Between digital cameras, cellphones, and an influx of school portraits, most of us have tons of great photos. And where are they? Stuck in a drawer or, more likely, in a computer file. If you have these great shots, you should use them. Print them out and make some simple, inexpensive Valentine’s Day presents.
The simplest thing to do is to print out the photos and put them in a frame. Find a picture of something fun that your family or your beloved did over the summer or holidays and make a print. Because photo paper and printer ink are expensive, I usually upload my photos for printing at my local Walgreens. Prints start at 39 cents each there, before any coupons or promotions. Other drugstores and discount chains have similar pricing. The photos have to be in .jpg format. If your camera uses a different format, you can convert it using photo software. I’m fond of Picasa, which is free and easy to use.
Whenever I see a nice frame at a thrift store or garage sale, I snap it up. I like to have some on hand for future presents.
This photo has my son’s face on Bulls point guard Kirk Hinrich’s body. To diminish the lines, I took a photo of the photo, then converted it to black and white and cropped it in Picasa. If you have a ton of wallet-size school photos, take them to a copy shop for lamination. You can make a simple bookmark that a grandparent would love to have.
