Open this sweet little wallet-sized card and you'll find an accordion full of fun portraits. This is a gift that will make someone you love very happy!
My girls and I had fun taking candid studio-style shots of each other in black and white. I used my favorite free photo doctoring site- PicMonkey - to intensify the color contrast and create some variation in the photos. After printing the photos onto matte photo paper, I glued them to one long piece of inexpensive brown shipping paper. Fold it up, create your cover, use a little red ribbon for a shot of color and the photo card is so pretty on its own you won't even have to wrap it!Be sure to leave ample extra paper on both ends so you can figure out a good way to create a cover. It's best to create your cover after you fold your accordion to assure it ends cover up versus photo up.
The little word grid below was handwritten onto a piece of graph paper that I found in a decorative paper book.
front cover
back page
You can make your accordion as long or as short as you like! We used 15 photos total and when all stacked up the whole thing was thinner than a sugar wafer. But way more sweet! Steve loved it.
You can make your accordion as long or as short as you like! We used 15 photos total and when all stacked up the whole thing was thinner than a sugar wafer. But way more sweet! Steve loved it.
Notes:
Sit in front of a lightly colored plain wall for your photo shoot. Try using the "continuous" setting on your camera if it has one.
When using PicMonkey, upload your photos one at a time and go into the "exposure" setting. Adjust the contrast, highlights and shadows until you get the look you want. Explore all their other options, too! It's an amazing resource for all sorts of fun photo projects!
For your photo strip you can use any paper that's about the weight of wrapping paper. Unroll the paper onto a long table and glue the photos along an edge leaving space between each photo to accommodate the fold. Trim neatly to remove the photo strip from the large paper, leaving 2 or 3 photo-lengths of paper on each end. Fold up and plan for your front and back to end in paper with a cover instead of a photo.
Cut an extra long piece of thin ribbon and glue it to the very center of your back cover using a tiny drop of hot glue. Tie your bow, then trim your ribbon to the desired length.
Try making one for the man in your life! Maybe he will shed a little happy tear like mine did.Sit in front of a lightly colored plain wall for your photo shoot. Try using the "continuous" setting on your camera if it has one.
When using PicMonkey, upload your photos one at a time and go into the "exposure" setting. Adjust the contrast, highlights and shadows until you get the look you want. Explore all their other options, too! It's an amazing resource for all sorts of fun photo projects!
For your photo strip you can use any paper that's about the weight of wrapping paper. Unroll the paper onto a long table and glue the photos along an edge leaving space between each photo to accommodate the fold. Trim neatly to remove the photo strip from the large paper, leaving 2 or 3 photo-lengths of paper on each end. Fold up and plan for your front and back to end in paper with a cover instead of a photo.
Cut an extra long piece of thin ribbon and glue it to the very center of your back cover using a tiny drop of hot glue. Tie your bow, then trim your ribbon to the desired length.
We love you Steve!
I have been looking and searching for a simple template that I could incorporate horizontal and vertical images. Most of the templates on the market are made for just vertical images. I loved your Accordion picture card…
ReplyDeleteThis was the best gift ever! I love you!
ReplyDeleteYou deserve it! I love you too!
DeleteThis is delightful, you've clearly put so much effort and thought into it as well!
ReplyDelete