Review - Pastbook Photo Book

Have you ever gone "drunk online shopping"? My most recent trip down the virtual aisles resulted in the following purchase. I was looking for something easy that I could directly input my photos from Google Photos into...and not have to download and then upload and all that "extra" work.

Learned a lesson with that one: sometimes the time you save on one thing ends up disappearing when something else doesn't work so smoothly.

It really surprises me that there aren't more photobooks that can easily pull photos from Google Photos. There probably are, but my drunk Googling just wasn't finding them for me!

So I thought I would share some of my Iceland photo book and my experience with Pastbook.

On the cover, the image doesn't carry around the side, and there were limited options with materials, size, and customization (adding a title).

Choosing a page layout wasn't easy, especially if you wanted different layouts for each page.

You can do "full size" photos on a page, but there is still that damn white border on the side! This wasn't reflected in the proof I edited.

A lot of the photos were automatically cropped to fit into whatever layout I chose, and there wasn't anything I could do to change them.

I only have ONE photo that isn't in the right place...see below. HA! I am going to cover it with a white sheet of paper. Or some journaling or something.

Pros

It was so nice to be able to move my photos directly from Google Photos to this program without having to download them to my computer first.

Cons

- It was a son of a bitch to get photos to stay in the place I wanted them

- Limited options for page layouts and not easy to choose a layout and then not have it get changed back if I moved photos around

- The editing process was a bit clunky moving from one screen to the next

- The price...this was not a cheap book

- Not a lot of finishing options (book size, materials, cover appearance, etc.)

- Wasn't really clear if I could add captions to the photos

Final Verdict
I probably won't order from Pastbook again. Being able to use Google Photos directly just wasn't worth all the other shit I had to deal with.

What is your favourite site for ordering photo books? And why do you love it?!

xo

Tell A Story - Board Game Cafe Confidence

Lucas chose Tabletop Cafe as our after dinner activity one night, so after dinner we jumped in the car and headed over. He had been once before with Russel & Heather, so I told him that made him the expert and that he would have to show me what to do and take the lead.

We signed in at the front counter, and got a bit of info from the staff there, found a table right at the front, and then Lucas was off to grab our first game: Exploding Kitties.

After a couple of rounds, we switched out the game, and ordered an orange slush. Everything you buy goes on your tab that you settle at the end of the night, including your games fee. It's only $5 per person, and you can play as long as you want. And there is no pressure to order food or drinks. We also ordered some soft pretzels, so all told, our night cost us around $17.

We played three different games that night: Exploding Kitties, Sushi Go Party & Blokus. The first two are great for two players, but Blockus is designed for 4 people, so it wasn't really a challenge. But Lucas likes it, and recognized it, so we had to try.

They have so many games! The ones you see behind us in the photos are for sale. The playable games fill the back wall and are organized by number of players (I think.). Lucas was in charge of getting our games, so I didn't really get to the back of the store.

If we had needed recommendations or help figuring out how to play a chosen game, the staff was on hand to assist.

I made sure to let Lucas order our pretzels without any help or interference for Mom. It's hard knowing when to step in and when to let your kid just figure shit out, but I think some sort of balance is totally achievable! It's nice going to a place where your kid doesn't feel left out, or is treated like a nuisance. I am hoping that the more we go together, the more comfortable he will feel to go on his own once he is old enough.

He was so happy, and I think we could have spent a lot more time there. Just me and my Dude, hanging out and getting blown up by kitties.

Tabletop Board Game Cafe
Staff: Approachable, knowledgeable, friendly
Age Appropriate: ANY age
Cost: Depends on if you want refreshments. Game fee is $5 per person.
Food selection: They have alcohol (beer & wine), coffee, tea, pop & slushies. Hot food is along the lines of paninis, soft pretzels, grilled cheese. They also have popcorn and a variety of candy! Looks like they have also added fresh fruit and veggies to their menu.
A++ highly recommend for a fun and inexpensive night out!