Helpful Hints for your Bellflower Book - Enlarging Photos

How to Enlarge the Photos in Your Bellflower Book

If you, or one of your contributors, has added a photo to your Bellflower Book that appears small on the page preview, we highly recommend that you take a few minutes to enlarge the photo.  Your final book will look much better if your photos are the proper size.  See the before and after example below.

Note that you do not need the "original" digital photo file in order to re-size the picture.  We will show you how to do it using the file that is already uploaded to the Bellflower Book page.

The Page Preview BEFORE the photo was enlarged

Page Preview with enlarged photo

Step 1:  After you have signed into your Bellflower account, go to the "Pages" tab and the  "Edit" screen.  Right click on the photo and save the photo to your computer as a “Bitmap” file.  

Step 2:  After you have saved your photo, open it in the wonderful photo enhancing (free) website www.picasa.com. 

·         If you do not currently use Picasa, start by downloading the free software and click "run" when asked if you want to "run" or "save" the software.  It only takes about 30 seconds, depending on the speed of your internet connection.

·         To open your photo in Picasa, find the photo you want to enlarge in your Windows Explorer and then right click on the file.  Choose the "Open with" option and then click on "Picasa."

When the photo appears in Picasa, click on the green picnic button labeled "Picnik" (see black arrow below), which will allow you to edit the picture.  Then click "yes" to confirm.

Step 3:  Your photo will automatically open in Picnik, as shown below.  Click on the “resize” button located on the left hand at the bottom of the row of choices (see black arrow below).

Step 4:  Next, you will need to enter new dimensions for your photo (see white arrow below).  The dimensions you enter will depend on whether the orientation of your photo is  horizontal (long) or vertical (tall).  The "keep proportions" box is checked by default.  Do not un-check that box.

·         For Horizontal pictures - enter 4000 in the first input box.  The second dimension will automatically calculate based on your photo's original proportions.

·         For Vertical pictures - enter 2800 in the first input box.  The second dimension will automatically calculate based on your photo's original proportions.

Click the “apply” button, which is underneath the boxes where you entered the dimensions. 

Next, click the yellow button at the top right that says “Save to Picasa” (see black arrow below) .  On the pop-up screen that follows, click the "replace" button to replace the original (small) photo and apply the resize.

Step 5:  You will then be automatically taken back to Picasa's main window.  From here,  simply save this file by clicking on the "File" menu and then choosing "Save As".

Step 6:  Go back to www.BellflowerBooks.com and from the "Pages" tab, click the "Edit" button.  The last thing you need to do is to switch out the "small" photo file for the enlarged photo file that you just created in Picasa. 

Click on the "Browse" button underneath the photo (see black arrow below).  Find the folder where you saved the enlarged photo and select the appropriate file. 

Step 7:  Lastly, go back to the "Pages" tab and click on the "Preview" button to see how your enlarged photo will look on the printed page. 

The finished product!





For Your Favorite Grad




"I don't have an artistic bone in my body, but every Bellflower Book design is so beautiful and the experience is so personal that I felt like the finished product was truly my work of art."

~Camie C.

 I remember how when I graduated high school my mom created a special scrapbook for me full of photos, awards and newspaper clippings.  The only thing that could have made it more special would have been letters from loved ones.  I took it with me to college and looked through it when I was homesick, which was quite often.

Now that we have created "Bellflower Books" I can't help but think about what a wonderful gift our books would make for sons and daughters leaving for college.  A Bellflower Book would make a great graduation gift or a wonderful surprise to leave with you child when you drop them off at school.

Think about what an impact a book full of family memories and letters from loved ones would make!  You could now scan in all of those newspaper articles, awards and certificates so that they will be perfectly preserved.  How fun for your child to also have letters from close friends reminiscing about the good times they shared in high school.

The first year of college can be a lot of fun, but it can also be pretty lonely.  A Bellflower Book is a special way to remind your children where they are from and how many people love and appreciate them there.  What a wonderful boost of self-esteem that would be as they enter into an adult life of creating new friendships and making their own decisions.

Make sure to order a copy for yourself :)

Happy Mother's Day!

On Mother's Day I feel it is only fitting to honor one of the most amazing mothers I know, my Grandma Corrigan.

My Grandma with the Bellflower Book we made her for Thanksgiving last year.

I have always loved and appreciated my Grandmother, but now that I have children of my own I consider her a saint.  Grandma Corrigan was one of 11 children raised on a farm outside of Toledo, Ohio.  When she married my grandfather, she had 8 children of her own.  From those 8 children came twenty grandchildren and so far 6 great-grandchildren.  You would think that by the time the great-grandchildren came along she would have tired of children.  Nope.  Not my grandma!  She loves great-grandchild #6 with the same amount of love and enthusiasm as her first grandchildren.  Her memory is failing her, but her heart is not.  She still has a talent for making me feel loved and special everytime I see her.

My grandmother pretty much devoted her life to raising a wonderful family.  I don't think that there has ever been a time when the Corrigan household has been quiet.  We still pack ourselves in there for Thanksgiving and impromptu dinners.  When I look at my extended family, I don't know how my grandparents did it.  How they managed to have 8 children who still love and care about each other so much.  I was so lucky to be raised surrounded by my aunts, uncles and cousins.

Sometimes when I get frustrated with the lack of time I have to myself, I think of my grandmother.  I don't think she ever had a minute to herself and she seemed to like it that way:)  The family that she created makes her one of the most successful women I know.  Considering two children is plenty for me, I admire my grandmother in a different way.



My page to my Grandma



As a surprise for Thanksgiving last year my family all worked together to create a Bellflower Book for her full of love and memories.  It was  a great way to show her how much we appreciate everything she has done for us.  I still remember being stressed out in College and taking refuge with her and grandpa in their kitchen.  I remember how their hugs and simple words of encouragement always made everything better.  I am so glad that we could give her this especially meaningful gift.

This was the contribution from my cousin Marc. It was one of my favorites:)

Welcome to our new blog!!!

Kerry and Heather's first publication - "Kid's News" made neighborhood history!

Considering that the very first business that Heather and I started together was a neighborhood newspaper when we were in the fifth grade, it only seems fitting that our new company, Bellflower Books, would have its own electronic newspaper in the form of a blog.

As a former art teacher, I miss having a daily opportunity to share information, interact with people and be creative.  I will be the main contributor to this blog and I am hoping it will serve as a wonderful and fun outlet for me!

I can't wait to share information with you about interesting new artists, gifts that give back, good books, great people, charitable opportunities and of course, fun tips and inspiration for creating a Bellflower Book. 

I am also hoping to help promote entrepreneurs like myself, so if you have a great blog or have started a small company, please contact me and tell me all about it!

Welcome to our new blog!!!  I think this is going to be a lot of fun!!!

Cheers!  (Heather and I in fifth grade)

~Kerry