Decorating with Photos
/24-7PressRelease.com/ - Each year, the holiday season brings with it warm memories from years past. And there's no need to relegate those memories to a desk drawer or cardboard box. Start your own holiday traditions with one or more of these ideas:
-- Create a collage (using a multi-opening mat) and bring out all those old photographs of the kids opening gifts, standing in front of the Christmas tree, performing in holiday plays/musicals, sitting on Santa's lap, etc.
-- Scan old photos (or print newer digital ones) and make one-of-a-kind holiday gift wrap right from your inkjet printer.
-- Make photo placetags for the holiday table; perhaps using a childhood photo of each guest.
-- Why buy generic holiday cards, when photo greeting cards are affordable and unique? Order “ready to go” from your local photo store for ease and convenience, or make your own by affixing 4x6" prints to photo note cards (offered by Strathmore and other vendors.) Even if the cards have a preprinted message, don’t forget to add a personalized note.
Photographs as Holiday Gifts
Although photos make a unique, personal, and memorable gift at any time of the year, the holidays are an ideal time to show how much you care:
-- Everything old is new again: Convert your old videos and 8mm movies, add photos, and create a DVD. Have that crumbling old or damaged photographs restored; have an antique black-and-white photo duplicated and colorized.
-- Have a favorite photo converted to simulate an oil painting, watercolor, etching, or drawing. Hire a pro, or do-it-yourself at a photo store or minilab. Quick print shops frequently offers self-service stations, which can save you the cost of purchasing expensive software.
-- Print your photo onto iron-on transfer paper to personalize clothing items, pillowcases, etc. (Hint: take your transfer to a local print shop or sporting goods store and ask them to use their heat press, for a more professional result.)
-- A newer phenomenon is “edible photos”. A number of companies specialize in putting just about any image onto cookies, cakes, and more. Thoughtful and delicious!
-- "On-demand" manufacturing is another emerging trend. Web sites like CafePress (www.cafepress.com) allow you to make lunch boxes, buttons, mugs, aprons, wall clocks, and more, from your favorite photos. Often you can purchase in quantities as low as one.
-- Create a calendar of your favorite pictures. These are available widely available at photo stores and print shops. Select images that are not only outstanding technically, but that are seasonally appropriate: your pumpkin pictures belong on the October page, not the March one.
-- Turn your pictures into puzzles: use a full-service company or a do-it-yourself kit.
-- Scrapbooking continues to be a popular craft, resulting in original and meaningful family keepsakes that can be passed on to future generations. (Make sure to use copies of your one-of-a-kind photos, though.) Some crafters are composing their scrapbooks entirely on the computer, allowing them to easily change layouts and print multiple books.
A former art director and graphic designer, award-winning photographer Lynne Guimond Findlay resides in Merrimack, NH. She is a member of the New Hampshire Society of Photographic Artists, as well as a juried member of the Cambridge Art Association, the New Hampshire Art Association, and the Sharon Arts Center. Visit Lynne’s web site (www.freewebs.com/lgfindlay) for an up-to-date listing of her upcoming shows and exhibits. E-mail her at Lgfindlay@yahoo.com
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