Diane Jarvis-Schuller

Everyone who knows me, or visits here often, knows that I am a strong proponent of getting your photographs printed. CDs and DVDs corrupt, hard drives crash, and one day the technology will no longer read CDs and DVDs (remember vinyl records or 8-track tapes for instance). Two weeks ago I asked for readers to send me photos of your photographs showing how you keep or display them. I’m finally getting a moment to post those photos. Perhaps this will give you ideas on displaying your own photos or inspire you to get your images printed and put into albums.

These first two were submitted by Deborah and I am so pleased to see how she has framed up and displayed so many of her photos. Deborah is quite proud of her walls of photos and so she should be. How wonderful to be surrounded by beautiful images and special memories. I know her family must be so pleased as well to see how she has some of the special moments displayed in carefully chosen frames.

This next one delights me. My friend Gisela submitted this suggesting it wasn’t overly creative but I have to tell you this is exceptionally organized! If you knew Gisela you would already know what an amazingly organized person she is and I’m delighted she shared this picture showing how she keeps her images. Look at all those albums that I know are perfectly organized and labeled (with the who, when, what, where) plus perfect organization of the images that are yet to be placed in albums.

The next pair of images came from Eileen Bassett. Eileen provided me with several images of her photos on display but I’m only showing two of them. Eileen, much like Deborah, is surrounded by framed photos in her home. Again, how pleased and proud her family must be having these special images carefully framed and displayed.

This last image was submitted by Kelly of Jax Decor. You can see that Kelly is an interior decorator. This particular picture gallery contains photos of all her pets including those who have gone over the rainbow bridge. I love it. Kelly mentioned she is planning to create another gallery wall with photos and artwork from her recent trips to Nova Scotia and PEI. You can see how having your photos on display adds to your home decor, not to mention showcasing some important memories at the same time.

Thank you so much ladies for sharing your photos with us. I sure wish I would have thought to take a photo of one of the photo gallery walls my daughter-in-law has in their home. They display photos all over their house and it’s all like artwork.

Here’s one easy idea for displaying photos without the need for framing. These are magnetic photo ropes and look like a simple yet decorative way of displaying photos of all kinds whether at home or work. For anyone who may have missed one of my earlier posts, here’s a great idea “What Can I Do with all my Snapshots?” that will show you a creative way of using and displaying your photographs.

As I come across more great examples like the ones here and shown in previous posts, I’ll showcase and share them in the hope they will inspire you to get your photos printed and on display.

First I have to tell you all about a giveaway over at Decor Happy. Head on over to enter for their draw for the decorating book, Restore. Recycle. Repurpose. I love decorating ideas that utilize some form of recycling or repurposing and I hope one of us wins the draw for that book! Now on to another tip I have for you that ties in with the title of that giveaway book.

My last post provided you with a great tip for using & displaying all those snapshots you have buried in boxes or albums (see What Can I Do with all my Snapshots). Displaying photos is definitely a part of our decor, of course. Here’s a recycling tip for you. The other day I was in town and stopped by our local thrift store. They had several picture frames and many of them were pictures in frames.  I sorted through them and brought these ones home. I’ll be fixing them up a bit but all it will take is a can of spray paint using a cardboard box (outside) to prevent the wind from blowing the paint everywhere. I’ll paint the frames but that darling photo easel I plan to use as-is. I’ve done this before and highly recommend heading to your local thrift store to see what great finds you can bring home and use for getting some of your photos up on the wall.

The added bonus is when you do something like this, often the frames don’t need any touch up, but even with the fresh touch of paint, I have two new frames and a photo easel at a steal. I paid $ 3.85 for both frames plus the easel. When you’re at the thrift store check for those nice wood recipe boxes. They make ideal photo boxes and if you leave the lid open with a photo or two slipped up, guests will be enticed into looking through them. In the past I’ve often picked up hand made doilies for less than a dollar that I use throughout my home. Don’t get me going on tips for repurposing things either — I could go on and on with that subject!

NEWSLETTER:  I should also mention that I plan to resume producing the monthly newsletter. My newsletter will be filled with tips such as some of the ones I’ve been sharing with you lately. I also plan to include resources and other useful information. I’m going back to the newsletter because I’m needing to refine my online time. This means I will be making far fewer Facebook posts but I will continue to leave the automated setting so all these blog posts go to my Facebook page. But to get all the ‘juicy’ stuff, I’ll be including that in my newsletter. Sure a few things will continue to be included here but the monthly newsletter will have directed content of use to anyone. If you or someone you know may be interested in my monthly newsletter, you can let me know either by adding your name over at my website, enter from the opening page, and click on the little envelope icon that appears at the bottom right of the screen. Alternatively, if you leave me a note above using the Contact tab, so that I have your email address. I will be setting up with an automated email company so I can assure everyone they won’t be spammed and so that it is easy to opt out. It may be a couple weeks before I have all the details ironed out and then I’ll contact everyone. Thank you so much for your loyalty and for your understanding while I work at streamlining this part of my business.

Photographs never forget!

If you are one of the few people who actually gets your snapshots printed (what a concept!), have you questioned what you can do with all of them? I’m sure you have. I have too. Here’s a great idea I actually got from a friend who does this very thing. She had all kinds of snapshots of her family, her garden, and trips they had taken. The problem is, she’s not keen on taking time to put them all into albums but she does keep them organized in photo boxes. (Between you and me it wouldn’t matter if she kept them in shoe boxes — at least she has physical copies of them rather than leaving them on her hard drive!). So here’s what she does.

If you drop by her place for a visit, on her coffee table she always has a pretty dish or bowl prominently placed for all to see. The trick is, that bowl or plate is never empty. Instead of filling it with mounds of apples or a variety of fruit, she has a scattering of photos inside that pretty bowl. I can tell you it’s usually hard to resist picking up some of the photos and getting a closer look. It can even be a great conversation starter when you have a gathering of people over for a visit.

I’m sure you’re thinking to yourself, “That’s well and good but that’s only a few photos. What about all the others?” Ah ha! There’s more to it. She leaves the snapshots out for a while (I’m sure that can be whatever time period you like: a week, a month). She then gathers the dishful up, puts them back in the box and brings out another handful or two and drops them in the bowl. How clever is that? You and I could do that too. The snapshots are being rotated and you, your family, and guests will always have them right there in front of you to view. I certainly wouldn’t worry about the few fingerprints or the occasional rubbed edge on a snapshot — the snapshot still exists and at least they’re being shared as they were meant to be! Snapshots are meant to be a reminder of moments past. But if we never look at them then why take them in the first place? Besides, not only is it easier on the eyes browsing through photos that you can actually hold, but those moments linger in your mind simply because they are visible and being seen.

[caption id="attachment_2489" align="aligncenter" width="432" caption="snapshots on a white plate on display as home decor"][/caption]

At your OFFICE: You could do the same thing at your office. Bring a vase that flares toward the top or an empty box from chocolates (line the box with tissue first) and toss in your photos. I bet you’ll start a trend at work or compete to see who has the best display vessel! Go ahead, get those snapshots printed and on display.

I’d love to know how you take advantage of displaying your snapshots — the ones that are printed out and not wasting away on  your computer. If you have a photo of them on display, include the link and I’ll come take a peek!

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Diane is a custom photographer who values images that are in print rather than sitting on a disc or hard drive.

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Photographs never forget. I can help you keep your memories alive. Contact me at:  photos @ dianeschuller . com (remove spaces) or use the contact tab above.