Bringing Our Memories to Life

Last year I lost my two year old hard drive. It went down in a blaze of glory, taking all of my photos and documents with it… thousands of memories that I had captured through half of our life in New York City. It was a meltdown of amazing proportions, including the chest-grabbing scenario happening in the middle of an electronics shop in midtown that I was sent to by the Genius. I’ve embraced my reality of learning things the hard way the last few years, but this was bad and it was essentially my fault.

I learned a few things that rainy day in midtown, Manhattan; First and foremost, to back up my data. I now back everything up to three different devices and several in the cloud, but I’ve also taken it a bit further. Because my most prized possessions are my photos, I did some research amongst some highly respected photographer friends and found a site that I could print everything, and so I leapt. I was so happy with the results that I did what any normal person would do: I Instagrammed my happiness with the stacks of prints that came in within days, and then proceeded to order canvas wraps and huge prints for our living room through Mpix. That’s when our worlds collided and we decided to collaborate to help me tell this story, how we took our memories from digital to tangible in the best way.

For years Justin and the rest of our extended family have been asking for prints of the photos I’ve been taking since truly making photography a hobby. I haven’t found a source that I completely trusted in all of those years, so I just refrained from printing at all. Once I went to Mpix and learned how easy it was to upload and order, I was excited. Justin and I spent an entire night going through our favorites for printing and hanging large canvas prints in all of our living areas. I remember so vividly growing up in spaces that contained photos of my sister and I, and I want my children to have that as well. The photos make us pause and reflect about where we once were, where we are, and where we will go. Children understand this in the most basic ways, and I think to them it conveys love and safety. It did for me, and it still does.

We chose to go with the Modern Metals prints for the kitchen, as the aesthetic seemed to suit that corner of our lives with vibrance without appearing overly formal. For the entire year that we’ve lived in Santa Cruz, this wall has been begging for some kind of adorning. I’m that picky about what goes on our walls, and was so pleasantly surprised with how these turned out.

The Canvas Gallery Wraps blew us away. They are formal without being overly so, and don’t demand frames which is a look that we were starting to steer clear of. They are modern and yet basic enough that the look is flexible design wise within the living area. When we move in the next year or so we won’t have to worry so much about the style and interior of our next home as it relates to our canvas wall prints.

For the first time since having kids, we also made a Photo Book from the photos from Evvie’s birth. It doesn’t have or need any words, yet the binding and gold lettering on the front make it a treasure that we’ll have for always. The kids have gone through the book already countless times, I think it feels really neat to them to see their memories bound and beautiful on gorgeous linen paper. Next up: Three more of these just like it.

The Thumbprint Photo Box is perfect for Instagrams!

Making our family’s memories accessible to the kids on a daily basis was a huge part of why we started printing everything through Mpix. I want them to think about and remember moments that we shared in different times and places in our lives, and I couldn’t be happier that we found the right mediums to do it. Our family members are grateful as well. While I don’t need to worry so much about losing my hard drive again, at least I have visual and constant tokens of our beautiful life hanging in our home for all of us to see.

Discount for you!

Now through October 17th, save 15% sitewide with promo code GONECITY15.

Cannot be combined with other offers. Not valid through Mpix Tap To Print mobile app. Promo code is valid for one use per customer. Offer ends October 17th, 2014 at 11:59 p.m. (Central).

Thank you to Mpix for sponsoring this post, and thank your for reading!