Photo Creations with HP

I generally do no print out my digital photos. Reason being, I take A LOT...of digital photos. It's very hard for me to choose which ones to print when I have five of the same shot. Besides, I took a break from real scrapbooking when I realized all of the cool things you can do with digital photos online or just with programs on your computer.

I broke down and took a disc of pictures to my local Meijer yesterday to take a stab at an photo creation. I've been eying up the HP Photo Center kiosks (photo on left) there for some time and never really thought about taking the time to make something.

I can say now that I'm glad I did and I will definitely continue making more. The process was painless and fortunately, there was a store employee there to guide me through, in case I needed help. If you decide to try out this neat way of making photo gifts, here are my recommendations:

• Before you go to the store, organize your pictures. My project consisted of about 100 photos and I could have saved time doing this before-hand. For instance, if you're going to create a photo book, arrange your photos on your computer at home. Give the pictures filenames that will ensure they stay in a specific order. Choose only the photos you want to include in your photo book.
  
• Save your photos to a disc or memory card. The HP kiosks accept CDs, multiple size memory cards and USB drives.
  

Your pictures will be loaded onto the kiosk at the store (they will be deleted after you finish your project). Chose your photo creation. Pick from calendars, photo books, mouse pads, mugs, etc. Some creations are ready within an hour and some take more time. I felt that the prices were really reasonable too. I create a personal calendar for my mom every year with photos that I take. Next year's calendar will be created at Meijer using the HP Photo Center kiosk.

If you're interested in learning more, you can check out this HP Photo Services Demo.

Find a location by clicking HERE. Hopefully there is one near you!

For a limited time, if you buy a 16x20 poster, you get one free! Click HERE for the coupon. I think this promotion ends on May 31st...so there isn't much time left.

Leave us a comment and let us know if you've tried out the HP Photo Center kiosk and what project you created. We'd love to hear about it!

*In case you're wondering...I'm really digging HP products right now! I've had my HP Pavilion dv6707 laptop for about three months and I LOVE it!

Beautiful artwork...on the road

The name "Madallie" is derived from the names "Madison" and "Allie", the two youngsters of Madallie shop owners, Suzanne and Mellanie. These two ladies created Madallie, a children's travel store for their need of keeping their kids preoccupied while on the road. As a mother of a toddler, I too understand that "need". Traveling 600 miles with a little one is no picnic, unless they have something to do in the backseat.

At Madallie, you will find a large assortment of travel items for big and small kids. You should definitely make time to browse their shop before your next big trip!


Here is Hailey, doodling on her oil cloth chalk mat. She has loads of fun with this mat and it's a perfect travel-size item.





Madallie also carries these washable scented markers that go hand-in-hand with the Turtle Imagination Mat. The Imagination Mats have colorful images on one side and an easy-to-clean white canvas on the opposite. What is great about these mats is that they have so many uses. When you stop at that travel plaza, use the mats as place mats for your little one.

Why go out and buy an expensive portable DVD player when you can find an assortment of reasonably-priced travel items at Madallie.com? These items will keep your child entertained for hours and most importantly, encourage them to use their imagination and artistic skills anywhere they are. We hope that you'll visit Madallie today!

aquadoodle - a parent's dream come true!

We purchased the Aquadoodle 1 2 3 Draw with Me Draw N' Doodle Mat for Hailey for Christmas. She was 14 months old and really didn't have any interest in it at that time (except for chewing on the pen). She just turned 17 months and I got the Aquadoodle back out since she's been expressing a little more interest in "coloring" while we're at restaurants. The best thing about this product is that it only requires filling up a doodling pen with WATER. That means NO MESS and we LOVE that! There will be time for messes but when you just want to preoccupy your little one for a while, this is the perfect drawing mat. There are all different types of mats; square, round, t.v. characters, etc. You can also purchase additional accessories for your Aquadoodle. I've seen extra pens and shapes that run around $9.99 at your local Target or Walmart.

This is definitely a product that will grow with your child. Don't hesitate to pick one of these up and let your toddler have at it! It's great practice for their little imaginations.