My Blog is a Book!

If you have a blog, you are probably aware that there is at least one place you can go online to have your blog content turned into a book.  I decided to give it a try, and I had all my blog posts from 2011 printed and bound so I could give the book to my mom, who doesn't use a computer.

I used Blog 2 Print after seeing one of their ads online.  The process was easy but pricey--it costs around $50 for one copy!  The price goes up if you choose a hard cover, or if you have a lot of pages.  I chose the soft cover and my number of pages was included in the basic price.  I searched online for a coupon, so I ended up paying only $45.  I wouldn't have done it for myself, but I want to be able to share my blog with my mother, and this seemed like a great way to do that.

The front cover (above) doesn't please me as much as the back cover (below).  The small image I saw on the website as I chose the background for the covers didn't help me that much!  I would have used a picture with a dark background for the front cover if I had known better.  They offer a lot of different cover colors and designs, so if I ever decide to do this again I will choose my cover photos to coordinate better with the cover.

Here's a glimpse at the inside pages.  I chose the space-saving option of having the text run along the side of the pictures.  Although it is different than the actual layout of my blog, I think it looks fine, and it kept me below the number of pages that would have cost more!

Everything in all of my posts is included, but the reader comments are not.  That's too bad, because the comments add a lot!

If I do this again, I think I will pay the extra $10 for the hard cover.  After paying $45, I want my book to last!

I'm on my way to Little Rock, Arkansas this weekend for the Craft Gossip Fork and Talk event; conveniently enough, that's where my mother lives, so I will be visiting her and giving her this book!  (Of course, my mom is the real reason I travel to Arkansas regularly; it is a great bonus that I can schedule my trip to coincide with this blogger's meet-up.)   I will post again on Tuesday; see you then!

Craft Gossip Invitation!

I've gotten my invitation!  On Friday I will travel to Little Rock, Arkansas, to attend the second "Fork and Talk" blogger's meet-up, hosted by editors of the website Craft Gossip, and sponsored by EK Success Brands (which produces crafting supplies and kits, including Martha Stewart and American Girl Dolls).

I attended the first Fork and Talk last September.  Since then I've had several of my projects featured on the Craft Gossip website, which has really helped to boost my readership, and inspired me to constantly work to make my blog as interesting as possible.  I love Craft Gossip!  Since I also love making little crafty things and giving them away, and I know all the other bloggers at the meet-up love Craft Gossip too, I decided to make pin-back buttons to bring with me and distribute to everyone at Fork and Talk next Saturday.

I got this wonderful button-making machine for my birthday last year.  It makes high-quality buttons, and I've discovered that I can be very creative with them--often I print words from the computer, like I did for these buttons, but I can also draw a tiny piece of art and turn it into a button.

The words are printed on pretty scrapbook paper, and the hearts are stickers (I started out cutting each little heart from paper...it was taking too long, so it was stickers to the rescue!)

I'll be blogging all about it next week--I can't wait to see what new products will be in the swag bags--I'll show you everything, and I just might be giving some of it away to readers!