I am not a professional photographer. However, I love taking photos of nature. This past year alone I have taken thousands of photos of flowers, butterflies, dragonflies, birds, deer..... you get the idea. To have them all printed would cost me a small fortune. So I have only my very favorite photos printed. What have I done with them? I keep them in an acid free and archival box. I have taken them out to look at them or to show my family and friends and then they go back into the box. Being a paper crafter I have decided to do more with my very favorite photos and my not so very favorite photos. Here are some ideas that I would like share with you.
The most obvious thing for me to come up with was to make a card using one of my photos.
Here is the original photo.
Next I made a greeting card using the above photo. All I did was use card-stock, White Craft Ink, The sentiment from Cornish Heritage Farms and a ribbon.
Next, I used a beautiful card that is made to slip your photo in, seal it up and then send it to that someone special. These cards can be purchased from Photographer's Edge Inc.
I then had note cards printed from Shutterfly. I packaged a set of 6 of them 2 each of 3 different photos and I gave them as Christmas gifts. I put them into cello bags and then wrapped a pretty organdy ribbon around each package.
Lastly I made a digital scrap page using the same photo. The scrap page is 8"x8" and is now in a scrapbook filled with other nature photos made into digital pages. What a great way to show your friends and family the photos you may never get printed.
Here is one more photo that I used to do the same as above.
A Home made greeting card.
A Note Card.
A Digital Scrap Page.
One last photo with one new idea.
This time I made a frame using a clipboard.
I know that this is a portrait photo but I wanted to show you that you could use portrait photos to use in digital scrap pages, note cards, and to alter a clipboard and give as a gift.
Just A few More Ideas.
Make invitations for an outdoor party.
Make a regular scrapbook if you all ready have your photos printed out. Get them out of the boxes. :)
Place a printed nature photo into a frame and then alter the frame to match the photo.
You can make a personalized book from the many on-line photo printing stores.
Use a Winter nature scene and make your Christmas cards for next year. Personally I like making the home made cards.
Think outside the box and I am sure that you will be able to come up with some wonderful ideas for yourself and for gift giving.
Have fun and keep smiling.
