize the book.  I really love the full bleed photo availability.  The best part of blurb is probably the price.  You can get a 7x7 (pictured) book with 40 pages for $12.  

I made some as Christmas presents and sent them out to my Dad's side of the family.  I filled it with family history documents and photos that allowed me to share my research with others.

I've also uploaded a photo of my organizational efforts so far.  I've only just begun...

money, money, money

I've been following Dear Myrtle's suggestions on getting organized. She had some really great ideas for which products and what filing system to use. I especially liked her suggestions because she stated why she preferred this way over that way of organizing. Her suggestions really helped me get started organizing. But boy, is it expensive to get organized!

9 - 1 1/2" binders: $36

1 - 650 page paper pack: $7

7 - packs 100 page protectors: $40

2 - sets ink cartridges: $50

And I'm just getting started! But it's going to be worth it in the end. I'm organizing my research into binders that read like a story and are easy for others to follow. I'm also getting the documents off my computer and into hard copy. This way if my computer crashes (again!) I'll have my documents saved.

My New Year's Resolution

My Genealogy New Year's Resolution for 2009 is to get organized! There are a few things involved with this:

1. Find all my stuff. I have a lot of books, magazines, documents, and photos that are scattered all over the house. So I need to collect it all into one spot.

2. File/Box it. I have a filing drawer for my papers and photo albums for old documents and pictures. I need to sort of of my stuff into these in an organized manner.

3. Make copies / print documents. A lot of documents, such as census records, are only on my computer. I want to print out all of my digital files so that I'll have hard copies - incase my computer crashes like it did a few months ago (luckily most documents were backed up!).

4. Keep it all together. I've cleared a bookshelf and have started putting my books, magazines, etc there. I want to keep this up so that I won't have any trouble finding my records.