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Informative Articles

Cat Arthritis
Cat arthritis is not a very common ailment among healthy cats. Most arthritis found in cats is from an accident that has made the bones or joints weak. Arthritis is an inflammation of the joints and there is more than one type of arthritis that...

Cat sense organs and Cat Breeds
Cats are available in all rainbow colours and their shades. Cats are available in hundreds of colours. The common coat patterns in cats are solid, tabby, tortoiseshell, bi colour, tri colour and colourpoint. Eyes of cats are most beautiful as...

Clutter Is Natural
Nature loves clutter. Just think of all the stuff that drops from trees, washes in on the tide, or is blown by the wind into your backyard. Birds molt, animals shed, snakes slither out of their skin, and they all just leave it lying there to rot...

Get a Pet for Stress Relief
Pet ownership can be beneficial in combatting social stress. This is the finding of a new study into the effects of the human companion animal bond. The therapeutic use of pets as companions has gained increasing attention during recent years for...

Why Dogs Rule
Ever wonder why dogs make such good pets? It’s not something many people seem to give much thought to, but I’ve been pondering it lately. I’ve had cats, snakes, fish, even a bird once, but as pets they all compare unfavorably (in my humble opinion)...

 
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A New Way to Use Old Snapshots


If you're like me, you have hundreds of photographs sitting in envelopes. Pictures from birthday parties, weddings, family gatherings, anniversaries, the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas. You have already put the best snapshots into albums and these are leftovers. You don't want to throw them away, but you also don't know what to do with them.

Instead of letting your snapshots take up space and contribute to the clutter in your home, use them to make collages (at a cost of less than $10 each) that you can give as Christmas gifts to family and friends. Here's how:


  1. Assess your collection of pictures. Do you have several dozen of your spouse or significant other? Your parents? Your children? Grandparents? A friend? A beloved pet? Decide which person would like to receive these pictures and divide them into groups accordingly.

  2. Buy a picture frame with glass (either 5x7 or 8x10) for each collage you are going to make. Department stores sometimes have sales on picture frames, and you can often purchase a suitable frame for $5 or less.

  3. Cut a sheet of paper (use cardstock, 24# paper or light cardboard) to match the size of the opening on the picture frame.


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  4. Cut out the background of the pictures, leaving just the people (or pets). Cut out enough pictures to cover the sheet of paper.

  5. Arrange the cut-out pictures on the paper. Mix and match and experiment. Try placing the pictures at different angles.

  6. After you have an idea of how you would like to arrange the pictures, glue them to the paper. (Check the label to make sure that you can use the glue with photographs.) Cover the entire sheet of paper with pictures.

  7. When the glue is dry, insert the paper into the frame.


Collages are not only a good way to use your old snapshots, but the recipients also will cherish them for years to come as a special and thoughtful gift.

© 2003 LeAnn R. Ralph

LeAnn R. Ralph is a freelance writer in Wisconsin, is the editor of the Wisconsin Regional Writer (the quarterly publication of the Wisconsin Regional Writers' Assoc.) and is the author of the book: Christmas In Dairyland (True Stories From a Wisconsin Farm) (August 2003; trade paperback) http://ruralroute2.com


bigpines@ruralroute2.com