If we focus on the silver lining this pandemic has brought us, one of the perks of being under the community quarantine is having quality time with our families and aligning ourselves to the things that truly matter to us. In our case, this was the longest time our whole family spent time together 24/7 which made us happier. Then due to the presence of Paps and Kuya, we had a chance to do Swedish Death Cleaning that prompted us to dispose of the things that we didn't intend to use and organize our home including our analog and digital photos.

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I did #Dostadning or #Swedish Death Cleaning last month and it was so liberating. Now I can say that what we own is truly what we use. . You may visit my Facebook Page @allaroundpinaymama for more details by typing the hashtag #aapmtips. . #allaroundpinaymama #decluttering

A post shared by 𝙶𝚗𝚐. 𝚂𝙹 𝚅𝚊𝚕𝚍𝚎𝚣, 𝙻𝙿𝚃 | 𝙰𝙰𝙿𝙼 🇵🇭 (@allaroundpinaymama) on Jun 7, 2020 at 5:10am PDT

With our analog photos, we were already updated in storing them chronologically but with our digital photos, they were so plenty that we didn't have the luxury of time of having them printed or compiled into a photo book. It was time-consuming for us to do the layout and printing it here at home. We were also hesitant in getting the services of a professional due to the cost aside from time constraints. Good thing, we heard from a friend that doing the layout in Photobook PH App and website would be easier and cost-efficient compared to other photo book services in the market today. Aside from being user and consumer-friendly, the finished product would be high-quality. 

Buti naniwala kami. We were impressed with Photobook PH's services.

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A post shared by 𝙶𝚗𝚐. 𝚂𝙹 𝚅𝚊𝚕𝚍𝚎𝚣, 𝙻𝙿𝚃 | 𝙰𝙰𝙿𝙼 🇵🇭 (@allaroundpinaymama) on May 18, 2020 at 12:26am PDT

• There are so many pre-made layout options to choose from which makes creating an album or personalized merchandise quick and easy.
• No available photos on your phone or personal computer, no problem! There is an option of getting your photos from your Facebook or Instagram account.
• If you happen to choose a low-resolution photo or committed a mistake in your layout, there is a prompt that reminds you to change your photo or adjust the layout.
• Checking out is easy and there are more paying options.
• It offers promos often like free or discounted services. Just type the given promo code upon check-out to avail. In some cases, you'll get a free service and just pay for the shipping fee.
• Aside from a photo book, you can also order personalized pillows, tumblers, name tags, and a lot more!
• You are assured that your orders are delivered in good condition because they are packed neatly and properly.
• You are reminded of the status of your orders through an email or text message.
• The delivery is prompt and efficient.
• All products have superb quality, worth every centavo! Kikiligin ka sa sobrang ganda, promise!

The last time that I was able to update our family's photo album was in 2006, the year when digital cameras and camera phones dominate the market. Whenever I take photographs using my phone or digital camera, it would take me months before I could save them to our external hard drive or worse, not at all. I would always tell myself that I would find time printing those photos and compile them chronologically on separate photo albums, one solely for Kuya, another one for Bunso, and the last one for the entire family. The idea stayed as a plan and never been accomplished. It was really unfortunate that my old camera phone died and our first external hard drive was destroyed by ants. There were photos saved on those gadgets that could never be retrieved. It made me feel so sad and regretful up to this point. If only I could turn back time, I would find time to print all those precious moments frozen in time. Iba pa rin kasi ang may hard copies ka ng digital photos mo. The feeling of browsing your photos in an album arranged chronologically is priceless and blissful.

Well, yes, it is easier to say that but difficult to do with my current situation. A nanny-less household with only me and my husband in charge of the chores while doing our own jobs, when can we find time printing all those digital photos? Sabi nga, "Kung gusto may paraan, kung ayaw maraming dahilan." 

Maraming dahilan? Yes... To sum it all up, we're extremely busy.

I thought of getting the services of photo book companies a long time ago but honestly, I was doubtful. I browsed through so many photo book companies and I found them pretty expensive that made me more hesitant to try any of them. I was afraid that the finished product might not be worth the value of what I would be paying for. There was a time when I finally decided to try one due to the recommendation of a friend but I gave up because the website was difficult to navigate and use.

Moreover, last summer, I said to myself that I should really, really do my very best to print our digital photos. When I was about to do it, napaisip na naman ako. Will the hard copies that I am going to print last for decades? Like our old photos arranged by my mom, mas mabigat na naman ang album na gagawin ko. Those two realizations made me stop the endeavor. Then my mom said, " Kailan mo ba talaga ipi-print ang photos ng mga apo ko? Iba pa rin ang nakikita nila on print ang photos nila habang lumalaki sila. Baka mabura ang files mo. Malaking problema 'yan. Nasa huli ang pagsisisi."

Until last month, I had a chance to try getting the services of Storybook.ph. Since Kuya has a talent to arrange photos and edit videos, I asked him to arrange our family photos in a 40-page album. He was able to do it for one and a half hours and asked me to put the designs and background. Nadalian ako, promise! Although it took me more than three hours to finalize everything, sulit na sulit ang pagod!

Here are the reasons why Storybook.ph deserves two thumbs up! 


- The website www.storybook.ph is so easy to navigate. Our internet connection was very slow that time but it never glitched while I was registering, a prerequisite in creating our album, and while we were creating the album itself.

- There were so many simple but elegant backgrounds, templates, layouts, icons, and fonts to choose from. It's like creating our own scrapbook but in digital form. It was so much fun!

- Its wide array of packages were reasonably priced. You could work on a budget.

- It was easy to check-out and there were several modes of payment to choose from. Talking about convenience, Storybook.ph has ways and means to do it.

- I was informed every step of the way via email- from registration to check-out up to the delivery of the finished product. Even the courier sent a text message while my order was out for delivery.

- Mapapa-WOW ka sa finished product. We used some photos that were not high definition but Storybook.ph made the outcome more beautiful in actual. It was superb, carefully packed, and sealed. Talagang made and handled with tender loving care. Parang sosyal na hardcover coffee book in full color printed in glossy paper ang dating! 



Let me give you a glimpse of the finished product...

I chose the 40-page Hardcover Image Wrap Landscape Photo Book (11 x 8.5 inches) worth Php995.00.



See that various templates, backgrounds, layouts, icons, and fonts are easy to play with. Kuya and I also mixed different photos taken with different gadgets. Lahat lumabas halos na parang high definition. Ang galing!

It's not overrated! My mom, who's an OC (obsessive compulsive) when it comes to photo albums liked our very own Storybook.ph Family Photo Book. Sa totoo lang, uulit ako. I will create photo books for my two boys soon! Mom is also planning to turn her old photos and her photos with her best friend into Storybook.ph photo books! This shows how satisfied we are with its services!

To know more about Storybook.ph, visit its website and social media accounts (Facebook and Instagram).