What’s incredibly soft, keeps you warm, and spends its days around your neck?

A) Your cat, Harold. B) A plush dolphin travel neck pillow. C) Solid gold bling. D) Your new favorite DIY camera strap.

If you answered D, you win! Because that’s what this tutorial is all about: how to make a DIY scarf camera strap.

It’s the warmest, most colorful and winter-friendly strap your camera’s ever met.

Our pal Stacie Grissom just so happens to be a leading authority on scarf camera straps. That’s why we asked her to put together this how-to just for you.

How to Make a Scarf Camera Strap

p.s. Today on Facebook, we’re giving away 2 sets of Cell Lenses and a Lens Wallet! Hurry and enter!

Why Silk Scarves Make Excellent Straps:

Here’s the backstory from Stacie:

Why silk you ask? Well, did you know that a silk rope is stronger than a steel cable? (Seriously! Believe it.) Silk is just too expensive to manufacture in those industrial quantities.

My little brother also told me this story about silk that he heard on Mythbusters:

Mongolian warriors used to wear silk shirts underneath their armor. When they were shot with arrows in battle, the silk wouldn’t break. That made it easier to remove the arrow from the wounded warrior’s flesh without digging around too much and causing more damage. (Sorry for the gross image.)

So the whole silk strength discussion with my brother got me thinking. If a silk shirt can protect a Mongolian warrior, then a silk scarf can totally support the weight of my cameras. So I made a camera strap from a scarf!

What You’ll Need:

• A silk scarf or cut fabric; 60″ long (Surprisingly affordable!)
• 2 key rings (Sturdier the better)
• Scissors
• Chalk
• Needle and thread
• Leather, pleather, or ribbon (optional)

Step 1 – Measure it out

Pick a scarf, any scarf. Patterns are nice, but hey, how about this solid colored one? Your choice! You can even go to a fabric store, and have a custom piece cut for you.

Now, put your scarf or piece of fabric on around your neck as if you were going to wear it like a camera strap.

Use your piece of chalk to mark where you want the strap to meet your camera.

Then, mark about an inch and a half below that. (You need to have room to stitch the bottom of the scarf up.)

Step 2 – Cut Along the Lines

Cut along the bottom line that you made. Easy.

Step 3 – Add the Key Rings

Slip the end of each scarf into a respective key ring.

You’re going to sew these guys in place with some needle and thread. Leave about an inch of wiggle room between the key ring and where you sew the fabric down.

It’s a short way to go, so you can do this by hand pretty quickly.

If this is your first time handling needle and thread, here’s a little guide.

If you have a sewing machine, all the quicker!

Step 4 – Spruce Up Your Strap (Optional)

This part is just a little added flare to make your strap look more finished. So, it’s optional.

You’ll be making two little tubes to slip over the end of each strap. If you’re advanced with sewing, try something sharp like leather (or pleather). Sew two little tubes as pictured.

If you’re not into sewing leather, you can make a tube out of ribbon by hand stitching two ends of the ribbon together.

Slip one tube over the each end of your strap, and sew it in place (so it doesn’t fall off!).

Step 5 – Wear and Be Admired

Attach your strap to your camera via the key rings, and there you have it.

Now wear it, and let the compliments roll in.

Mix it Up With More Ideas:

• Now that your original strap is replaced, you can use it to make a DIY sling bag.
• Think neck straps are so 2011? Make a DIY hand strap!
• If you don’t want to throw out your o.g. strap, make a colorful cover for it.
• Add a DIY lens cap keeper or get a Lens Cap Holder

.

Stacie Grissom is a DIY-er and photography-lover who runs Stars for Streetlights, a blog about crafts, fashion, and photography.

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Before printers spewed out photos on paper, photos were printed on glass!

Sure, that sounds like the kind of thing your Uncle Buck would make up, but we’re telling you, it’s totally true.

Just to prove it, here’s a tutorial on how to put your own photos on glass with etching!

It’s a different technique than 19th century photographers used and is as easy as old school iron-on transfers.

The results? They’ll put you on par with the most bad ass of our photo fore-fathers.

Etch Any Photo Onto Glass

Why it’s clearly cool:

Using this technique, you can personalize every glass surface you can think of.

Flat pieces of glass are easy to find and cheap to buy–think craft stores or old frames. If you’re in the mood to get fancy, you can etch on glass jars and the like.

All you need is your favorite photographs and just a little bit of elbow grease (or etching cream!).

What You’ll Need:

• Resist paper (we used PNP Blue, available in hobby shops and online)
• Glass etching cream
• Rubber gloves
• Safety goggles
• Scissors
• A strip of cardboard or a popsicle stick
• Masking tape
• Clear nailpolish
• A scouring pad
• Glass
• A laser printer or photocopier (inkjet won’t work on resist paper!)

Step 1 – Ditch The Colour

Once you have your photo picked out, desaturate it to black & white. This will make it easier to work with and give you a better idea of how the final etch will turn out.

Step 2 – Stamp it Out!

The stamp filter in Photoshop does an amazing job of preparing a photo for etching. Since small details won’t show up in the final etching, it’s best to remove them now to make it easier to etch.

You can find it under Filter > Sketch > Stamp. Play with the sliders until you get a high contrast between the whites and the blacks. We used a Light/Dark Balance setting of 4 with a Smoothness setting of 5.

Step 3 – Invert!

When you go to etch your glass, the white parts of the image are the parts that will etch, while the black parts will stay clear. In most cases, you’ll want to invert the image to make a negative for the etching process.

You can find the invert function under Image >Adjustments > Invert.

Step 4 – Print it & Cut it Out

Print the image on resist paper like PNP Blue using a laser printer or a photocopy machine. The resist paper will only work with toner. Inkjet printers won’t work.

PNP Blue is a type of resist paper normally used for homebrew circuitboard printing. It makes it easy to transfer toner to other materials like metal or glass to protect those areas from chemical etching creams. You’ll be able to find it in hobby stores and online.

Cut out the image and get ready. Things are about to get hot.

Step 5 – Strike While the Iron is Hot

Your iron needs to be pretty hot, so turn it up over Acrylic – make sure you leave the steam off, though!

While the iron is heating up, position the resist paper on clean glass – any dust or gunk will make a messy looking etch.

Using steady pressure, iron on the paper. It will adhere to the glass while it’s hot. Work out all the bubbles, moving from the centre to the edge and then let the iron sit on the paper for a minute or two. This will transfer the toner from the paper to the glass.

Step 6 – Peel

Once your glass has cooled – and it might take awhile, glass is really good at conducting heat! – carefully peel back the paper.

Step 7 – Touch it Up

Everywhere the toner transferred is going to be protected from the etching cream. If there were any bubbles or areas that didn’t turn black, protect it by taping it up with masking tape.

For smaller, more detailed areas, clear nailpolish works just wonderfully to protect the glass.

Step 8 – Lay it on Thick

Pop on your rubber gloves and safety goggles! Then, in a well-ventilated area (ah, the great outdoors!), apply a thick later of etching cream over the glass.

Follow the directions on the package, but most creams will take between 6 to 7 minutes to work.

Step 9 – Rinse!

Once the cream has been on for a good amount of time, slip the glass under the tap and rinse it squeaky clean!

Step 10 – Scrub!

Once all the cream has been rinsed off, remove the masking tape and clean the toner off the glass with a fabric scouring pad. Stay away from the steel wool type of scouring pad as it will scratch the glass.

Step 11 – Admire It!

Your finished piece is a work of art! To really make it shine, try to find a nice, brightly lit spot for your new artwork.

Think windows and in front of lightfixtures!

Mix it Up With More Ideas:

• Etch your photograph in layers: foreground, mid-ground and background. Etch each part on a separate piece of glass and stack them together for a cool 3D effect.
• Make a window ornament with your fave photo. The sunlight will make it easy to see!
• Make a sweet party chalice by etching a photo onto a mason jar.
• Use the resist paper on what it was really meant for – metal! Just be sure to use etching cream made for metal. The steps are the same otherwise, but you might need a little more elbow grease for Step 10 (and maybe some steel wool).
• Give your framed photos a ghostly halo by etching the print onto the glass and framing it. See our example above!

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Ansel Adams once said, “You don’t take a photograph, you make it”. Well this year, we’re making the cameras.

Forget about gingerbread men, women, and houses. Our pals Doug and Jenny got into the holiday spirit by making gingerbread cameras!

They showed us just how they did it, so you can make one at home, too.

Make a TLR, rangefinder or a Hasselblad. You can have any camera on your wish list!

Make Gingerbread Cameras

Why it’s cool:

There’s no question that we love our cameras. But a camera that tastes as good as it looks? What could be better?

Gingerbread cameras are not only delicious and super fun to construct, but they also make the perfect, mouth-watering centerpiece for your holiday meal.

These cameras will make your guests f/stop in their tracks.

What you’ll need:

• Gingerbread Dough and Icing (see below)
• Cookie Sheets
• Oven
• Rolling Pin
• Parchment/ Wax Paper
• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• Electric Mixer (optional)
• Toothpicks



Dough:

• 2 large eggs
• 3¾ cups flour
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 1 stick of butter, softened
• ¼ cup molasses
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1½ teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon salt

Icing:

• 3½ cups powdered sugar
• 2 large egg whites

Step 1 – Make the Gingerbread Dough:

Using an electric mixer at low speed, cream the sugar and butter until thoroughly combined. Add the eggs and molasses and mix until combined. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and combine with a spoon or spatula.

Separate the dough into two even pieces and wrap each ball in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

(Great gingerbread recipe found here)

Step 2 – Roll out the dough:

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line the cookie sheets with wax paper.

On a floured surface, roll out half the dough to about ¼” thick. This part will be used for the sides and body of the camera. Roll the other half of the dough a bit thinner for the detail pieces, about 1/8 of an inch.

TIP: Roll your dough in between sheets of wax paper to keep it from sticking to your surface and rolling pin.

Step 3 – Cut out the shapes:

Use a knife, or circle and rectangle cookie cutters, to cut out the shapes you need. Use a spatula to transfer your shapes to the prepared cookie sheets. You can re-roll the scraps.

Use the printable template (above) for a twin lens reflex camera.

TIP: Before buying cookie cutters, see what shapes you have laying around your kitchen. We pressed the tops of drinking glasses into the dough for a nice circle outline.

Step 4 – Bake and cool:

Pop your shapes into the oven at 350 degrees for around 10 minutes, or until the edges start to brown.

Let them cool completely before building your camera.

Step 5 – Make the icing:

While the gingerbread is baking and cooling, make some hard-core icing that is sure to glue your gingerbread pieces together. You don’t want that camera collapsing after all your hard work! Here’s how:

Using electric mixer, beat egg whites in medium bowl until very foamy, about 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Beat until well blended. Add remaining cups sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating until well blended after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl occasionally. Beat icing at high speed until very thick and stiff, about 5 minutes.

Step 6 – Trim the edges:

While your pieces are still a bit warm, trim the sides with a sharp knife for nice straight edges that are easy to line up.

Step 7 – Assemble:

Start with the body of the camera. Construct the sides together using plenty of that thick icing. Once you have the body, go ahead and add the top shapes.

Step 8 – Details:

Glue on the lenses and film advance wheels.

TIP: Plenty of icing on the back of the piece holds it on tight. It also creates a nice white circle of icing when pressed onto the main body.

Step 9 – Fine Print:

Decorate your gingerbread camera with all the little details that make it awesome. Give it a brand name and a border, or polka dots if you want!

TIP: Spoon the icing into a re-sealable sandwich baggie. Cut a tiny corner off and squeeze the icing through for a more refined look. Use toothpicks to fine-tune the smallest areas.

Step 10 – Enjoy!

You did it! Now put that bad boy on display for everyone to see!

Take it further:

• Want more cameras you can eat? Check out these cookie cutters (above) and make ice-cream sandwich cameras!
• Make a collection of rad gingerbread cameras. Study your favorite camera and break it down to its most essential geometric shapes. Make a template for the shapes you need to cut out and bake. Photograph your camera and its sweeter counterpart together.
• Feeling extra festive? Make a gingerbread polaroid camera and prints. Draw your favorite photos with colored icing.

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Free shipping on orders over $100! Super Cool Cameras That Ship Free: Time-Lapse Camera Classic Mini Digital Camera Tilt Shift Digital Camera Fuji Instax Instant Camera Double Exposure Digi Cam

Reindeer and Santa Claus wrapping paper = snoozefest!

Switch things up this year with your very own DIY photographic wrapping paper.

It’s a gift in and of itself — especially if it’s got your beautiful mug on it.

Your friends and family will def want to save your crafty wrapping. Maybe they’ll even regift it!

Make Photo Wrapping Paper

p.s. The Photojojo Store is still shipping for Christmas! Orders placed today over $100 get free UPS 2-day delivery just in time for Santa. So come on over!
(...)
Read the rest of DIY Photo Wrapping Paper — Wrap Gifts in Your Very Own Photos! (367 words)

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Extra photos for bloggers: 1, 2, 3

*NEW Phoneography Goodies!* Holga iPhone lens (new) 9 super fun efx filters & prisms on a hand dial. iPhone Carabiner Clip (new) Keep your phone always ready w/ this clip. Dot iPhone Panorama Lens (new) Get 360 panoramic video (schmancy!). The Glif (back in stock) Stand & tripod mount for your iPhone 4. Jelly Lens Filters (back in stock) Fun affordable sticky lenses for any phone.

Store-bought holiday cards will be shaking in their envelopes.

We’ve got a DIY recipe for turning your photos into holiday cards that double as ornaments.

That’s right. Your photos won’t just deliver your written warm wishes and witticisms, but they’ll decorate trees (and doorknobs and rear view mirrors), too!

Bust out your camera ’cause this is the year your photos pull double holiday duty!

Make Photo Ornament Greeting Cards

p.s. The last day for FREE Priority Shipping in the Photojojo Shop is tomorrow. Hop to it!

Why ’tis the season for cool cards:

Every holiday season, a mass of cards are bought in bulk from stores and sent out to loved ones, wishing them all the best for the season. Once the holidays are over, many of them end up in recycling bins. [sad face!]

Combining the best wishes of a greeting card with the keepsake value of an ornament gives you a card that will be kept instead of tossed!

Plus, it’ll leave your rad artsy Auntie talking about your creative skills for years.

The nice ingredients list:

• Your favourite Christmas ornaments
• Scissors
• Glue or double-sided tape
• A hole-punch
• Colourful string or ribbon
• A digital camera

Step 1 – Immortalize your favourite ornament:

Dig out your favourite ornament and photograph it on a solid-colour background. Using a solid background will make it easier to cut out the ornament later.

Step 2 – Flip it around and print:

You will need to make two copies of every ornament picture. The first was just as you photographed it in Step 1. Since you’ll be putting these together in a card, with a front and a back, you need to flip the image horizontally to make the back side of the card.

In Photoshop, go Image > Image Rotation > Flip Canvas Horizontal. Print both copies of the image.

Step 3 – Trim the tree ornament

Using your trusty pair of scissors, cut out the shape of the ornament, removing all traces of the background.

Step 4 – One row of glue

Line up the front and back of the card, then using glue or double-sided tape, stick the sheets together at the top or side of the card.

Step 5 – Make it holey

Using a hole punch, cut a hole in the top of the photos. Then, using a coloured string or ribbon, make a loop that will serve to hold the ornament on a tree.

Step 6 – Stamp it with love

Carefully make a crease along the line of glue or tape.

Then, personalize your ornamental creation with messages of well-wishes and love. You’ll not only see your handwork on your love ones’ tree this year, but you’ll see it next year and the year after that, too!

Step 7 – Send it!

Pop your crafty card into an envelop and send it off to someone you love.

Then it’s just a matter of waiting for it to show up on their tree!

Deck the halls with more ideas

• Test out your origami chops and make your ornament go 3D
• If your photolab carries it, ask for metallic paper (also known as “pearl paper”) for an added layer of shine built right in.
• Make ornaments out of cherished pet photos or pictures of old cameras. Anything can be made into an ornament!

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