Friday, August 15, 2008

D.I.Y Friday - Photo Letter Frames

10/2/08 FYI: I fixed the broken link to the shared pictures, guess all the action crashed the link so I'm hosting it elsewhere!

Inventive, Distinctive & Personalized by You!
(and an easy DIY project!)


You've seen them in model homes, designer dream showcases and on the Oprah show. They're gorgeous and a true conversation piece. Letter Perspectives is the creator and it is the gift you give to someone who has everything, but only if you can afford to drop $150 as a starting price. OR, yes there's an or, you can DIY it for a fraction of the cost.

Begin with your idea, what do you want you frame to
say? It could be your last name, it could be the traditional things like HOPE, FAITH, LOVE, FAMILY, it could be KITCHEN, or do a sports theme for BASKETBALL. Whatever you get the point. I chose to do WELCOME, so that I could put it in the entry hall.




You can either take the pictures yourself or you can use the work of others. Sites like Flickr allow you to save photos for free (as it was pointed out, let me make it clear you can save photos for free for your own personal viewing pleasure, professional photographers who post on Flickr typically have a setting so they can't be downloaded and/or watermarked images) or you can subscribe to sites like iStockphoto, for a minimal charge and download professional images. So start searching for images, things related to the style you want to use. So if your word is KITCHEN, look for images of things like utensils or spices. If your word is BASKETBALL, look for images like nets, balls, bleachers, hoops or courts. I've got a great start with the help of a friend (Gatorhightowers) for you here. So once you've gotten some great images you might have to do a little photo-shopping on them to get your desired letter.

Then just upload your letters to a photo print site like shutterfly or snapfish, where you can print 4x6 or 5x7 prints for as little as .15 cents.

Once you get your letters in it's time to start shopping for a frame. If you choose an uncommon number of slots, say a 7 4x6's frame is going to be difficult to find pre-made. However you can look for a frame that will match your dimensions and have a matt made for usually under $30. My suggestion would be to watch the flyers for a 50% off coupon and use it to buy your odd sized frame. That is how I was able to purchase a $50 frame for $25. Which brought my frame costs to only $35.00. Much better than $150!

17 comments:

Mike said...

I've gotten one of these from Letter Perspectives and they look great.

Michelle said...

Awesome! Can't wait to try it.

Anonymous said...

Such cute ideas! Thanks

AngiDe said...

Hi, found you on Tip junkie, LOVE that Photo letter idea!!! I'm gonna have to do one for my home! Thanks for sharing your ideas!

Angie
www.nanasboxnonprofit.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

Visiting via Tip Junkie.
This is a great tutorial, thanks for sharing!

Wall Envy said...

I saw your blog online and loved your stuff! I thought you might like to browse my vinyl lettering blog sometime!

vinylwallenvy.blogspot.com

Us creative girls gotta stick together! ha ha

tamdoll said...

This is fantastic. I found you through the tip junkie and I love, love, love this project! I know I will be making a bunch of these as gifts this year.

Heather said...

i was thinking about doing this for my hallway, but now i'm thinking CHRISTMAS! i'm thinking everyone will get a framed word!

thanks for the tip!

A Dusty Frame said...

You cannot save another photographer's work from Flicker without breaking copyright laws.
Just because it is posted online does not mean it's ok to use it without permission.

Stock photos are a different thing.

Lizzie

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Shelley Huff Artist said...

my favorite place for photos is www.morguefile.com here photog's place there photos for everyone to use, most of the time they just want an email showing or telling them how you used it. I have used it for posters for my events as well as just general use.


http://thirtyzone.blogspot.com/

The Jenkins said...

What size is that frame for your "welcome"?? I'm trying to do one for my husband for Christmas and I have 7 letters. I like how your's looked and wanted to look for a similar size frame.

Michelle B. said...

I used I believe either a 54" or 48" frame, not positive I'll have to check.

Jenny said...

I love these! Letter Your Legacy made my 4-letter last name for only $79.

grocery coupons said...

Wonderful ideas, thank you kindly for this post.

Julia said...

Just tried these myself.. I love the idea of getting a mat cut.. my second son has a longer name so I've been looking for a way of accomodating all of the letters. thanks for the idea!

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