Buy Yourself a Gift: 3 of my favorite photo products

I am both blessed and cursed to have a terrible memory.

Blessed, because after a few years TV series I’ve already watched feel brand new again (thank you Scandal) and jokes I’ve already heard feel funny and fresh.

Cursed, because I forget the tiny details of my children’s lives, the little words they whispered in the dark and the intricacies of their nap schedules that seemed so vital to our lives for so long.

When I began printing my memories I noticed something- the feelings of those moments came rushing back. I remember the sound of my 1.5year old’s giggle just by looking at a smiling picture of him and how adorable my 7 year old was without his front teeth. I remember because I look at those photos every single day when I walk by them in the kitchen. I remember the rain storm before our last photoshoot and how it cleared right before we arrived when I glance at the album sitting on our coffee table.

Printed photographs make all my memories clearer. They are also a great gift idea for those you love and care about!

Here are 3 of my favorite ways to get your favorite memories off your computer and onto your walls so you can enjoy them every single day.*

*for the record, I’m not getting any kind of kick back from the links below, they really are just my favorite consumer products out there.

Give the Gift of Albums

Have you ever felt complete analysis paralysis when you look at your photos? You love them, there are so many good ones, but…which ones should go where? How big? Should you frame them or maybe do canvas instead? What if you move and there’s nowhere to put them in the new house.

“Maybe I’ll just wait.”

Sometimes the hardest part is choosing which images to display.

My favorite part about albums is that you don’t have to play favorites. Display them all! Our latest photoshoot went directly into an album, there were just way too many cute ones to possibly create a wall gallery. (plus I’m running out of walls!)

While I ordered our professional GoBook album (click here to learn more about Glean & Co products) for my family’s photos this year, you can create your own with companies like Zno.com. While they do cater to professional photographers, you don’t have to be a pro to set up an account with them. The best thing they offer over competitor companies is a built in design software, so you can design your album layouts quickly and beautifully! Perfect for gift giving.

Order your own Zno album HERE

Wall Art

I had a pregnant client one time with a gorgeously curated gallery wall and asked her if she was planning on swapping a few of them out for photos of her new baby. She said she didn’t think so because she had worked really hard to put together all the pieces of the wall.

I smiled and knew she would feel different once that baby arrived.

There is no better artwork than the artwork you yourself created. You created this beautiful, loving family! It’s time to put them on the walls. 

If you’re overwhelmed with hanging art or which images to choose, check out mpix.com for their Collage Walls. You can load all your favorites into your gallery and swap them around until you’ve create the perfect wall display. Then- the best part- they arrive with a wall template so you can hang them without putting 18 extra holes in your wall! A gift should be fun, not add a bunch of work.

Your spouse will thank you.

Shop Mpix Collage Walls HERE

Magnets

Yes, magnets! I know, this one might seem out of place as a gift, but hear me out.

2 years ago instead of sending a traditional holiday card on the classic 5×7 card stock, I splurged and purchased magnet cards instead. Our family photo printed on a magnet, paired with a 5×7 sheet of semi opaque vellum printed with our normal holiday letter. 

I didn’t think anything of it until a year had passed and I realized so many of my friends STILL had our magnet picture on their fridge. Unlike other holiday cards that had long since been recycled, ours had survived. Because it didn’t say “JOY!” or “LET IT SNOW” it was just a lovely picture of our family.

 

Even if you don’t want to send out hundreds of magnets like I do, you can get as few as 5 from MPIX and just sent to those most special family members.

Order magnets HERE

There you have it, three of my favorite ways to display your photos beyond the computer screen. Go forth and print your memories!