Articles tagged "family"

by admin
November 7, 2012
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Congratulations to Lulu’s Family Photos for the Holidays contest winners

In Contests — Tagged: , , ,

The nation is picking more than a chief executive this week. More than 1,500 votes have been tallied to determine the winners of Lulu’s Family Photos for the Holidays contest. And the results come with a clear mandate: more family togetherness! And if it can’t happen in person, photos are the next best thing.

A huge, holiday hug to everyone who entered, and a special congrats to our three winners:

  • Jill Kathan took first prize with a shot titled “Blessed to Have Met Many Generations” featuring a lucky granddaughter being doted on by her grandpa, great great uncles and a great uncle/third cousin.  Jill will make sure her family remains close with the first prize package of a Canon EOS Rebel T3i 18 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera and DIGIC 4 Imaging, plus a $500 ‘creator’s credit’ to redeem at Lulu to create photo books and/or calendars.
  • Patricia Mozdzen of Dearborn Heights, MI took second prize with “40 Years Married, 3 Generations, & Counting,” celebrating a momentous occasion for one loving couple punctuated by the presence of their children and grandchild. Patricia and family will stay in close contact via her prize:two Google Nexus 7 tablets and $200 to use at Lulu to make a photo book and/or calendar.
  • Sus Raghu took third prize with “Love Is, Above All, The Gift Of Oneself,” a gorgeous photo capturing a tender moment between granddaughter and elderly grandmother. Sus wins a $100 gift card to Target plus $100 to spend at Lulu on photo books and calendars.

Again, thanks, everyone, for sharing the love!  And stay tuned for more contests and chances to share your stories.

by Morgan, Lulu
October 26, 2012
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Last Day To Enter To Win Family Photo Contest

In Contests — Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

It’s the final day to submit photos to Lulu’s Family Photos for the Holidays contest to win a Canon Rebel T3i Camera (worth $650), 2 Google Nexus 7 Tablets, Target gift cards and Lulu bucks. After peaking at the submissions that have come in so far, we have to admit we’ve had a few “aaaawwwwww!!!” moments that make us all want to rush to the phone and call our relatives to remind them that we love them and miss them.

This whole contest idea got started when a fellow Lunatic made a photo book of her son’s Little League pictures as a gift for his coach. You really realize the power of a photograph when you see a big burly guy like him tear up as he leafs through the pages.

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by AJ
December 31, 2010
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What to Do with All Those Holiday Photos

In How To — Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

This year, my grandmother turned 75 and before Christmas, my whole family was exchanging emails back and forth trying to think of a gift we could give her that would really show her how special she has been to us all these years.

My mom suggested we make a list of my grandmother’s sayings and print them out for her. My aunt suggested we take a family photo and put it in a nice frame. My uncle suggested we write a card that tells her what she’s taught us.

These were all nice thoughts, but I wanted to go big. I suggested we take everyone’s ideas and combine them into a Lulu photo book to present to her at Christmas.

At first, my family was a little hesitant because not all of them are super tech savvy or organized. But I set up a Lulu account that we could all share, picked a theme I thought my grandma would like, I made the cover and the first few pages. I even added in captions of my grandma’s sayings like “lord love a duck” (no I don’t know what that means either).

Once my family saw how quick I was able to do this, they gave it a shot. They were amazed that they could just drag and drop pictures into the book from their Facebook accounts and easily write a heart felt message right on the page. After no time, the book was done and we had our special gift for Christmas. My grandmother absolutely loved it, but the best part was we all made it together.

It was great to see and read all those memories that my family had saved all these years, many of which I had forgotten. Hopefully this post has given you some ideas that are sure to spread joy to your loved ones for next year. And we’d love to hear about any remarkable holiday gifts that you’ve made in the comments below. Happy holidays!

by Annie
December 13, 2010
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Be the Favorite Child This Holiday Season

In Remarkable Finds — Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Becoming the favorite child this holiday is easy!  Here are five great gift ideas that show how much you care, or at least how much more thoughtful you are than your siblings.

Calendar:

Create a family calendar with pictures from the last year.  You can even include special dates, like birthdays, anniversaries and graduations, to keep the focus on what’s most important throughout the whole year.

Family Cookbook:

Compiling a cookbook of all your family’s favorite recipes is a sure way to make mom and grandma proud.  Plus, you get the benefit of having that amazing pumpkin pie recipe right at your fingertips year-round.

Photobook:

One of the easiest ways to thrill the whole family is making a photobook.  It can have pictures from the whole year, or just from a specific vacation or event.  Either way, it will be a great memento for years, and an excellent conversation starter for the family after you have already discussed the food and weather.

Family Yearbook:

Think yearbooks are just for school?  Not with the power of personalization that Lulu offers!  You can make a family yearbook and include pictures from every major event, dedicate a page to each family member, and include fun facts or stats.

Family History:

Writing a family history is the ultimate in “favorite child” gifts!  Published as a book on Lulu, you can capture the generations of your family by writing your family tree, favorite family stories, pictures, and special memories.

by AJ
December 1, 2010
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30 Days to Be Remarkable

In Remarkable Finds — Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

It just so happens to be the first day of December and that means you have exactly 30 days left in the year to be remarkable. This may sound a little daunting, but don’t worry. The great thing about being remarkable is that you get to decide what that means for you. Consider these recent examples:

Just last week, I spoke with a national medical company that figured out they could cut their budget by millions if they consolidated all of their new hire materials into one Lulu book. They had been paying $400 every time they wanted to print 10 copies of their packets at a local store. On Lulu, they figured out they could make the same thing, in a better, more accessible format for a third of the cost. And with Lulu’s fast track printing, they are still able to have their materials in a couple of business days.

Bloggers like Momma in Flip Flops and Frugal Plus are using Lulu to share their interests with their readers while boosting their traffic by throwing Lulu Photo Book Contests.

Others still are thrilled to receive projects they’ve made for their families this holiday season or are just happy to hold their work in their hands for the first time:

“Just got 10 of my large calendars from @luludotcom – they’re even better in person,” says Twitter follower chiotsrun.

“My children’s books came, what a load off. Thank you for effectively saving Christmas Lulu,” says Facebook fan Greg.

So what does being remarkable mean for you as 2010 winds down? Is it saving your company some cash, building up a name for yourself, or making a book of memories for your family? Either way, Lulu is here to help you create just about anything from hardcover books to eBooks, photo books to mini books, calendars to cookbooks, CDs and DVDs, and even your own websites and applications.

So go forth and be remarkable. Happy holidays.

by Caroline
November 15, 2010
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Supersize Your Memories

In How To, News — Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

We all have loads of digital images, but how many of you have taken that extra step to take them back a generation and make a book? You probably know by now that you can make a fantastic photo book with Lulu. It’s simple, fun and you end up with a beautiful keepsake for yourself, your family and your friends. Whether you’ve got loads of wedding photos, shots from your vacation last summer, or designs for your professional portfolio — the options are endless.

What you might not know is that Lulu now offers photo books in extra large sizes. We have 12″ x 12″ square and 13″ x 11″ landscape books with premium paper and gorgeous matte covers. Of course we think they’re great, but seriously, they are GREAT. The larger sizes have a majestic feel and harken back to days when people actually had photos printed and took the time to paste them into albums. But you’re not pasting, you’re dragging and dropping. With these books, you can create a seriously professional project with minimal effort on your part. We have plenty of themes and fonts to choose from to give your book the personal touch you desire.

In fact, these large size books aren’t just in the Lulu Studio. If you want a bit more creative liberty, you can design your own book and upload the PDF into the Lulu Wizard, while still taking advantage of premium paper and the classy matte hardcover option.

With the holidays just around the corner,  this is actually the perfect time to start a photo book project and still have plenty of time to tweak your text and add that extra bit of finesse to your photos. The only real decision is whether you flex your creative muscles and upload your own custom created PDF or take advantage of specially designed themes in the Lulu Studio™.

by Annie
November 5, 2010
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Preserve Thanksgiving Memories with Lulu

In Remarkable Finds — Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Thanksgiving is a holiday of family and friends and of remembering what is important in your life.  If your family is like mine, what is most important on Thanksgiving is food.  Lots and lots of food.
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Thanksgiving is the only time of year that some of my favorite family recipes make an appearance at the table, and all of those dishes are tied to strong memories.  As my family has gotten older and the kids have moved all over the country, I worried that some of the recipes would be lost.  The obvious solution was to write a cookbook.

I made my cookbook a few years ago by just uploading a word file and cover.  Simple!  Once I had my files ready, it only took a few minutes to publish and I had the perfect Christmas gift for my entire family.

All those delectable recipes have now been saved in my book The Midwest Meets the South.  Though grandma absolutely refused to let me print her famous yeast roll recipe in a book, so some secrets remain just that.

With the Lulu Studio it is now easier than ever to turn your Thanksgiving feast into more than a picked-over turkey carcass and memories.   Just choose your binding, type in your recipes, add photos and publish your book.  Easy as pie (which you should definitely include a recipe for in the cookbook).  You can get started here.

If you add family photos and the stories behind your meals, this simple cookbook can become a keepsake for generations.

Lulu Studio will be my first choice, when I make a second edition. (Grandma, I will get that yeast roll recipe one day!)

Happy eating everyone!

by AJ
October 5, 2010
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Photo Book Buzz

In News — Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Well, summer has officially been over for a few weeks and the leaves are all starting to change colors. Indeed, the holiday season is fast approaching and it is a great time to start thinking about gift ideas so you’re not so caught up in the holiday rush later on.

One suggestion that’s sure to make you the family favorite and winner of this holiday season is a Lulu photo book. And in a recent issue of the prestigious UK photography magazine, Digital Photographer, Lulu’s photo book services received a 9 out of 10 rating. We were thrilled to see all the nice things they had to say about us. And I thought I’d share their review below.

Be sure to pick up a copy of Digital Photographer Magazine at your local news stand and check out all of Lulu’s great photo book offerings that are perfect for everything from a gift to go on grandma’s coffee table to a professional portfolio of your shots.

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by Taylor
September 1, 2010
Comments (17)

Photo books

In Remarkable Finds — Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Lulu photo books are great for two types of people:
1. Professional photographers.
2. Everyone else with a camera.

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I’ll go through a case study of sorts with both types. Firstly, take “Bloke.” He’s a professional photographer in England who’s become a friend of mine. Check out this photo of a little girl at a wedding… Bloke wonders, “do you think she knows it’s a lemon?” I could gush for paragraphs about how much I love this shot. But I’ll let you do your own gushing. The point is, Bloke is a brilliant photographer – and he’s a fan of Lulu photo books. They work for him because they look like “real published ‘coffee table’ books, not chunky heavy albums with bits that fall out when you pick them up”. Great for clients, too.

asdfaf Photo credit: blokewithacamera.co.uk

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Second example: the point-and-shooter (like me). I took this shot in Cape Haitian, Haiti in June 2007. The sign is in Haitian Creole, and reads “Protect the environment- it guarantees life”.  This picture sums up my experience in Haiti pretty nicely- bright colors, joy, hope, and a smidgen of desolation. By no means is it professional grade. The lighting is all wrong, I’m sure my angles are laughable, etcetera (pros don’t hate on me too hard!). But that’s not what matters- it’s a memory. I love this shot for its nostalgic value, not artistic brilliance. I’m putting it into a photo book for the sole sake of remembering. The only person who’d appreciate the photo book as much is my dad- and that’s completely fine.

So – are you a professional (a la Bloke) or a point-and-shooter like me? Maybe a little of both? Either way- check out Lulu photo books and Bloke’s photography website for some eye candy.

by admin
September 23, 2008
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Get Fit on Lulu!

In News — Tagged: , , , , , ,

September 27th is Family Health and Fitness Day USA (I know, I didn’t have it on my calendar either!).  Good thing I’m here to give you a cool list of books on Lulu on how to get your family out in the fresh air, and well-fed, the healthy way.

A family that’s fit together has fun together – especially if you’re playing one of the fun games in Kathi Wyldeck’s Family Games.  Filled with games like “Robin’s Nest”, “Crusts and Crumbs” “Red Rover” and other outdoor games, you’ll be playing till the streetlights come on and it’s dinnertime.

Speaking of dinner…let’s work on the healthy part of the day.  With organic and health food stores everywhere, slow food movements and even fast food places offering a fruit cup instead of fries, eating healthy is becoming easier. If you’re looking for some new and inventive recipes, try the Runner’s Cookbook (ooo..running and cooking) .

Think health equals a long time to cook?  Au contraire! With Healthy Meals in 30 Minutes you can create a variety of gluten-, dairy-, sugar- and soy-free meals without having to slave over a stove all day.

So with plans in hand for a fun day, go enjoy Health and Fitness Day with friends and family.  The more the merrier and the better the games!