Crafts, Gifts, Home Decor, Wall Hangings

Photocrafting a Pallet

by photocraftersbLeave a Comment on Photocrafting a Pallet
Picture of a photo pallet of a toddler walking down a road. The pallet is positioned above a chest with a basket and pottery vase.

It’s time for the holidays and maybe that means some gift-giving. Do you have a special photo of your family, of a vacation, of a fun memory that you would love to give to someone (or have for yourself?). A canvas is always wonderful but sometimes it’s nice to find something different. I came across PhotoBarn and decided to give it a try. I had a great picture of a young toddler walking down our lane dragging a stick. I was going to make a Photo Pallet for his grandmother but liked it so well, I kept it!

Photo Barn is very easy to use and follows our usual photocrafting procedures. Find an image you like, choose the specific product and size, upload your image, and make any editing corrections. Wahoo — you’re finished except for the ordering.

Click here for full post
Books, Crafts, Gifts, Stationery

Preserving a Church’s Beauty

by photocraftersb1 Comment on Preserving a Church’s Beauty
A picture of the chancel area in the sanctuary.

We usually talk about very personal books — one describing a year in a family or a favorite vacation. This book is certainly a very personal effort. Its focus is to recognize the beauty of a church’s physical facility while acknowledging memorials established by those who felt a spiritual call to create that beauty. The First Presbyterian Church of Arkansas City, KS, will celebrate 150 years of their heritage in 2023. Tim Harmon, a lifetime member and longtime music director of the church, and other members of the worship committee wanted to honor that heritage.

The book began with an idea to get photos of the five memorial windows at the west end of the sanctuary, interview family members for short biographies of the people memorialized, and then use the church copier to print out some type of pamphlet or booklet for the church membership.

Five beautiful stained glass memorial windows honor past members at the west end of the sanctuary.
Click Here for Full Text
Cards, Crafts, Gifts, Stationery

Holiday Cards the Photocrafting Way

by photocraftersb6 Comments on Holiday Cards the Photocrafting Way
One of
An early holiday greeting!

Did you know that Louis Prang is credited with selling the first Christmas cards to the United States in 1874? I like to imagine that his image at the right could be a photo of a couple under the mistletoe. Alas it’s not an early photocrafting creation. He commissioned artists to do paintings for use in his cards.

So why are we talking about holiday cards? It’s hard to believe that it might be time to start thinking about them. But why not avoid the rush this year? Tom’s Guide: Best Photo Cards in 2020 already has a great description of ten favorite photocrafting sites for cards. We’ll add a couple more here and talk about the Five Picks for a process to create your favorites!

For an example, I wanted to make a holiday card that includes a family and photos from a vacation to France. I’ll work through our Five Picks: 1) Pick your photos, 2) Pick your site, 3) Pick a card type, 4) Pick a template, and 5) Pick your customization.

Click here for Full Post
Crafts, Gifts, Wearables

Photocrafting Leggings?

by photocraftersb3 Comments on Photocrafting Leggings?
Two photos of a leggings I designed with 16 b/w photos to give to the mother of a toddler.
Leggings I designed with 16 photos of a favorite toddler.

I’m always on the lookout for something different to use with photos, especially for a gift. You can imagine my surprise and excitement to find leggings on Zazzle available for photocrafting! Needless to say, I couldn’t wait to create a pair. I decided to do a pair for the mother of a toddler and away I went. The leggings arrived in good time and looked great — the fabric is a good quality and the images were clear. I took them to my own yoga class for show and tell. One person who loved them said she didn’t have children but it would be fun to use photos of her dog.

This is a much more interesting creative process than many photocrafting projects. It requires some planning! The good news? There’s a quick and easy method. The challenging news? It’s a wonderful project for those of you with some artistic flair and imagination.

Click Here for Full Post
Crafts, Gifts, Home Goods, Towels, Wearables

Summer Beach Towel

by photocraftersbLeave a Comment on Summer Beach Towel
From an original photo to a beach towel in a few easy steps.

Whatever you’ve been doing this summer, it will be one to remember! And photocrafting is all about memories. So how about making a beach towel with a special memory of the summer. It’s quick and easy! With luck, you’ll still have a few weeks to enjoy using it and next summer it will be a reminder of a happy time or place in the summer of 2020.

Click here for full post