Photo Gallery FAIL

I love photo galleries... but I couldn't stand mine anymore! This is not mine...

A few months ago, I blogged about my photo gallery wall. I was really, really, really excited about it and I drove my husband absolutely insane throughout the process. And it was a process! Picking out the photos was fun, finding the right frames was even better, but trying to find the right arrangement on the wall was the worst part. No, leveling and making holes in the wall was the worst part!

After it was all complete, I loved it and I was in heaven! Having this display in the entryway was fabulous because I'd eye the photos whenever I came and left the house. It was perfection until the worst thing happened... I got tired of the display. {Insert sad, miserable face.}

I didn't get tired of the photos, I loved staring at them. But, I was just tired of the wall looking so cramped and full. I wanted a fresh, clean feel. Maybe it's a weird pregnancy symptom, but I just couldn't stand it anymore! I casually mentioned it to my husband one night as we were leaving for dinner. "Really? I like it," he said. My heart sank. I was hoping he'd at least somewhat agree with me. But regardless of what he said, the damn display was eating me alive.

So, the most awful thing happened... I took the whole display apart. I plucked each frame off the wall and my living room was covered in frames... everywhere! The wall was covered in little black holes from the nails and there were scratches underneath the frames from getting them to hang just right. Have no fear! I quickly filled the holes with Spackle, touched up the wall with paint, and voila... clean, fresh, spacious!

My husband walked in from work as I had just finished filling the holes with Spackle. "Oh, God. What are you doing?" he mumbled softly. "Don't worry, it's going to look great when it's all done!" I said. Poor guy. Go ahead and feel bad for him.

Photo gallery fail. Onto the next project. Gallery frames are still sitting in the living room and new frames are waiting to be hung... this weekend. Thank god tomorrow is Friday!

If I could be the youngest person in the world...

Last week, I gave my students their "on demand writing assessment." This assessment requires them to respond to a writing prompt and write "on demand" for an entire period. It's amazing how much we can learn about our students (as writers and kids) through this one piece of writing. This year, we created a prompt that related to the World Cup. Soccer player, Julian Green, became the youngest player in U.S. history to score a goal in the World Cup. We asked students, "If you could be the youngest person in the country to accomplish something, what would it be?"

The responses that I received from my students were... typical for sixth graders. But some of them really blew my mind!

Here's one of my favorites that I wanted to share. It obviously touched my heart because of the photography part:

Ribba Picture Frames from IKEA

Ribba Picture Frames from IKEA are my absolute favorite! They are available in many different sizes, but I've only found myself purchasing the 15x19 size so far. I've already completed a grouping of three in my office and at our latest IKEA visit, I picked up four more to make another grouping. Stay tuned for photos! :-)

Our Wedding Story Through Our Photographer's Eyes!

Today we received a huge surprise! Our wedding photographer blogged about our big day on her blog. SO EXCITING! I've realized over the past year, that even though my big wedding day has passed, the wedding-related excitement, anticipation, and surprises are still happening and there's still so much to look forward to! Future Brides, have no fear! You might think your fairy tale is over, but gosh, the fun is just beginning!

Our amazing wedding photographer, Amanda Picone, is based out of Long Island, NY and she is an absolute dream to work with. If you're looking for a photographer to document your big milestones, please check her out! You'll fall in love with her immediately! I promise!

It's quite interesting to see how your photographer and videographer tell "your story" through pictures. I fall in love over and over again when I look at my wedding photos, my gorgeous album, and my stunning wedding video. Each one tells a unique story. Amanda's blog post did the same thing and I love the words that she used to explain our day. Click here to check it out! 

Thank you so much, Amanda! We love you!

On Our Way to Spain and Portugal!

On July 19, Marc and I took off from New York and began our journey to Spain and Portugal!  Over the next few posts, I'm going to be documenting our trip so you can see all the amazing sites from our eyes!

Goodbye, New York!

MyPublisher SALE! Coupon Code!!

Dawn has blogged about photo books in the past (here!).  Ever since her post about photo books, I've followed a few of the companies she researched!  Since I took a big trip to Europe this summer, I've been thinking about how I will showcase my memories!  

From now through August 4th, MyPublisher is running a sale!  

75% off Mini-Books

50% off Deluxe Books

30% off Classic Books

20% off Pocket Books

Use the code: SITEWIDE14FF

Every Summer Has a Story!

I found this FREE printable on I Heart Nap Time blog , fell in love, and immediately knew I wanted to share it here. Click on over to I Heart Nap Time or Sweet Rose Studio blog to download it. The printable is made available to fit an 8 x 11 frame. I love this because it reminds me to soak up these long summer days and document along the way! September rolls around and we all reminisce about our favorite summer memories... every summer has a story! 

I haven't been documenting and snapping away as much as I'd like to... hey, summer has just started, right?! I can't wait to dive back in! 

Honeymoon DIY Photo Project

Looking for a fun way to display your honeymoon photos? Consider making a photo block! Find directions for how to make them on my previous blog post here. 

I made this "honeymoon photo block" following the directions to the LOVE blocks in the link posted above. The new changes I made were: adding chevron Washi tape and a clothespin on top!

I love how you can see various photos from all angles, including having the ability to switch out photos on top! 

We are linking up with the Treasure Box Tuesday party! Click on over for more great stuff! 

Photo Gallery Wall Project [Part ONE!]

For a while now, I've been dreaming about creating a photo gallery wall in my apartment. I finally took the plunge and it's certainly been a work in progress for more than a few months. I'm almost ready to start hanging the frames... and what a process it's been!

A few reflections on my process so far:

It was really hard deciding on the types of frames to use. At first, I wanted them all to be different - different sizes and styles, including antique frames, like these: 

Then I became overwhelmed with that idea and decided to stick with only squares and rectangles, but still wanted to vary the sizes. So then this became my inspiration:

I should have chosen the photos before deciding on frames, because it was difficult trying to decide exactly what I needed and wanted. I guess I was more interested in the design at first. I bought different frames over the course of a few months. I tried to snag great deals on each frame. Yes, it took me a while. And yes, I was very indecisive!

I played around with the arrangement of frames MANY times. I'm still undecided. At first, I arranged the frames on the floor even before putting photos inside. Then, I put photos inside the frames and continued to move things around on the floor. And now I'm to the point where I'm tracing the frames onto wrapping paper, so that I can play around with the squares and rectangles on the wall. Here's what my wall will look like soon:

I'll keep you updated over the next few weeks... yes, weeks. Can you tell I'm nervous about the next BIG step?! Do you have a photo gallery wall at home? Do you have any advice for me? Please share!

We are linking up with Hump Day Happenings at A Savory Feast Blog and Inspire Me Wednesday at 733 Blog! Click on over for more awesome stuff! 

Ikea Photo Ledge Turned Bookshelf!

I can't wait to have kids so that I can display their books this way: 

I've seen this over and over again on Pinterest and many blogs that I visit. Obviously, as a teacher, this just melts my heart for so many reasons. This sends so many messages to love reading. But really, who wouldn't want to crack open a book after seeing them displayed this way?! I just love it!! 

In the meantime, I plan on using Ikea's Ribba Picture Ledge to display my photo books! I spend so much time designing each book and I want them to be noticed when you step into my apartment. I don't want them to be stuck on a shelf or hidden on a coffee table somewhere. Here's some inspiration for that from Pinterest:

I've been dreaming about redesigning spaces with awesome stuff from Ikea for months now. Well... today was finally the day where I somehow tricked my husband into taking a ride with me. ;-)  I bought some great stuff, including the Ribba Picture Ledges. I can't wait to find the perfect spot for them!

I will update you as soon as they're up, which will hopefully be very soon! My fingers are twitching...

Tonight we are linking up with the Show-Licious Craft & Recipe Party over at 3 Little Greenwoods! Click on over to see more great stuff! 

The True Value of Throwback Thursday

Ahh...the trending of the #tbt.  It's all over Instagram, Facebook, Twitter....whatever social media you choose, you can expect to see old photos uploaded on Thursdays.  I love it!  It's a blast into the past.  It forces us to look back on old memories and smile.  It helps us to remember those who may not be with us anymore, and reminds us of the small things in life, a simpler time.

But...I have one question for you:

Today is the present, but tomorrow it will be the past.  

What are you doing to preserve the memories of today for the future?

I don't know about you, but most of my photos are loaded onto my laptop, my phone, or on Shutterfly.  I probably have 25% of my current photo collection printed, the rest is digital.  I have had computers in the past that crashed or died, deleting precious memories with loved ones that were gone forever.  Devastation.

What are your children going to look back on when they are your age?  Will they have the ability to look through your phone, your old laptops and your website accounts.  Probably not. 

I challenge you to start to print your photos.  Make a point of it every month to print up photos from your most favorite moments of your life.  Create a photo book or just get prints made up.  It's so important to have photos to look back on!

Here's some convenient, easy suggestions for getting pictures printed up quickly and easily:

www.groovebook.com is a photobook subscription service through your smartphone.  I belong to this service and it is a super easy way to get your photos printed off your phone once a month!

Shutterfly.com has a variety of options for photo printing.  From photo books to print plans, they have a ton of options!  Check it out!

Kanvess is an app that allows you to print your Instagram photos!  With so many pictures being uploaded to Instagram each day, why wouldn't you want to print them?!

Dawn and I are taking part in another link party tonight... THE Pin It Party Pinterest Linkup. We found this link party through the Creative Geekery blog and are excited to take part in this each Thursday.

Welcome April! Photo a Day Challenge!

I love April for 3 reasons...

1. Spring is {hopefully} in full effect: warm weather is much more consistent than March and we begin to see green grass, leaves on trees, and flowers sprouting!
2. Spring Break: inhale...exhale...time to take a breather!
3. April signals my three month countdown to summer break. Woot woot!

My love for photos, combined with the excitement of beginning the month of April, has urged me to take a on a new challenge: April Photo a Day!

I found this challenge through the Fat Mum Slim blog, an Australian blogger, who loves photos just as much as I do and creates a different photo challenge list each month. So fun!!

Here's how Chantelle outlines the challenge:

Playing photo-a-day couldn't be easier. It really couldn't. Here’s how to play:
♥ Grab your camera or phone or photo-taking-device.
♥ Look at the monthly list to find the prompt for the day. {The number corresponds to the date of the month}.
♥ Take a photo using the prompt as inspiration. So for March the prompt for day 1 is ‘yellow’. So take a photo of something yellow. Colour prompts are my favourite, it’s fun to see all the photos in the hashtag turn yellow.
♥ Now you’ve taken a picture, it’s time to share it. This is the fun part. You can share to whichever social media platform you like, for me I like Facebook and Instagram best, oh and Twitter too. Make sure you add the hashtag #FMSphotoaday to your caption so people can find you, and others know what you’re doing.

Here are suggested prompts to help with each day:

1. SOMETHING PURPLE: Find something purple in colour and photograph it.
2. IN MY HAND: Put something in your hand, or take a photo of something you carried.
3. SHAPES: Triangles, circles, squares, hexagons… find shapes!
4. GOOD TOGETHER: What goes good together? You and him? Peanut butter and toast? Show us!
5. NOT MINE: Take a photo of anything that isn’t yours {but perhaps you want it to be}.
6. A TASTE OF SPRING/AUTUMN Whatever the season where you are, share it in a photo.
7. WHERE I’D RATHER BE: Where do you wish you were? Back in bed? At home? On holiday? Get creative!
8. HOBBY: What’s your hobby?
9. DARK: It could dark in colour or dark in nature {spooky eh?}.
10. MY FAVE PART OF THE DAY: What’s your favourite part of the day? Share it.
11. 3 OF A KIND: Can you find 3 things that match, belong together or have something in common?
12. ON MY LEFT: Look to your left, what’s there? Take a photo.
13. MORE PLEASE!: What do you want more of in life? Chocolate? Sunshine? Coffee? Love?
14. DIRTY: Take a photo of something dirty.
15. I’M READING THIS: What are you reading right now?
16. MY VICE: What are you addicted to or just don’t want to give up?
17. SOMETHING I LEARNED: What’s something you’ve learned in life?
18. GOOD: It’s Good Friday, show me something good.
19. MONEY: Money. It is what it is. Share it {I mean a photo of it, not actually your money}.
20. EGG: Happy Easter. Share a photo if an egg, If it’s not your religion, any egg will do.
21. CLOSE: It could be close {as in near} or close {as in shut}.
22. FOUR THINGS: Pick four things, any four, and take a photo.
23. ENTRANCE: A door, a gate, a walkway… share a photo of an entrance.
24. A POP OF COLOUR: Find a pop of colour as you go about your day; a flower, a sign, a toy… anything.
25. REMEMBER: In Australia it’s ANZAC Day, a time to remember. Australian or not, share a photo of a memory or how you reflect.
26. ENJOY THE LITTLE THINGS: It’s about the little things. Share a photo of something small that makes you joyful.
27: UNDER MY FEET: Where did you go today? What did you stand on?
28. CHAOTIC: Show me chaotic {busy/hectic/disorganised}.
29. CONTRAST: This is our photography prompt for the month, I’ll write a post on it soon.
30. SOMETHING SILLY: Show us something silly.

I plan on completing the challenge through my personal Instagram account and through 730 Moments Instagram account, too! Take on the challenge with me! Slow down and enjoy the small things...

Don't forget to hashtag #fmsphotoaday so that we can all see what you're capturing!

Amanda and I are taking part in the "Be.YOU.tiful Lifestyle Link Party" this week. Click over to Fry Sauce and Grits to read more!

Turn Your Instagrams into Magnets: Bring your photos to life!

Another post tonight from the girl who's obsessed with photos!

Turning photos into magnets can be an easy and fun DIY project. However, I know that many of you hate DIY projects and don't have the time to sit down at the computer, crop photos, and transfer them to magnets. In this case, take advantage of Sticky 9. 

Sticky 9 turns your Instagram photos into magnets in just a few clicks and they offer two packages:

[The Jigsaw:] 1 photo, 9 magnets - jigsaw puzzle fun! 

[The Classic:] Choose 9 of your favorite Instagram photos!

Each sheet of 9 magnets costs $14.99 with free shipping worldwide. 

 Sticky9 is currently running an awesome SALE until March 31st ... Buy 3 sheets for 2! (27 magnets for $30!) 

*These magnets would be adorable for favors at a birthday party, bridal shower, baby shower... or any fun gathering! 

*I also love the jigsaw opportunity for kids, what a fun activity for the refrigerator, or any other magnetic surface. 

*There are also so many great quotes that people love to post on Instagram- what a fun way to have these as reminders on your refrigerator. Check out this fun display from the blog, Live.Laugh.Rowe, for inspiration to make your refrigerator pretty, too...

Sticky9 also sells Instagram photo cases and iPad cases, shown here from The Pretty Blog.

Be sure to check out Sticky9 and don't miss out on their awesome sale! :-)

Print your Instagram photos using ORIGRAMI! Check it out NOW!

While searching for fun DIY crafts, I came across Origrami. Origrami is an Instagram photo printing company. They're a husband and wife team based in Sydney, Australia and the company was born to combine their two passions: Origami (craft) and Instagram = Origrami. I love it! :-)

FREE Shipping Worldwide! 

Multiple designs and themes! Including a photo map of where your photo was taken! (Awesome!!)

Thick premium matte cards - similar in thickness and quality to postcards! 

Cute photo folder/box for storage! 

How does this work?

-Choose from 4 print packages ranging from $19.95-$29.95 (24-36 prints included).

-Once you click the Buy Now button, you'll be instructed to login to your Instagram account.

-Once logged in, you will be able to select the photos that you want to print.

-Once you finish selecting the photos, you'll be taken to the "THEME" selection. Choose a theme:

PHOTOMAP. Front: Your Instagram photo. Back: Map of where the photo was taken (if geo-tagged). Or a selection of 12 colorful camera backgrounds. Plus your username (max 15 letters), date taken, number of likes, location tag and the first caption (max 140 letters and no emoticons).

SPECTRUM. Front: Your Instagram photo. Back: 36 colored backgrounds. Plus your username, date taken, number of likes, location tag and the first caption (max 140 letters and no emoticons).

POSTCARD. Front: Your Instagram photo. Back: Airmail-style border. Plus your username, date taken and location tag.

BLANK. Front: Your Instagram photo. Back: nothing.

SPECTRUM FOR SQUARE Front: Your Instagram photo. Back: 36 colored backgrounds. Plus the date taken, location tag and the first caption (max 120 letters and no emoticons).

-Add to cart and follow the quick checkout process!


Oh My Little Dears blog posted a great review about Origrami. Read about it here and check out her photos of the product below:

I fell in love with Origrami and can't wait to try it. The backs of the cards are my favorite! I love the maps, date taken, caption, number of likes... all information to help preserve your small moments. Have you tried Origrami? Let me know if you decide to try it! :-)

Photo Book Reviews & Amazing PHOTO DEALS: Buy One Photo Book, Get TWO FREE!

A few weeks ago, I blogged about my photo book journey. I created four photo books and received them in the mail this past week. As promised, here's a quick review of each company: Shutterfly, Snapfish, and My Publisher.

Shutterfly:

Process (use of templates and ease of use): I used the custom path to design my own pages. Easy to navigate and upload photos. Great preview button at the end with high resolution display, allowing you to see exactly how it will look when  printed.

Print quality: Excellent! Shutterfly has set a very high standard among online photo books. They always live up to their expectations. 

Speed of service: Shutterfly is great at printing and shipping very quickly. This was printed within two days and shipped to me within five days, as I used free shipping. It arrived earlier than expected.

Other benefits (discounts): Who doesn't love the Shutterfly discounts? There's always a sale! I purchased this during a 50% off sale. 

Side note: The cover of my book had a misprint in the title. After a few minutes on the phone, they printed me a new one and sent it next-day shipping, all free of charge. 

My Publisher:

Process (use of templates and ease of use): You'll download their free photo book application software. It's easy to use and rich in features. 

Print quality: Excellent! You'll die when you receive this book in the mail. I nearly did! It's the MOST gorgeous photo book I've ever made. It has a book jacket which makes it polished, clean, and elegant. I like to compare the end product to a coffee table book that exhibits your photos and artwork. I recommend you taking advantage of the sale mentioned in the picture above - if you can combine it with the new member deal, you've scored an amazing deal! 

Speed of service: It took a few days for printing to happen and then up to a week for delivery. It was worth the wait! 

Other benefits (discounts): Special offer for new members... buy one book, get one FREE! You'll receive a copy of the book you made; you can't create a  new book, so choose wisely! As you checkout, they also offer many add-on's at a discounted rate. I was able to add on pretty end sheets and super gloss printing.  

Snapfish:

Process (use of templates and ease of use): Even with the custom route, it guides you step-by-step through the process. Easy to navigate and upload photos. Themed pages are a cute option!

Print quality: Excellent! I was surprised at how great the quality was!

Speed of service: Out of these three companies, this one was the fastest with printing and shipping. I received an email within 24 hours.

Other benefits (discounts): I've noticed that Snapfish also has great sales all the time! I didn't purchase this photo book on sale, but I did receive free shipping. Check out the sale below... Buy one photo book, get TWO FREE! You can receive up to three different photo books. Deal of the century! Jump on it! :-)

High Five for Friday: I'll never forget the moment that happened this afternoon

Amanda and I particpate in the link party, High Five for Friday, from Lauren Elizabeth's blog. Head on over to Lauren Elizabeth for more "High Five for Friday." We're taking part in this fun reflection each week and hopefully you will too!

Five Things that brought an immediate smile to my face and warmed my soul instantly:

1. My week started off with an awesome lunch date with my mom and sister. A tradition of ours is to have frozen yogurt at Bloomingdale's. We've been doing this since I was a very little girl. Most of the time it's just the three of us, but sometimes my grandmother, aunts, and cousins tag along, too. Just the girls. It's so much fun! There's nothing like spending time with your mom and sister, right? My sister is tapping back into her photography hobby, so she snapped a few photos with her new camera to document our tradition.

2. Receiving emails from our wedding photographer. The wedding is over, but the little things that I've been working on afterwards fill the void of it ending. It also builds excitement for how I'll relive it over and over and over again.

3. My best friend, Frances, sent me a video of her son, Giovanni, making a volcano I bought him for his birthday. He just turned four and I knew he'd enjoy every minute of this.  My favorite part of the video was listening to his laughs and giggles, and I always adore the conversation that they both have with each other. I watched the video more than a few times. This was the best part of my week until #5 came along.

4. Receiving a note from my husband this morning. After my terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day, he reassured me that today was a new day, that everything would be ok, and to smile.

5. My week ended in the best and most unexpected way possible. I stayed after school until well after 5 o'clock to get a lot crossed off my to-do list. I was so happy to declare the school week over as I walked outside to my car. I sat on my cold leather seats, waiting for the engine to warm up in the frigid cold and I noticed that I had missed a call on my cellphone from my dad... and there was a voice mail. My dad had left a message saying that he was on his way home and "our song" had come on, the song we danced to at my wedding, Just The Way You Look Tonight. He even held the phone to the speaker for me to listen.

Oh, 
my 
heart
 just 
melted.

Tears sprung to my eyes. And all at once, it was the hug through the phone, the voice of comfort, the song that says it all, the lyrics that I know so well, and the everything that I needed to hear to end my crazy week. The bad parts of my week washed away instantly. I'll never forget the moment that happened this afternoon. It absolutely touched and warmed my soul. Thank you, Dad. I love you so very much!