Design Crafters

Using family photos for Christmas cards is a great idea! But you can make them into gifts, too. In our last post, we talked about the websites you could use to generate all kinds of gifts. From calendars to golf balls, you can personalize almost anything. But, I think my favorite was the mosaic created from all of those photos.

Today, we are going to talk about making a photo project at home with your computer and inkjet or laser printer. Let’s start with photo editing software. There are a lot of different kinds of photo editing software. Every digital camera comes with its own and most new computers do, too. And if you store your photos on line, you may have access to photo editing software there. For example, I have a PRO account on Flickr, which gives me the ability to store and edit a massive amount of photos.

Either way, you will need editing software of some kind, if you want to do more than just print the pictures straight off of the memory stick. This software has different levels of functionality. Some have just the basics of crop, size, red eye, etc. Others have the ability to add all kinds of cool effects. But you don’t need fancy software to make a great gift.

Now we need to think about what it is you want to create. There are all kinds of papers that work in inkjets and lasers to create iron on transfers, glossy and mat photos, archival papers, decorative papers, and the list goes on and on. Some papers will be easier to find than others, so make sure you give yourself time to be creative.

Once you have your photo and paper, you are ready to build your gift.The items that you will need to assemble will depend upon what you have chosen as your final project.  Remember, you aren’t seeking perfection. You are showing your family and friends just how much you care!