I started on today’s project unexpectedly because I got an ad for a free 12×12 pillow from Canvas People. What photocrafter could resist a new project with “free” thrown in? I thought immediately of a friend’s birthday this spring. It would be fun to make her a pillow — and we have shared lots of great hikes so I have lots of photos.
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I love having an excuse to do some photocrafting and Father’s Day is a perfect occasion. Shell says it’s often hard to find something for a guy, especially something with photos but we have a few ideas for you.
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Okay it’s mid-December and you don’t have all your gifts yet. Or maybe you’re ahead of the game and are planning a fun party with friends before the holidays. Or your child is bored with all the shopping and cooking and wants something they can do.
How about a photo ornament? You’ll need a printed picture that has an area about 1.5″ by 2″ that you want to display. Head to your nearest crafts store and pick up some DIY unfinished wooden photo ornaments and decorating supplies. Joann has lots of wooden frame options and they are probably on sale now. (You can also order them from Oriental Trading but that will take a few days at least.) Be sure to buy some glue, decorations, and paints as well.
Start with the wooden ornament and add to it however you wish. Insert your picture and you have just finished a photo ornament gift! (It’s even small enough to mail easily.)
Here’s an example: Start with a wooden star, some paint (and paint brush), glitter, and glue.
You do need to make sure that you have a frame and picture that will fit together well. The frame cut-outs vary from around 1.5″ x 1.5″ to as large as 2″x3″.
The earlier example used paint and glitter but there are plenty of other decorating supplies. Try sequins, buttons, beads, or pom poms. (Tip: If you’re using anything other than sequins and glitter, use hot glue.)
Make photo ornaments for your own decorations or to give as gifts. Involve your children and let them decorate the frames as they wish. No children? How about an adult party? Suggest each guest bring a picture of their choice — maybe even a theme? Say a picture of their favorite flowers or favorite animal. Spread out lots of decorating supplies and blank wooden ornaments. Be sure to give a prize for the best ornament!
Better yet, take pictures at the party! There are many instant film cameras now (e.g. polaroid cameras) or you can have a portable photo printer for your smartphone. How about making pictures on the spot at an ugly sweater party (or any kids’ party?) Let guests decorate the frames and put their pictures from the party in them. Makes a fun party favor!
Part of the fun of photocrafting is finding new and interesting ways to use photos. But, a music box?
We wanted a gift for a special friend at her high school graduation. We just couldn’t land on an idea that seemed right. However, she was giving a piano recital as part of her graduation and it occurred to us that maybe something musical would be nice. A quick call to her piano instructor gave us the name of a couple pieces she’d be playing that might be available on music boxes. One was Claire De Lune; surely we could find it? We Googled and searched and, among other sites, browsed the Music Box Shop. Then the unexpected — a music box that played Claire De Lune AND could be personalized with a photo. If photocrafting is involved, I’m sold!
For our project, we simply had to purchase the music box, get a good physical copy of the photo we wanted to use, and insert it into the slot on the music box. Although our particular box is no longer available, the current product appears to have a better mechanism for inserting the photo. That’s about as easy as photocrafting can be!
This photocrafting project was a bit different than most we talk about because it didn’t involve a digital image. All of our projects to date have involved online photos but photocrafting is much older than digital images! Photographs have been around since the early 1800’s and photo albums came soon after. Photo albums or scrapbooking is probably the earliest form of photocraft. While we’ll mostly focus on digital photocrafting projects here, using actual physical photos is certainly part of the craft.
Is there anything you can’t do with photocrafting these days? Actually, that’s what I hope we can explore in this blog. We would love to hear your ideas and experiences. And guest bloggers are welcome!
Photocrafting Fun 