The Most Romantic Places to Visit as a Couple

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On February 14, 2017

In Holidays

If you’re planning a romantic trip, for Valentine’s Day or any other time of the year, you’ve got a lot to think about.

You want to make sure that the destination you’re traveling to is beautiful and serene, not crawling with tourists.

You want it to be a place your partner will love.

And you want it to have enough restaurants, sights, and natural attractions that you’re not stuck in your hotel room the entire time – unless, of course, you want to be.

The places on this list meet all those criteria. One of them is bound to be the perfect destination for you and your love. Just make sure you snap a few cute couples’ selfies to remember your trip by!

San Francisco

The City by the Bay is hard to beat for romance, what with its incredible bay views, unique architecture, and proximity to natural wonders like the redwood forest of Muir Woods, just 16 miles from the city.

You’ll have no trouble finding great restaurants for a romantic meal, whether it’s Valentine’s Day or not. But if you want to really take advantage of San Francisco, opt for a picnic in one of the many parks – Golden Gate Park, the Palace of Fine Arts, and John McLaren Park are some of the most often recommended.

Asheville, NC

If a quiet cabin in the woods is your idea of a romantic getaway, look no further than Asheville, N.C. This mountain town is not only in the middle of vast swaths of protected forest, it’s also home to the major historic attraction the Biltmore Estate and the storied Grove Park Inn.

The Biltmore, an 8,000 acre estate and the largest private home in the country, was built by George Vanderbilt and today hosts tours as well as romantic special events.

The Inn hosts one of the best luxury brunch buffets in the Southeast, and has a world-class spa as well. It’s perfect for a romantic couples’ weekend. Bonus point for literary buffs: F. Scott Fitzgerald lived at the inn for two summers in 1935 and 1936.

Paris

What isn’t romantic about Paris? The City of Lights can give any couple plenty of opportunity for romance, from boat rides on the Seine, to lavish candlelit dinners, to evening strolls on the Champs-Elysees.

But for something more unique, visit the often-overlooked Musee de Montmartre, or rent a rowboat for a row down the Grand Canal at Versailles.

New York

Like Paris, New York is replete with romantic offerings for couples who want to get away for a bit. If you and your partner are urbanites at heart, you can’t go wrong here.

Museums like MoMA, the Guggenheim, and the Met, and the countless theater and performance events that run daily will give any couple an endless list of activities to enjoy together. End your evening with a romantic dinner or drink at one of the city’s high-end restaurants and a stroll through the High Line, the trendy park that stands on a disused railroad spur on the Lower West Side.

Romance can be found anywhere if you’re with the one you love – but it never hurts to get out of town for a bit and enjoy a new place together. Make sure you remember your special trips by taking some romantic photos. For more ideas on how celebrate love this Valentine’s Day, read our post “The Best Valentine’s Day Photo Gift Ideas.”

Tips for Taking Romantic Photographs

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On February 10, 2017

In Photography

With Valentine’s Day coming up soon, one of the questions on everyone’s mind – besides the question of what to give our girlfriend/boyfriend/wife/husband – is how to take the perfect romantic couple’s photo.

Whether you’re wanting to share the love in a quick Instagram post, or create a portrait worthy of being hung on your wall, there are a few easy things you can do to up the romance factor in any picture of you and your sweetheart.

1. Before you do anything else, relax

There’s nothing romantic about tension or discomfort. Make sure that it stays out of your photos by ensuring that both of you are in a happy, relaxed mood and that you’re somewhere you feel comfortable.

It’s hard to hide anything from the camera, and you’ll be able to tell in your photos if you were upset or tense.

2. Opt for lower lighting

There’s a reason that upscale restaurants use candles instead of overhead lighting. Soft, low lights are more romantic – and more flattering.

When you’re going to take a romantic photo, set your lighting lower than you usually would. Candles work well for indoors, while the light of sunset or sunrise will work for outdoor photos. Backlighting is a good tactic to use, as it will cast your subjects in a flattering light.

3. Think of the photo (or photos) as a snapshot of your love story

There are plenty of conventional poses you and your sweetie can choose – arms around each other, a gentle kiss, walking hand-in-hand. These can all make for beautiful photographs, but they shouldn’t be the only ones you take.

These shots, nice as they are, don’t always capture a couple’s personality. So in addition to these standard images, try to get shots of you and your significant other doing something special together, laughing together, or just being your regular, everyday selves.

Location will be an important element in showcasing your personality here, too. Using a restaurant or park where you shared one of your first dates, a scenic outdoor location, or a place where you spend a lot of time – a coffee shop, a library, or a movie theater, for example – can make for some more unique, interesting shots.

4. Use props

Props can be cheesy, sure, but they can also add an element of fun and romance to your images.

And they don’t all have to be flowers and candy. Almost anything can become romantic if it’s incorporated into your photos well.

A shot of you both reading the same book can convey that you’re “on the same page.”

An image of you and your love about to dig into a meal together can show how at ease with each other you are – especially if it’s something not particularly dainty, like pizza or a cheesesteak.

Used wisely, props can add creativity and warmth to your couples’ photos.

5. Get creative with framing and positioning

You and your significant other don’t always have to be front and center. Romance can be conveyed in other ways, too.

For example, you could place a red rose in the foreground and focus the camera on that, while the two of you embrace in the background.

You could also choose something like a silhouetted image of you walking along a beach, heading out of the frame.

Letting something other than you two take center stage can add atmosphere and meaning to a photos.

Once you’ve captured that perfect couples’ photo, make sure you share it with your family and friends! Sending it to a loved one’s Nixplay WiFi Cloud Digital Frame is just one way you can share the love this Valentine’s Day.

Want more ideas for taking great couple’s photographs? Read our post “How to Take Great Couples’ Selfies.”

Alternative Ways to Spend Valentine’s Day This Year

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On February 8, 2017

In Special Moments

Whether or not you’re part of a couple, some of us just aren’t that into the whole Valentine’s Day thing. Hearts, Cupids, chocolate, roses – they’re not for everyone.

But that doesn’t mean you have to skip the holiday altogether. If candy hearts aren’t your thing, try one of these alternative ways to spend Valentine’s Day.

Celebrate With Friends

Valentine’s Day is not only a great day to celebrate romance. It can also be a great day to celebrate friendship.

The great thing about celebrating this way is that you get to show the friends you care about how much their friendship means to you. You can even give small gifts – mini boxes of chocolates, keepsake photos, or potted miniature roses, for example.

And if it takes off, why not make it a tradition?

Plan a family Valentine’s Day

Families with children can take Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to celebrate love – which is what the day is all about, anyway.

Have a special breakfast as a family, either out at a restaurant or at home, and then spend the day doing fun activities together. Visit a museum, go on a hike, head to the zoo – it really doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you’re connecting and spending quality time together.

Arts and crafts are another fun way to spend time together. A few days before Valentine’s Day, sit down with your kids and make homemade Valentine’s cards. Little ones can make masterpieces with construction paper, glitter, and markers.

If your kids are older and school or extracurriculars take up most of the day, have a fun Valentine’s evening together playing board games, watching a movie, or just taking the time to have dinner together and talk about your day.

Celebrate with photos

If you have a Nixplay WiFi Cloud Digital Frame, consider making a playlist celebrating love. And not just the romantic love in your life – add in pictures of friends, family, even pets.

A Valentine’s Day playlist can make a great pick-me-up for any time of year, not just Feb. 14. Play it when you’re feeling blue to remind yourself of all the wonderful people – and animals – whom you love and who love you back.

Plan a wilderness or outdoor trip

Getting away from all the hustle and bustle of modern life can be a welcome respite any time of year – but on Valentine’s Day, it can make for an extra romantic retreat.

Without your regular everyday distractions, the two of you can focus solely enjoying each other’s company. In the beauty of nature, it’s a lot easier to relax and let go of any stress, freeing you up to do nothing but remember why you love each other.

Volunteer

Loving your neighbor is just as important a part of life as loving your friends, family, and partner, so why not head out into the community and give back to those in need?

Feeding the hungry, spending time with the sick and elderly, or helping fix up your child’s school can be great ways to share the love. Volunteering as a family can be especially rewarding, as it will teach your children that love is something to be acted upon, not just felt.

Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to mean going out to mean champagne, roses, and a fancy restaurant. There are lots of ways to celebrate love – maybe this is the year to try something different. For more ideas on how to celebrate Valentine’s Day, check out our post “The Best Valentine’s Day Photo Gift Ideas.”

The Best Valentine’s Day Photo Gift Ideas

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On January 27, 2017

In Gifting Guides

Who says Valentine’s Day has to be just about couples?

Whether or not you’re part of a couple this year, chances are you have someone in your life who could use a reminder of how much they mean to you. After all, that’s what Valentine’s Day is really about: sharing love with the people closest to you.

And while boxes of chocolates and red roses are nice, they are – let’s face it – a little cliche. Here are some Valentine’s Day gift ideas that will work for anyone and everyone on your V-Day list this year.

A personalized photo book

Perfect for: Mom, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa, significant other

Photo books documenting a trip you all took together, a child’s first year, or another special occasion are perfect gifts for parents and grandparents. You can create them easily either online or with a photo editing program, and the quality is exceptional.

One of the most difficult parts of creating a photo book is selecting the photos. We all have so many nowadays that it’s tempting to try and cram as many as possible into the pages. Resist the temptation! Photos will be much more striking if there’s just one or two on most of the pages.

Otherwise, you can end up with a book that looks cluttered and messy – the opposite of what you want to give someone special!

If you want to create a photo book for your significant other, a milestone or special event can make a perfect theme. Think anniversary, first apartment or house, wedding or honeymoon – you get the picture (no pun intended).

A Nixplay Iris WiFi Cloud Digital Frame

Perfect for: Grandma and Grandpa, a business-traveling spouse or partner

Nixplay’s newest frame, the Nixplay Iris, would make a great Valentine’s Day gift for special family members, especially Grandma and Grandpa. The sleek design and silk-metal finish give the Iris a traditional photo frame look, and the three available colors allow it to complement any home decor.

But the most important thing about our WiFi Cloud Digital Frames is that they allow you to share photos of your loved ones instantly, sending them from your phone right to the frame. It’s a small, but important way to help your loved ones feel connected to you – even if they’re halfway around the world on a business trip, or living across the country.

Personalized photo cards

Perfect for: Friends, faraway family members, teachers, kids’ classmates

Want to share some love with everyone you love this Valentine’s Day? Consider making personalized photo cards to stick in the mail.

You can add a photo or two of your family with a kind message and send them to friends and family. Think of them as an upgraded version of those school day Valentine’s Day cards you used to hand out. And actually, if you want to get really ambitious, have some made with a picture of your child for him or her to distribute to his or her classmates.

Photo collages

Perfect for: Children, significant others, Mom and Dad

Since making a nice photo collage takes some time, you probably want to save these for the really special people in your life: a child who’s graduating high school, or a significant other, for example.

You can make digital photo collages and have them printed and shipped without ever printing a single photo.

However, since most of us don’t have hard copy photos lying around anymore, a photo collage can be a wonderful opportunity to go through some of your digital photos and find special ones that you want to have printed. Again, the temptation will be to use lots and lots of images, but restrain yourself to a reasonable number so that each one has a chance to shine.

Valentine’s Day is a time to show love to everyone, not just the person you share your life with. For more gift ideas for the special people in your life, check out our post “7 Great Gift Ideas for Mother’s Day.”

6 Fun Ways to Integrate Family Photos Into Your Home Decor

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On January 17, 2017

In Home & Interiors

Photos are meant to be seen – especially the ones that document our favorite moments with the ones we love. Whether that’s a candid photo from your last roadtrip, a special selfie with the one you love, or a beautiful family portrait, displaying your family photos can add warmth and depth to any room.

But sometimes, figuring out how to tastefully display your family pictures so that they add, rather than distract, from the overall decor can be a challenge. Here are 6 tips for displaying your family photos to their best advantage.

  1. Create a gallery wall. Hanging lots of pictures in one large grouping can be a great way to display family photos, especially if you want to keep the pictures relegated to one spot. There are many ways you can lay out your photo wall, but here are some general guidelines:

    • Create a focal point by having a center photo at eye level.
    • Mix and match images of different shapes, sizes, and orientation.
    • Choose mats of matching colors to keep your display from looking chaotic.
    • Consider selecting one larger photo to serve as an anchor for the rest of your family photos.

  2. Arrange images in stand-up frames on a shelf, end table, or bookshelf. When working with standing photos, mixing up your frame styles, sizes, and colors is key. Overlapping frames can add depth to the display, and keep it from looking bland.

    To add variety, integrate a digital frame into the mix, like the new Nixplay Iris. Change the photo as often as you like or send new ones to the frame while you’re away. The stylish design and silk-metal finish means the Nixplay Iris can be integrated perfectly among your gallery and art frames.

  3. Be selective. When it comes to pictures of our children, it can be hard to choose a few favorites from the hundreds we have. However, it pays to select just a few of your absolute favorite images to display, rather than overwhelm your room with countless photographs all competing for attention.

    If you do have a large collection of photos that you just have to display – say, from your recent travels to an exotic location, for example, or your family’s trip to a theme park – opt for smaller sizes. Use multi-photo frames or choose an unconventional display, like hanging them with clothespins on pinboards or bulletin boards.

  4. Choose antique frames for an unexpected touch. Hanging contemporary family photos in antique frames adds a unique, unexpected touch to your photo displays. Take care when matching your frames with images – you want the look to be interesting, but not jarring.

  5. Mix vintage family photos in with current ones. One fun way to add some history to your family photo display is to mix in vintage photos of relatives. Why not show off your grandparents’ wedding portrait, or an image of your great-uncle when he was a little boy? You could even scan and upload them to your Nixplay Iris cloud WiFi frame for a “vintage family” playlist.

    Including these photos can not only add visual interest – it can also lend a narrative to your display. And you might be surprised at what good conversation starters old photos can make.

  6. Repurpose vintage windows, wooden pallets, or other items to create your own unique display. The best way to exhibit your family photos is the way that best reflects you and your family. If you’re crafty, there are all kinds of tasteful and uncommon displays you can create to show off your photos.

    When making your display, you definitely want to consider how the materials will fit in with the rest of your decor, as well as the photos you plan to include. Some display ideas might look perfect with certain wall colors, frame styles, or picture formats, but not others.

Displaying your family photos can be a wonderful way to add some personality to your home. To make the Nixplay Iris a part of your decor, all you have to do is order it through our U.S. store.

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