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It seems EVERY time I go to AMAZON I think “I want to try that!”, “I wonder if this works as good as it sounds?”, or even “Wouldn’t it be cool if ____!” The options and ideas are endless on Amazon! There are ALWAYS more Amazon items to try! We’ve picked a handful of products across various categories that we are interested in trying or have tried.

• Have you used any of these?
• Know anything about them?
• Want to know anything further about these items or is there something else you are considering?

Help us decide which Amazon items you want us to try next.

This list is broken up by category (and of course all family friendly) Games, Event backdrops, and Other Memory Makers.

 

GAMES

There are so many games… So how do you know which your family will actually like? Let us review them for you and give you our very honest opinion. The following games are ones we like or would like to try. Help us know what Amazon games to try and review OR leave your own review in the comments at the bottom.

Attack Uno

This game has evolved over time and is a fun fast-paced game with lots of action of pressing the button on the top of the device which shoots a random number of cards for you–or sometimes you get lucky and don’t get any cards. The cards in our older version are slightly different than what comes in them now. But not knowing how many cards (if any) you’ll get when you push the button has you making calculated risks all game long!

This is one of our FAMILY FAVORITES!

(Full review coming soon!)

Telestrations (The Original)

This game comes with 8 erasable pads. They offer smaller versions with 6 pads and larger with 12 pads. Essentially it’s a game of playing “Telephone” but done with a picture, then a guess of the picture and repeated the rest of the pages in the pad. You may start off with “piggly wiggly” and end up with cats and dogs…if you are lucky!

Great Fun for Groups too!

(Full review coming soon!)

Five Crowns

A rummy-style card game but with 5 suits adding a star. Rotating wild cards each round keeps everyone on their toes. UNIQUE- This card game comes with a solitaire variation.

Quiddler

A rummy-style card game but with 5 suits adding a star. Rotating wild cards each round keeps everyone on their toes. UNIQUE- This card game comes with a solitaire variation. Rated 4.8 stars with over 1,400 reviews on Amazon!

WordSpiel

A card game of words. Where one word ends the next word begins. UNIQUE- This card game comes with a solitaire variation.

Phone Phever

In the never-ending world of teens and cell phones, what about a board game where you HAVE to use your phone! This looks fun and dare we say educational, using your phone to answer trivia questions! Rated 4.3 out of 5 stars on Amazon.

Cover Your A$$ets

Battle among your friends to build your assets one pair at a time. Challenge other players for the opportunity to steal their assets if they are not “covered” but at a risk. Rated 4.9 stars out of 5 with over 1,100 reviews on Amazon!

Game Review Coming Soon!

Tell us in the comments what other types of games you’d like us to investigate or review!

EVENT PHOTO BACKDROPS

As you are preparing for your upcoming reunion or another major family event? Why not create a great backdrop in which to take pictures! Create the perfect backdrop against a wall inexpensively…especially if photos are waist high and up!

Temporary Wallpaper backdrops

Use peel and stick wallpaper (it’s REMOVEABLE)! Available in many varieties: vintage, contemporary, rustic, or even a mural. Most wallpapers come on a roll of 16-18 feet long but certainly check the length as some are only 6 feet. Also, look for how often the pattern repeats. There are a lot of different Amazon items to try in this category. These can remove paint if placed on a painted surface, therefore, be very careful on what material you stick them to. Also, they are thin (like contact paper) so they don’t stick well to texture. The rougher the texture the less likely they are to stick.

Click any of the images to see them in Amazon.

 

 

 

Free Standing Photo Backdrop

If wallpaper isn’t your cup of tea…then consider purchasing a backdrop. The backdrop can be affixed to a solid wall with some strong tape (as long as you don’t damage the wall) or use a freestanding frame like what we did. Here are some examples of great backdrops. The vertical height of these particular options is 10 feet. The rectangular options are 10 feet on the wall and 10 feet on the ground for an overall size of 10 x 20 feet. Make sure to check backdrop size if you’ll be including legs and feet in photos. The last two items are the stand which is adjustable both in height and width and extra clamps to hold the backdrop on the sides and top. These are the same ones we purchased and used for our family reunion and again to make a backdrop for the food at a wedding.

Click any of the images to see them in Amazon.

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So Many Different Considerations

So many different Amazon items to try! The trick to choosing a backdrop is making sure you get a backdrop large enough for the whole body and for multiple whole bodies should you want that.

For example, a single 6×9 foot (width by height) backdrop might work…make it about 7 feet tall with 2 feet on the ground to stand on. OR let’s say your design is a brick pattern and you are using the floor of your venue as the floor in the picture, then you have a 9-foot tall backdrop but only 6 feet wide. Since so many people are 6 feet or taller, you really want to have some backdrop above the head for a consistent image. HOWEVER, 2 backdrops that are 6 x9 (and using your venue flooring) would make a great backdrop that’s 12 feet wide so you can get a big group in the shot!

 

Please comment below for any other specifics you’d like to see in the future and let us know what worthy AMAZON items to try next.

TRAVEL…yes TRAVEL!

For those who know us, you know we love to travel. Jamie’s next upcoming trip is to Barcelona, Spain! That sounds like soooo much fun! When planning trips we sort of do it old school…like with actual paper! Sometimes you have to register for tickets in advance and…horror…print and bring an actual paper ticket! But paper is a good resource for planning and laying out itineraries, making to do lists, and especially recording your trip thoughts and experiences. The cuter the paper well the better too! Jamie’s Amazon items to try for her Barcelona trip:

Beautiful Cambridge Notebook

This cute notebook makes all the hard trip planning easier! And the durability of the hardback cover protects your pages. The best part is the overall size (9.5 x 7 inches)! It’s big enough to actually make progress on a page and yet small enough to still through into a purse or even a day bag while traveling!

Rick Steve’s Barcelona 2018 Book

Having traveled in Asia (without Rick Steve’s) and all through Europe (with Rick), we have come to love and trust Rick Steve’s books. He specializes in Europe and always has great recommendations! This one is a brand new update in 2018!

Amazon Registries

Amazon has GREAT registries. The best part is anyone can log into Amazon find the registry and purchase a gift for you….and have it be one you ACTUALLY want or need.  The two registries we’ve used are: baby and wedding.

In Conclusion

In conclusion, no matter what your next family memory-making opportunity is—game night, an event, or even a trip, Amazon can help you make it better. With their Prime accounts, you get 2-day shipping which has saved my bootie more times than I can count. Even if it’s just saving me an extra trip to the store! We hope that your Amazon experiences are as terrific as ours.