Fatherly Stuff: August 2013

Aug 28, 2013

Give the Gift of Great Memories with WeMontage




As a father of two boys who are literally growing by the millisecond, I am more aware than ever of how precious my time with them truly is. It feels like I’m in a Ferrari and I’m speeding down life’s highway and everything is just whizzing by my window like lampposts: Here, then gone in an instant. 

In order to “hit the brakes”, I sometimes find solace in going through our family pictures. There’s something profound about looking at a photo and allowing the imagery to transport you back to a happy memory.  I like to think of it as recapturing some of the moments in my life that would have typically been lost in time.    My wife enjoys putting together great picture combinations through creative methods such as photo albums, books and mugs.  Like most families, we also have photos of some of our favorite memories strategically placed around the house. This way, visitors will not only get welcoming vibes, but ideally will really get a sense of who we are. Needless to say, I’m a huge fan of her work. 

“Taking pictures is savoring life intensely, every hundredth of a second.”

― Marc Riboud



So when I was contacted my fellow Connecticut blogger Michelle from A Dish of Daily Life about an opportunity to check out WeMontage, I didn’t hesitate! 


What is WeMontage? 

 WeMontage is a fun, simple and innovative way to display some of your favorite photos by condensing them into a collage that is then printed as removable wallpaper. The fabric of the wallpaper is high quality and the adhesive is strong enough to stick to any wall over and over again, even on textured surfaces!

WeMontage is the brainchild of CEO James Oliver, a father of twins who got the idea after watching a show on home improvement channel HGTV. On this particular episode, they were putting up giant photo collages on the wall of one of the rooms. After trying to duplicate the process, not only did he realize that it was harder than it looked, but he able to provide this service for the general public. And his business was born. You can read more about his story HERE .Below are a couple of examples of what they look like:


 WeMontage - Put your family photos on removable wallpaper!



WeMontage - Put your family photos on removable wallpaper!
Pretty cool right?

I was given the opportunity to test out the site and create my own montage. First, I had to set up an account, which was super easy.  From there, the user-friendly interface and allows you to upload pics from virtually any digital storage space you can think of such as your desktop, your Google account, Dropbox and more.   You can take your pictures and start creating albums and choose from different system-generated montage combinations that are programed to optimize the visual quality of the photos. There is also a “settings” section that lets you choose the background color, (space between your photos) as well as the size. At this time, the minimum size that can be ordered is 6x 4 feet. However, I spoke with James and they are planning to launch a smaller, entry-level size of 3ft x 2ft in the near future.

From about 4 different albums and over 70 pictures, we finally settled on about 20 photos from our wedding day. When our montage arrived, I eagerly opened the package and was very impressed with the quality of the pictures. The fabric of the wallpaper was smooth and thin, but very durable. This was put to the test when I, in all my wisdom, decided that I could put it up by myself. The montage ended up sticking to itself. I thought I was doomed, but I was able to pull it back to normal pretty quickly. Luckily my wife, who is a kindergarten teacher by trade, had a lot of experience putting up contact paper, so she lent and hand and provided a good strategy of sticking the one end of the montage to one side our dining room wall and slowly rolling it out to the other end. I again must give credit to my wife: if she wasn't around, I'd probably be wearing the montage right about now!

Thin, smooth and most importantly, removable!


It took maybe 60 seconds for us to put the 6ft x 4ft sheet on the wall. Compare that to putting up picture frames and the time savings alone is obvious. After a celebratory high-five for a job well done, we took a step back and took time to admire our handiwork:

 
If one picture is 1,000 words, how many do you think you can get out of these?


 Everyone who has visited our home since we put it up has been in awe of our WeMontage. They are also equally impressed with the cost and ease of ordering and installation.


How Much Does it Cost?
At only $10 per square foot, the price is definitely right. Imagine hanging 15- 20 photos on one wall. Then imagine having not only pay for the prints, but also for the frames (which is usually the most expensive part). You would also have to worry about hanging up the photos securely in order to prevent them from falling off the wall. All of these problems go away with WeMontage, as is it a safer, more ascetically pleasing and much less expensive than the alternative. Also for a limited time, you can use the code FATHERLY in order to save $50 on any WeMontage purchase. This coupon code is only good for one week, so take advantage of the savings while you can!


Who Is WeMontage For?

WeMontage is the ideal item for any and everyone who has an appreciation for the beauty of a great photograph. It is the perfect accessory to any home and is an excellent gift idea for a number of scenarios that include but are not limited to:


  • Celebratory gift for your spouse or partner (anniversary, birthday, etc.)
  • Grandparents who love showing of their grandkids
  • Homesick college students who want a keepsake for their dorm room
  • Small business/professional who is looking to add character to their home or business office

  
 There really is no limit to the personal or gifting potential of WeMontage. As long as you own the pictures, you can be creative as you like. Gift certificates are available one their website effective Wednesday, 8/29, so pick one up today!

Quick Reminders:
  • Use coupon code FATHERLY for a $50 off discount (good through 9/4)
  • You can create an account and check out the WeMontage interface for yourself at no cost or risk to you
  • For more info (and great pictures), check out WeMontage on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest!

Question: What room would you set up your WeMontage in? Or, Who would you purchase a WeMontage for?
*Disclosure: I was provided a montage for free in exchange for this post, however all opinions are expressly my own*