Original Purpose: Minding your business from A to Z. Aha! Use: Showcasing favorite photos. Attach a photograph to each card and use as a desktop photo album. Or, for the motivated, file alphabetically (pictures of Fido under F). Reward: Memories among the memos.
Written by Sharon Tanenbaum and Ashley TateAugust 2007
Written by Sharon Tanenbaum and Ashley TateAugust 2007
How to FrameGenerations of family photos make a cohesive whole when hung in identical black frames with crisp white mats. For a timeless, sophisticated look, convert color pictures to black and white. Here, eight sizes of frames are mixed. How to Arrange A large collection of photos looks best grouped tightly — no more than an inch or two apart — in a rough square or rectangle. Tip: Photo labs can enlarge, reduce, and convert color photos to black and white using either the negative (which will produce a higher-quality picture) or the print. You can manipulate photos yourself using a color photocopier. May 2002
How to FrameGather baby pictures of every family member — from newborns to Great-Grandmother. Choose three to four frame sizes in the same style and color, then mix two colors of mats. Simplicity Collection frames in gray, from 5 by 7 inches to 12 by 12 inches.How to ArrangeButt the frames together. Start hanging from the left. With a level, check that the first is straight, then work toward the right.
Make a bulletin board from a flea-market frame and a piece of cork. Any old frame will work. Even a gaudy one — like this plastic castoff from the 1970s — looks chic when spray-painted white. Dress up thumbtacks by gluing wooden buttons to them (try Fabri-Tac, $7 at craft stores). For an even easier solution, stick photos on the refrigerator with magnetic photo corners. Tip: If you must hang photos for the long term in a humid environment, like a kitchen or bath, first have them dry-mounted at a frame shop. Dry mounting adheres the photo to a thin piece of foam, which keeps it rigid and flat.
