Photos — Page 5

4 Easy Steps to Saving Family Memories

“Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose.” – From the television show The Wonder Years

You already know I’m a big photo junkie. I’m the person in the family that collects our pictures, videos, and keepsakes – I make scrapbooks and photo books, personalized cards, and other fun projects to preserve those great memories. We have a ton of old VHS tapes, of Christmas and other holidays from when I was a kid. They’re starting to show their age – {so am I, so it’s not surprising… Lol} – and I’ve been trying to find an option to upgrade them. This week I found one, and am excited to share it with you guys – This is totally a Smart Solution – check out iMemories.com!

“We do not remember days; we remember moments.” – Cesare Pavese

Did you know that it only takes 10 years for your old home movies on video to start fading? Ours are a little over 20 years old, and are getting pretty rough in spots. And it would be kind of devastating to lose those memories! iMemories is like your own Super Hero – they have a “Digital Mastering Technology” that they use to digitize your videos by hand, to preserve those memories, so they can be enjoyed by the next generation of your family. Awesome, right?

Here’s how it works:

Gather up all of the movie films, videos and photos that you want to save. Then head to iMemories.com, and set up an easy peasy FREE account.
After you enter your name and email, it’ll give you options to choose how you’d like to send in your products – for now, just click the FREE, “I’ll send them in my own box” option, and print a label for later.
Now, you have an account! Simple, right? You can get a quote from them after they receive your box, with options on what you can create!
Place your order – it’s easier than I had expected. Then enjoy totally amazing, custom made DVD’s of your favorite old home movies and pictures. These would make awesome gifts for your family this year too!

iMemories will convert and preserve all your aging home movie films, camcorder videotapes, slides and photos from any past decade into a crystal clear modern digital format. Only $9.99 per videotape or 50 ft. film reel and $.49 per photo to digitize + $9.99 per DVD.

Browse around the site and check out the cool features. I’m a big fan of the iMemories Studio – Once you set up an account, you can use this to organize, edit, and label your home movies and pictures as well as create custom DVD’s with your own media. Plus – it’s super simple to use!

What do you think?

Do you have old family movies that you’d like to get onto DVD’s too? What do you do to preserve your family memories? If you’ve ever used iMemories, leave some comments with your tips, creative ideas, and experience here to help other readers!

Let’s be Friends – I’d Love to Connect with you! – Join me on Facebook!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on January 7, 2012 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution | No Comments

Want Great Family Photos? Read this!

“Photography is the beauty of life, captured.” – Tara Chisholm

I told you guys about my passion for family photos in this post – Don’t let your digital memories become distant memories – earlier in the week. Capturing those special family moments is always important – but especially so during the holidays! So, to help you get some new favorite photos of your family this season, I’m excited to share some tips from one of my favorite photographers – the totally amazing Amber Miller, of Amber Miller Photography!

“A photograph is the pause button of life.” – Ty Holland

Don’t rush children! Most kids are uneasy around strangers, especially strangers who are holding a large camera with a bright flash in their face, screaming “say cheese”. In my experience, the session goes much more smoothly if the child is comfortable and able to be themselves! I always ask children that I’m photographing what their favorite food is, who their favorite character is, their favorite song or tv show. For example, at a session last week I was having a hard time making a 2 year old laugh, I danced, made funny faces, used squeeky toys and nothing was working. I found out from mommy that he LOVES breadsticks from the Olive Garden. All I had to do was say “breadsticks” and he cracked up! I got some wonderful shots after that!

Be Patient! Children don’t want to be rushed or scolded into smiling. I understand that sometimes we as parents, just want to get those memories and it’s frustrating when children don’t want to cooperate. A great thing for parents to do before a session is to offer a treat for good behavior and cooperation during their session. For example: “Bobby, if you listen to the nice lady and smile really big for your pictures, I will take you to get an ice cream when we’re finished” That works beautifully!

Most important – GET PHOTOS TAKEN! “Everyone has excuses about why they want to wait to get them done, whether it’s losing weight, or waiting for their hair to grow longer, etc…photos are such precious memories! Even if you aren’t 100% happy with the way you look, you should get them done just so your children have something to remember just how you looked at that stage in their life. Photos are precious memories, even when our loved ones are gone. Stop hesitating! Do it, you’ll be happy you did!”

“A good snapshot stops a moment from running away.” – Eudora Welty

If you’re a local reader – you definitely need to check out Amber Miller Photography! She is just the sweetest thing, with loads of patience – and her photos are totally gorgeous. When we showed up for our holiday photo shoot, poor Abby had a terrible cold – a sticky, runny nose, and red, watery eyes – but Amber did such a great job of capturing her character! Check out some of her work on Facebook –

Amber Miller on Facebook – “Like” for fun photos, updates, promotions, and more!

Are you already a fan of hers? Share some comments – what was your favorite part of the shoot? – Mine was that she is so great with kids. Abby did NOT want to cooperate at all, but Amber was a total sweetie, and helped Abby have fun so we could get a few good pics!

Love these tips?

Feel free to stop by Amber Miller Photography and leave her a comment with a big THANK YOU for sharing some fun tips here – she’d love to hear from you!

Share your favorite Holiday photo!

Stop by my Facebook page too, and share your favorite family photo! I can’t wait to see some of your great pic’s – Happy Holidays!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on December 16, 2011 Filed Under: Tips | 1 Comment

Don’t Let Your Digital Memories Become Distant Memories

“A good snapshot stops a moment from running away.” Eudora Welty

Photographs are important to me. I had a few concussions when I was in my early 20’s {long stories, for another day…} and my memory just isn’t as strong as it used to be, or should be. But photographs help me really hang on to those special moments in life – silly faces, baby toes and fingers, fancy occasions when we’re all actually cleaned up and dressed up – I love looking back at the photos that capture our lives.

“You don’t take a photograph. You ask, quietly, to borrow it.” – Author Unknown

If you love photographs like I do, you’ve probably got a TON of them saved on your computer too. I worry sometimes – what if something happens to my computer? What would I do if I lost all of my photos? That would be devastating, seriously. I’ve got thousands of photos saved in this thing. That’s where Sandisk comes to the rescue – “The SanDisk Memory Vault is a photo album for the digital age that allows consumers to preserve images in one reliable location.” What is it? Well, it’s a little gadget that hooks up to your computer with a USB cable, and safely stores every single one of those precious photos for up to 100 years!

Most Consumers Would Not Destroy Their Family Photos for One Million Dollars

SanDisk also issued results from an online survey conducted on its behalf by Harris Interactive from July 28-August 1, 2011 among 2,294 U.S. adults aged 18 and older2. The survey found that 79 percent of U.S. adults with digital photos plan on passing them down to future generations. Photos are so precious that 64 percent of U.S. adults would not consider destroying their family photo collection for any amount of money, not even for one million dollars.

“If you see something that moves you, and then snap it, you keep a moment.” – Linda McCartney

Sandisk makes a ton of my favorite products – you can see a few more of them in this great Holiday Gift Guide video. And like they mention in the video – the Sandisk Memory Vault is super easy to use, and you can store your photos AND videos! So someday you can hand down videos of your wedding day, adorable baby photos of the kids, videos of first steps, family reunions, and more – all safely preserved in one durable device. What more could you ask for, right?

Which of my photographs is my favorite? The one I’m going to take tomorrow. – Imogen Cunningham

To preserve all of your yesterdays and tomorrows – Head to the Sandisk site to learn more about how the Memory Vault safely preserves your family photos for up to 100 years, for the next generation of your family to enjoy.

Buy the Memory Vault today on Amazon – Get the SanDisk Memory Vault 8 GB
for $49.99, or if you have loads of photos like me, upgrade to the SanDisk Memory Vault 16 GB for $89.99 – both with FREE shipping.

{Disclaimer: I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of SanDisk and received a product sample to facilitate my review, and coupons to giveaway.}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on December 13, 2011 Filed Under: Reviews | No Comments

{Photo Week!} 35 FREE Photo Card Templates!

Amazing Collection of Free Photo Card Templates!!

Visit a super fun site, Too Much Time on My Hands, and check out all of the great free photo card templates that she has found and put together! Thirty-five different choices you can use to create the perfect set of Christmas or Holiday cards for your family. I love it! Make sure to leave her lots of comments with big THANK YOU’s for putting together such a super-helpful resource!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on December 7, 2011 Filed Under: Freebies, Printables | No Comments

{Photo Week} FREE $25 Credit from Minted.com – Invite Only

“When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses.” – Joyce Brothers

Minted.com Holiday Photo Deals!

I got business cards from Minted earlier this year – and Oh. My. Heck. I love them. They’re my “Good” business cards, lol. The quality at Mint is really impressive – they use thick, luxurious papers {yes, paper can be luxurious} and their designs are so unique. Total love. And right now – I can invite friends to Mint.com, and you each get $25 in FREE Credit when you set up your free account! Easy peasy, right? If you have any trouble getting the $25 credit applied, let me know so I can help ya!

Join Minted.com for a FREE $25 Credit!

Bonus Savings!!

Once you get started, here is a great coupon code to use on your first order! 15% Off all $150+ orders (Use: CHEERS15) or 10% Off all $100+ orders. (Use: CHEERS10). Exp 12/9. Have fun creating your cards, photo books, business cards, or gifts! Happy Holidays!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on December 7, 2011 Filed Under: Deals and Coupon Codes, Shopping | No Comments

MyPublisher: Coupon Codes for Photo Books

“The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another’s desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together.” – Erma Bombeck

I love photos – scrapbooks, photo books, framed prints, ornaments, mugs – my awesome free mousepad from Vistaprint with Abby’s face on it – and so much more. So this week – today through next Wednesday – I’ll be sharing loads of photo tips, ideas, coupons, deals, and some fun giveaways too!

MyPublisher Deal

I’ve made a lot of photo books as gifts – and MyPublisher has some of the best quality in photo products that you can find. Seriously beautiful. You have to do a quick install of their program to get started – but it’s totally safe, I’ve used it forever, and it’s super easy to get started. And you can use these coupon codes to get a great deal on photo books and gifts this week:

Spend $50 – Save 15% off your purchase.
Spend $100 – save 30% {that’s $30 bucks!} off your purchase.

Use code JOLLYSAVE at check out to get the savings!!

This deal is only available until December 12th, so take advantage of it today!!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on December 7, 2011 Filed Under: Shopping, Deals and Coupon Codes | No Comments

The Importance of Family Photos at the Holidays…

“We do not remember days; we remember moments.” – Cesare Pavese

This quote is so true for me – and looking at my favorite family photo’s can make those great moments totally fresh in my mind. Photos become especially important to me at the holidays – to remember people who are no longer with us, to reminisce over pictures of Christmas when I was a kid, and to cherish the memories that I’m now making with my own little family. A picture can totally capture those moments worth remembering – so I wanted to put together a whole series of posts over the next week that will focus on holiday photos!

“She glances at the photo, and the pilot light of memory flickers in her eyes.” – Frank Deford

Yesterday we took Abby to the annual Holiday Lighted Parade downtown. Last year she was just a baby, only 5 months old, and I’m not sure that she shared my holiday enthusiasm from her bundled up spot in her car seat. But this year she loved it. She loved having Daddy boost her up high so she could see the lighted trucks and tractors, the horses pulling carriages, and especially the parade of dogs in lighted vests. {She’s a HUGE fan of doggies. A seriously huge fan.} I forgot to bring my camera, so thank goodness for my iPhone. The pictures weren’t great, since I had no flash – but I’m so glad to have captured the evening in photos.

“Winter must be cold for those with no warm memories.” – From the movie An Affair to Remember

So, over the course of the next week, watch for tons of great photo related posts! The amazingly talented Amber Miller will be sharing some great photo tips. I’m going to search out some great deals and discount codes that you can use to print favorite family photos, create memorable holiday cards, or make other fun photo-themed gifts. I have a few reviews and giveaways I’m pretty excited about too! So watch for more “Holiday Photo Week” posts from now until the 12th.

A few of my favorite holiday posts:

Holiday Card Freebies: Use this resource to get up to 50 different holiday cards for free. I posted this last week – so I can’t guarantee that all of the offers and codes are still available!
Family Photo Day: This is a super fun new idea from Shutterfly that I think is so cool. Check it out, learn how to get some discounts, and set up your own “Family Photo Day” event!
Elf Yourself Video: Use your favorite family photos to create a totally free – and totally funny! – video.
10 Tips to Get Ready for the Holidays: Yep, that’s exactly what this post is about. I share 10 holiday-prep tips – Because it’s only 20 days until Christmas!!
DIY Holiday Gift Ideas: 8 cool ideas for DIY Christmas gifts to make this year, that people will actually want to receive!
Holiday Baking Deals: Some of my very favorite holiday baking items, at big discounts!