I made my first scrapbook page when I was about twelve.
It was in a super old magnetic photo album. It was just papers and tape and stickers. But there was something about knowing that I was preserving a memory that inspired me to keep up the scrapbooking habit. I now have an entire room in my house dedicated to the art of memory keeping.
Yes, it sounds glamorous. Until I tell you I haven't stepped foot in it since L was born. Every time something comes along that I want to preserve, I pretty much open the door and toss it in. I wish I were kidding.
Needless to say, I have realized that keeping up with a little one requires enough work that keeping up with memory keeping is hard. I'm starting to rely on other sources to help me. Social media networks (ie Facebook) allow me to tag and caption photos so that I will remember what was going on when they were taken. But I long for physical scrapbooks to hold and flip through - I want L to be able to look at photos in an album like I did, rather than just "on the computer."
If you're in the same boat as me - wondering where to turn for the best custom photo products - I have some beautiful ideas for you from Paper Coterie.
I looked long and hard (and across many websites) before I found a Growth Chart that I liked for L. My specifications? Trendy, easy-to-hang, and personalized. Paper Coterie met all of my needs. They have a fantastic selection of designs and their growth charts are made out of fabric with a repositionable backing. It took me about four tries to get this hung correctly (blame that cute little guy who was crawling around all over my feet while I worked on the project) - but it is still in perfect condition even after having been applied and peeled off the door several times.
I love that a personal photo can be added - I think I will be buying one for each (future) child as well, so that the chart can be kept as an heirloom piece. The best thing is that since it is repositionable, I don't have to worry that I will lose it if we ever move to another home! This little chart will just peel right off the wall and come along with us!
Paper Coterie's Growth Charts are priced at $29.
I love Custom Photo Books. They remind me of a "real" scrapbook, since they are a tangible book that can be held and shared. Whenever friends and family visit, we show off our collection of Custom Photo Books - and everyone seems to enjoy being able to see the full story and not just photos.
Paper Coterie's Custom Photo Books are beautifully designed and easy to create. You are able to select a design and import your photos and text into the pre-designed template - plus you can add additional photos, borders, text, and more wherever you find it necessary. Having the freedom to move things around in the design really makes customizing a photo book feel like scrapbooking. It's so much fun!
I chose to use some photos from our maternity photo shoot for this particular custom book. The color is beautiful and the printing is sharp. I only had one issue with the design software: there was no warning to tell me that if I had a photo crossing two pages of a spread, I would lose some of the middle of it when it was bound.
Sometimes this isn't a problem. A smart person probably would have figured this out and avoided it but since it wasn't specifically mentioned and I am pleading new-mommy-brain, I naturally put in a photo of my face right in the center and when it was printed, part of my face disappeared into the binding (see below).
There likely even was a warning somewhere on the site indicating that I should pay attention, but it never caught my eye (ie it wasn't big and flashy), so I managed to miss it. Overall I love my photo book and chalk this up to complete user failure. I just caution you to watch for this if you order one for yourself!
Photo Books from Paper Coterie start at $15.
Lastly, I am excited to share my favorite custom photo product ever: The Memory Keeper.
Before I found Paper Coterie, I had never heard of anything like this. The Memory Keeper is a box designed to store your favorite mementos that won't fit in traditional scrapbooks or files. My box measures 9.75 x 13 x 2 (it's big). It is very sturdy and stands upright - plus the spine is customized so I can put it on a bookshelf and it fits right in with my albums!
I am planning to use this particular box to store mementos from L's birth - his hospital cap, shirt, and blanket - as well as other little things from his first weeks of life that might otherwise be forgotten.
Paper Coterie's Memory Keepers start at $38. They have designs for holidays, school, baby, wedding, and more. I think when L is older I will be purchasing one for each year's school projects and artwork. I seriously love these boxes!
Can you tell I am excited about these beautiful Paper Coterie products? I highly recommend the site. It is easy to use and the products are wonderful! Make sure you check out their collection of Holiday Cards!
Thank you to MomSelect and Paper Coterie for providing my review samples. No other compensation was received in exchange for this review. All views expressed are my own (and I really will be ordering more custom photo products from Paper Coterie - I love them)!
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