On the Fourth Day of Christmas

DECORATIVE PLATE

Supply List

• Plate (1.00)
• Regular Copy Paper
• Photo Editing Software
• --OR--
• 8x10 Matte Photo and protractor
• Decoupage
• Paints, Inks, Misc. Embellishments
• Circle Cutter or Scissors

There is truly no better gift for the holidays than the never-ending memories that are captured in a photo. Besides what better way to replace that outdated picture of you on your parents end table with the poofy hair and the acne that you are forced to remember every time you visit (I was talking about me…I am certain no one else here had poofy hair or acne at age 15...LOL)! I’ll be honest though…sometimes I feel a bit vein giving someone "just" a framed photo of myself as a gift (and a bit lazy as well)…maybe because I don't feel as though I've put enough thought into it? But if you consider the person you’re giving it to and take your photo a step further by presenting it in a way that compliments their home or their hobby then it becomes a well put-together and thoughtful gift!

Here are the steps I've taken to create my decorative plate:

1. First I’ve taken this photo of my son, done some editing to give it an aged and somewhat transparent look and cropped it in the perfect size to fit inside of my plate (that I got for a 1.00 mind you…never underestimate the dollar stores ladies!).

2. Now if you are printing off your own picture I suggested copy paper instead of photo paper because the printed image will saturate the paper instead of sitting on top (as it does with photo paper). This makes the image and ink less transferable--however, you must wait for the photo to dry COMPLETELY before applying the decoupage…otherwise you will simply be smearing your printer ink around on a plate!

3. Apply a thin layer of decoupage to the surface area of the plate and starting in the center, begin laying down your photo. Flatten the image onto the plate working the bubbles and wrinkles from the middle out to the edges.

4. Once your photo is flat and mostly dried, you can begin applying a top coat of decoupage taking care to make nice even strokes for the best finish possible. Once the decoupage has dried completely you can add details to the rim of your plate if you choose to further compliment your giftee’s style. My plate already had a very subtle design and since my grandfather is a very subtle guy I chose to let the image on the plate speak for itself…but don’t let this stop you…embellish away!

So long story short…a photo is the perfect gift to give on Christmas Day…your family loves you and enjoys seeing your sparkling smile on their end table…or your beautiful son staring back at them from a plate hanging on their wall, or even the beautiful photo of their favorite mountain scenery printed on canvas…the possibility of photo gifts are endless. Check back later in the week for many more photo gift ideas! And if you’re thinking of brushing up on your photography skills-- well Katrina Kennedy is waiting to help you do just that! Beginning next year join her for her NEW! online photography class at Get It Scrapped! Where she’ll be discussing the principles of Composition…trust me DON’T MISS THIS CLASS! In the mean time check out her ebook "Get Me Off of Auto" available at Designer Digitals