I recently mentioned that I am a bit Mamarazzi when it comes to taking pictures of my children. The thing is that with the advent of digital photography, all those images seem to remain on my phone or Dropbox and I do nothing with them. Christmas is a perfect time to really make full advantage of the pictures you take using the Instagram App so I’ve been having a look around at what you can do with your pictures: here are five ways to set your Instagrams free!
1. Blurb book: I was recommended Blurb by Vevivos and have discovered it to be a great Instagram conversion tool. A few minutes of my time and I had a fabulous book filled with all the Instagrams from our Norway trip earlier in the year, so that the Girls could take it in to school for show and tell. It was really easy to link to my Instagram account and the only real difficulty I had was bypassing the automatic features which added my most recent images rather than the ones that I wanted to use. I have made several photo books now using various tools and websites and I did find this to be one of the least time-consuming books. Your book will be a neat little 18 x 18 cm number, and it starts at just £12.99 for 60 pages. Check the site for current offers
2. Stickygram: I am a huge fan of Stickygram. I have a plan in my head to fill an entire wall with family moments caught on Instagram over the years. So when they got in touch offering me some free ones, of course I said yes. I find that they make great gifts: I get multiple copies of LBG with friends of hers or visiting family and then send them on to remind them of the moment too. In the run-up to Christmas I have ordered a lot to send with cards for overseas relatives. The site is simple to use, you choose photos in batches of 9 and the Stickygrams arrive very quickly in slick packaging. A sheet of 9 will cost $14.99 including worldwide shipping. Instagam now also make covers for phone and iPads which start at $34.99.
3. Polargram: I tested Polargram after hearing lots of bloggers talk about it. Another site that connects easily with your Instagram feed, Polargram specialises in printing off your images on good quality card stock with a border that gives them a retro Polaroid look (nothing to do with Polar Bears, which was a bit gutting.) Print off your shots in multiples of 12. Simple pricing structure, a no quibble money-back guarantee and a really good service. These photos are great for sticking in albums, using in crafts and take a lot of battering from small children without serious repercussions. I likey. Prices start at £5 which includes delivery.
4. Photobox: are always expanding their range of products and I was delighted to have a chance to test some of the Instagram options. They offer books and prints to make te most of your app images, but you can also use your Instagram pictures to make cute little photoblocks. In the drop down Upload Option box, you can choose Instagram, though there are also options for using Facebook, Dropbox and Flickr images. Upload them to an album and they are ready for use with the diverse range of products Photobox offers. The photoblock starts at £12.99 for a 5″ by 5″ block and are solid and robust enough to go in my daughter’s bedroom: she is beyond happy with the picture of her and her beloved Granny Crumble. And I have no need to worry about the potential of broken glass from a photo frame. I also ordered a phone cover for my smartphone using Instagram images, which took a matter of minutes and always gets comments when people see me use it. It was quick to produce and fits my phone perfectly. Unusually they are available for Samsung Galaxy (my phone), as well as iProduct, which seems to be unusual. Currently on sale at £9 each!
5. Boomf: oh my- marshmallow heaven. Connect your instagram account and you can have edible images going ‘boomf’ on your doorstep in 48 hours. You have to be quite careful with the images you choose to get the clearest picture on your mallows but the site has clear instructions. They arrive well packaged in a box designed to fit through your letterbox- which sadly we do not have- and are a great gift, party favour or because it’s a Tuesday. There’s always a reason for a “mallowgram”. £12 for a box of nine but you can get a discount of 10% by adding the code BOOMF-ME-HAPPY.
Disclosure: I paid for my own Blurb book and Polargrams. I received account credit to use with Photobox. I was offered free Stickygrams as I am a regular user of the site. I was a beta tester for the Boomf site and was entitled to a 50% reduction on my first order. All opinions are honest.
Go on! You know you want to tell me what you think!