Review: Officeworks Kodak Picture Kiosk.

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With Christmas fast approaching I’m challenged once again to find the perfect Christmas gift for Mr H. I wanted to find something that’s thoughtful and personalised and that’s when it struck me - a family photobook which captures all of our favourite memories from the year that’s past!

I’ve been making the effort to get more photos of us as a family. I even gave myself the formal challenge of trying to take a photo of me with at least one member of the family every single week in 2014.

With only three weeks to go, I have so far succeeded!

I called this little challenge #MyFamilyandMe and I started it after I noticed that our 2013 photobook was pretty much just all the kids and no one else. In 50 years time it would seem like we were never present.

With all these photos from the year on the computer I downloaded them onto a USB and headed off to the Kodak Picture Kiosk at Officeworks.  

It was really simple to plug in the USB and go straight to collating the photobook. I actually had so many photos of us all that I needed to add in an extra 10 pages to the standard photo book.

There were some pages that I only wanted the one image on, but most I allowed four to a page.

The end result was a photo album that we can easily flick through to see the year of 2014 for our family, with 30 pages and a hard cover, my photobook was $35.50.

While I was there I also printed up a few special Christmas postcards for Immy. She has two very good friends, they have been together for a few years in crèche and at school, but one of them is leaving as her parents head off to be expats in a new country. I had a lovely photo of the three of them when they were all dressed up for school. I wanted to get it printed for them, as they are such lovely friends, and it was just under $5 for the three of them.

Lastly, I couldn’t resist getting a few other images from the year printed up as photos. I want to get them framed and placed on the girls’ bedroom walls.

  

Once I printed out the receipt for my products and paid for them, I had an hour to wait.  There was only one thing left to do.

I went and tried out all the calligraphy textas, the special pencils, the new style pens. I used up heaps of the scribble paper they have out just practicing my writing. I haven’t done that in a really long time. Did you know that using a calligraphy texta still doesn’t work if you don’t move your hand in the correct way?

As I must confess to a stationery addiction I also purchased some more notebooks that I did not need (but loved too much to leave behind), some washi tape (can you ever have enough?) and more pens.

It was actually good that I bought them, because then I watched this on the Officeworks ‘How To’ page. I don’t care how fancy the cards are that you bought this year, nothing ever beats handwritten AND handmade.

There are more ideas in the clip below too. Even a husband could make these ones with the kids.

As we found ourselves embracing the digital age over the last decade, Mr H and I have been guilty of not printing many of our favourite images. Making the time to print a book at the end of each year is a great way to ensure we have the best mix of digital and print images. Because surrounding yourself with your most favourite of things is an important way to make everyday life wonderful.

Have you got a photo of you and your family together this year? Have you had it printed?

For inspiration on creative and personalised gift-giving, check out Officeworks ‘How To’ videos or join in the conversation on social media via #creativechristmas