Accents, Crafts, Entertainment, Gifts, Home Decor, Home Goods

A Last Minute Photo Gift

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A Last Minute Photo Gift

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.

You want a photo that has a focal point
appropriate for fitting into the frame.

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.

  • Start with a wooden photo frame.
  • Gather the supplies you want to use.
  • Decorate the frame.
  • Add a photo and you are finished!

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″.

Joann has frames in a range of sizes and shapes.

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!

Crafts, Gifts, Wearables

Photo Socks

by photocraftersb2 Comments on Photo Socks
Photo Socks
An example of a pair of socks with a baby's picture on them.
A pair of socks with
my nephew’s photo.

You’re scratching your head, trying to think of something unusual for that special friend? How about photocrafting socks? One of my friends surprised me a year ago with socks of a baby nephew. Be imaginative — how about socks with your friend’s pet or you and your bestie both?

DivvyUp Socks allows up to three faces on each pair of socks. (Of course, you can just use one photo as shown in these socks.) DivvyUp says “The best photos have good lighting and the face fully visible.” Be sure the face isn’t in shadows and not too distant in the image.

You can choose from ten different colors for the socks, select the size (youth, small, large), and whether or not you want a gift box. The socks are 96% Polyester, 2% Nylon, and 2% Spandex. They’re washable in cold water.

I have a friend with three special dogs. The last time I saw her, I snapped photos whenever I could. These active dogs are pretty hard to catch but I was pleased with what I got:

My good friend’s three dogs: Caesar, Charley, and Courage.

After you have the photos, the rest is easy. I chose 3 photos because I wanted a photo of each dog. I clicked on the “upload” box and selected my three photos from my computer. I chose green for the color and Large for the size.

A screenshot showing the first few steps of choosing options for creating your photo socks.
Selecting options for my socks. Drag your photos to the box or click to upload.
A photo of the socks with my friend's three dogs.
The 3-dog socks!

DivvyUp does not show you a preview of the socks with your images. They have a team of designers that hand crop each image, leaving only the face for printing on the sock. Thus there’s no immediate preview available. (The fact that you don’t have to crop the image yourself is a wonderful aspect of the site.) If your pet is wearing an accessory or outfit, please let them know if you would like it included (or excluded) in the order notes at checkout. Charley, the middle dog, is a bouvier and the ears are small and upright. I forgot to include that information in the notes at checkout but wahoo, the folks at DivvyUp got the ears included anyway!

The socks are a nice weight and comfortable to wear. As an added benefit, DivvyUp donates a pair of socks for each pair your order, even for custom orders, so it’s a gift times two!

Books, Crafts, Gifts, Stationery

Photo Book & T-Shirts

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Photo Book & T-Shirts

Photo books are the quintessential photocrafting project. There’s a long tradition of photo albums and scrapbooks. Rebecca Onion has some beautiful pages from an 1862 album in her article, “An Unusually Beautiful 19th-Century Illustrated Photo Album.” The Library of Congress has photograph albums dating back to the 1850’s.

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Blankets, Crafts, Gifts, Home Decor, Home Goods

A Photo Blanket

by photocraftersb1 Comment on A Photo Blanket

Ready to make a gift or something special for yourself? How about a blanket with your favorite photo on it? So easy, so fun!

I found a great deal on Groupon for a photo blanket. As you know, that’s beyond tempting for a photocrafter! The offer was from PrinterPix for 30″x40″ polar fleece blankets. All I had to do was find a couple photos I liked and the rest is history (as they say?)

  • The original photo
  • The resulting blanket
  • Use as a throw or a hanging
From photograph to blanket!
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