Search Results for: blog making christmas ornament from your favorite photographs

Tasty Traditions – Holiday Baking

Since I love to bake, it is not surprising that I often find myself thinking about baked goods. At this time of year, I am sure that I am not the only one with cookies on my mind. There is no better time of year for a cookie lover. From office parties to family dinners and everywhere in between, it seems like there is a plate of cookies almost everywhere you go during the holidays. The variety of holiday cookie recipes out there seems to be endless. However, in many families, the same types of cookies are made year after … Continue reading →

Photo Add Ons

The title might seem deceiving… this post does not discuss embellishments that you can add on to your photos; rather I wanted to provide additional information on topics I blogged about in previous articles. Here’s more info on: PHOTO SORTING When I mentioned that I sort photos chronologically and separate them per event or occasion I failed to mention that I flag some with Post It notes. Doing so reminds me that a certain picture is frame worthy or scrapbook worthy. However, I should note that you should never adhere Post It notes to the front of your pictures. Always … Continue reading →

Creating a Photo Mosaic

I’ve been intrigued by photo mosaics ever since I saw a poster-sized picture of Snoopy hanging in a St. Paul bookstore and realized it was actually an arrangement of thousands of tiny tile photos. Ever since then I have wanted to create a photo mosaic of my own. That was more than five years ago and only now have I gotten around to making my dream a reality. At first I tried to make a photo mosaic on my own. There are hundreds of applications that allow you to do so on your own for free on Macs or PCs. … Continue reading →

Make Your Own Photo Puppets

Ever since my 3-year-old daughter saw “Curious George Goes to the Hospital” on video she has been on a puppet kick. (In one scene George puts on a puppet show for the sick children at the hospital and my daughter falls down laughing each time she sees George with puppets on his hands and feet.) The first time she watched the tape I made her a set of sock puppets so she could put on a show “just like George.” But, recently I found an even better way to create hand puppets that feature your favorite photos. They are more … Continue reading →

Photo Fun with Kids

My daughter is amazingly crafty for someone whose mother has trouble sewing the buttons back on shirts. That’s why when it comes to tackling arts and crafts projects I tend to stick with ones that include as few steps as possible. For the past five months my daughter and I have been working on various photo projects for my grandmother. After she suffered a massive stroke she was moved into an assisted living facility and her room was in serious need of some personalized decorations. I detailed some of the ways we spruced up her room in previous blogs and … Continue reading →

Photo Gifts for Mother’s Day

As you might know by now my beloved grandma suffered a massive stroke a few months ago and has subsequently been forced to live in an assisted living facility. As such I have been desperately trying to decorate her new “home” with as many family photos as possible. Only I’m working with a limited space and frankly, there’s only so much you can do with standard snapshots. Or so I thought. A quick peak online revealed a virtual cornucopia of photo inspired gifts from boxer shorts to cutting boards, pet urns, porcelain plates, playing cards, Rubik’s cubes, stuffed animals, steins, … Continue reading →

Making Photo Easter Eggs

I recently returned from Hawaii where my beloved grandmother has been placed in a life care center following a severe stroke. While there I learned from her therapists the important role photos play in a stroke victim’s life. Pictures of family members, pets, and everyday objects are used in various therapy sessions including speech and cognitive restoration. I am a snap happy parent to begin with, but the therapist’s information inspired me to take even more pictures than usual. (At last count I snapped and printed more than 700 images while in Hawaii.) Currently, my grandmother’s room is filled with … Continue reading →

Photo Cards for Easter and Mother’s Day

I’m all about using photos as part of homemade greeting cards and with Easter and Mother’s Day fast approaching I thought it would be a good idea to discuss ways you can create your own greeting cards with your favorite pictures. Most readers know that my young daughter is the subject of 95% of my photographs (her grandparents who live 5,000 miles away appreciate this immensely), which is why I decided to turn my attention to another photo subject—a more generic item that all readers could use to decorate their cards—flowers. Beautiful blossoms are great to use on personalized Mother’s … Continue reading →

Giving the Gift of Photos this Holiday

What grandparent would not cherish a Christmas gift featuring a prize-winning shot of their grandchildren? It’s a question I stopped asking my parents shortly after my daughter was born. They know by now that every Christmas (or any special occasion for that matter) they will be unwrapping some type of gift that bears the photo of their one and only granddaughter. (What more could they ask for, right?) My daughter is now three years old, so the trick is finding new items each holiday. If you are tired of giving framed photos of your children to the grandparents and are … Continue reading →

Photography Potpourri: Photo Labels and Photo Gear

Do you drink bottled water? Have you ever considered giving bottled water as a gift? I hadn’t either until I attended a bridal shower and was given a party bag with a personalized bottle of water in it. The bride-to-be had created custom-made labels featuring a picture of her and her fiancé sitting near a stream. She simply wrapped the labels around ordinary bottles of water and gave them away as gifts. I thought it was a clever idea and later found out how easy the labels were to make. Here’s what to do: You don’t necessarily have to give … Continue reading →