What to do with all these photos?
Posted in Hybrid Help, Photography Class, Truly Inspirational | 29 Comments »
29 Comments »
I’ve had my computer for less than two years and it tells me that I have 23,564 photos on it. Ouch. That’s a lot of photos. Granted, many of them are blurry, dark, or otherwise unusable, but still…that’s more pictures than any person needs. Having photos sitting on my hard drive like this is akin to the old dusty shoe boxes full of photos (come to think of it, I have some of those too). The question isn’t whether or not I have enough photos but rather, what am I going to do with them all?
I adore looking through my scrapbooks and all the photos and stories they hold inside, but scrapbooks pose two problems:
1) I will never be able to scrap all the photos I want to
2) When I do scrap, the photos are tucked away inside an album.
So, as much as I love my albums, I want something more. My photos make me so happy — bringing back sweet memories — and I want to surround myself with them. I bet you do too! Here are some ways to get those photos off your hard drive and into an everyday part of your life.
Framing: This options seems obvious and easy enough, but if we are honest we don’t usually frame and change out pictures nearly enough. Enlarging and framing our photos and putting them in places we see every day brings subtle and sweet reminders of happy times. I have a frame cluster of seven frames on a shelf above my desk (holding 10 photos) and I catch myself glancing up multiple times a day and smiling. Team member Katie has an amazing display of photos which she lovingly calls her Hall of Fame.
Team member Kelly is a big fan of printing on canvas. Here is what she has to say, “I love to choose a couple of pictures that are very “us” every year and have them made into canvases to decorate our home. They always stop people in their tracks because they really are “statement” pieces. The nice part? Although they’re not inexpensive, they showcase a great photo like nothing else we’ve found AND you don’t have to hunt for a frame to put them in. It’s a great clean and contemporary look.”
I am totally with Kelly — I had my first set of canvases printed a few weeks ago and I am IN LOVE.
(and I’ll be nice and not brag too much that although I may not have Target and Taco Bell anywhere near me, I can print canvas for pretty darn cheap — about $4 each for a 12×12).
I also have a huge canvas (50 inches long) above my bead. And every time I head upstairs to my room I can’t help but smile and know how blessed I am. And by the way, that is a digital frame and mat I put on the photo before printing!
Other than framing your photos and printing on canvas for display, there are lots of other ways to use your photos!
Custom Photo Pendant — I love both of these!
Photo Mugs (I have done these a few times and LOVE them!)
Photo magnets from Something Blue Studios
Team member Ana recommends these photo cubes (make your own or try HERE for pdf files you can print out)
Photo Puzzles are a super fun idea! My hubby loves puzzles. I am totally going to do this for Christmas!
Playing Cards would make and awesome addition to your game cupboard
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So, do you have any fun uses for photos that we should know about?
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Thanks for the great ideas, but where can I print for $4.00 each? Where did you get it done?
Adding a frame and matte before printing is BRILLIANT!!! THANKS so much for the idea!
I, too, am wondering where I can print on canvas for $4.00 each!! Please do tell or provide direction!!!
2 things:
I too ask how you printed on canvas for $4. I have a printer that can do it (an Epson R1800) but I haven’t yet. And how did you get it stretched?
Most importantly to me, did you make the digital frame and mat for the picture above your bed, or did you buy it? What is the link? I have been wanting these exact dame elements! REAListic mat boards and frames. I want to print and hang photos in my stairwell (much like image on the post) but I’d like them to have a common frame. I have another link for a canvas printing place through my NAPP membership.
THANKS! Your photos are always a treasure to see.
The canvas’s are awesome… My husband would love that idea for our house. That way the frames could “all match”.
Another idea, one that I’m going to do in the near future is get vintage frames or vintage metal trays, for the frames paint the backing with magnetic paint, and make vintage button magnets and hang the frames/trays on the wall while using the magnetic buttons to display photos and memorabilia. (like school themed, or holiday themed or just my favorite photo of the week)
Yes do tell about those canvas photos!!! I tried to find something that cheap and no dice…..
yes, do tell where you get $4 canvas prints, AND they’re stretched??? or do you stretch them yourself?
FANTASTIC…LOVE all these ideas! Man. We need to get out of our tiny apartment.
UMMM, yes, you can’t just mention $4 canvas and not share how or where..pretty please?
I was going to ask the same Q about four dollar canvas printing. Practically holding my breath for a reply !
I use my photos to make placemats. I get them printed on 11×17 cardstock and then laminate them with thick laminate. The laminate is so easy to clean I don’t hesitate to use them. The kids love to look at the things we’ve done and they are great conversion pieces when we have people over for dinner. I was going to make one for each kid with their name on it, but instead I did a bunch of collages and it’s so fun to rotate which placemat you get instead of having the same one every time. There is a link in the sidebar of my blog for the placemats I did last summer if you’re intrested.
Janet,
Few questions:
What are the actual dimensions of the printed canvas photo above your bed? What are the digital dimensions (pixel-wise). And can you give me the approximations for the corresponding widths of the frame and matte, plus the shadow settings you used. It looks very realistic as I see it so I’d love to know what you did. Thanks!
Heritage Makers does playing cards too- but you can also design both sides, like these decks;
GO FISH CARDS: http://www.heritagemakers.com/projectBrowserStandAlone.cfm?projectId=1007756&productId=63&projectSponsor=457785
PLAYING CARDS:
http://www.heritagemakers.com/projectBrowserStandAlone.cfm?projectId=1007758&productId=63&projectSponsor=457785
And if you like games you can use our posters, then laminate them to create your own family game: (posters start at just $9.95)
And you can design it first on photoshop and upload it- or you can even upload your art as PNGs and create it on their online studio.
http://www.storybookpreserves.com OR http://www.heritagemakers.com/255947
LOLOL looks like everyone wants to know about that $4 canvas… MYSELF included LOL Those are incredible.
Wow…your canvas prints have us all SO excited, huh? Me, too! I LOVE the canvas above your bed, and the great idea for the digital mat and frame! Would you tell us where you got that frame and mat, or sell it to us if it is yours!?
hee hee
Thanks Janet! all beautiful ideas!
LOL…guess I am not the first to wonder about the $4 canvas prints.
I was wondering if you can buy a blank, white canvas and modge-podge a photo onto it?? Anyone have any ideas about that?
As for other ideas of things to do with your photos….
1. Computer Mouse Pads
2. Pillow Cases (I have used Snapfish for this before)
3. If you know a quilter…have a special quilt made using your fave photos
4. Calendars…I have been seeing these CD case calendar kits that look really fun.
5. Coasters
Just to name a few
Will be waiting for you to fess up about the $4 canvas prints, LOL!!
That canvas above your bed with the digital frame/mat = AMAZING!!!!!!! What a rockin’ idea!
Loving the canvas over the bed!!! I, too, wish to know about the frame you used. Also, do you have a feel for what photos look better on canvas? How does noise in the shadows appear?
I made calendars last year using Shutterfly and the quality was super. EACH page is cardstock, not just the front and back page. And you can upload full bleed photos or digiscrap pages which is what I did.
-EBP-
You have to check out this website for more ways to use pictures! http://www.somethingbluestudios.com/! All of your ideas are great too, I can’t wait to try a few!
Oh – one more thing I’m struggling with. Do I print the photos to put in an album or do I print “album-style” in a photobook? Cost-wise I think it might be a wash. What do you think?
-EBP-
Love all the ideas! I, too, am dying to know about the $4 canvas print. What kind of printer do you use?
I really like the canvas prints and am waiting also for the reply
My questions have all been asked – more than once. Lots of us were VERY impressed and need to know!
Love the ideas and the artwork.
I’ve been doing photo ornaments (one each year) since both of my DDs were born. I love clustering them together on our tree every year. Then, I take a picture of them on the tree and marvel at how many I have already.
Well, I pay attention (and read every day!) and know that you are getting the cheap canvas printing because you’re in Indonesia, but I also want to know your technique (or digi-store?) where I can get the great photo matte and frame! That looks so real, I can’t stop looking at it. I love it, and totally want to do that now!!!
I also love that hallway. I would love to do that on my stairwell…. now I’m itching to frame stuff!
wow Janet!!! That huge canvas above your bed is TDF!! amazing! and the photo walls are gorgeous too. so much eye candy and inspiration! I would love to build a wall photo gallery, thanks for sharing these beautiful ideas and examples.
I’m working on putting all of my photos (well most of them) into a photobook. I’m going with blurb because I can print lots of pages for a great economical price. Some of the pages are posted on my blog here: http://www.paisleepress.blogspot.com/
and like everyone else here, I’d love to know where to print canvases for $4!! wow!
janet, this is the direct link to the post:
http://paisleepress.blogspot.com/2009/08/off-to-press-or-bust.html
I love the canvas idea! I also wanted to know more about how you did such an awesome matte and frame, I didn’t believe it at first because it looks so cool! Today I saw some enlargements printed straight on foam board that actually looked really good, maybe a cheaper alternative to the canvas.
Can I get on the bandwagon with the folks that read the fine print and find out where you can get canvas printed for like 4 bucks?, Thats an awesome deal! I bet you knew we were gonna ask!
You can do standouts, which are prints mounted onto foamcore or matboard. The thicker the standout the better, but also more expensive. It’s a much much cheaper alternative to canvas. But canvas is sooo worth it. For good quality, and pretty cheap standouts, use mpix.com
The *one* thing I caution against cheap canvas wraps- the actual part where it wraps around the wooden frame came make or break a nice looking canvas print. The cheaper it is, the more likely the ink will flake/rub off or the canvas won’t be wrapped as nicely and will look off.
Fine for a canvas print if your just going to swap it in a year. But if you want anything to last longer(like for your wedding photos) consider it.
I HEART the wall gallery.