Turn Your Instagram Photos Into a Book with BooksTo.Me

by: Kristina

Wondering what to do with all those awesome photos you've been posting on Instagram?  Have we got the perfect solution for you....BooksTo.Me.

What is BooksTo.Me you ask?  Well, it is a fantastic subscription based service that automatically designs and prints photo albums from your Instagram feed.  You seriously do not have to do anything other than sign up for an account (and of course post your photos to Instagram), Booksto.Me magically takes care of all the rest.   They design the pages, date the book and send it off to you.

You can sign up for either a monthly service (for $24.00 per month you receive a book monthly containing  20-200 images) or quarterly plan ($44 every 3 months and you receive 1 book every three months with 20-300 images).  If you don't want an image included in your book all you need to do is use the hashtag #noBTM.  For answers to the questions that may be popping up in your head check out their FAQ page.  

I truly LOVE this idea because as I keep saying this is the year I will actually PRINT my photos.  And now using Booksto.me, I don't even have to think about printing all those Instagram photos it will be done for me.  And instead of spending time designing books, I can be out there capturing more memories!

This week I received my first book and it looks great.  I can't even tell you how excited I am to receive next month's book.  Time to go snap some more photos!

Disclosure:  Booksto.me provide me with a 3 month subscription in exchange for this review. The opinions in this post are entirely my own.


In addition to writing about photography tips and tricks here at Moms Who Click, you can also find me musing about my latest photography projects on my website Kristina Rust Photography, Facebook Page and Google+.

PicTapGo's 5 Instagram Photographers to Watch

by:  Kristina Rust

PicTapGo turns one this month and their awesome app has inspired and encouraged thousands of photographers.  Just check out the hashtag #PicTapGo_App on Instagram to see a plethora of amazing photos edited with this tool.  If you have not tried out this app, you definitely should.  It is one of my favorites!

The dudes at Totally Rad have combed through the images posted on Instagram throughout 2013 and have pulled together a list of 5 Instagram Photographers to watch.  From @IFITWAGS who posts adorable photos of her two rescue pups to @GRANDMOTHERWOLF who captures incredible photos of nature, the photographers they chose all have a unique style.  You can see their full list and sample images on Totally Rad's Blog.

We'd love to hear who you would add to this list.  Please let us know in the comments below.  And by the way, I'd love to follow you too….you can find me on Instagram as KristinaRust.  :)

Products to Help Get your Photos Off Your iPhone

A few weeks ago a good friend of mine reached out to me looking for recommendations on print options for her iPhone photos.  As it turned out, I had just ordered some very fun products from Social Prints Studio's Printstagram and I was thrilled to recommend them to her.

Printstagram offers a wide variety of products including stickers, posters, prints, calendars and more.  Just download the app (available for both  iPhone and Android users), upload your photos and you will have beautiful prints on your doorstep in about a week.

I recently turned a bunch of my Instagram photos into stickers and a little mini book and I love them.  It is so great to have these photos off my phone and in my hands!

Instagram Magnets from Pic Pack

Oh how I love these magnets from Pic Pack.  They are so cute and a great way to utilize those awesome photos you've been taking and sharing on Instagram as well as photos you've been taking with any of your other cameras.  Yes, it's time to do something with all that wonderful art!  

Ordering is super easy, just sign up on their website....www.getpicpack.com, link your Instagram account (or upload photos from your computer) and choose 12 photos for 18 Euros (approx. $25 US).   They ship from Berlin and take about 2 weeks to arrive, but they are worth the wait.  The photo quality is very crisp and sharp and the colors are vibrant.

I think these would make a very fun holiday gift for friends, family or yourself!



Note:  I was provided with a complimentary pack of photo magnets in exchange for this post.  The opinions expressed are my own.  

May Project 365+1 Month in Review

by Kristina

Another month has flown by in my Project 365+1.  Pictured above is a recap of my May photos captured through my iPhone and processed with various filters in Instagram (I love that app!).

I'm a bit behind on updating my Flickr set but it is on my list of things to do this weekend (yes, I'm crazy and have two of these projects going).

For those of you looking for fun photo prompts for June to help keep your photo mojo going check out:

Fat Mum Slim--Photo Challenge

Click it Up a Notch-- 30 Day Challenge Photograph Your Kids

Choolookaloonks--Instacamp

If you are playing along with any of these photo prompts, let us know we'd love to follow you!

My Week In Instagram--Insta Friday

My did the week fly by!  Between putting together photo orders, playing with my new iPhone and saying "bon voyage" to the soccer coach we've been hosting for the past 6 months, it was a busy (and a bit sad) week!


Here is a recap through the eyes of Instagram........

After months of waiting, my iPhone arrived. Woo Hoo!  Watch out Instagram, you are about to be flooded with crisp, clean photos!

Nothing says "holidays" more than a batch of 44!  This is a family tradition passed down to me from my Ukrainian grandfather.  You can get the recipe by visiting my sister site, Parent Grapevine.  

I was also invited to a blogger event for a new shopping app...Savvy.   Oh my goodness this is one fabulous app that is going to save you money.  More on this to come (visit us on Monday for a full review!)......But check out this cute mug that I'm kicking myself for NOT buying.  Must. Go. Back!

I was so excited to get my photo order delivered from my printer earlier than expected.  Everything turned out great and I was thrilled to make my deliveries.........

And our week ended on a sad note, our very good friend and favorite UK soccer coach is headed back to England.  We hosted him for 6 months and he became a part of our family.  My kids were so attached.  Here we are at the airport......We are all going to miss him!

How was your week?

My Week In Instagram--Insta Friday

by Kristina 

Here is a recap of my week through they eyes of Instagram.....

Filled up my SUV and had sticker shock......

Wondering if it is possible to squeeze my family of 6 into a Prius.......

Attended a fundraising dinner at a Korean BBQ Restaurant.  Yum!  The biggest surprise was that even my kids liked the food!  

I help run a parent volunteer art program at my kid's school and had to prepare our second lesson.  We will be teaching 500 kids about Repousse (a fancy French word which means to push back).  Here are some samples we made......

My daughter and I joined the National Charity League and spent the afternoon volunteering at the local YMCA's Spookfest.  Super fun! These lollipop ghosts were a hit!

And this morning I sit at my kitchen island assembling 34 goody bags for my son's Halloween Party which takes place this afternoon.  Remind me never to do goody bags again......

Managing Your Project 365

As you may know from  previous posts, we have been taking part in Project 365 this year.  It has been a great project in so many ways.   It has been a wonderful way to document the year, it has really helped me think about composing shots, lighting and finding the beauty in everyday events and objects.

However, the start of the school year and the craziness it brings, has had me scrambling on more than one occasion to snap a picture before the clock strikes midnight.  It is in these moments where I take a picture of a laundry basket brimming with clothes or packed suitcases that are waiting for the trip to Tahoe.   And while I kick myself for not being more creative, I guess in a way these last minute photos still tell a story.

My other "project issue" is that I tend to forget to upload the photos.  And while it shouldn't be a big deal, I find I spend hours trying to remember where I left off.  Thank goodness there are more organized photographers out there (like my friend, business/blogging partner) as well as other Project 365 participants who I use for reference to keep me on track.  

Which leads me to my question, "How do you manage your Project 365?"  Do you have any tips to share?  

Thank goodness this project also has me snapping more photos with my iPhone or I'd have let several days go by without capturing an image.  The key is taking a photo and not the camera, right????

And yes, the image above is another iPhone/Instagram pic.    Instagram, oh how I love thee.........

InstaFriday--Show Us Your Instagram Photos!

We found a new fun linky party that we thought we'd give a try at Life Rearranged.  Every Friday, bloggers link up some of their Instagram photos.  You know how much we love Instagram, so we thought we'd give it a try.  If you are not a blogger but want to share a photo, please post it on our Facebook wall.  We'd love to see your Instapics!

Printstagram--Fun Ways to Use Your Instagram Photos

Looking for a physical way to share all your favorite Instagram photos?  Then check out Printstagram.  They have super cute mini stickers and for those of you looking to make more of a statement, a 20" x 40" Instagrid Poster--and more products to come.  

To order, all you need to do is from their site, login to your Instagram account and select the photos you'd like printed, confirm your details and pay.  Very easy!  I'll be ordering mini stickers soon and will let you know how they turned out.

Instagram--I'm So Happy I Found You!

I know I may be a little late in the game, but I am a huge fan of Instagram, the iPhone app that allows you to add filters to your iPhone photos and send them to Flickr, Twitter and Facebook in a snap.  The filters are fun to play with and can really transform the look and feel of a photo.

Here is a photo of my son when he was 2 (he is now 14).  It is actually a photo of a photo since the iPhone wasn't around 12 years ago. 

And here it is after a little Instagram magic....

I find I actually enjoy using my iPhone camera more just to play with this app.  

Instagram is also a social networking site where you can follow your friends' (and others) photo streams. You can find me at Kristinar.  Follow me and I'll follow you back!