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Easy, Inexpensive and Classy Photo Gift!

17 December 2009 30,605 views 33 Comments

My siblings and I usually trade family photos for Christmas, and I must say that they are probably my very favorite present of all. I LOVE them so much. I really look forward to receiving them (even if they are electronic, siblings!!! Don’t forget to send me my picture!!) Oh, have I mentioned that I come from a HUGE family? I’m #2 of 10 or 11 kids. It’s complicated. And, yes, my mother did give birth to 5 children. And, yes, 5 of them are adopted. And, yes, my parents are saints. And, yes, we all have the same 2 parents. And, no, we are not Mormon or Catholic. Hee, hee! (People always want to know these things!!)

This is what I’ve been working on the last couple of days. Family members, please stop reading this blog post now.

Okay, is the coast clear?

Good. Here we go.

We bought some MDF boards from our local bargain building center. I bought one 1×5 and one 1×8. Both were about 6 feet long. I think I spent $6 total. Mitch cut the 1×5 down to 4×4 squares for me. (They were both pre-primed, which is why they are white. This isn’t important.) He also pre-drilled some holes in the back, and I made sure a standard picture hanging nail fit in the hole.

MDF

I painted the edges with black acrylic paint using a foam brush.

paint

Then, I grabbed a few favorite pictures and ran a B&W action on them (Pro Black and White by Photoblast EZ Actions). YES, I do know how to do this without an action, but John (Mr. Photoblast) makes it SO easy, and I hardly ever have to tweak it. LOVE the results.

I printed the photos on my home printer (an HP Photosmart All-In-One) on 4×6 photo paper (HP Glossy), then cut them down to 4×4.

I used 3 In 1 Advanced Craft Glue, which is an awesome liquid adhesive that hasn’t given me any trouble with warping. It dries very quickly and has a strong bond, too! I applied the glue in little taps on the edges of the block of wood.

Glue

And stuck my photos on!

add picture

Now, my husband did a rockin’ job cutting the wood, however things are never perfect, right? And, really, they don’t have to be, because I have a craft knife! I trimmed the edges of the photo that were hanging over the wood. (And, there is that hole I was talking about.)

trim

I mass produced (this is only a tiny fraction, and I have more to go!).

mass produce

I covered the back of the blocks with some patterned paper (by Close To My Heart). I just used a glue stick for this. Keepin’ it easy! I’m going to tell my family members that there is a hole on the back, just in case they want to hang the pictures. (Sorry about the terrible photo!)

backs

And, this is what my mom is getting:

finished

Oh, I wish you could see these in person!! They really do look super classy. I’d be proud to display them!!

And {gasp!}, isn’t my family GORGEOUS? Good stinkin’ grief. Be still my heart.

A quick, easy and frugal photo gift!! (I’m totally making a set for myself.)

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Get Your Craft On at Today’s Creative Blog

DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land

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33 Comments »

  1. Sunghee said:

    Wow Kelleigh! I wish I had seen this post yesterday. I just spent $25 on two board frames (8×8, 12×12) that look like your frames but much thinner. I’ll remember the mdf boards next time. THANKS for sharing!

    [Reply]

    # 17 December 2009 at 7:37 pm
  2. Amber Deets said:

    Beautiful and classy.

    [Reply]

    # 17 December 2009 at 9:24 pm
  3. Jeanne said:

    Be still MY heart, too! What a gorgeous family! And what a fantastic and frugal gift!

    You rock, Kelleigh! That’s all there is to it!

    [Reply]

    # 18 December 2009 at 6:03 am
  4. Phoebe @ Cents to Get Debt Free said:

    What a classy, frugal gift idea! These are amazing! Stumbled ya.

    [Reply]

    # 18 December 2009 at 12:46 pm
  5. Brooke said:

    wow - those look incredible! :) and certainly not homemade.

    [Reply]

    # 18 December 2009 at 12:52 pm
  6. Amber said:

    Those are AWESOME! I can’t wait to try it!!!

    [Reply]

    # 18 December 2009 at 1:44 pm
  7. Gina said:

    These are just stunning, especially in black and white. This is a great frugal gift and I think your family will love it. Thanks for sharing!

    [Reply]

    # 18 December 2009 at 3:51 pm
  8. Jen@Balancing Beauty and Bedlam said:

    fun, fun…and I am just laughing about your post since my bro has ten biological and just adopted one. They get all the questions. EVen I get them and I only have five. :)

    [Reply]

    # 18 December 2009 at 4:49 pm
  9. maureen said:

    You did a wonderful job. Plus it helps to have a family that looks like the display family when you buy the frame. Thank you for the idea and photo inspiration!

    [Reply]

    # 18 December 2009 at 5:18 pm
  10. Jessica Jones said:

    I LOVE it! if I had not already made all the gifts this year I would SO make these! Actually…I just may make some for myself!

    [Reply]

    # 18 December 2009 at 8:59 pm
  11. Honey said:

    I absolutely love your photo blocks. What a great idea. I need to try these.

    [Reply]

    # 18 December 2009 at 9:02 pm
  12. Laurel S said:

    Wowie, love these! I have some blocks sitting in my craft room just waiting for the right thing, I think this is the right thing!

    [Reply]

    # 18 December 2009 at 9:52 pm
  13. DeAnna said:

    I do something similar- but I make coasters with photos. I get the plain cheapo tiles at Lowe’s, craft glue some photos on them and scrapbook something fancy (usually names and dates) then spray seal the whole thing. Super easy and super cheap!

    [Reply]

    # 18 December 2009 at 9:59 pm
  14. John / PhotoBlast said:

    Hey Kelleigh…
    These look awesome… Nice work!

    I thought I’d drop a note in as well and let y’all in on a 25% discount code at EZ Actions… When you make a purchase (like the Pro B&W) use the code jns425 for a 25% discount. This is in honor of my upcoming 25th anniversary.

    Thanks!
    John

    [Reply]

    # 18 December 2009 at 10:16 pm
  15. Rachel @ Life in #3 said:

    This is quite possibly the coolest thing I have seen in a looooong time. I’m seriously going to make these over the weekend- what a great idea! They really are incredibly classy!

    [Reply]

    # 19 December 2009 at 10:17 am
  16. Tara said:

    Wow!! This is such a neat idea!! I can’t wait to try it!! very impressive!!

    [Reply]

    # 19 December 2009 at 10:36 am
  17. Lindsey@A Kindred Spirits Thoughts said:

    So so SO cute and ingenious! :-)

    [Reply]

    # 19 December 2009 at 2:11 pm
  18. Katie said:

    I LOVE these! I wonder if I have time to whip these up? BTW I am thinking about stepping into trying digital templates. I just had a terrible time using this other template. Can you suggest one of yours that is easy to start with?

    [Reply]

    # 19 December 2009 at 9:03 pm
  19. Sinead said:

    What a great idea!! And I’m thinking that it would be great to do bigger ones-like the gallery wraps that cost a bazillion dollars to order from the pro photo sites? ooohhh!!! I can’t wait to play! Thanks, Kelleigh! And double thanks, John, for the coupon code! That’s super sweet!

    [Reply]

    # 19 December 2009 at 10:36 pm
  20. Kelleigh (author) said:

    Katie, my top seller is Fancy Bags (which is at the VEEEEERY beginning of my shop - my first product: http://www.thedigichick.com/shop/product.php?productid=19142). Easy peasy!! I promise!

    Sinead, that is exactly what I was thinking. I did this adorable layout of my niece that I’d love to print out and mount on an 8×8 for my SIL. Totally frugal and meaningful gift!!

    [Reply]

    # 19 December 2009 at 11:54 pm
  21. Teresa said:

    Kelleigh, you & I work on the same wavelength! Thanks for sharing such a beautiful, handmade & frugal gift that’s totally from the heart.

    [Reply]

    # 21 December 2009 at 8:06 am
  22. Shannon said:

    These turned out really nice! What a great gift to give. I am sure your mom will love them! Thanks for sharing this idea.

    [Reply]

    # 22 December 2009 at 9:22 pm
  23. julie said:

    i love these! i will be making some! i also host a semi monthly craft night and these will be perfect! thanks so much for sharing! and yes! your family is sweet! i will visit again soon!

    [Reply]

    # 23 December 2009 at 8:48 am
  24. Juli said:

    Kel - AWESOME project! They turned out gorgeous and I bet these were a huge hit…I’m sorry I’m just now seeing these.

    You and Sinead gave me a great idea! I’ll be creating some fun art for my daughter’s room using the same technique. She needs something on the walls and something she can’t break is always a good idea.

    [Reply]

    # 28 December 2009 at 2:08 pm
  25. Photo Fun Gifts Uniquely Different | Quality Top Site said:

    [...] Easy, Inexpensive and Classy Photo Gift! [...]

    # 2 January 2010 at 9:05 am
  26. Jenna said:

    I popped over from The Lettered Cottage, and I just had to say I LOVE this project!! Very, very, very cool!

    [Reply]

    # 8 January 2010 at 8:58 pm
  27. traci murphy designs said:

    Fantastic K!!!

    [Reply]

    # 10 January 2010 at 7:37 am
  28. de tudo um pouco - Jan. 2010 « [ScrapZone] by Gabi Butcher said:

    [...] eu e acha que as capas de Vinil eram mais legais dê um pulinho neste site. (via Jub’s)5) Easy, Inexpensive and Classy Photo Gift! - quer decorar sua casa com fotos sem gastar muito? Dê uma olhada neste post!6) 10 New [...]

    # 28 January 2010 at 2:21 am
  29. Debbie said:

    Wow! Very classy. Your family will love them. Thanks for the idea!

    [Reply]

    # 17 February 2010 at 7:01 pm
  30. Crafters Medley: 36 Neat-O Projects {Holiday 2009} : TipNut.com said:

    [...] Classy Photo Gift - How To: If you’re planning on giving photos this year as gifts, please do check out this charmer. [...]

    # 3 March 2010 at 10:46 pm
  31. A (Massive) Kelleigh Ratzlaff Designs Blog Hop | Kelleigh Ratzlaff Designs said:

    [...] to 4×4, printed out and adhered to 4×4 canvases or pieces of MDF (like I did with that photo gift project) and hung from ribbon as wall art. Problem is, I am the only girl in the family, and I [...]

    # 29 March 2010 at 8:03 am
  32. Lori said:

    L-O-V-E IT!

    [Reply]

    # 30 July 2010 at 4:42 pm
  33. Have A Frugalicious Christmas (a Saturday series) : said:

    [...] Kelleigh posted about creating her 4×4 photo blocks last year and I fell head of heals for them. I don’t know why it took me so long to get mine done, but I’m really liking how they’re dressing up my living room. They make perfect gifts for grandparents, too. [...]

    # 24 September 2010 at 6:24 pm

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