Why spend hundreds of dollars on photos that only live on your phone?

These are your memories, and your memories are meant to last. Don’t let them die on a screen.

Whoof, sorry to drop that on ya. But hot dang I seriously can’t stress enough the importance of albums or printing your photos so you can feel them. It’s like listening to music from a record player rather than out of your phone. When photos are printed they have a soul and you’ll be so much more attached to those memories than you ever thought you would.

Being able to open a book and see the way my husband looked at me through misty eyes and seeing our giggly smiles... those are memories I want to visit often. Even my toddler loves looking at them. We now have at least 17 little photo books of our adventure as a little family and we look at them at least once a day. If not 5 times a day (not kidding - the toddler brings them to us all day long!).

I didn’t get my wedding album until our 1 year anniversary. Guess how many times in that first year we sat down at a computer to look back through our photos, or how many people came to our house and asked to see them? Zero. None. That’s so messed up. Then we got our album and started keeping it on our book shelf or a living room table, and guess how much we look at our photos now? About every week.

And now we're addicted, because looking at pictures of your family is freaking fun, okay?!

Everyone that comes over has to pick up all of our albums and look through them while smiling and joking and going “awwe!”

That’s what your memories and photos are meant for.

LOVE THOSE LITTLE MEMORIES OF YOURS THE WAY THEY'RE MEANT TO BE LOVED.

RECOMMENDATIONS OF PLACES TO PRINT:

Chatbooks. Chatbooks is my first recommendation because 1) They're SO easy to make, 2) They're not expensive, and 3) That means it's easy to replace, haha. I have a kid, so I know that sometimes things get thrown into the toilet or ripped because ripping is fun (What can you do with a 16 month old?). I really am happy with the quality + colors. My favorite thing to get is the Monthly Mini's (I literally have dozens). Highly recommend! Here is a link for $10 off your first book: MIRIAM-293J (not valid on subscriptions).

Artifact Uprising. This is just a really nice, high quality + modern feeling print source. You can make prints, albums, calendars, etc. They are just a catch all for all printing needs. They are much more customizable than Chatbooks, so you can have fun with them!

MILK Books. I love how modern these photo books feel. As a person who cares a lot about the continuity of an aesthetic through my home, MILK Books hits the spot. Their photo books are stitched to stand the test of time. Also, they offer 25% off your first purchase when you subscribe to their emails.

blurb. I really love blurb! Their photo albums are great. I think they deliver more than what the price point suggests you're going to get. I've printed photos on their trade books as well (because I needed something small + thin) and I was thoroughly impressed with the $8 book! Plus, they offer 35% off your first purchase when you subscribe to their emails. They usually have deals ranging from 15-40% off all year long. Highly recommend!

mpix. This is the creme de la creme for heirloom quality photos. You will get the richest, deepest, crispest photos back. If you want heirloom, this is it. They offer 25% off with an email subscription.

PLACES I DON'T RECOMMEND:

This is totally just personal preference. I love things that feel clean, modern, and high quality and these just don't fit the bill for me. We can still be friends if you like them ;)