How many of you are like me – lots and lots of photos, piled up since before we even started having children, never mind since then, but not very many ideas of how to use them?  They sit there on the computer, and on the computer’s backup, just taking up space, but not being enjoyed.  I find that my clients, very generally speaking, fall into two categories.  The ones who do things with the digital images I give them, and the ones who don’t.  Whether they’re too overwhelmed, don’t have ideas of what to do, or just don’t have the time, the outcome is the same.  Images using up hard drive space (if they even got uploaded onto their computer from the thumb drive), and not making you smile.  This summer, as I worked on my business plan, I decided that I wanted to move in a direction of helping my clients to use their photos – giving tips (like this blog post!), offering canvases and framed prints, creating custom albums, and making Christmas cards.  So, if you need ideas, the tips will help.  And if you’re just too overwhelmed or simply don’t have extra time, then I can help you all the way until you have a picture hanging on your wall, cards in the mail, or an album on your coffee table!

As a photographer, it has been my quest to find cool ways to actually DO things with the photos that I have, and I am pretty giddy to show some of these to you!  My plan is to share a couple of ideas each Monday until I run out of ideas – feel free to send me your ideas, too, or put them in the comments!  I’m always looking for more!

1.  Photo Mod-podged on canvas

This can be completed in less than an hour, and the finished product looks great!  It also makes a fun gift.  I just print the image at Costco or Shutterfly – the quality is not a big deal, as there is going to be mod podge covering it anyways.  The how-to instructions are at this site: Canvas Photo DIY  (the picture below is from that site)

Cost:  Approximately $7  (once you have the Mod Podge, the cost is minimal, and canvases go on sale at Michaels all the time)

2.  Photo polaroid style wall decals

My newest find.  You upload 16 images to the site, and can write a little caption under each.  Then once you have them, your next job is deciding on the placement – asymmetrical, a square, a long line… the possibilities are endless!  You could even attach a few hooks to the wall for towels in the bathroom, or for jackets and backpacks in the entrance, and put one of these above each hook with a picture of the corresponding person.  My choice was to do an asymmetrical placement in our kitchen in the area that a backsplash would be, and I’m LOVING looking at the photos while I’m chopping up veggies for dinner (I decided to give that example because it makes it sound like we eat extra healthy:)

Details:  Paper Culture, Custom Photo Stickers.  They also happen to be 20% off right now.  http://www.paperculture.com/eco/16-custom-photo-wall-stickers-p-10061.html  Paper Culture Custom Wall Stickers

Cost: $29.99 + shipping