{swank} review & giveaway: Blurb Photo Books {$35 gift certificate}

Whenever I have professional pictures done of the family, I'm always thinking of different ways to display them - on the wall, in photo frames, on canvas prints, etc.  Luckily, Blurb did the decision making for me and gave me the opportunity to test out their platform and create my own photo book.

There are a number of different options to choose from when deciding how to assemble your book, from easy-to-use templates to having full creative control over your photo book creation.  You can even take your photos from Facebook and Instagram and capture them in a book full of memories.

I chose to start with the most popular Blurb book making tool, Blurb BookSmart.  At first I was a little confused as to how the software worked but once I took a few minutes to navigate around it, it was easy to figure out.  There is also a tour you can take to help familiarize yourself with BookSmart {I didn't do this because I was pressed for time} which will probably help you use the software more efficiently.

The finished product was a perfect coffee table book!  I chose the Standard Landscape {10x8 inches} hardcover imagewrap with black matte paper for the inside covers.  The book was compiled pictures from a recent professional shoot at Bopomo Pictures when Baby Z was a newborn and also added a couple maternity shots that were done with My City Photos a week before Z was born.

Front cover

Back cover

Newborn shots by Bopomo Pictures

Maternity shots by My City Photos

Overall, I'm very happy with my Blurb photo book and would definitely recommend Blurb to anyone interested in preserving their memories in a classy and unique way!

{Win It!}

Blurb is generously offering one lucky winner a $35 gift certificate towards their next Blurb photo book order!  To enter, please use the Rafflecopter entry form below.  This giveaway is open to Canadian residents only and ends at 9pm PST on Monday, November 19th. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure:  The views expressed in this review are my own and do not represent the opinions or views of Blurb or Blurb Canada.  We received complementary product from Blurb Canada in order to conduct this review.   The winner is responsible for any extra costs associated with their photo book order, including shipping, that exceeds the gift certificate value.  Note that {swank}mama does not accept responsibility for sponsors that do not fulfill their giveaway duties.  Winner will be contacted via email and will have 48 hours to respond, otherwise, a new winner will be chosen.