Category: Special Moments Page 2 of 8

Stories about staying connected with loved ones.

The Life of a Photo Organizer: Jodi Bondy

On October 2, 2020

In Gifting Guides, Lifestyle, Photo Organization, Photography, Special Moments

Nixplay has partnered with The Photo Managers for the Save Your Photos initiative, a public service outreach campaign that teaches individuals how they can preserve life’s irreplaceable photos, videos, and documents in case of an unforeseen accident or disaster.

As a Certified Professional Photo Organizer, I get to see some pretty cool things. Family memories on print or film, long lost memories buried in a box or trunk, and huge smiles when a project all comes together. I love mystery and, often, that’s exactly what I face when working with a client. This crazy pandemic that we’ve been dealing with for 6 months has caused many folks to start digging through those old boxes and storage bins they have harbored for years.

So just what’s in there?

Many people are finding photos of their immediate family — fun 70’s bell bottoms, 80’s hairstyles, and the like. Others are uncovering the vintage photos they inherited from their parents or grandparents. They were always going to do something with those when they got them.

Role As A Photo Organizer

As a Photo Organizer, I’m able to coach or facilitate the process. Dealing with your own clutter can be overwhelming, so bringing in a neutral party will allow you some clarity to make decisions on what you can do with these newly discovered treasures.

I met with a client once who probably had 6 big plastic storage totes, several cardboard bank boxes, a scattered mix of flash drives and even some old floppy disks! As I started to empty the boxes, I found there was no rhyme or reason as to what’s in the box. There were loose photos, framed photos, VHS tapes, partial scrapbooks and photo albums. You name it. First thing I assured my client was that whatever I found, I would protect her privacy and would not share with the world any items I may find that might be considered “sketchy”. Think HIPAA that you sign at your doctor’s office.

We started making piles of “like stuff”. If we knew which side of the family or which person was the main focus, we even separated out to that level. I had piles all over the floor and chairs! We emptied the boxes and took those out of the room, at least temporarily.

Organizing loose photos, framed photos, VHS tapes, partial scrapbooks and photo albums

The ABC’s of Photo Organizing

Once the tubs and boxes were empty, we started with one pile and proceeded to follow the ABC’s method that most professionals use — “A” stands for photos that would be ALBUM worthy. These are the ones you would want to showcase. “B” stands for BOX. These items may have a very cool story attached to them and there may be no other evidence of the event (remember we basically took photos blindly back in the day and hoped we got some good shots). These will be stored in archival safe boxes in case there is ever a need for these in the future. “C” are the photos that can be put in the CAN. The trash can, that is. Duplicates, blurry, no heads, etc. We all have them. Even some landscape photos – if there are no people in these. I can tell you Google has a much better photo than the one you took! Then finally, we have the “S” which stands for the STORY. You need to have people write down the story that expands on why the photo is so important. Videos and other media take a little more time because you need to figure out what is on them, get them converted to digital and store them on a device that will be usable in the next several years.

In fact, all of this takes time and effort. But the coolest thing is being able to watch a family gather around the table with the photos and memories and start sharing stories. This is a great time to have a paper and pencil handy, so you can write down the memories from everyone’s perspective. It also makes a great holiday activity when the family is all together, whether in person or via video conference. Share the photos and have a game of Guess Who. Look for family resemblances, check Uncle Harry’s cool car and his crazy plaid pants!

Enjoy the stories with a Nixplay Frame

One of the options I typically give my clients is to buy a Nixplay (or two). They can send many of the photos to the frame and give it as a gift for another family member. How fun it can be to have a recent memory pop up followed by someone generations earlier who have the same nose.

I love what I do and I take great pride in my work. So if you have that unopened box hidden away, let a professional photo organizer help you sift through the items and, perhaps, you will find hidden treasure.

Jodi Bondy

Jodi is a certified professional photo manager in Indiana. She is also an educator and volunteer emergency medical technician. She understands the importance of human connection and the telling of stories through image and print. When she is not working on client projects, you can find her playing with grandkids and helping others to document their memories.

https://www.hoosierphotoorganizer.com/

The gift that keeps on giving

By Chantal Imbach

On September 29, 2020

In Gifting Guides, Lifestyle, Photography, Special Moments

More and more of us are becoming independent and moving away from where we grew up, often not just to the next town, but to the other side of the world. We know how this feels – as we moved from Like from Switzerland to Australia with two toddlers in tow!

So, how does one stay in touch with loved ones left behind? There are many ways of course, and thanks to modern technology, it’s a lot easier than it used to be a few decades ago.

For us, photos play a central role in staying connected with family and friends, especially with my mum, who is also the only grandparent left for our kids. There are countless ways to share photos, and it can actually be quite overwhelming to choose just one. However, we stumbled over our absolute favorite way to share pictures with my mum when we decided to give her a wireless Nixplay frame for her birthday a few years ago. It has become a gift that simply keeps on giving – in expected and unexpected ways.

It lets others participate in our life

Sharing photos with others opens a window to our life and gives them the opportunity to become part of it. It gives them a little taste – not only of our exciting adventures – but sometimes simply of everyday moments and snapshots.

Mum enjoys looking at photos on her Nixplay frame every day! It is standing at a prominent place in her living room where she can easily see it. I love how I can simply email a photo to her frame, knowing it will pop up in her living room and brighten her day. It makes it so much easier to stay connected and to forget the huge geographical distance between us.

And I’m not the only one who sends photos. Other family members do, too. Furthermore, mum loves to travel but she only takes very few photos with her. Sometimes, she travels in a small group and people then send her a few photos directly to the frame. So, when she comes home, she already has the best of her holiday memories showing up – how cool is this!?

It can serve as a trigger to share stories and memories

Only just recently, mum had her sister-in-law staying with her for a few days. Later, she told me that they were looking at the photos on the frame, almost like you’d leaf trough a photo album. The result was that they both exchanged stories, reminisced and had great conversations.

Again, it’s all about the power of photos to connect people. With the digital frame, it was so easy to do. Think about other options: looking at photos together on a tiny mobile phone – not a great experience. Or sitting in front of a computer and clicking through tons of photos? Not great either. Looking at photobooks would be good but that requires somebody to actually make a book and have it printed. Maybe streaming the photos to a TV or creating slideshows? This requires a certain knowledge about technology and whereas it is not that hard, it feels like too much fuss and effort. For mum, this frame does all of this one fell swoop, and the ease of use makes it a perfect solution.

It lets us enjoy the temporary result of a digitizing project

A few years ago, I travelled home to help mum sort our entire physical family photo collection and to scan what we wanted to keep. Working together was a wonderful experience and our connection became even deeper and added a different layer to our relationship. Fascinating, funny and sad stories came to light that I’d never heard of before (she is now in the process of writing them all down). I treasure this special time together so much and I recommend to all my clients who call me about physical photos to go through them with a loved one. If you’re interested to read more about how we approached this project, check out this post here.

Of course, the project wasn’t done once the photos were scanned and the prints were stored and archived. The risk with these projects is that the scanned photos will simply be added to the other thousands of digital photos we have and never look at.

I am still finalising the work on the scanned photos. We changed the dates, we added stories and meta data such as names of people etc. At the same time, we’ve been working on our family tree – and the research is far from done.

After a while, it really bugged me that mum couldn’t see the result of all our hard work. I’m not ready to upload these family scans to a cloud service before they’re finalized. This will happen eventually – very soon in fact – so we can share it with the wider family and give them the opportunity to download copies. Until then, Nixplay was – and is – the answer. As I keep ploughing through the digital processing, I keep sending the best ones to her frame so she, can enjoy the result of our work too.

Mum as a baby with her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother

It’s not about living in the past though. It’s about making the connection to our past more visible and more present in our life. After all, without the people that were there before us, we wouldn’t be here. Sharing photos through a digital frame truly brings memories back into our lives in the easiest way possible, at least for our family. It was one of the very best gifts to mum and ourselves ever, and brings joy to our lives every day.

Chantal Imbach

Chantal Imbach from Photos In Order is an Australian based professional photo manager and also the co-host of the popular podcast DIY Photo Organising. She is passionate about safeguarding photos and teaching people how to manage their photos so they can enjoy them and bring them back into their lives.

http://www.photosinorder.com.au

4 Ideas For A Fun Family Night In | Nixplay

Can’t Go Out? Here are 4 Ideas for a Fun Family Night In!

By Nixplay Team

On September 25, 2020

In Holidays, Lifestyle, Special Moments

Who says you can’t have tons of fun from the comfort of your own home? Sure, going out can be exciting and provide you with a much-needed change of scenery, but given the current climate and safety precautions people are taking, staying in is becoming more and more common- especially among families. With all the adjustments taking place, such as students adapting to remote learning and parents getting used to working from home, it’s nice to have a night in to look forward to at the end of the week. With a little creativity, there are plenty of ways to make a family night in feel like a family night out. Keep reading to gather some ideas on how to make your next family fun night a success.

1. Camp Out, Living Room Style

Camping in the great outdoors is an old family tradition for many, but why not create a new one by bringing the campsite to your living room? Pull out those sleeping bags, pitch a tent and get your favorite scary stories ready to tell around the fireplace or a faux campfire. Speaking of campfires, is there even a point if you don’t have s’mores? With all the prep work you’ve been doing to make this family night in perfect, grabbing the ingredients to make these tasty treats may have slipped your mind. Have no fear, with an app like goPuff, you can order all the fixings needed to make the perfect s’more, and maybe even an adult beverage or two. You can even have them delivered to your living room so you don’t have to miss out on any of the fun! Not only is camping out living room-style a great way to spend quality time with your family, but it also guarantees you’ll avoid any stormy or rainy weather – as well as hungry bears ransacking your tent after you’ve fallen asleep!

2. Get Creative in the Kitchen

Going out to eat, especially if you have a larger family, can be quite costly. It may also be tough for everyone to agree on where they want to go based on different tastes. A family night is the perfect time to gather around your favorite cookbook and get creative in the kitchen with your crew. Whether it’s making an old family recipe like Grandma’s famous chocolate chip cookies, or trying something completely new like sushi from scratch, the kitchen is a place where memories are made. Assigning each family member a task ensures everyone is included, as this makes the final product that much better. It’s likely you’ll have many laughs and may even make something totally inedible, which is why it’s important to keep a frozen pizza or two handy just in case! But however your culinary creation ends up, it’s still a bonding moment you’ll remember for years to come.

3. Take Game Night to the Next Level

Sure, board games and card games are fun and will keep your family entertained, but why not take things to the next level by creating a scavenger hunt?? This will take a little extra prep work but it’s sure to make a lasting impression on your family. It’s totally up to you when it comes to how creative you want to get, but the more thought you put into it, the more exciting it will be. Begin by creating clues based on areas in or around your home. Be sure these clues are tailored to the ages of your family members. For example, if you have little ones, you’ll want to make things more basic, but if you’ve got teens or adults participating, you’ll want your clues to be a bit trickier. You can break up into teams or make it every person for themselves. Either way, whatever prize you choose should provide the winner with bragging rights for a while, or at least until the next hunt! If you’re looking for inspiration on how to plan your family scavenger hunt, check out this article.

4. Have a Dance Party

When in doubt, dance it out! This idea may sound crazy, but you’d be surprised at how much fun you can have while dancing. Cutting a rug has many benefits that stem beyond breaking a sweat. Not only are you getting some cardio in, but you’re supporting your mental health as well. Dancing helps to boost your mood and is one of the most inclusive activities you can partake in. A dance party at home provides you with an opportunity to learn about other cultures as well. For example, you may want to explore the world of salsa dancing or learn the Viennese waltz. There’s also nothing wrong with getting down to a little hokey-pokey every now and then. Whatever your interest, moving your body to music is a great release for everyone in your family. If you want to invite a couple of friends over to include them in the fun, check out these social-distance approved dances on YouTube.

These ideas are just a few of the ways in which you can take advantage of this time together – and with a little creativity and some help from the internet, the possibilities are endless!

Want to make sure it’s a night to remember?

Regardless of the current climate and safety precautions, we’re taking to protect our families, staying home doesn’t have to mean being stuck at home. There are so many fun activities you can plan for family members of all ages and priceless memories to be made. Want to make sure these precious moments can be looked back on for years to come.? Don’t forget to get snap-happy with your camera when spending time with those who matter most. A few pictures and videos can make the world of difference when creating memories, and a Nixplay digital photo frame is the best way to savor them forever.

Organize and digitize your photos with Nixplay

Caren Osborne’s Latest Photo Organizing Project

By Caren Osborne

On September 23, 2020

In Home & Interiors, Lifestyle, Photography, Special Moments

It’s been a tough few months for everyone, but things are finally starting to reopen, and people are moving around a bit more. I drove down to North Carolina recently to spend ten days with my daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren. The drive was a bit surreal as there was no traffic, so I made it all the way from eastern Connecticut to Chapel Hill, North Carolina in 10 and a half hours! I had a wonderful visit and, while there, I found a beautiful new home close to my family. For the next few weeks, I will be putting my business on hold while I organize, pack up and move.

Organizing and Digitizing my Late Husband’s Photos

My latest photo organizing project has been going through my late husband’s photos. There was a box stored under the pool table (that we don’t use) labeled “Rick’s photos”. He and I had started going through it a couple of winters ago, but never finished. With his passing, I now wanted to take the time to sort and organize all of those photos to preserve them for myself and his family. It turned out that a lot of the photos were actually his mother’s and sister’s, so I put those aside and gave them to my sister-in-law to sort through herself. For my husband’s photos, I organized them by date when I could and the rest by subject – such as vehicles (he was into classic cars and restoring Jeeps and trucks), family, boats (he had a lot of those over the years too), pets, and photos of the two of us.

After I finished sorting and organizing the photos, I then digitized them so that they can be preserved and treasured for many years to come. To give our families the chance to re-live their memories, I’ll also be putting them into a Forever account so they can view them and add their own comments. I wish I had the opportunity to finish organizing the photos with Rick, because I’m sure there are some wonderful stories that go along with many of them. More emphatically than ever, I advise everyone to take the time to record the stories that go along with each photo – before they’re lost forever.

Using a Nixplay frame to digitize and display photos

After spending some time looking back at all these special moments, , I went through the digital photos on my computer and phone, and identified all the special ones of Rick over the years. I have been very diligent over the past 15 years in organizing my digital photos, going back to the ones I took with my digital cameras, by date and subject, so it was easy to find the ones I wanted to pull out.

My next step in this photo organizing project was to go through my traditional paper scrapbook albums that I have created over the past 22 years, pull out the special photos of Rick during our many adventures, and digitize them to add to my collection.

Finally, I’ll be creating a few collages from the scanned photos to be used as memorial boards for his funeral and adding all of our photos to my Nixplay digital photo frame which will be on display after the funeral at our house for family and friends to view. My goal is to eventually create a book celebrating his life to be able to preserve his story for myself, his daughter and his grandchildren.

Organize and digitize your photos with Nixplay >>>

Caren Osborne

Caren is passionate about preserving photos and stories for her daughter and grandchildren. It is this passion that she brings to her clients as she assists them with preserving their photos and their stories to enjoy now and for future generations.

https://memorylanephotosolutions.com/about-caren/

12 Things To Look Forward To In 2020

By Mars Salazar

On January 21, 2020

In Special Moments

2020 might be the year of clear vision, but all puns aside, we really do have a lot of things to look forward to in this milestone year. The dawn of a new decade brings so much promise, and there’s so much to get excited about in 2020. Read on for the things you should look forward to this year!

1, A leap year

February 29 is a date that appears on the calendar only once every four years, and 2020’s one such lucky year. That means you’ve got one extra day to make your dreams come true. You can’t say that for most years!

2. The U.S. Presidential Elections

In November, the United States will be having its 59th quadrennial presidential election, wherein voters will decide whether to reelect Donald Trump or go with a new candidate from the Democratic Party. With the highest position in the world up for grabs, it’s inarguably the most anticipated political event of the year.

3. The Brexit

The U.S. Presidential Elections might be considered by political pundits as 2020’s main event, but the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union is a close second. The UK is set to leave the EU on January 31, and will then go into a transition period to sort out trade deals, law enforcement issues, and other crucial matters.

4. The Summer Olympics

On to brighter global news: The 2020 summer Olympics, which will be held in Tokyo, Japan, will begin on July 24. A handful of new sports, such as Karate and skateboarding, will be added to the program, and baseball will be back after a two-year hiatus. Tokyo 2020 will also have an eco-friendly theme, with the torch and the medals to be made using recyclable materials.

5. A New Mars Probe

In July, NASA will send a new probe to Mars to hunt for signs of ancient life on the planet’s Jezero Crater, collecting samples and testing cutting-edge space technology. If all goes well, the still-unnamed rover is set to join its sister, Curiosity, on the red planet by February 2021.

6. New Gadgets, New Tech

New year, new gadgets! There’s the PlayStation 5, and its rival, the Xbox Series X, for the gamers out there. New streaming services, like Peacock and HBO Max, will also launch this year. Automobile manufacturers are also planning to churn out electric trucks for eco-conscious off-roaders. The tech release we’re most excited about, though, has got to be the return of the Motorola Razr as a fully functional foldable smartphone.

7. A (Hopefully) Greener World

After Greta Thunberg led the climate change battle in 2019, it’s nice to see countries and companies springing into action this year with various sustainability initiatives. The US military has pledged to use more renewable energy in 2020, big companies like Starbucks and IKEA have pledged to reduce their plastic usage, and the United Nations have pledged to plant millions of trees around the world to counter the environmental damage caused by our cities. Coincidentally, 2020 also marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day!

8. The New World’s Tallest Building

Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Tower, which towers over the city at over 1 kilometer tall, is set to overtake Dubai’s Burj Khalifa as the highest building in the world. This billion-dollar tower will be the epicenter of Jeddah Economic City and will accommodate the Four Seasons Hotel, as well as office spaces and residential apartments.

9. Two Solar Eclipses

Here are two other space-related spectacles you shouldn’t miss: an annular solar eclipse, wherein the moon doesn’t completely cover the sun, on June 21, and a total solar eclipse, where the moon will totally cover the sun, on December 14. Make sure your eyes are protected should you be lucky enough to catch these events!

10. The 2020 World Expo

190 countries will participate in the 2020 World Expo in Dubai, which is anticipated to be a global celebration of culture, collaboration, and innovation. Though there have been several World Expos in the past, it’s the first such event to be held in the Middle East, making it a major international milestone.

11. A Ton of Movie, TV Show, Music, and Book Options

In terms of entertainment, there’s a LOT to look forward to in 2020. From superhero shows to family-friendly franchises to book-to-screen remakes, there’s something for everyone on both big and small screens. Book lovers also have a lot to be happy about–Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins will be releasing a prequel to her much-loved series, and magic realism writer Isabel Allende is also coming out with a new book about a couple’s experience in Pinochet-era Chile. If Spotify is your BFF, 2020’s shaping up to be a great year for you, too: New albums from several top artists, such as Ke$ha, Green Day, The Cure, Foo Fighters, Lady Gaga, expected to drop in the following months.

12.More Good Memories

Of course, a new year wouldn’t be complete without making new memories. From milestones such as weddings and birthdays to camping trips and beach getaways to the seemingly mundane moments that matter most, each day deserves to be documented and treasured.

Take lots of photos (trust us, you’d want to look back at them!) and display them on a Nixplay Frame for posterity. Don’t miss our clearance sale to get up to 25% off selected frames, only for a limited time!

Mars Salazar

Marianne is Nixplay’s Web Content Editor. Her hobbies include exploring new places, playing table tennis, and cuddling puppies. Send her a message at marianne.salazar@nixplay.com.