Cheryl lives in in Pennsylvania and is a new grandmother to an adorable little girl. She’s also member of our Shutterfly Gallery Guru team, dedicated to supporting your photo book and storytelling creativity. You’ve probably seen Cheryl’s helpful comments throughout the Gallery - maybe even on your own photo book.

In this interview, Cheryl tells us how she got hooked on Shutterfly, her love of telling her family’s stories, and gives us some sage advice - don’t be afraid to get inspiration from others!

Many photo books added to our Gallery are described as gifts for grandparents – books that showcase the latest photos of their grandchildren and ways for parents to share the activities and events that fill grandchildrens’ lives. Several books I’ve seen recently have chronicled simple and yet significant gifts from grandparents to their grandchildren. KellyM799’s “Aidens Naming” describes the

Beccas’ two year old grandson never got tired of hearing her “Pork Chops For Dinner” story, so she took some candid photos, wrote a string of whimsical verse, and created this unique playful photo book.

As we continue to see so many interesting and creative stories being posted on Shutterfly Gallery, we decided that we wanted to spotlight the creators of these wonderful pieces – our first is scrapbooker and storyteller, Katie Pertiet. Katie’s book, 2006 Memories, has been a favorite in Shutterfly Gallery since it was posted (and has generated a lot of feedback). Other books posted in the gallery by KatiePertiet include Random Memories of 2007 for Kelly and

I love your “big kid” birthday books. They are so thoughtful, loving, and humorous. Like EmilyFSU’s ‘A Drummer Looks at 40’, MeganTFF’s ‘Bernard Burba turns 75 Years Old!’, and JulieH34’s ‘Mom’s 60th’. Now that I’ve seen these creations, I can’t wait to turn 75! Drew, Bernard, and Mom have had such wonderful experiences – all captured in beautiful visual journals.

My name is Laura and I am an enthusiastic Shutterfly employee/photobook customer, amateur photographer (emphasis on amateur) and mom to the joys of my life Nolan (5) and Jordan (3). I have always enjoyed taking pictures but telling my stories has become very important to me