In this digital day and age, we seem to be printing fewer and fewer photos because they are ‘safely’ tucked away on our computers. I think that’s a pity because there’s nothing like the tactile experience of holding a photo in our hands.

This feeling is multiplied when you collect a lot of photos and have them printed in a photo album. 

Spending time on making a photo album is valuable in several ways and the lovely tactile experience is only one of them.

Having your photos printed is also a good way to protect them from crashing hard drives or stolen phones. 

But maybe the best reason is sitting on the couch with the people you love, flipping through a photo album, and being transported back in time together.

When my daughter turned 18, I made two photo albums for her that told the little and the big stories of the first 18 years of her life. From time to time, she takes out the album to share her childhood with her friends or to have a look for herself and enjoy those days of her life again.

Making a photo album on the computer can feel a little overwhelming but this article will walk you through it in 5 easy steps. 

So let’s get you started!

Get Organized

This is probably the most tedious and time-consuming element of making a photo album. But when you prepare well and have organized all the photos you want to include in your album the rest will be a breeze.

Of course, it depends on the subject of your album how tedious and time-consuming it will be. For instance, if you want to make an album from a trip you took, it will be easier because you just need to go through the photos of that trip.

But if it’s an album about a period of your life or let’s say the first year of your very first grandkid, it will take more time. Because you might need to collect photos from different people, cameras, and devices.

Make sure the file sizes of your photos are large enough to print. 

Once you have collected all the photos, it’s best to put them in a folder so you have quick and easy access to them. If you want to get really granular you can create subfolders on month, week, or location.

Especially if you’re making an album with a lot of photos stretching over a longer period this will be very helpful in finding specific photos once you’re putting the album together.

Now that you have done this you can move on to the next step.

Choose Your Album 

There are a lot of providers offering photo albums. It’s easy to get flustered when you try to compare them and make the best decision. 

It has been my experience that spending a little more money pays off in better quality. 

These are precious memories, otherwise you wouldn’t go through the trouble of making an album. Usually, the slightly more expensive vendors offer better quality in terms of the prints themselves but also in the quality of the album and the bookbinding techniques they use. 

Most vendors offer more or less the same variety of albums. 

You can choose between a square, landscape, or portrait format. I prefer a landscape album because there seem to be more interesting options in the layout of the pages. 

The second thing you need to decide is how the album is made. Do you want a softcover or a hardcover album? I would recommend a hardcover because it’s more durable and sustainable than a softcover.

And you can also decide to go for a layflat album. It’s more expensive but the upside is that when you flip through the album the pages are flat. There’s no fold in the middle like in a regular album. The other difference is that the pages are thicker than regular pages. 

The benefit of a layflat album is that you can print a photo over the two pages and it will still look really nice. In a regular album, you can do that as well but the fold in the middle will divide the photo.

Fill Your Pages

So, now you have your files organized, and you have the album all picked out. It’s time to upload your pictures. 

This procedure depends on the vendor, of course, and the software they use. Quite often there will be an option to take a tour first. I’d suggest you take the tour so you know your way around.

You can upload all your photos at once but when you’ve made different subfolders it’s more structured to start with your first subfolder and work your way through all the other subfolders.

There will be an option to let the album software fill your pages but where’s the fun in that. Also, the software has no idea which photos look nice together or belong together.

So you’re gonna do that yourself.

I always like to let my photos play the leading role and keep my design simple. 

If you like the minimalist approach as well, select a few different page layouts and stick to those. Pick a background colour for the entire album, preferably a neutral colour like white.

Don’t overcrowd your pages, 1 to 4 photos per page work best. 

You’ll need:

• a layout for a full-spread (1 picture on the entire page) 
• a layout for 1 picture with white space around it 
• a double-spread (1 picture on 2 pages, works best in a layflat album) 
• a layout for 2-4 horizontal pictures
• a layout for 2-4 vertical pictures
• a combination layout for horizontal and vertical pictures.

Create a variety between pictures that have white space around them and pictures that go beyond the edge of the page or the adjacent picture. You can also leave an entire page blank to create some space in the album.

Mix It Up 

Who said you need to keep the timeline intact? Yep, no one did!

Making pages with a cluster of photos that belong together because they have something in common is a great idea to mix up your timeline. 

For instance, you can make a page that consists only of details, colours, portraits, doors, flowers, food…. I can go on and on with this, but you get the point.

Mixing it up in terms of layout is also nice to keep your album varied. If every page looks more or less the same, it can become a little boring to look at. 

Look for some little treasures to highlight in a full page or even a double spread, and mix it up with pages consisting of several photos.

Check, Check, Double-Check

The last thing to do before you hit the order button is to check everything. I like to do that in two phases.

The first phase is to check for the storyline to see if everything fits together. It’s best to do this in the Preview Mode. Look at things like the transition from page to page, gaps in the story, the collection of photos on a single page, and the general flow of the album. 

In the second phase, you go through the design with a fine comb. Check if all the photos are neatly aligned. 

Check the text for spelling mistakes, font and size discrepancies, and if the text is nicely aligned with the pictures.

It’s best to leave a little time between making the album and checking it. Because when you’ve been busy making it for a few hours you don’t see the mistakes as clearly. 

If you let it rest for a few hours or even a day you can look at it with a fresh pair of eyes and the inconsistencies will jump off the screen. 

Don’t forget to save your album though when you let it rest for a bit.

When you’re totally happy with your photo album, hit the order button and within a few days, you will have an album full of precious and tangible memories to flip through with your loved ones! 

I created a Making a Photo Album PDF Guide especially for Sixty and Me readers. It includes the 5-step plan, how to make sure your files are large enough for crisp prints and several inspiring page design templates. You can download it absolutely free.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Do you have experience creating photo albums? Which online service do you use? What are your layout preferences? Where did you learn how to compose your photos into a picturebook of memories? Please share in the comment section below.

Lisa Barlow’s Coral One Piece Swimsuit in Flashback

Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Season 3 Episode 10 Fashion

No, Lisa Barlow didn’t wear this coral one piece swimsuit seen on last night’s episode of RHOSLC in Sunny San Diego, she wore it during a hot tub flashback scene in chilly Salt Lake City. And unlike her (pre-order!) Saint Laurent sandals, thankfully she didn’t mind getting this cute piece wet. 

Fashionably,

Faryn

Click Here to Shop Her Hunza G Swimsuit

Click Here to Shop Additional Colours

Originally posted at: Lisa Barlow’s Coral One Piece Swimsuit

Perhaps it was the Thanksgiving holiday that made me look at my life through grateful eyes. The day after Thanksgiving a series of exchanges and events occurred that made me feel especially thankful.

Thankful for My iPhone Enabling Connections

I was thankful for my iPhone that enabled me to participate in a three-way conversation with my son, daughter, and grandson, who periodically chimed in from his perch in the back seat of the car.

Brother Time suspended his tight grasp on my life, allowing me to luxuriate in the space of this interaction between three of my favorite people. My son teases his sister and me in a way his wife and daughter won’t permit; the primordial family familiarity allowing for these lighthearted exchanges. 

I felt grateful.

Thankful for Time to Play

Two of my favorite things are being outside and playing games. I’m in heaven when the two coincide as they did that Friday when my husband and I played golf with good friends.

There is something excruciatingly satisfying about whacking a ball on the sweet spot of the club followed by watching it accurately arc in the direction you intend (I just wish that happened with more consistency). The breezy 75-degree weather provided such a happy playground. 

I felt grateful.

Thankful That Brother Time Released His Grip on My Day

Hungry following a shopping mission, my husband and I popped into a restaurant for an early meal. Seats were open at the bar, so we ordered wine and appetizers. We talked and reminisced about previous holidays. It was fun. 

Once again, Brother Time loosened his grip, releasing Sister Space’s free spirit. 2022 has posed some health challenges for my husband, so I was grateful for this oasis.

The only way to suspend the onslaught of time is by fully inhabiting the moments of our lives and being present. My day felt elongated, filled as it was with meaningful exchanges.

I was and am grateful to see my life from a fresh perspective.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Did the Thanksgiving holiday provide you with insights into life? What are you grateful for past Thanksgiving?

Heather Gay’s Lip Balm in San Diego

Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Season 3 Episode 10 Beauty

I spy with my little black eye: Heather Gay reaching for our (and Kathy Hilton’s — which she may or may not have used at the People’s Choice Awards lol) favourite lip balm here on last night’s episode of RHOSLC. Which with it’s subtle tinting effect and super hydrating formula, is definitely the balm dot com. 

Fashionably,

Faryn

Also Seen on Kathy Hilton:

Click Here to Shop Her Dior Addict Lip Glow Balm in Many Colours

Originally posted at: Heather Gay’s Lip Balm

I love the 1940s, where the style for women was a red lip, classic twirl hairdo, Mary Janes, skirts, and tidy jackets. Red lipstick, though, is more a challenge to pull off as you get older because it can easily make you look like a garish tramp. Not the look most of us are going for.

How can you wear a festive, bright, and happy red lip and look current, stylish, and, well, gorgeous? In this article, I will go over the focal points to keep in mind as you do this, and in the video, I walk you through step-by-step instructions that anyone can emulate. Let’s do this!

It’s All About Balance, Baby

Have you ever applied red lipstick, like at a makeup counter in a store, and then quickly removed it because you looked like a tramp? Then you developed the opinion that red just doesn’t look good on you.

This is one of the many ways we become stuck in one viewpoint with what works and what doesn’t work on us, and then we get bored. Red lip gloss, like the Berry Red by Jane Iredale I use in the video, is very wearable on many skin tones, even if it does take a little courage to try it.

Or you can go for more of a cherry red if you prefer, as opposed to blue red. Many of you are more comfortable and look better in rose tones which work well in this style of makeup application as well.

The main issue I find with older women wearing stronger and brighter colors is the idea of balance. In order to pull off more powerful looks, you almost always have to strengthen your eyebrows. This could mean adding thickness, definition (like getting your eyebrows professionally done), or even an eyebrow gel for greater shape.

It’s like magic; you change your brows, and suddenly a whole new world of lipstick shades opens up to you! (Dramatic music now plays, and you toss all your neutral, boring, brown lipsticks in the garbage with glee.)

How to Warm It Up

Depending on your skin color, the reason red can look garish is because you need to warm up your skin with some bronzer. Some of you go crazy with your bronzer and have too great a contrast from your normal skin tone, so again we are back to this idea of balance.

A few points to keep in mind when buying bronzer: use a shade that is one to two shades darker than your skin, avoid any with shiny bits of glitter as it can set in fine lines, and apply it like I do in the video, going slowly so that you use just the right amount.

If you have a thin face, my advice is to avoid contour and stick with a little bronzer applied on your cheekbones, forehead, and maybe under your jaw. That way you warm up your skin and add definition without heading toward the dead Halloween tramp look. You also will need to use at least some peachy blush to have that lovely, glowing, healthy look tramps somehow miss.

Glitter, Glamour, and All That Jazz

OOOOOHHHHHH how I adore a little glitter! I’ll be 95 years old and have on red lipstick, gold glitter on my eyes, and maybe a spikey purple hairdo, but that’s for another day. To end the boredom of old eyeshadow, toss on some glitter.

In this instance, we are dealing in gold, but if you go for a cherry red lipstick instead, you can dip into the silver glitter for a few giggles. Just pop the shiny bits right in the center of your eyelid, and blend together for a soft but playful look. You can also add some glitter to your collarbone, lip gloss, and even your nail polish! Ah, heck, just roll in it, it’s the holidays after all!

Red lip gloss, glitter everywhere, and not a tramp in sight. You are fabulous, gorgeous, and a bringer of all things beautiful this holiday season. Toss everything that bores you, and have a hot toddy with all your pretty bright colors around you. Happy Holidays!

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Are you planning to wear makeup for any holiday gathering? Have you considered the red lip look? Why or why not? Would you try following this tutorial? Please share the results!