Posted By Laura in Crafty Stuff | 1 comment

Searching for some inspiration, I did what every good not-very-crafty Internetter does. I headed to Martha Stewart.

And lo – look what I found… An article with 10 amazing card ideas. Some of them were not for me…

Folded shirt card anyone?

But tucked away at the end, at no. 10, was a simple and fab idea. Digital Snapshot Cards. Using your own family photos, made to look like duo-tone prints. “Convert pictures of a favorite pet, nature, or a shot of you and Dad.”

This I can do.

So I went a-hunting for a nice shot of Blue that was useable. Picking a handful of images, and using a small amount of trial and error (and thanks to a commenter on the Martha Stewart site I found that the Stamp tool in Photoshop makes a quicker job than I was managing manually) Here’s what I came up with…

Blue’s Paw. The epitome of her great galumphing self, she has oddly soft pads, and a sweet habit of wanting to ‘hold paws’ while we watch TV – stretched out on her back and snoring in front of the sofa she’ll reach out and pad at the husband until he holds onto her paw as she naps.

Blue.
Just… Blue.

Sleeping On Duty.
Probably my favourite – she’s been sleeping in this corner, squeezed between the armchair and the french doors, since she was tiny. In her head, she’s still 8 weeks old and there’s BAGS of room for her in there to stay on sentry, guarding the garden from interlopers… (Guard Duty seems to involve a lot of pretend snoozing)

What d’you think? I’m really pleased, and can see a whole new line of cards being made this year!
To make the cards themselves:

1. On a computer, resize photographs to desired dimensions, and convert to black and white. Maximize the contrast and adjust the brightness to make the black in the pictures as strong and sharp as possible.
2. Print a picture onto card stock. Using scissors, cut around image, eliminating the background and creating a silhouette.
3. Cut another piece of card stock to desired dimensions, and fold it in half to create a note card. Using the glue stick, attach the silhouette to the front of the card. Let dry. Repeat process to make more cards.

I did find that not every photograph worked – it was definitely trial and error with the right ones, and the first few I picked as the ‘obvious choices’ just didn’t work at all. But in the end I love the result – and never mind for Fathers Day, we’re thinking we’ll get a couple of these printed and framed for the wall!