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Those ancient works of art took hundreds of hours of painstakingly precise labor. Larger works even employed teams of artisans. You don’t have teams of artisans. But you do have LEGOs. And Photoshop. John Tolva wrote up a tutorial that takes you step-by-step through the process of creating a photo mosaic using LEGO bricks. It’s not gonna turn your studio apartment into a villa, but we think it’ll bring a touch of class to the joint. Also worth a look: Holly Barhamand made a photo mosaic out of beads, the mathematics behind arranging differently shaped tiles can get quite complicated, and Ed Hall LEGO-fied Starry Night. It took several months and ten thousand bricks! John Tolva’s LEGO Photo Mosaic How-to |
Although elegant mosaics oft-graced Greek and Roman villas, they’re not so common anymore.|
Behold, the Blender Pen. It won’t exactly let you cram a backpack into your inkjet, but it’s close enough. Thanks to the miracle of modern science, and powerful-yet-safe-if-used-correctly solvents, all you need for quick-and-dirty photo transfers is a photocopy of your image and a $4 blender pen. A blender pen transfer works great on all kinds of fabrics, tile, paper, wood, copper, linoleum, and a variety of other materials. And it won’t leave that plastic texture that old inkjet transfers sometimes did. Check out the moleskin notebooks, fabric pouches, and quilts people have personalized with this purty pen. Cheap, fun, and easy–our favorite words. How to Make Photo Transfers with Blender Pens p.s. Get your (clear) blender pen at a local art supply store or order it online. (If they sell out, try these guys.) |
We love putting photos on stuff. Now if only dining room tables, tiles, backpacks, and notebooks would fit in our inkjet…|
If you’re like most people, during your last trip you either: a) Dashed off a quick “Wish you were here” on a cheesy card you found at the airport, or b) bought a stack of beautiful cards but forgot all about them until you got home, or c) forgot about postcards altogether. Hey, it’s okay. Vacations are stressful. But who says that you can only send postcards when you’re away from home? You’ve got great photos, and it’s a simple task to turn them into postcards. Take our advice: Spend 10 minutes today to scroll through your photos and pick three that make you smile. Print ‘em out, follow our instructions, and send off some beautiful just-thinking-of-you postcards. You’ll make the world a brighter place for a few of your favorite people. |
Postcards are a lost art.|
We have no idea if the anti-peephole is possible, but if you know, please email us! In the meantime, here’s a peephole-related project that gives you a wide-angle lens for your digital camera. Wide-angle lenses are really fun, but they can cost hundreds (assuming you can even get one for your camera.) This project is super simple and only sets you back $11! DIY Wide-Angle Lens See also… A little more geeky, and a lot more detail. |
When we were in college, we wanted to build something we dubbed the anti-peephole lens. See, you’d position it on top of the peephole outside your pal’s door, enabling you to see inside. Just imagine the practical jokes!|
It may sound scary, but building your own talking picture frame: simpler than you’d think. Alison and Diana walk you through all the steps in their simple video tutorial — the Pilot episode from the gals at Switch. DIY Talking Photo Frame |
Floss, check. Hole punch, check. Nail Polish, check. Hot glue gun, electric wire, drill, and recording module, check check checkity check!|
What could be sweeter? How about building one yourself? Sure, you can buy a pretty decent digital photo frame for about $200 now, but if you’ve got the parts lying around, or know your way around eBay and want to get your hands dirty, you can do better. Here’s a few options. (And hey, even if soldering irons and circuit boards aren’t your thing, chances are you know someone who would really dig this. Pass it along–they may just make one for you!) $100 DIY Digital Photo Frame from Scratch $80 DIY Flickr/WiFi-enabled Photo Frame from an Old Laptop See also… The $40 el-cheapo DIY digital photo frame on Photojojo Uncut. |
Digital Photo Frames are the cat’s meow. Instead of dealing with messy inkjets or online photo printers, your pix go straight from your camera to the frame.|
You could have the best eye in the world, the nicest camera, have caught the moment, and juiced it perfectly in Photoshop. But a floppy old print is still lame. Sure, there are lots of other ways to show off those snaps, but sometimes you want a traditional look. It’s easy to find nice ready-made frames on the cheap. Trouble is, getting your photos matted can be pricey. Matting photos yourself, however, is easy, fun, and cheap! Check out the super simple tutorial Sarah Neuburger wrote on her method. You’ll be matting in no time flat. How I Cut a Mat. By Sarah. |
There’s no question about it, a mat and frame make your photos look hot.|
We’re here to help. Gather your piles of vacation photos, stunning portraits of Aunt Mildred, and your gallery-worthy shots of your feet; it’s time to put ‘em to use. We’re going to show you how to make a stunning gift using your photos in 15 minutes or less. Keep it for yourself and make another for a friend. It’s sure to impress. Watch our step-by-step video to find out how. Photo blocks video tutorial |
You forgot mother’s day, your friend’s been having a horrible year, you’re bored. Whatever. Point is, you need to produce a gift.|
Here’s a neat little project we found via Heather Champ and Gayla Trail that puts those jewel cases to use: A stand-up desk calendar you can make using your photos. It’s a snap. First use FD’s Photo Calendar Maker to turn any photo into a one-month calendar template. Then use these simple instructions to take apart a jewel case and turn it inside out to make a calendar stand. Voila! FD’s Photo Calendar Maker See also… p.s. Add your calendar templates to the Photojojo photo pool and we’ll link to them in our next email! |
If you’re like us, you’ve got your music on your iPod and a big mess of dusty CD jewel cases in your closet.|
Thanks to Gursky, small is out and BIG is in. And if you’re like us, you were tired of small anyway. It’s simple: Upload your JPG file to the Rasterbator and it spits back a printer-friendly PDF. Use your trusty, or crummy, inkjet (or better yet, your work laser printer) and a few minutes later you’re holding a Rasterbated bundle of sheets ready for assembly into one chic wall mural. Take that, small. The Rasterbator p.s. Need a little inspiration? Check out the Rasterbator tag on Flickr. The photo you see above was rasterbated by Shannon Holman. Thanks, Shannon! |
Not since we used PrintShop for our Commodore 64 has mural printing been this addictive. The Rasterbator is a website that makes printing your photographs HUGE way easier (and way cheaper) than the print jockeys at your local copy shop.